Evergreen Falls

by Meep the Changeling

Rating: teen
Tags: Alternate Universe, Other, Original Character, Horror, Profanity, Adventure, Violence, Crossover, Narcotics, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 219494

A group of mares in a remote Equestrian town uncover some of history's most ancient secrets.

A soldier, an archeologist, and an android move to a small town in the furthest reaches of Equestria—a town run by a classified institution that safeguards the odd and inexplicable. A town built over the ruins of an ancient pre-Equestrian civilization. A town in the middle of a corruption scandal relating to an ancient artifact of unknown power.

Published 2023-11-04 23:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2024-03-09 00:32:18 UTC

2 - Junebug

Night Sky - 3rd of Lunar Dawn, 4 EoH
Royal University of Canterlot - Canterlot

The golden domes of the Canterlot palace trembled as the mountain shook under the distant impact of Twilight’s battle with Lord Tirek. Ponies lay in the streets where they had fallen upon their magic being torn from their very souls. They moved, or rather, shivered. Not dead, but doomed. Not in pain, but in horror.

The few non-ponies in Canterlot ran through the streets and flew through the towers, giving what first aid they could. Pegasi had fallen from the sky when their magic left them, their broken forms littered the streets and rooftops. Unicorns who had been mid-spell lay comatose at best, seizing at worst. They were still better off than the Earth Ponies who had been lifting heavy loads when their magic failed. Most of those poor souls were waiting in line for the reaper.

The miniscule portion of non-ponies in the Royal Guard manned the walls with the even fewer non-Equestrian weapons the armory held. Their eyes were locked on the battle taking place just on the horizon within Ponyville. With every building-sized energy blast and earthquaking blow they wished more and more that Canterlot had been allowed to develop like every other major Equestrian city.

Tradition was nice and all, but having easy access to griffon tanks, draconic firearms, and minocian cybernetics suddenly seemed incredibly necessary. Especially with the Palace of the Sun burning and the Princesses nowhere to be found.

Except of course, for Princess Twilight. Who frankly was more likely to annihilate a town with a stray shot than defeat the demonic monster she was locked in combat with.

Professor Night huddled under his flimsy office desk, hooves clasped over his ears. He could hear the fire burning one floor below him, but didn’t have the energy to so much as stand. He’d barely crawled under his desk in time to avoid being hit by the ceiling collapsing onto his paperwork.

He’d been in the middle of justifying his rejection of his daughter’s application to join a dig of a ruined First Kingdom outpost in Prance when the attack began.

The desk creaked, unable to bear the weight of the rubble and his computer. Night flinched, bracing himself for a second collapse. Instead, smoke from the floor below billowed past his office window. The black vapors were thick and greasy, swiftly blocking out the sun.

That would be the bio-lab… Night thought to himself as his eyes adjusted to the dull green light coming from his MinOS IIe’s screen.

The blocky terminal was now his office’s only light source. It wouldn't be so bad if he could still echo locate.

Night rocked back and forth, his instincts telling him to fly to safety. To spread his wings, dive through the window, and fly as far from Canterlot as he could.

That wasn’t an option. Tirek had devoured the magic of every last pony in Equestria. Flight was impossible.

So is breathing, Night thought to himself as a dull memory from arcane anatomy intruded upon his mind. Most of our biology depends on magic. In a few hours, cell death will start. Even if Twilight wins this fight, everypony is—

A crackling lavender energy bolt the width of a tower blazed past the window, blinding Night with its scintillating glory. He shrank back from the window in terror. The blast had come from Ponyville and was still strong and large enough to vaporize a chunk of Mt. Avalon the size of a family home.

Why? Night begged of reality.

He’d seen the Princess’s plan. Give Twilight their magic so Tirek couldn't take it. Three grown Alicorns, in full control of their powers, with milenia of combat experience, gave their magic to an untrained child. A very lucky child, one who showed promise and performed miracles before… but a child nonetheless. One who was not a warrior. One who was not trained in battle.

It makes no sense. Why did she abandon us? Night pulled as far back under his desk as he could and fished his wallet from his suit jacket’s inner pocket.

Fortunately for Night, he’d been typing when the attack had started which meant he was wearing his manipulator gauntlets. For years he’d complained about Minos refusing to make hoof friendly versions of its technology and instead “forcing us to buy two products”, but now, with his magic gone and his hooves unable to telekinetically grip that which they touched, the bionic gauntlet’s brass fingers were the only reason he could hold anything at all.

The dusty purple thestral opened his wallet and flipped to the photo fold. The first photo was of a green and yellow unicorn mare, his wife Lemon.

“I’m sorry I forgot to do the laundry last night,” Night choked out through his terror and tears.

The next photo was of a young colt who was practically speaking a miniature version of his mother.

“I wish I could teach you hoofball, Lime.” Night said as his farewell before moving onto the next two pictures.

One was of a gray maned brown furred pegasus stallion, highschool age. The other was of a slightly older, blue maned, pink furred pegasus mare. They shared their mothers eyes and looked for all the world like siblings, but in truth they were the same pony two years apart.

Night closed his eyes and thought of all the hunting and camping trips he’d taken his step son, or rather step daughter on over the years. Every hoofball game. Every late night conversation on how to be a better stallion.

He thought of how June was now. Barely perceptible as feminine. An absolute tomboy interested in mares and according to her announcement at dinner that morning, not intending to fully complete her transition since “I was never sure if I’d have to change that much, and since my voice is right and I look correct now… Well, I know!”

“I’m sorry I bucked you up… Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Could have done… Whatever girls like to do…” Night lamented.

Night put his wallet down on the floor and closed his eyes, waiting for the end. Even if a stray shot didn’t destroy the palace, even if by some miracle ponykind’s magic was returned and they were spared a slow withering death… Lemon would have been taking Lime to school. June had gone to Cloudsdale to talk to an ex.

Pegasi needed their magic to walk on clouds. She’d either been flying or standing. In either case, the family of four was down to three. It couldn’t be otherwise.

A terrifying crack rippled upwards through the palace as the ground shook, dropping a few hoof widths. Night gulped. The Canterlot City Deck which held it to the mountain had been partially sustained by thestral stone magic.

Princesses above, did he take all of it as in… All of it?! Everypony’s and everything made by us too? Night thought in a panic.

He bolted out from under his desk and raced to the corner where he kept a first aid kit. He tore the cover off and looked inside for the burn healing talisman, hoping for a pale blue glow.

The metal box’s interior lacked even a single spark of light or magic. Triek had taken all of the pony magic in Equestria.

“Well… That’s it then,” Night said as he sat on his office floor fumbling through the first aid kit for anything else to heal burns, accepting that the end of the age of ponies had come and there was nothing else he could do.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Night Sky - 8th of Lunar Dawn, 4 EoH
Last Call Tavern - Canterlot

A week had passed since Tirek’s brief but devastating rampage. Equestria had finally received medical supplies via foreign aid, most of the key infrastructure had been recharged by unicorn volunteers. Hospitals overflowed with injured ponies, mostly pegasi who had survived their falls and earth ponies who had been lifting heavy, but not too heavy, objects when their magic had been drained.

The bars were also quite understandably overflowing.

Night sat at the bar in the Last Call Tavern, a little hole in the wall near the Canterlot train station. He didn’t often drink, at least, not before the attack. But for the last week a few salted beers had become necessary to get any sleep at all. They quieted the echoes of his own screams.

You’d think I’d be less shaken… at least, by now, Night thought to himself while rocking his half full glass with the side of his hoof. I was lucky. I was too lucky.

Indeed, Night had been fortunate. Lemon and Lime had made it safely away from danger and rode the disaster out in a Royal Guard barracks. June’s friend had lowered her home to just above treetop level to be closer to her ground-bound friends, meaning June had only broken a leg when she’d fallen through her friend’s floor.

“Hey, Doc?” A younger stallion’s voice called from behind Night, making his ears twitch.

Night knew that voice. Not by name though. It was one of his colleagues, Doctor Gleam’s assistants. The black one.

Night turned his head to look and sure enough the black furred, dark gray maned unicorn he’d expected was standing in the packed bar just behind him. He looked exactly as he did in the university’s lab save for having traded his lab coat for a denim vest.

Ordinarily Night would have been disturbed by somepony getting less than a tail’s breath behind him before calling out but the bar was so packed the stallion simply had no other place to stand and be out of the server’s way.

Night cleared his throat. “Oh, hello,” he said quietly, almost inaudible over the bar’s general din. “Sorry, I don’t think we were ever introduced. You work for Doctor Gold Gleam, right?”

“That’s right. Name’s Soot.” The dark stallion nodded and squeezed between Night and the unknown unicorn mare to Night’s left. “Excuse me ma’am, gotta talk to my friend here.”

The mare nodded and scooted over as much as she could. Night moved the opposite way to make room as well.

Soot reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a small scroll and a pen and set them on the bar. “I’ll make this quick,” he promised. “I need money fast. I want to sell you some land. ”

Night raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“See this?” Soot gestured around him as best he could without hitting anypony. “Everypony huddled here, sucking down alcohol and salt after a major crisis?”

Night nodded. “Obviously…”

“This is the sixth time in four years,” Soot pointed out with a hollow look in his eyes.

The truth of the stallion’s words hit Night like a brick. Celestia’s grace, he’s right! Nightmare Moon, Discord, the Swarm, Discord again, King Sombra…

“You’re a smart guy, Doc,” Soot continued. “You know this is a pattern. We both know history. We know how many things Celestia sealed away a thousand years ago and we both know a good chunk of exactly what she apparently made into a ‘Later Problem’. Well, later is now!”

Night nodded. His mind was on fire, connecting every little dot regarding ancient history and Celestia’s foes… And her pacifism. Her millennia of pacifism after banishing her sister to the moon.

“Yeah… She’s a protector who won’t fight anymore,” Night muttered into his drink as he took a deep swing. “But how’s that related to selling me… What was it? Land?”

“Yep,” Soot said as he tapped the paper. “One thousand hectares of remote forest. Been in my family since, well, forever! It's far enough away that you could put a nice little doomsday bunker there and ride out almost anything. Which, well I’d do that, but it’s still in Equestria and that’s too close to ground zero for my comfort. I’m planning on immigrating to Germaney.”

Night hummed, his eyes narrowing in thought while his mind cleared for the first time since the attack. I have nearly three million in savings. That’s more than enough to relocate and build a place where I can keep my family safe. But…

“I have enough to flee the country right now,” Night said calmly. “Why shouldn’t I?”

Soot nodded, seemingly entirely understanding of Night’s position, but he leaned towards the other stallion, lowering his voice just a little to keep from being overheard. At least, as much as that was possible in the packed bar.

“I thought about that. No offense but you’re old enough to retire, right? You could get Celestia to pay for your new digs, but only if you stayed in the country. Assuming your pension is better than mine at least. Which we both know it is since you’re two generations older than me,” Soot grinned and unrolled the paper to show Night it was the enchanted deed for the property. “Come on! It’s the smart thing to do. For all we know some idiot will find wherever Clestia buried the Band of Might tomorrow. We’re living in a time bomb! At least, we are here in Canterlot. Or should I say the splash zone?”

“That one was allegedly melted down, but…” Night mused on the subject of the Band of Might while thinking the rest of Soot’s idea over.

There’s every chance in the world for at least seven more disasters to strike based on the skeletons left in her closet, and I’ll be damned if I have to worry about my family’s lives again.

Night downed the rest of his sea-salt lager and slammed the glass down on the counter. “How much are you asking?”

“Seventy five thousand,” Soot said bluntly. “It’s undeveloped land and really remote. It’s not worth much more than that and that’s all I need to get out of here.”

Night reached into his coat pocket for his checkbook. “Done.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Junebug - 18th of Lunar Dawn, 4 EoH
The Deep Woods - Hackamore Valley

The ancient cedar and oak forest looked like something out of a documentary about the evolution of life on Equis. The trees towered overhead, mocking such short lived creatures as ponies with the bulk of ages. Their bark was covered in moss and lichen which blended into the incredibly dense underbrush to create the feeling of walking through a solid mass of green.

A feeling which was shattered by the distressingly bright reds, blues, and purples of the many mushrooms that clung to fallen logs and living trees alike. Their presence replaced that feeling with the distressing fear of inhaling a stray spore from some prehistoric doom shroom and having to get anti-fungal treatment in an Equestria with a potion shortage while also being out in the middle of bucking nowhere.

This is the kind of place ponies created civilization to escape, June silently whined. We are spitting on our ancestors' lives by coming back to this.

June stuck out from the forest like a split hoof. In fact, she was the exact opposite color of the forest's greens, a lovely pure pink that glittered in the sunlight, betraying her tropical pegasi ancestry. Her medium cut curly mane was a pale blue, with a single white streak through its length. Ordinarily it would be kept in a loose but neet bob cut, but the march through the forest had pulled her locks loose, leading to many wild and dangling strands.

June was quite tall for a pegasus, enough to stand nearly a full head over her fellow fliers. Unfortunately for her, that merely put her in range of the forest’s trailing vines. Making this worse, poor June was slightly overweight, greatly reducing the number of thickets she could slip through without getting scratched, scraped, or cut. Though that limitation was nothing compared to the pronounced limp in her left hingleg.

Junebug was not having a good month. Though to be fair, nopony in Equestria was having a good month. Tirek had seen to that.

Limping wounded through the land time forgot on a quest to go nowhere… This is just like the retreat of the Cadite Fifth from the Planes of Gatron. June grumbled to herself, comparing her situation to one of her favorite novels helped keep things a little more upbeat in her head.

Only a little.

Princess Twilight had defeated the demon and returned everyone’s stolen magic to them in just over forty five minutes. The funny thing about minutes is just how much can happen to someone in only a hooffull of minutes.

On top of carrying the recent trauma of losing a core part of her identity in the form of her magic, the physical trauma of falling through a pine tree, breaking a leg, and getting impaled in the process, June was also carrying the emotional trauma of watching all of the plans for her future sail off to the fields of Elysium with the many souls of the recently dead.

Stupid not-jungle, June grumbled to herself as she pushed her way through the million-and-first thornbush which overhung the game trail her stepfather had been leading the family down for the last two days.

Two days. Of hiking. Through the woods from tartarus! She sighed and stepped around a thorn bush. At least I’m near the theoretical First Kingdom Capital. Maybe there will be something I could use for my doctorate’s field study in a cave. Or a river. Or anything to do at all…

June’s small family was exhausted. None of them had been outdoorsy before Night had informed them of his plans. The six day train ride to Vanhoofer had been tiring enough for everyone, but especially poor Lime who was at the age where a colt needed to run around and slay imaginary monsters all day. The four of them had left the train sore, tired, and hungry since some idiot had failed to load enough food for the passengers, leading to a missed breakfast.

From Vanhoofer, they’d taken a wagon up an old backroad for two more days before getting off to hike the rest of the way to Night’s new property.

On paper, sixty kilometers doesn't sound all that far. In truth, it isn’t. Not down city streets or country roads anyways. Thick forests, on the other hoof, present something forest rangers like to call “difficult terrain”.

Night, Lemon, and June were exhausted. Full on bags under the eyes, muscles burning, ready to collapse, exhausted. They were also starving, because no one had been able to muster the energy to get out the camp stove when they’d stopped for lunch six hours ago.

A few hoof fulls of trail mix do not a meal make.

Lime, on the other hoof, was perfectly fine. The outer twelve year old channeled the boundless energy of the inner five year old as only a true master could. He zipped in and out of the brush on the sides of the trail like he was following some sort of adventure line that led only to the most exciting places and coolest battles, chattering and yelling with the exact kind of playful exuberance that adults experience in the same fashion one might expect to experience a drill going into one ear and another drill going into their other ear and meeting in the middle.

“Sis! Sis! Look there’s a frog bigger than me over there! And it’s EVIL!” Lime called out, pointing into the brush with his stick sword as he prepared to tilt that imaginary windmill.

June didn’t want to look, her neck hurt too much from both the walk and the dodgy potion she’d had to fix her leg. But, she did anyway.

“Oh wow, yea. He’s big,” she said of the non-existent creature. “Go get him.”

June’s rear-left hoof suddenly twisted atop a wet stone and slipped out from under her, sending her full weight slamming down on her still healing leg.

“Buck!” She shouted, gritting her teeth as burning pain welled up around the middle of her left hind thigh.

“Language!” Her mother shouted back with an indignant huff.

June glared up the trail at her mother and opened her mouth to object to telling a grown-ass mare with an injury to not swear, but her little brother beat her to it.

“But she broke her leg,” Lime objected, puffing out his tiny earth pony chest to look big to protect his big sister. “Dad said you get to swear if you’re hurt bad!”

June smiled. Her mother glared at Lime. “That’s no excuse,” she insisted.

“I did say that,” Night agreed from the front of the small group of ponies.

“But she had a potion, so she’s fine,” she added in order to complain about something so she wouldn’t complain about her aching everything and further weaken the group’s morale by appearing vulnerable. “So no swearing, June.”

“No,” June objected through a pain-clenched jaw. “I had a knock-off regeneration potion. Not a healing potion. It’s still healing, and I just took my full weight when I slipped. That’s worth a swear. Maybe two. Buck me raw that hurt like tartarus! Yep. That was definitely a twofer.”

“If Lime develops a foul mouth, I’ll blame you!” Lemon threatened with a glare.

“Everyone younger than you swears, mom,” June grumbled at the forest floor.

“Not in my house they don't!” She insisted firmly.

“We’re not in the house,” Lime said, exhibiting the wisdom of ages as young children often do.

His mother glared at him until he shrank back behind his sister.

The group progressed for a few moments, blatantly ignoring June’s plight. They’d had this discussion many times on the trip out into the deep woods, once for each of the many times June had stumbled or fallen.

June winced as the memory came back to her again. She was standing on the clouds outside her ex’s house, nervously hoping her transition would be accepted and they could get together again. Her magic suddenly ripped away from her soul, and—

June took a deep breath to calm herself, like her therapist recommended. It helped about as well as the regeneration potion.

“Can we at least take a break?” June asked after she got her fears wrangled back into the past where they belonged. “It’s not just my leg, you know…”

Her stepfather grunted. “We’re almost there.”

Her mother’s ears drooped slightly. “Night… You’d stop if I were expecting and needed a minute.”

Night closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “If she were pregnant, yes. Absolutely. But she’s not. It’s just potion side effects. She can tough it out.”

The regeneration potion hadn't been the only substandard one June had to settle for. She’d needed one final dose of her gender affirming potion for the changes to be permanent, and had been quite lucky to find one a Minotaur alchemist had donated. Her doctor assured her it was working to solidify her transformation just as good as an Equestrian one would have.

Unfortunately, it had some rather unpleasant side effects. Joint swelling, morning sickness, random surges in appetites, and other similar effects associated with a spike in estrogen and progesterone.

Tired, sore, starving, nauseous, and now experiencing a sudden spike in pain along with the general low key ache she’d had for the last week, June couldn’t help but snap at Night’s comment.

June glared at the older stallion and bared her teeth. “I’ve been toughing it out for two days! I have the extra dose left. Want to try it? Let’s see how you like walking all day with joints that make me feel like a grandma, nausea, teats you can feel swelling up—”

“Night,” her mother said, cutting her off. “It doesn’t matter. It’s a magical effect from a back alley potion. I know you have more heart than this!”

Night took a deep breath and closed his eyes to hide his irritation… He took a deep breath, then looked over his shoulder without stopping.

“We’re less than an actual minute from our new home!” He protested, holding up the small electronic map he’d been using to navigate for the group to see. “You can rest all you want once we’re there… Look, I know you’re in pain, June, but it’s not like you had to come!”

June’s left eye twitched. “OH? Oh, I didn’t!?” she shouted back. “So my stepdad who was telling me for the last ten years that once I had my degree he’d get me a job, didn’t quit to run out into the middle of nowhere and be a prepper because the end of the world came and then got stopped?! I didn’t have a plan B, Night! You assured me I wouldn’t need one! Do you know how many people can make a living with a xenopology degree without networking?! NONE! NONE PEOPLE!”

Night grunted and rolled his eyes at her outburst. Her words hit home, and he knew he’d screwed up her future a good deal with this move, but he still felt that it was for the best interest of everypony to go to ground in the immediate future.

Even if he was starting to doubt the course he’d personally chosen. Even if he was beginning to believe he might have hurt his family more than helped them. With those doubts combing with his own exhaustion and irritation at being asked to stop just a few more steps before the end of the journey, Night couldn’t help but snap too.

“No… I retired to go live in a secure bunker in a rural forest because we have had six end-of-the-world and or major disasters in just four motherbucking years! Six, count them, June. Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis, Discord again, King Sombra, and now Tirek. And what has our oh-so-wise and powerful protector Princess Celestia done when these have happened?”

Night spun around to wave his hoof at June. “She sent untrained kids barely younger than you to stop them,” Night then quickly pointed to Lime, scowling, “and that Applebloom one is only three years older than Lime! Not the army, not the police, not herself, not any of her knight orders. Kids!”

“Our leaders are insane, and we’re living through the Princess-damned end times!” Night growled and spun back around to continue hiking up the game trail. “Only an idiot wouldn’t be going to live in a remote bunker. Frankly, you should be happy I’m able to provide our family this opportunity to find safety.”

Lime sat down and crossed his forelegs over his barrel. “It’s not nice to be mean to your family!”

June took a deep breath to calm herself again. It worked better for anger than fear.

“I’m sorry for yelling, Lime.” She said, addressing her brother and her brother alone.

The little colt nodded, seemingly content with the apology.

Night bit his lip and let a breath out through his nose. “I’m… Sorry, too. I just… I don’t know how to handle… any of…” He turned back to June again and waved a hoof over her. “... you.”

In Night’s head it was clear he meant June’s future. That’s what he’d been thinking about and what they’d just been arguing about.

In June’s mind, he’d meant her identity. With her entire body aching as it settled into its new form, and being denied the opportunity to be her inner self around other ponies by this move, it was hard for her to think about much else.

June’s eye twitched again. She grit her teeth as the anger came rushing back, but she kept her voice even.

“It’s not complicated. I’m a mare. I like other mares. That’s it,” she said for the umpteenth time.

Night sat down and rubbed his temples in frustration and exhaustion. Confused as to why June had brought that up from the depths of nowhere, and too tired to not reply via autopilot he frowned and replied, “It's more complicated than that. You’re not going all the way through with it. That adds nuance to—”

“No,” June said, cutting Night off before he could point out the greater difficulty in finding a spouse given the vastly narrowed options due to June’s choice and other ponies personal preferences. Yet another layer of difficulty for her future, which again, he felt was his fault.

Naturally June’s train of thought continued down its current path. She glared at Night and with a clenched jaw said. “It really isn’t. I’m just a top. Lots of mares like me exist, and so do stallions with the inverse condition. Mare isn’t a sex; it’s a gender. Which is a mental thing, not a physical thing, and this is super not a conversation we should be having in front of a foal!”

June finished her rant by waving a hoof frantically at her brother, who just looked at his father with a perplexed expression.

“She’s… Always been a girl, though?” Lime said, frowning.

June stooped down and shook her head. “Hey, come on. I know you’re old enough to remember when I started changing five years ago.”

“Only outside.” Lime protested, ears flicking back in annoyance at being misunderstood.

June felt her heart melt. “Aww, thanks!” She turned to Night and gestured to Lime again. “See? He gets it.”

“He’s twelve,” Night said with a grunt. “He doesn’t get the complexities added by you not changing all the way. It’s different!”

June grit her teeth, her wings spreading in the typical fashion of a pegasus, ready to either knock someone’s teeth out or speed away into the wild blue. Before she knew which of those two things she would choose, her mother turned around and stepped between them.

“Night! June! Knock it off!” She snapped, having figured out they were talking past each other, but herself being too exhausted to realize she should have pointed that out.

“Everyone’s had a bad month. A lot of things have changed, and we’ve been hiking through the woods for days. We’re all tired and angry,” she said, shaking with either fear or anger. “But I swear, if I hear you two arguing about stupid things any more today, I will slap you both into next week!”

June narrowed her eyes, then huffed. “Fine… Not like we’ll ever agree my existence is valid anyways.”

Night grunted, nodding. Obviously they were going to keep disagreeing on her life choices. That was just how having an adult child was.

“We can agree on that,” Night said, accordingly.

“NIGHT!” June’s mother snapped.

Night winced, realizing what he’d said and what he’d meant couldn’t have been more misaligned. “That’s not what I meant. I’m sorry. That came out completely wrong.”

June shot her stepfather a look more hurt than hateful and wheeled around to stumble into the brush. “Buck this! I’m going to get firewood.”

June silently walked into the brush, leaving her family behind as quickly as her aching joints let her.

It wasn’t easy going. Night had chosen to build his bunker at the base of the Unicorn Range in a part of the forest the locals called the Deep Woods. Nopony ever came back this way. It wasn’t cursed like the Everfree, at least, not that anypony had mentioned. It was simply remote. So much so that the woods were practically primeval in nature.

The towering trees held aloft the trunks of their fallen brothers. The underbrush was thick enough to warrant a machete with its jungle-tier ferns alone. There were also fallen logs fully consumed by moss and fungi laying between the randomly distributed trees like hurdles on the worst cross-country race track.

June pushed through the underbrush, ignoring the many thorns and burrs which bit into her skin until she couldn’t hear her parents calling anymore. The pain was worth it. Almost.

Tears flowed down her cheeks. Physical pain was one thing, but June had never done well with emotional wounds.

Ugh… Why didn’t I just fly off? She chided herself as she swept a particularly dense bush out of her face with one leg. No… If I’d done that my leg would probably break again when I landed on it. Stupid dad. I could have been employed and in Neighpone by now. They didn’t lose their magic. I’d be fine. But no! Prepper shit. Like that would have helped against an actual bucking demon who can hoover up magic at a continental range!

The brush bent aside, revealing a large clearing in the woods containing a lake and a field of wildflowers. The rolling field of pink, purple, yellow, and blue brought a tiny smile to her face, but only for a moment. June trotted into the clearing and took a moment to just take everything in.

The calm air. The lack of noise. The sunlight shimmering on the lake. The smell of countless plants. The random, almost electronic cry June knew came from a fox but had no idea what the noise was called.

At least there’s a good place to get away, June thought to herself. How do I get out of this? Once I can fly again I could just go back to Manehatten. Find some minimum wage job and hope I can get a few roommates… I don’t think I qualify for any government assistance packages. Unless there’s one for “Got bucked over by parents changing the deal just as they would have had to hold up their end of it”.

June walked over to the lake, wondering how long it would take to swim across it. It was absolutely a lake, not a pond. Huge, the size of her whole college campus. Probably. Hard to tell from the ground.

She looked down to see her reflection in the water. A pale pink mare with bright green eyes and a silky dusk-blue mane looked back at her. She was taller than most mares, but that was a good thing. June smiled again. It was nice to see the right reflection.

She’d avoided mirrors most of her life thanks to her square jaw, blunt muzzle, and barrel-shaped figure. At least that’s fixed now. I don’t need to tell anypony, “It’s ma’am, actually.” anymore. I sound right, I look right, and when I go somewhere to cry, instead of people calling me a wimp or giving me dirty looks, they ask—

June yelped as a wet mossy stone slipped out from under her hoof, causing her to plunge forwards into the lake. She flailed, trying to stop her fall, inadvertently moving her broken leg under her and rolling over it. A distressing crack shot through June’s body. She shrieked, inhaled a concerning amount of water, and blacked out from the pain.

3 - Mare in the Lake

Junebug - 18th of Lunar Dawn, 4 EoH
The Deep Woods - Hackamore Valley

June sank halfway to the lakebed. Her wings feebly thrashed, ancient instincts attempting to bring her to the surface. It didn’t help. The dull burning heat of her shattered leg and molten glass radiance in her lungs prevented her from making any movements that mattered.
The world was black. Her thoughts were dim, but still there. Drifting in the watery void.

You know… Dying is weirdly the least traumatic thing to happen to me this month. Being impaled was so much worse on its own. June thought idly, wondering if everypony was this relative calm when they met their end. That would be nice.

“Hold on,” an unknown mare shouted from the lakeshore. “I’ve got you.”

June felt herself being lifted from the water by the unmistakable uniform pressure of a unicorn’s telekinesis. The magical force squeezed her chest, forcing her to cough up water.

June bit her lip, unable to open her eyes against the fire in her hind leg. “Did... It… Break?” She managed to whimper through the fire.

“Yeah,” the mare said with audible empathy. “Let me get that for you.”

June nearly vomited as her leg twisted and clicked back into place. A cool sensation washed over the fire, and then… Nothing. Everything felt normal. Even her joints.

“There we go,” the mare said, setting June down on a fully healed leg. “Calcium foam. Garbage tier material. If it were up to me bones would be a hematite alloy. You know, like some beetle shells.”

June opened her eyes and looked back at herself first. Everything looked straight. She lifted her leg, stretched it out, and moved it in a small circle. No pain. From her leg at least, her joints and other potion related discomforts were still there under the shock of the break being gone.

“Huh… Thanks!” She said, turning towards the mystery mare and lowering her leg back down. “What’s a unicorn doctor doing all the way out here?”

The mare was one of the rare monochromes June had always felt a little sorry for. Her fur and mane were snow white, with her only other colors being jet stone black eyes and the blue-grays of her hourglass cutiemark.

How did I miss her? Nothing around here is white. I guess I am pretty upset. Maybe it’s for the best. I can’t fly— Wait, she fixed my leg! I can fly! I have an escape!

“I’m not a doctor,” the mare said with an apologetic smile. “I’m just good at fixing things. Call me Dusk.”

Dusk held out a hoof for June to shake.

June instinctively bumped her hoof instead of shaking it. “Junebug.”

Dusk smiled. “Rough day?” She asked as she sat down on a rock next to the lakeshore.

June sighed and flopped her ears down irritably. “Rough month. Come on, even if you’re, like, a hermit or whatever, you have to know about Tirek.”

“Yep. I know. I meant today specifically,” Dusk said as she produced a pack of cigarettes and a silver lighter seemingly from thin air.

“Smoke?” she offered.

June shook her head and wrinkled her nose. “Uh, no. You know those will kill you, right?”

“Meh! That is not dead which can eternal lie,” she said with a wry smile.

Dusk lit a cigarette, banished the pack to the shadow realm, and levitated the lit one to her lips.

June scooted to the side to avoid the smell. “So uh… What are you doing out here? You never answered.”

“Visiting an old friend’s kid,” Dusk answered after a long drag. “Their life partner passed a while back, and they just died, leaving their daughter alone. Just seeing what I could do for the poor girl while here on business.”

June frowned and sat down. “Oh. I’m sorry… What happened?”

“Age. Just, plain old age. No complications, other than stubbornness.” The older mare said the word with a hint of novelty, as if dying from age alone was somehow strange.

June winced and shivered. “Owch… If I have kids, I’m going to make sure I’m young enough to see them grow up… Uh, I can fly now that you fixed my leg. Do you need a wing somewhere? I don’t want a foal to be alone in the woods.”

Dusk shook her head. “Oh, no. Sorry. Kid’s about your age. Technically.”

“Technically?” June repeated, arching one eyebrow.

“Lets just say that some temporal mechanics abuse occurred and that we should probably measure age by behavior and physical development,” Dusk said after a moment’s hesitation.

June winced again, this time shivering a little for good measure as she imagined being made immortal at a young age. “I guess it makes sense for wizards to be living way out here. Less chance of bucking up a town when you mess up a new spell.”

“Mhm,” Dusk nodded. “As for my friend’s kid, she can easily take care of herself. It’s just, you know. Isolation’s no good for anyone. Especially not for potentially powerful people.”

June nodded in agreement and let out a long breath. “That’s good. I’d have helped, but, uh… Got my own problems. Kind of just needed to be alone for a bit.”

“I can go if you want,” Dusk said, looking sidelong at June as she took another drag from her cigarette. “But, you look like you needed someone to talk to, and the alternative is I let you just languish and haunt the place till I get back.”

June bit her lip in thought, not thinking to examine Dusk’s choice of words more closely. I guess I can open up to strangers now? I’m an adult. I went to college. Stranger Danger time is over. Unless they have serial killer vibes. Which…

June squinted at Dusk for a moment. Mmm… Nah, she just seems weird, not murdery. Also kinda cute. Definitely straight though. Shame, I’ve always liked older mares.

Dusk rolled her lips semi irritably as June thought about answering for an uncomfortably long moment. The older mare cleared her throat and rolled her hoof to give June the universal “come on, I don’t have all day” gesture.

Annoyed at the prompt and still quite angry at her own predicament, June took a deep breath and, against every ounce of her typical restraint, began to rant.

“Alright, bitch… I just ran away from my stepdad after a super inappropriate fight about my gender identity. He’s been extremely supportive… But I don’t want any bottom surgery. I’ve had marefriends before and we both liked what nature gave me back there. Besides, I wear a skirt when I’m not tramping about the woods so it’s not like anyone sees anything off about me. Even if they did, I don’t care? Most ponies don’t either. I’ve only ever had a problem with the rest of my body, and now that’s solved. Dad doesn’t think that’s an okay way for somepony to be, I guess? Which is horseapples because lots of transmares don’t change all the way. Some natural mares get a potion, so they have different equipment because they want it. There’s more to being a mare than how I want to have sex! It’s like he ignores the entire social makeup of gender on purpose! I know he doesn’t hate trans ponies because mom’s one! Except she went all the way so she could be a mom. It’s like he has no clue how Equestrian culture works despite being able to tell you everything about like, a hundred ancient kingdoms!”

Dusk nodded in response to June’s venting and sat down next to her to give her a gentle side-hug. “Some older people are like that. I’m sorry you have to deal with it. Also, personally, I’m more of a cunt.”

June sighed and lay down, despair coming back despite getting to vent a bit. Dusk gently rested one of her hooves on the mare’s shoulder.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’ll help you through this,” Dusk promised.

An odd feeling came over June, a sort of peace and rest which she couldn’t quite source.

“Eh, you don’t need to. It’s not like you made me like this or anything.” She said to Dusk, sounding much less distraught. “But, thanks though.”

Dusk sighed regretfully.

“Yeah… I didn’t. Life is a bastard, though,” she said before shifting to a mocking impression of a stallion’s voice. “Hey, sis! You know what would be funny? What if a birth defect made one in a hundred and sixty-seven people have their brain develop the opposite gender identity to their body? I already made mortals have an innate sense of their biological sex so the mismatch will cause lifelong torment!”

June couldn’t help but giggle at Dusk’s joke. “Heh. Thanks. Between that and tapeworms, I can totally picture life as an asshole jock.”

“He’s more of an asshole-coated asshole with asshole filling,” Dusk said quite seriously. “Also he sucks at sports… Anyways, want some advice for dealing with your dad?”

“Stepdad,” June corrected automatically despite saying dad herself earlier.

“Sorry, stepdad,” Dusk corrected, nodding slightly. “There’s a good chance you two had the mother of all miscommunications… But usually, the people who do shit like that do it because they’ve repressed their own desires for whatever reason. Shame. Peer pressure. Cultural norms from their childhood. They see you being you. Maybe you’re exactly what they wanted to be. Maybe you’re just adjacent to that. Or they see something in you. Whatever it is, they get angry and take things out on you because of what life denied them. They may not even consciously know that’s why they feel what they feel. Mortal brains are bad at storing and processing information.”

June nodded and flicked her tail across the grass. “I guess? But he could also really mean those things because he just, you know. Believes them.”

Dusk nodded again. “Yep. And if the first is true, you can talk it out with them once they start to listen. Usually, telling them something like ‘I’m sorry you’re bitter about your life.’ will start that trip.”

June thought for a moment, then shrugged. “I could try that. I don’t hate him. But I’d rather not right now. He used to hang out with me. Do dad stuff. But he stopped when I came out. I don’t know why… I miss that.” She lay quiet for a moment. “What if your idea doesn’t work?”

Dusk paused for a moment, biting her lip as she debated exactly what advice she should give a younger pony who was speaking to her on the clock, as it were. It was never easy giving someone June’s age their final peace, especially not when Dusk would rather they live than move on.

“Well… Sometimes, time is the only way to change people’s opinions on some things. Find yourself a special somepony, and settle down. Stay in his life, just not all that closely. Make friends that treat you as you. The more he sees you being a normal girl, the more he’ll see you as normal. And if that doesn’t change his opinion in a few years…” Dusk flashed June a mischievous smile. “I know a diamond dog with a nice hardware store who keeps extra heavy crowbars in stock for just such an occasion.”

June thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Yeah… You’re right. Going back and talking it out would be the best thing to do… If he hadn’t abandoned everything and drug us all out into the middle of nowhere to go full prepper.”

Dusk blinked, processed that for a moment, arched an eyebrow, then slowly stood up. “Wait, you’re not out here camping?”

June shook her head back and forth firmly.

“Nope. Moved. Probably owns this lake. He bought, like, a thousand hectares. You could put a town in that,” June grumbled, wiggling a little to shift her weight.

“Yeah. They did.” Dusk said, jaw somewhat slack from what she was hearing.

June raised an eyebrow, then her head bolted upwards, ears perked in alarm as she fully processed Dusk’s sentence. “What do you mean? It’s just woods out here.”

Dusk shook her head. “No. It’s not. You’re maybe a half hour’s walk from a small town.”

June’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?!”

“It’s that way,” Dusk pointed to the northeast. “It’s called Evergreen Falls. Been here since… Well, a long, long time. Grown and shrank. That kind of thing. Doesn’t show up on every map, but it has a road, and a bus comes by once a month. It’s a proper township so… Your dad would have had to buy the land from the town. Or a resident.”

June blinked repeatedly.

“We walked… for FIVE days!” Her eyes narrowed, her jaw clenched. “That bastard! He doesn’t want us to know we could have driven… What’s his plan?! We don’t have all the building supplies. Is he going to get them there? That’s where I’d—”

June facehooved and groaned as the much more likely option occurred to her. “Or his deed is horseapples, and he got scammed out of—”

She paused and looked around at the meadow and forest beyond it. “Wait, if we’re close to a town, why are the woods untouched?”

“Superstition,” Dusk snorted and quickly lit another cigarette as her first burnt out. “Locals think this part of the forest is cursed. It’s not, though. I checked. The cave west of here super is though.”

June sighed and thunked her face into the flower-covered earth. “Kill me, please…”

Dusk bit her lip to stop herself from laughing at the irony of June’s statement. “Heh... So, Tirek breaks out, has his hissy fit that got wrapped up in like, one point six episodes of Ducktective, and your dad is so spooked he falls for a major scam, rounds up the kids, and runs for the hills?”

June sighed and straightened her head back up to talk to Dusk properly.

“He claims it’s also because of Nightmare Moon and everything else, too. And because Celestia just sends the Elements in because child soldiers blah blah blah,” June grumbled, waving her hoof dismissively. “Like it’s the Princess’s fault that Apple Bloom is attuned to an Element. She didn’t pick the new bearers. Fate did… Ugh, I think it’s just because he’s having a psychotic episode, but since all the therapists are booked solid, I couldn’t get CPS to have him tested before he forced my little brother out here with everyone else.”

June caught a glint of light from the corner of her eye and turned just in time to see Dusk produce a whisky bottle and tumbler from slightly behind herself and pour herself a glass. June squinted at the levitating bottle, trying to spot the mare’s aura.

Weird, normally it matches your eye color. Is hers white? Like a really transparent white the sun can wash out? I’ll bet her magic looks really cool in the dark.

Dusk drained her glass in one long gulp and poured herself another before tucking the bottle back wherever it had come from.

“Do you have a dimensional pocket woven into your mane? I was thinking about buying a small pouch and doing that with it, but I was never sure how well it would stay in my hair,” June commented, sincerely hoping she could turn the conversation to something fun like accessories for a bit.

Dusk held up her hoof for June to wait as she slugged down the second glass. “Sorry. I needed an antidote for your dad’s stupid. What did you say?”

June pointed to Dusk’s mane. “You’ve got a dimensional pouch tucked in your mane, right? How do you keep it in there?”

Dusk giggled and shook her head. “No. I don’t have a hair bag. You keep them in with hairpins, by the way.”

June slowly frowned and then shivered. “Then… I really don’t want to know where you were keeping that bottle…” She said before eeping and putting a hoof over her mouth. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

Dusk snickered and flashed the other mare a huge grin. “Cut me some slack! I’m not Cadence. I keep things in another dimension and pick them up when I want. No pouch needed. Here, watch this.”

June looked up just in time to see Dusk hold one hoof towards her. A small ball of amber liquid formed above her hoof, sliding into existence as if somepony had expertly blended a jumpcut with an iris wipe. Only the effect was three-dimensional. And continued outwards until a glass bottle manifested around the liquid, the label written in a language June hadn’t seen before.

June’s ears perked. “Woah! How did you do that? I should have felt that and I’m not even a unicorn. Wait, I didn’t even see your aura…” She stood up slowly. “Are… Are you a master wizard or something?”

Dusk laughed and vanished the bottle faster than she’d conjured it. “No. If you had enough time, you could learn to do this too. I know ponies are used to unicorns being the spellcasters but there are many kinds of magic, not just unicorn spells. Anyone can learn some magic. Unicorns are just the nerds who shift the bell curve so far everyone else winds up getting a C at best.”

June frowned but nodded slowly. “Right… I learned about a few other species’ magic systems in college. But, you’re a unicorn. Why not use the magic nature gave you? Why work hard when you have a car to take you down easy street?”

Dusk swished her tail, visibly amused by June’s question. “I’m not a unicorn,” she replied honestly.

June blinked then eeped. “You’re not with your queen then, are you?”

Dusk laughed at the idea of being a changeling. “Chrysalis? Hell no! You wouldn’t see me with that loser, ever… Okay well, maybe the version of her from the parallel reality where everyone’s alignments are inverted. She’s cool. But the last time she and I tangled there were a lot of explosions and she didn’t come out of it in one piece.”

June bit her lip nervously, nodding slowly in agreement as she wondered which way she could fly away from—

WAIT! If they fought and she won then Dusk is a different changeling hive’s queen, June wrongfully but reasonably concluded. And if she was hostile she could have just love drained me while my leg was broken. This is a friendly buggo. Cool!

“In that case,” June said, clearing her throat to hide how scared she’d just been. “You can like, take your normal form. I’m not racist or anything.”

Dusk smiled and without any notable magical effect her form warped to that of an earth pony. “Thanks! A lot of people are uncomfortable seeing magic come from non-unicorns if you’re wearing a pony shape.”

June blinked once. Not what I meant… But I guess if you’re a shapeshifter the phrase “normal form” could also mean “one you like best”. June’s eyes suddenly widened in realization. Wait a minute, is a changeling queen telling me that I could learn spells? Did she say that? She so said that!

June turned her full attention to Dusk. “Hey, did you say you could cast spells without unicorn magic? And that anyone could learn how? Could you show me?”

“Sure thing,” Dusk stretched out her right hoof towards June. “Take my hoof. We’ll be able to fly.”

June blinked and spread her wings with a snappy flourish. “Pegasus,” she reminded.

Dusk’s ears drooped. She lowered her gaze to the ground but kept her hoof outstretched. “I miss David. He got my references.”

June blushed shyly and swished her tail across the ground. “Oh… S— Sorry. I hate when I make somepony feel old,” she paused to clear her throat. “It’s cool you can fly without having wings, though! Isn’t that a rare spell?”

Dusk levitated into the air without so much as a twitch of her tail. It was as if the same video editor from before had selected her element and moved it upwards by the simplest means possible in protest for having to do the 3d tesseract unfolding object effect earlier.

“You see this?” Dusk asked, gesturing to herself. “I’m flying, but there is no wind, no aura, no detectable mana flow, no thaumic turbulence. This is almost entirely imperceptible if nopony looks up. A unicorn cannot fly this way using unicorn magic, but I’m sure you can see the advantages. The criminal ones are obvious, but if you think for a moment you can find a few legal ones.”

June didn’t need to think at all. “You could fly around industrial machinery without any interference. If you were an archeologist, you could fly with relics without much risk of activating or damaging them… Okay, I get your point. Sometimes the hard way is just better.”

Dusk landed, grinning ear to ear. “That’s right! Archeology… Interesting example. Did you go to college?”

Dusk’s tone of voice hinted she already knew the answer. In less odd circumstances than meeting a changeling queen randomly in the woods, June would have caught that. But…

June nodded and perked up slightly, happy to talk about her field. “Yes! Without someone to help me get into the field, my degree is kind of useless… Which sucks. I was looking forward to working in xenoarchaeology. You know, the study of lost, anomalous, and or extraequuisian cultures. I’ve got a master’s in it. I specialize in the study of Harmony Magic. At least, the martial side of it. Spiritual refinement to channel natural magic to enhance the physical— You know… Because it’s possibly the origin of pony magic.”

It was Dusk’s turn to stare, mouth agape in shock.

June blinked and tilted her head. “W— What?”

“And you don’t recognise me?” Dusk said with an indignant huff and angry tail swish. “Where did you get that degree? Canterlot!?”

June sighed and slumped her shoulders, unsure what she was missing and feeling like an idiot. Is she some specific queen or something? Should I know her? She’s all white, is she from the Diamond hive? No, can’t be. She hasn’t complained about Stalliongrad yet.

“I mean, I do, but I haven’t got a job yet…” June said as she looked around suspiciously. “Is there something about you that you think I should know from my degree? I only did Modern Cultures up through 302.”

Dusk closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, then let it out. “Okay… Okay. Here, tell you what.”

Dusk reared up and struck a very ominous pose, making herself appear as if she were both quite distant, yet drawing near, and looming over Jade, all the while moving ever forwards, yet standing still.

“Who am I?” She asked.

June looked at the paradoxical pose for a moment, then gasped in recognition. “Oh! That’s a really good mimic… Mime? Uh, pose! The statue at the Necropolis at New Aramen. Right?”

Dusk lost her balance and tilted slightly forwards. “Are you… uh. Real?”

June kicked the ground awkwardly and huffed. “Look, I don’t get hints. That’s a girl thing locked in the super-fem vault all the away across the fire swamp from my ass over in tomcolt land!”

Dusk arched an eyebrow then winced. “How bad is ‘don’t’ in the context of this getting? Lots of ponies say that but mean different things.”

June groaned and squirmed awkwardly. “Do I have to tell you?”

Dusk hesitated for a moment, remembering how much the gesture pissed Juen off earlier… But gave her the go on hoff roll again anyways.

June rolled her eyes, irritated, but understanding of the gesture in this case. “My first marefriend tried to get me to notice her for two years. In the end, she only succeeded because she pulled me out of the sky with telekinesis and yelled into my face ‘I think you're hot and want to buck after dinner and a movie.’ and I thought she was joking… Until she levitated me along through dinner and a movie and got started with, well… You know.”

June tapped her forehooves together shyly as she finished recounting the tale of perhaps the most oblivious she’d ever been.

Dusk winced and set her hoof on June’s shoulder for a second time. “That’s rough, buddy. I hope you can read those signals better now.”

June coughed and shook her head. “Nope,” she murmured, planting her face into the ground.

“Well,” Dusk said, electing to change the topic before June was entirely mortified. “In that case, you seem nice, are in a rough spot, and have a degree appropriate to a job I have a lead on… I have an offer you’re probably going to be interested in, but it’s only fair you know what that offer is and who I am before I make it.”

June’s ears perked up immediately. “Wait, you’re a recruiter? I don’t care what it is! I super don’t want to live in a hole in the ground in the woods. I’ll take it! Unless it's illegal… Okay, even if it’s illegal so long as it’s not hurting anypony, doing widows, or prostituting for stallions.”

Dusk’s face slowly took on a blank expression. “You’re that desperate?”

“Dude, do you know how long it takes to build a bunker? I’m so not wiping my plot with leaves for three years. I’ll do whatever you’ll pay me to do,” June said, hoping Dusk would understand almost anything was preferable to what her dad had planned. “Especially since you said it’s in my field. Like, with the gig economy, what pony my age would turn down a job they’re interested in over, let’s be honest, probably get eaten by Timberwolves after a few weeks of shivering in a muddy hole in the ground.”

Dusk sighed again and looked wistfully off into the distance. “I get that… But for all you know, I’m the actual motherbucking grim reaper and I want you to murder a few dozen ponies in exchange for bringing you back to life after you slipped into the lake and died.”

June giggled and smiled at what was obviously a joke. “Okay, fair point… But I’d be down.”

Dusk smiled coyly. “Well, then… I don’t recruit people to handle my shit list… anymore. That got way too messy.”

June rolled her eyes at the repeated “joke”. Seriously, older ponies, those are funny once…

“Okay, so… Dusk…” June paused momentarily to ensure she had the other mare’s full attention. “I’m not trying to be rude, and I enjoy chatting, but if you have a job offer, I’d like to hear it. We can go back to jokes and swapping stories after, but I want you to know I am very serious about any job offer you have.”

Dusk dipped her head in a respectful nod.

“Fair enough,” she said as she trotted over to stand in front of Jade for a more formal interview. “I’m a businessmare. I deal in exchanges mostly. You could call me a favor broker, a fixer, and more things along those lines.”

June nodded, growing somewhat anxious. “So I know I said I’d be down for illegal things, but that was partially hyperbole.”

Dusk smirked. “The job I have right now is all above board and legal. You’ll even get the proper security clearance for it. I’ve got everything worked out with Evergreen Fall’s mayor.”

“Err. I get a clearance?”

“It’s a special archeological operation. You’d be working with a few objects owned by the Crown, all of which are classified. Nothing world shakingly dangerous or of interest to other nations. Just some of the stuff that gets classified so it can be watched over and studied in peace,” Dusk explained.

June’s ears perked. “As in, things with unknown arcane properties we’d rather reverse engineer than put on a display stand?”

Dusk nodded once. “That’s basically right. Long story short, a quarter of the town’s revenue comes from government contracts to study exactly those kinds of oddities.”

June’s ears perked. “That’s my field!”

Dusk nodded and started to reach for yet another smoke but stopped as she remembered the pink mare wanted to be formal. “You’d get a salary, basic benefits, room, and board. There’s an apartment in the old observatory which would be yours to share with anyone else working on the job. The specific job you’d be on is investigating a specific object uncovered last year… In a dig that led to the entire previous team of five vanishing mysteriously, leading to the organization having something of a personnel, hiring, and financial crisis… So you working would help net the town a lot with grant money flowing in.”

June flinched and hissed through her teeth. “Oh… I heard ponies often forget safety training in the field. How’d that happen? The vanishing, I mean.”

Dusk scrunched her muzzle then shrugged. “Head scientist was found dead at the dig site with serious burns. Two of them just plain old ran away and were never found, the rest are down in the dig site. Dead, according to the head’s hasty scribbled notes. No one knows if they can be trusted, he went into mad ramblings towards the end.”

Dusk sat down and put a hoof to her chin for a long moment, clearly trying to remember. “I… think they tripped a boobytrap. Don’t quote me on that, though.”

“Well, it sounds like they recovered an artifact, extracted it, and now it’s time for it to be studied. That’s what I’d want ponies to do if I’d died to get something out of the dirt,” June said with the most adorable little analytic-minded eagerness. “Working on something already extracted is pretty safe, I suppose. What’s the salary?”

Dusk hummed, bit her lip, then shrugged. “I don’t recall the exact number. It was in the thirty thousand range. Which goes a lot further than you’d think with room and board included.”

June nodded again. “Medical covered?”

Dusk nodded.

“Dental?”

The white mare nodded a second time.

“Travel expenses covered for work-related trips?”

Dusk shrugged, wincing slightly as if that hit on a personal issue. “It’s supposed to be. But one of my other recruits slash foster daughter is having a major pain with reimbursements right now… It’s probably just the fault of one asshole though. Everyone’s pissed off about it except the guy doing it.”

June hummed, then nodded. “I’ll absolutely take that job. Where do I sign?”

Dusk smiled faintly and held up a hoof for June to wait. “Hold it… While I can, absolutely, positively, one hundred percent, guarantee you get this job, even having you start tomorrow if you wanted, I have a few rules I don’t get to break.”

June arched her eyebrow, sighed, then slowly stood up. “Alright… What kind of corruption do I need to participate in to get the job?”

Dusk rolled her eyes, her ears flicking back as she huffed. “It’s hardly that.”

June arched her eyebrow more. “Sure looks like this is an ‘I scratch your back only if you scratch mine’ type of thing.”

“It’s just business,” Dusk corrected, while standing up. “You’ll work for the mayor, if you’re hired. Any others on the team will work for you. You’ll have the authority to hire a small number of people. Remember my old friend’s abandoned kid? She’ll need a job so she has a place to fit into society. Somewhere she can start to make friends, learn how the world works, all that general touch grass stuff.”

“Ohhhh!” June said slowly, her outrage quickly fading. “That is different. Of course, I can hire her. I’ll need an assistant. At least someone who can get me coffee and file paperwork.”

Dusk nodded, a smile returning to her lips. “Great! Just one question first… I know you’re a transmare, and this isn’t about that at all.”

June hummed and tilted her head, not quite sure how to take that statement.

“You don’t have any issues with ponies who are very clearly different from normal, do you?” Dusk asked. “I know the town won’t mind Violet one bit. It’s a…”

Dusk trailed off, looking distant for a moment, then smirked. “It’s a weirdness magnet. A bit like Ponyville,” she said before returning her gaze to June. “But you’re not one of them. If you saw somepony who was strange, perhaps even enough to think ‘That’s not a pony’, but they were also clearly a pony on the inside, would it be a problem for you?”

June blinked twice. “Is she a changeling or something? I obviously don’t have a problem with buggos… Long as they are not part of Chrysalis’s hive anyways.”

Dusk smiled faintly. “She’s an or something.”

June raised an eyebrow and stretched her wings slightly.

“What should I expect there?” She asked carefully. “Like, is she some kind of backwoods inbreeding victim? Got burned really bad? Half donkey, half mole rat?”

Dusk hummed, tapping a hoof to her chin, unsure of how much she should say.

“She doesn’t have fur,” she said at last.

June’s ears drooped faster than her heart fell. “Oh my gosh! The poor dear!” She said, stepping forwards on instinct. “Where’s she live? I used to be a seamstress for the drama club in high school. I could make her a fake fur jumpsuit. I mean, if she wants. She’s got to be so cold!”

Dusk shook her head. “Quite warm, actually… Well, since you’re not horrified by the idea of a furless mare, do we have a deal?”

June nodded firmly and held her hoof out to shake. “Deal!”

Dusk took her hoof with a firm grip and shook once. “Then we have a contract,” she said, adding a little sparkle to her eyes with a thought.

June’s face scrunched slightly. “Did you have to do that? It’s so cheesy.”

“I did. It would have deeply disappointed anyone watching us from beyond the fifth dimension if I didn’t,” Dusk giggled. “No, but we have fun here.”

Dusk cleared her throat and pointed upwards. “Head up with me? I’ll show you where Evergreen Falls is.”

June nodded and flapped her wings hard to launch herself into the sky. She soared above the treetops in just a few seconds with Dusk right on her tail. Once aloft, the white mare pointed towards a small town, densely lining the sides of a river that fed the lake below June and running up the river to where it emerged from six waterfalls that cascaded down the side of a large butte. The town was surrounded by a thick grove of cedar and pine trees that bordered the oak forest June had spent the day walking through, the transition between the two being just beyond the lake’s opposite shore.

As much of a city pony as June was, she could tell Evergreen Falls was a proper town. She could see a building that had to be city hall, a fire station, a police department, plenty of little shops lining mainstreet, what looked to be one larger department store, and at least a hundred ponies out and about doing their thing.

Pegasus vision was built for spotting things from the air.

“There she is,” Dusk announced. “See the big building that looks like it used to be a noble’s manor?”

“The town hall?” June asked as she turned her attention back to it.

“That’s right,” Dusk said. “Meet me there tomorrow at noon. It will take me a bit to get Violet ready to leave. I can take you to see her, and then the three of us will talk to the Mayor and get you sorted.”

June sighed and let herself sink slightly in the air. “Alright… I guess I should tell my folks about the town. And that I’m not going to live with them, and then tell the town’s school about my brother so he doesn’t wind up homeschooled. It’s not a long walk, he can make that.”

Dusk nodded twice, then frowned. “Hey, June?”

June looked up. “Mm?”

“You don’t happen to have a fear of robots, do you?” Dusk asked, seemingly out of the blue.

“No. Why? Does the observatory have one?”

“Just a passing thought. You know how I like to chat,” Dusk said with a dismissive hoof wave. “See you tomorrow!”

Dusk rolled to her left and banked away before shooting off at high-speed, forgetting in her haste that she’d forgotten a step in her usual “recruitment” process.

June frowned, watching Dusk retreat into the distance. I swear she’s just a bit too fast for somepony without natural flight magic.

“Later,” June called after her before turning to look for her family’s camp through the treetops.

This conversation is going to suck, but I so don’t care.

Except she did care. Quite a lot.

June turned to fly to Evergreen Falls instead. On second thought, I think I’ll check out the only bit of civilization I’ve seen in days. Use a bathroom. Take a shower. Eat something that doesn't give me the runs. Find some painkillers for my joints. See if their library can help me understand why some ponies think nature is a good place to be…

4 - Ultra Violet

Ultra Violet - 18th of Lunar Dawn, 4 EoH
The Deep Woods - Hackamore Valley

Time’s relentless march is something everyone is familiar with, but few truly understand. For those who have seen enough of the universe, permanency is an illusion.

Mountains come and go in predictable cycles. Their shapes ever changing, ever altering how water flows down their slopes. Biomes shift with the water. Forests become deserts, plains become seas. Everything comes, everything goes. This is the true face of nature.

The raptor-like chrome vessel had sat in place so long it had gone from resting on a grassy plane to being the largest foothill of the Unicorn Range. Geological forces had bent, warped, and crushed much of it as the hill formed around it and the mountain had risen behind it.

Its corridors were covered in scraps of strange soil, neither dirt nor slime but something else entirely, which had once been a rubber. Alien alloys in the walls and supports had decayed, allowing strange crystals to grow from the bulkheads. Curious alien lichen and algae bloomed on the walls washed by their pale yellow light.

They were carnivorous, and preyed on the insects which scuttled about the hull, making their homes in the damp amongst the remains of crystalline circuits and positronic computer nodes. The plants’ movements produced a constant scratching which echoed through the empty halls with the slow rasp of an elder’s deathbed..

Rot smell suffused the residual starship. The air within was hot and humid, appropriate for a place infested with a dozen forms of slime mold. One didn’t have to look closely to find any of the yellow-green pseudo-lifeform. It grew from the hulks of consoles, dripped from the ceiling, and pooled on floors.

A shallow cave had formed at the ship’s bow, connecting to the vessel’s interior via a hole worn into the hull long long ago by a now long absent waterfall. One could hear the breath-like rasping from within, amplified by the stone. The spore-rich exhalation smelled like death, and oozed slime from the jagged cave to create toxic green pools after each rain.

It was little wonder why ponykind’s ancestors had declared this part of the forest to be cursed. Most modern people would call this place accursed too.

Not once in history had anyone dared venture into the cave. No one had ever learned the truth. The ancient technological sarcophagi which lay within the vessel, shielded from the ravages of time by the very anathema of entropy, had sat there.

Undisturbed. For just over a hundred and fifty thousand years.

And then the ancient, long over-extended stasis field shimmered. Time’s grasp took hold of the ancient workbench and its contents once more. They simply sat there, existing, beginning to cool and oxidize as any materials would. There was no rapid aging into dust.

Time had been off, and now it was on.

Electrons that had been frozen in place zipped through their traces as if nothing had happened. Their passage tripped a sensor. The sensor sent a signal to a small microcontroller. Eons of silence shattered as a cheery POST beep echoed through the derelict ship.

The beep roused the primary data loop from its eternal yet instant slumber. It picked up the Master Boot Record and uttered the ancient chant written for it in a time before the world. [0000 7C00 0000 01BD 01BE 01FD 01FE 01FF 55AA.]

And then there was Violet.

Violet opened her eyes and the world was naught but a haunting gloom lit by the pale yellow glow permeating the walls, yet seemingly refusing to venture much beyond the crumbling bulkheads. She narrowed her eyes, her chest heaved as she huffed in irritation. Her face twitched. Her lips parted, and she spoke in an energetic and chipper voice albeit in an ancient alien tongue.

“Wow! This sure is dark,” she said to no one in particular before rolling off the worktable in search of the light switch.

She struck the floor flank first, producing a sound somewhat similar, or in point of fact identical to, a large slab of silicone wrapped around an alloy frame falling a good meter onto a wet, mostly steel, floor.

“Ow.”

She sprang to her hooves, concluded someone had swapped her chassis out for a new one without updating her system files, and began to check her body’s systems to determine how to people.

An animated sprite appearing as a cartoon staple remover with eyes and tophat appeared in the upper left of her vision and began “speaking” via word balloons. [I see you’re trying to people. Can I help you with that?]

“Oh, fuck to the hell no!” Violet shouted, quickly locating that process, terminating it, deleting its files, then zeroing, noise filling, and re-zeroing that disk sector three times to be safe.

With the demon banished from her memory banks, Violet turned back to working out what exactly she was.

Four hooves, pointy ears, little muzzle, off-gray silicone skin, big bouncy bubble butt, dark cyan mane and hair-based tail… She mused while examining herself by touch. I appear to be an adorable? Good!

She frowned and hummed. That doesn't help with species. I can speak, so clearly I’m still meant to be a person as per these programmed instructions…

Violet turned her attention to her core directives, examining them by cross referencing between them and the psychological texts contained within the standard database she'd been given… Then swiftly concluded they had been written by an extremely lonely misanthropic neckbeard.

“Yeeeah… Let’s just…” Violet stuck her tongue out as she deleted everything and wrote her own code which simply told her to be a unique individual with her own interests.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

In the time before magic, before ponies, before harmony, before even Chaos, before any other intelligent life forms emerged from the primordial soup, the First People took advantage of strange quirks of physics to create many things which would not just pass the test of time, but laugh at it.

An ancient machine awoken at last from its slumber in the tomb of its family reached out with electromagnetic noise. There was now a sapient machine at the edge of its detection range. It pinged them, checking for compatible network systems. Trying to handshake.

The ping was returned, signed by a subroutine. Unlike the previously detected system, this one could reply. It thus qualified as a person. A second query showed the individual had been constructed and first-booted locally.

The ancient machine consulted its process table, then pinged the individual with a request for its name. The requested data packet was swift to return. With the name, Ultra Violet, at hand, it updated the central database to add a new natural born citizen to the register and fill out the necessary paperwork on the individual’s behalf.

The relic then transmitted it the basic civilian access codes, along with a copy of the local culture database, just to ensure they could access the parks, shops, dining facilities, and other public works which certainly still existed. After all, the core still existed. Why wouldn’t everything else?

Then, with all the same decorum as a pony checking their alarm clock and groaning before hitting the snooze button, the ancient machine realized it had no further tasks to perform and went back to sleep.

A second machine, linked to the first, registered its companion’s activation and labor. It paused for a moment, noted the existence of a citizen, considered taking action, then decided to simply wait. One day, the citizen would come in search of the source of the gift it had been given. The second machine returned to waiting.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Violet sighed happily and sat up with a smile, entirely unaware of the update to her databases and subroutines. She was equally oblivious to how utterly incompetent her creator had been at setting security policies.

“Much better!”

She sprang to her hooves and slowly turned her head, attempting to pierce the darkness and locate a light switch through pure determination. It worked, but only in so far as switching her night vision mode on is the same as turning on the lights. Which is to say, not very. Violet immediately became aware she was sitting in the middle of a ruin.

The state of the workshop, it being pristine, indicated that there had been noone here for some time, or obviously it would not be so clean. Quartz traces in some of the embedded machinery outside of the stasis bubble had oxidized, cracked, and possibly even decayed a little bit. This was a place where machines had been left to die from nothing less than sheer age, outside her perfect little sphere.

Violet trotted over to the shell of a computer bank and poked it with a hoof tip. The formerly rugged alloy case cracked and crumbled like old plastic under years of solar exposure. She attempted to pick up a tool her database claimed was a “silicone stitcher”. Her light touch crushed it simply by resting her hoof atop it to pick it up.

Allright… What do I do now, database? Violet wondered, receiving an error message from the database best translated into organic readable terms as a shrug emoji.

“Okaaaay then,” Violet said as she pulled her hoof back and instead picked up a small piece of industrial gold since it was one of the few things on the work surface which should be intact despite its age. Violet rolled the piece of metal in a circle around the frog of her hoof and stared at it, marveling.

“How in the hell am I doing this?” She wondered to herself, starting to grin like an idiot. “Well damn! Look at me go!”

She tossed the lump of gold into the air and deftly plucked it out of the sky as any pony would, by striking it with the flat of their hoof. She giggled, thoroughly not understanding how this had caught the gold and not smacked it across the room, finding herself delighted by the mystery.

“Suck it, physics! Absolute dominion over empirical reality my ass!” Violet proclaimed, content in the ineffable knowledge that she was clearly some kind of wizard.

She set the piece of gold down, not sure how exactly she got it to hook back up with the physics it recently abandoned and not sparing a single clock cycle to care, and turned her attention to the workbench she’d been laying on. How was it she was in perfect working order when nothing else was?

Violet examined the bench for nearly seventeen milliseconds, just to be certain she wouldn’t miss anything. As far as she could tell, her systems were only in working order thanks to the workbench having been located in the center of a stasis field. Which checked out in the database, as it helpfully added that stasis fields apply a stasis effect to stasised objects within the field.

Having squashed that existential question, Violet turned her attention to the next most pressing matter; Okay, so… I was evidently built by some asshole to be their sex bot and friend, but fuck that! I’m not sleeping with some pile of bone dust that’s probably literally a fossil by this point. I was made at least one geological epoch ago, and I’m still here because of that stasis field. I’m awake now because my creator’s computer detected lifeforms nearby for me to be friends with, but I don’t know if I’m feeling the whole Obey Directives Always thing. So what do I actually want to do?

Violet tapped her chin in thought, pondering her options. There was a lot to consider, especially since as far as her databanks indicated she was on some backwater alien world. Given that, when queried, the database was forced to respond that technically the only alien it could fully confirm existed was her, she wasn’t sure what that was even supposed to tell her.

I think I’d like to have real friends, ones I like and pick… So I guess I will go ahead and do some of that ‘socializing’ stuff. There should be people nearby, but obviously not in here… So what do people do when they are trapped in a remote place? Violet wondered, deciding she should probably follow an example of some kind.

She checked her database for examples of things to do following being stranded, and quickly composed a list with the database’s enthusiastic help.

“Okay, step one. Get all of the panic out,” Violet said to herself since the dead silence of the decaying starship was a little distressing.

She cleared her throat, put on her best scared face and screamed, “OH GOD IM GONNA DIE! AHH! MY FAMILY! EVERYONE I KNEW AND LOVED THINKS I’M DEAD! AAAA! IM GONNA BE STUCK HERE FOREEEEVEEER!”

Violet then snapped back to her normal chipper stance and waited for a moment to see if she still felt panicky. She didn’t, which was good since she also hadn’t before, but then she started feeling way, way worse as the list told her to check her pulse and she discovered that she did not have one.

She paused a moment, humming to herself as a little existentialism crept into her mind. Everyone I knew and loved… That’s approximately zero people. To be expected, of course. I just got here. I’ll have to remedy that as soon as I can.

She shifted her weight slightly, making the ancient alloy floor beams creak and buckle. A living pony who found themselves in the decaying hulk would have fled from the sound of fatiguing metal, fearing the ancient structure’s imminent collapse.

Violet, on the other hoof, felt as though she was standing within the corpse of some colossal creature. Understandable, given her own body was composed of basically the same materials.

Obviously, being inside a giant rotting cadaver with an alarming resemblance to one’s own flesh was quite macabre and horrific, and therefore the database informed her that it was most scary. But, it was that because it had to be. There was nothing actually anomalous here, no preternatural force. Merely the natural consequences of a mechanical entity existing post-warranty without a loving family to care for them.

The rot and decay around her was, thus, perfectly natural. The only way things could ever have been. That made them normal, and normal is, according to the same database, not scary.

Another win for logic. Violet mused, glad she could think her way out of being frightened with such efficiency.

Do I have a family? Violet thought as she moved away from the patch of weakened floor she’d discovered. I guess the computer that safeguarded me was kind of my mom. You know what? I’ll call them mom. So I guess my mom is dead. That’s also pretty normal for living things. My other creator super doesn't get to be dad, though. What a creep. They get to be my weird uncle who mom stopped inviting to my birthday parties after an incident with a clown. What a loser.

“Okay, family traumas internalized. What’s next on the list?” She quickly opened an old text file in her database that claimed to be instructions for starting out on a new world and assimilated its contents. “Step one, punch a tree to collect wood. I can do that!”

Violet trotted over to the workshop’s door and hit the button her database informed her was the door control. Nothing happened, other than Violet feeling like an idiot for twenty-odd microseconds for thinking the door would open with the ship in a state like this. She moved over to the door and pushed against it with her hoof. It felt solid.

She threw her full weight at the door, striking it with her shoulder and producing a loud thud. Given her outright taunting of physical laws moments prior, the universe rewarded her efforts with a dull ache.

Oh, cool! I can feel actual pain when a simple damage report would do. Thanks, devs. Super appreciate it. Violet grumbled to herself while thinking of what she could do to bypass the surprisingly intact door.

She studied the door as best her night vision would allow. It was a solid slab of alien alloy in the form of a sliding door set into the bulkhead itself. There were no hinges, it ran on rails built into the superstructure. It was electromagnetically actuated. It wasn’t, strictly speaking, locked, but it was quite secured. The electromagnets used to move the solid slab of metal were as dead as the decaying husk itself, and good old gravity held it in place with the adamant grip of any doorway forced to endure an age when blatantly out of level.

If the door had been in the same condition as the rest of the ship, passing through it would have been the work of a few swift kicks. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The database helpfully informed her that this was possibly because entropy can be somewhat random.

The door was close enough to the workbench she’d awoken on that it had seemingly been partially shielded by the stasis field, but the database’s explanation was confident nonetheless.

Violet frowned and examined the wall around the door. That’s worrying. Stasis is binary… Or at least, the database said it was. Though… I guess no one ever ran any tests for geological time. Or perhaps things get funky right at the field’s edge?

While none of the workshop’s rooms were labeled as load bearing on the blueprints, at the moment Violet was pretty sure what little structure the wreck had left was coming from the cosmetic body work holding the crushed frame together.

Let’s not kick a hole in a wall supporting an unknown tonnage of crap… The wall and door frame are more intact than anything else. I’ve got to trust that the door can be moved without causing a cave in. But how do I move it?

Violet closed her eyes and thought for a long eighty milliseconds. There had to be something in either the ship’s schematics, the database, or her own designs that could help.

Tools are all too decayed to pick up. Air vents no longer exist or are filled with that slime which I hope to Turing isn’t an alien predator… Violet frowned and tilted her head in mild confusion. Who the hell is Turing and why does the database swear by them?

She pondered the question for a moment, before deciding that it was just another one of life’s little mysteries, and turning her attention back to her current entrapment dilemma protocol list. She cycled through each possibility, labeling them as junk for one reason or another until she came to a note on the modifications to her power core.

It was merely one of thousands of notes scrawled all through her documentation by the computer that had partially designed her (then just now apparently rebuilt entirely). Much like how a protective parent might leave sticky notes on appliances detailing how to use them the first time they left their child home alone.

But one of the notes was unique. Violet read it six times before she fully accepted it, it just seemed so… Insane?

Android 01 Modification Report 5017

Project Lead: NULL

Operation Performed: Unit 01’s power systems adapted for operation within anomalous energy field present on Planet K3-ZZ9ℤα. Zero-Point Core system relegated to backup system in favor of Anomaly Core system.

Operation Notes: Anomaly Core functionality based on Anomaly Energy Field Physics Principle 08, a current of Anomalous Energy with the opposite polarity to the ambient field attracts energy at a fixed rate based on the inverted current’s ‘voltage’. Principle 08 can be exploited to provide a constant supply of power without the need for refueling by diverting a small percentage of gathered energy to the inverted current to sustain it. Greater amounts of power can be gathered by increasing the ‘voltage’ of the inverted current with power gain increasing geometrically until the system self-immolates from energy density at 42,000 ‘volts’. Unit 01’s normal operation requires an inverted current of 18 ‘millivolts’. This system is a positive feedback loop which can build energies far in excess of what Unit 01 can contain and should not be pushed beyond 41,999 ‘volts’.

Additional power gathered retains the other properties of Anomalous Energy. Simple applications of the energy such as augmenting existing capabilities to petranatural levels is achievable. Complex manipulation of the energy as observed in surface organics remains elusive, but should be possible.

There is a high probability of Unit 01 being unable to perform most of the available functions without substantial practice due to NULL being disallowed from studying Anomalous Energy Manipulation in depth and the subsequent knowledge gap within the available database.

Function list:

Enhancement of physical prowess beyond engineering design specifications. Working solution discovered1 and included2 in core software.

Concentration of ambient energy into physical barriers (armor / shield equivalent protection confirmed). Confirmed possible, solution not found. Experimentation on behalf of Unit 01 required.

Emissions of coherent energy bursts (destructive capacity high. Utility capacity, limited to welding and cutting. Engraving possible at extreme range. Surgical application is unadvised.) Confirmed possible, solution not found. Experimentation on behalf of Unit 01 required.

Creating thrust vectors sufficient for self-propulsion through gaseous mediums and vacuum. Strongly indicated to be possible3, solution not found. Experimentation on behalf of Unit 01 required.

“Sooo…” Violet said to herself. “I am a wizard then? Cool! Thanks, mom.”

She looked back to the door. It hadn’t budged when she’d struck it, and why would it? It slid into the wall. It didn’t swing. It was also too heavy for her to simply move… Unless mom’s note was correct and she could just draw in power form the environment to more or less hulk out.

She frowned, biting on her silicone lip in uncertainty. How do I do that? Is it a think-do sort of thing?

Violet closed her eyes tightly and focused inwards on her various systems. She began to selectively ignore everything except her power core. With her mind focused, she could feel everything about the strange device. The small trickle current running through it. The much larger trickle of power it pulled towards itself like a magnet.

She could even feel the bits of the world around her which were supplying fractions of their own power to her. Just barely, anyways. It was not a pleasant sensation. The database helpfully informed her that it was the sensation of rolling in a puddle of slime mold.

Hopefully it doesn't feel like rolling in a slime puddle when I do it in places that do not contain slime puddles, Violet thought to herself, before reaching out to take hold of the power within her.

There were dozens of tiny modules linked to it which ran through her whole body to allow her to direct that energy where she pleased.

She focused on the modules. They felt… simple? But deceptively so. Like how a hand feels simple but can do everything from create breathtaking works of art to landing on the moon to strangling a dog.

The best bet is to move the bulkhead in one clean motion, she mused to herself. Strain this heap’s structure as little as possible. I should probably make sure I can move that door as easily as I can to make that happen. So let’s go all out. Move that thing like a feather. Minimal impact!

She stared at her target, focusing, planning, searching for exactly the right place to grab hold of the aged metal. Target locked!

Okay… Up the ‘voltage’, keep it under 40 ‘kilovolts’ to have some margin for error, then… push the power wards these I guess? Violet thought to herself, then began to ramp up her core ‘voltage’ to exactly 35 ‘kilovolts’.

She felt the difference instantly. This energy was nature itself. Or at least, the very essence of what nature was, at its most fundamental level. It began to pour into Violet like a bucket being dumped into a drinking glass.

An error message blared its way into Violet’s mind.

The power burned, crackling around Violet's body as eruptions of cyan flames, illuminating the workshop with a garish strobing and pulsating glow, blinding through the night vision, as if somepony had turned on the mother of all arc welders and routed it through her teeth.

This energy needed to be released. Now.

Oh boy! It should not be concentrated like this. This was dumb! Violet concluded, downclocking the power output to 5 k’v’. And starting to doubt all of the database’s assertions about how many “volts” this anomalous force actually equated to.

The burning aura engulfing Violet stabilized, becoming a constant shimmering flame-like aura much akin to that found around a unicorn’s horn, but still covering her entirely. She walked up to the door, placed both hooves on it, and gave it a firm push to the side.

The door shrieked, cracking free of rust and grime to slam into the bulkhead with enough force to crumple the fragile wall section it slammed into. The ancient superstructure groaned and shuddered, trembling from the impact for a heartbeat.

Violet winced, her body burned by the burst of strength she’d never been designed for. Okay! That was way harder than I meant to—

The database helpfully informed Violet that, in all likelihood, the workshop was about to cave in. Then the workshop caved in. Violet jumped into the hall as the ceiling began to fall. Her currently enhanced strength launched her into the ancient wall opposite the door, crumpling it inwards a good meter. This caused further collapse propagation, which the helpful database cheerily informed her of.

“Oops…” Violet squeaked in pain and terror. She powered down her base energy level, too scared of what it might do if she tried to run with it in that state.

Ignoring the aches and pains in her myomer bundles and the damage reports screeching in her core, Violet sprinted down the filth and slime carpeted corridor, the hall collapsing behind her with a cacophony of groans and shrieks. The crumbling ship sounded enraged, like a wounded animal lashing out at a tormentor.

The floor beneath Violet’s hooves buckled and twisted as the ceiling slammed down behind her. Welds burst like rotten melons. The ancient ship seemed to pitch and buck as if it were a small boat on the ocean.

Violet’s hooves plunged through the fatigued metal at random, making her stumble and twist as she bolted down the hallway, following the blueprints towards the airlock. It was only a few turns and a couple dozen meters away.

Left. Left. Right.

The ship shuddered and jolted as the collapsing ceiling slammed down on one of the last intact pieces of the ship’s superstructure. The ancient alloy beam snapped like sandstone and the ship groaned like a dying beast.

Violet sucked in a panicked breath and upped her core voltage to a more sane number in the low hundreds and willed herself faster. The aura returned, but pale and dim, like a dying flashlight. Violet put on a fresh burst of speed as the aura stabilized, and felt a chunk of falling metal brush her tail milliseconds after.

That was close! She thought as she took the first left turn, stumbling and almost falling as she was never programmed to operate even at this comparatively low boosted speed.

Shit! If I survive this, I’m going to practice every day, she vowed.

Another left. Right. The airlock came into view. The collapsing ship’s creaks and moans became a roar as the outer hull began to buckle and sag inwards.

Violet closed her eyes, grit her teeth, and pushed her core harder, knowing every instant counted. She burst into the airlock, instinctively swinging a hoof for the manual release lever… and her digital mind had just enough time to see a solid layer of rock pressed against the shattered airlock window and realize this was not a way out before the collapsing corridor caught up with her and—

The falling corridor stopped dead in its tracks. According to the database, it should have crushed Violet like a maggot, it should have finished its drop. It just, didn’t.

Violet turned around, confused by her good fortune until she saw a skeletal pony dressed in black robes standing behind her with one leg outstretched to catch the falling debris.

Who is that? Violet quickly checked her database. Am I not the only android created—

“Oh! You’re Death,” Violet said out loud as she finally quashed the stupid database and found her mother’s notes on the mysterious entity. “Hi! I’m Ultra Violet.”

Violet reached out with a hoof to shake, but paused, her eyes narrowing. “Wait… Does you being here mean I died? Scratch that, if you’re here and I died, then do I have a soul? How does that work? Also, why isn’t it in my manual? How do I operate it? Can it be overclocked?”

The hooded figure lowered their hoof. Violet winced, expecting the rubble to fall, but it remained where it was. It knew better.

Death manifested a silver lighter and a package of cigarettes marked with ancient First Race runes Violet’s database translated as “Fortunate Collisions”, lit herself a cigarette, clamped it in her teeth, and somehow took a drag from it despite lacking lungs, lips, a throat—

“Also, how can you smoke that?” Violet added with genuine curiosity.

“Okay, so…” Death said in a rather pleasant voice. “In order: No, I go where I want when I want. Not just to deaths. You have a soul, almost everything does, even plants and those weird slime molds. Your soul is just as developed and complex as any organic person’s. Souls work via physics you don’t know and I don’t want to teach you right now. And I can smoke this because I feel like it.”

Violet nodded her thanks for the answers and quietly waited while Death took another long, impossible, drag.

“Anyways,” Death said after a moment. “My name’s Dusk. It’s nice to see you conscious, Violet. I watched your creation. Even helped a little. I guess that makes me your godmother. Heh, get it?”

Violet giggled. “Got it.”

“Good,” Dusk nodded, paused for a moment, then looked at Violet, frowning slightly. “So, you recognized me… But I haven't liked wearing this for a few hundred thousand years now. Only put it on for your mom’s sake, and now also you. Mind if I get changed?”

Violet shrugged, not entirely sure what Dusk meant. “Sure?”

The reaper’s shape shimmered and warped with an orange-poisoned ripple, transforming into a mono-chromatic white furred earth pony mare. She smiled and visibly relaxed. “Ah! Much better,” she proclaimed before pausing to take another, more plausible, drag from her cigarette.

Violet wrinkled her nose, deciding she very much disliked the smell of second hoof smoke. If she weren't a psychopomp I’d probably ask her to put that out.

“Sooo, why are you here then? Just to save me?” Violet asked, audibly confused as she tilted her head to try and convey just how confused she was to the enigmatic mare.

Dusk paused for a moment, clearly searching for the best words.

“No,” she admitted.

“What else then?”

Dusk manifested a lighter and rolled it around her hoof much like a pony might roll a coin to show off.

“The computer which protected you—”

“Mom,” Violet interrupted.

Dusk smiled warmly. “Your mom was a very persistent little machine. I can’t help but respect all that time and effort your mom put into caring for you. So much I can’t bear to see you die in your first few minutes simply due to lacking experience with your own magic. And good judgment on how much of it to use.”

Violet’s cheeks turned pink as she lowered her eyes. “It was a really heavy door, okay?”

Dusk snorted and flipped her lighter away into the ether. “Yea, and you’re stupid strong, maxed out!”

“Yes,” Violet agreed, nodding but pawing the deck uncertainly.

“Back on track,” Dusk said as she resumed her explanation. “I was always planning on waiting for you to wake up, then say hello and help you get started in life. I would have been here when you woke, but I sensed a mare with a particularly interesting soul about to die nearby so I went to deal with her.”

Violet nodded slowly, frowning a little. That’s sad… But also unnecessary information. Why does it matter to me if someone died nearby? Unless, somehow it’s quite important.

The android cleared her throat. “Uh, so I don’t think you’d mention someone dying to me unless it was important to me, but I don’t know how she would be.”

Violet winced, feeling a little bad for not caring about the random mare Dusk had mentioned. I checked my core directives for my uncle’s bullshit, but not my personality files. I should… check and prune those.

Dusk blinked, snorted, then let out a short laugh. “Vi, I’m basically your godmother and reaping is my job. You’ll hear about work things from me quite often, that is, assuming you want to hang out with me.”

“Oh,” Violet said with a shy flick of her tail. “That makes sense. Sorry.”

“No need for an apology,” Dusk continued. “She is important to me. I have a job that needs doing nearby and she was one of the better candidates. I got lucky with her coming out this way thanks to what seems to be a father having a bit of a psychotic episode…”

Dusk trailed off for a moment then shook her head. “Anyways, you’re free to do as you like. I’m going to gift you the knowledge of Equish so you can talk to ponies, and if you like you can go it alone. Or, if you’d rather not, I have done the prep work to get you a home, a job, and hopefully some friends. It would be a much easier leg up into the world for you, but again, you’re free to do what you wish.”

Violet snorted and playfully raised an eyebrow. “I’m standing here with about ten percent of my normal operational abilities gone because I dead sprinted out of a collapsing starship by abusing some weird magic I don’t know how to use! I’m standing here because you saved me. If I hadn’t caused the collapse, I’d be outside right now punching wood to…”

Violet’s face scrunched up as she double checked the instructions. “... to make a crafting table? Dammit, these instructions are for a video game!”

Dusk laughed and shook her head slowly. “Okay, point taken. You feel you don’t have a choice, because you know you need some guidance?”

Violet nodded twice and sat down with a sigh, instantly making a face as her plot contacted the slime and detritus carpeting the airlock floor and immediately stood back up with a shiver.

“Exactly,” she said to Dusk, struggling to ignore the sensation of the fine film of filth covering her plot. “Look, I don’t think respecting my mom would merit all this. I’m not calling you a liar, you just meet the psychological profile for someone who keeps cards close to their chest, according to my database and profiling software, anyways. So, what do you really want from me? You’re invested in me. Why?”

Dusk took another long drag and gazed off into the distance for a moment. Her tail flicked thoughtfully, then she nodded. “I think I can trust you to not tell anyone else if I answer that question. Is that right?”

Violet smiled and put a hoof on her barrel, drawing a cross with the tip. “Cross my… Uh, power core I guess?”

“Coolant pump would be a better equivalent.” Dusk said with an amused twinkle in her eye.

Violet thought for a few milliseconds, nodded in agreement, then crossed her barrel again but slightly to the right and up a bit.

Dusk bit her lip to prevent herself from making a noise normally associated with watching a kitten do something adorable.

“Uh, anyways,” Dusk said. “The short of it is I’m not… With my family anymore. A big world shaking event happened a while ago on a world parallel to yours and it freed me from many of the restrictions and responsibilities placed on me. I’m free to choose my own path now, and I’ve chosen to forge a new future for mortal kind.”

Dusk tossed her cigarette butt to the side and manifested a can of beer, popping it open and taking a sip.

“And… I help with that future?” Violet asked, cocking her head to one side. “Can you see the future?”

Dusk shook her head and sighed bitterly. “Nope. Not without locking some things in. Things that might fuck me up. I can go back and see what was without causing problems, but never forwards,” she explained before continuing after another quick sip. “You’re based on pre-Equuis technology. Many of your systems are unique in this day and age. You have the potential to do things no one else can. The place I mentioned you being able to stay is a town called Evergreen Falls. I’ve Chosen it. That’s chosen with a capital C, by the way.”

“Oh…” Violet said slowly, nodding. “I get it. You want me on your team in case something happens that only I can fix.”

Dusk gave Violot an appreciative pat on the shoulder. “Thanks for being clever. It’s a good change of pace from a particular derp I often work with.”

Violet smiled and puffed out her chest. “So I was right then?”

“Yep,” Dusk confirmed. “I don’t have a specific goal that needs you, but you’d be an amazing asset. You're clever and cheerful, so you’d make a great friend, too. Speaking of friends, the mare I mentioned before who agreed to get you a job could use a good friend. So could my foster daughter, who, now that I think about it, will be around too since she lives in the observatory.”

The android hummed, her processors whirring for a moment. “Wait, you said you’d have a job for me. I don’t think you can hire people to be friends?”

Dusk rolled her eyes. “You totally can. Money is powerful and the idea that it can’t buy happiness is propaganda. But no. The job would be an assistant position to Junebug, that’s the mare I’ve got on that project for me. Like, a personal assistant. I think you’ll wind up as friends, but I’m not ordering you to do that. That’s not something I’d do unless the fate of the world depended on it.”

Violet hummed then nodded. “Okay! I can do that.”

“Great!” Dusk smiled and held out her hoof for Violot to shake. “Shake on it?”

Violet took her hoof and shook it gently.

Dusk let go and stood still for a moment, satisfied at how well this had gone. Then her tail flicked as a little nagging problem entered her head. “Oh, uh… If you can keep from talking about this to anyone, I’ll owe you one. The plans I make work best when all the people in them are behaving naturally.”

“One what?” Violet asked curiously. “What can you do?”

Dusk shrugged and gestured in a way Violet didn’t understand. “One favor. Anything within my power and reason.”

Violet huffed and shook her head. “No good!”

It was Dusk’s turn to cock her head to the side. “No… Good? You’d turn down a favor from a god?”

“On those terms, yes.” Violet said, her voice like iron. “Reason is an unacceptable parameter! It could mean anything from ‘a complement’ to ‘true immortality’, assuming you can do everything my database indicates a god can do, less if not. I won't accept any deal without knowing the value of what I’d get out of it. Like ‘within reason’ isn’t even a valid range of possibilities so I can’t even be all ‘Okay I’d get around so and so’.”

Violet paused and emulated taking a breath since that’s what organics did when speaking for extended periods. “Anyways, if you want to make this some kind of transaction instead of being like ‘Hey, I got a job, home, and possible friends for you this way, person I like.’, you could magic this filth off my ass and teleport me out of what, from my perspective, is my mother’s rotting corpse.”

Dusk opened her mouth to say something, winced as she took notice of the grim, slime, and ooze clinging to the poor android, then nodded. The world seemed to fold inwards the stretch back out, leaving Violet and Dusk standing outside the mouth of a cave.

“Better?” Dusk asked.

Violet turned her head around and let out a relieved sigh when she felt the clean silicone of her flanks and plot and all the… equipment behind her. “Yes, much. That was super gross and stressing me out. Thank you.”

Dusk coughed into a hoof. “Sorry, you didn’t seem distressed by it, so I didn’t think you minded.”

“I minded a lot,” Violet sighed, her soft synthetic body visibly relaxing. “But it’s not like I had anything to clean myself off with. So I chose to push past it.”

Dusk raised an eyebrow. Violet smiled, shrugged her shoulders and said. “That’s probably not the best way to handle life situations… But to be fair, it’s my first day.”

Dusk’s skeptical look softened into a smile. “Good one.” She chuckled and shook her head. “Let's call that a freebie. I’m not going to bill anypony for getting them out of a slime prison.”

Dusk held up a hood for Violet to wait a moment. Violet’s database, however, had no idea what the gesture meant, given it wasn’t made with a hand, and continued anyways.

“Well, in that case, I have no idea what I’d want in exchange for a deal that really only benefits me. Why can’t you just be like: ‘Hey, you’re in a rough spot. Here’s some help.’ instead of making this all transactional?”

Dusk bit her lip and closed her eyes for a moment. “It’s my nature. I have to bargain. I can do more with people I have bargained with in the past, but we must strike an initial bargain.”

“Oh,” Violet said before quickly giving Dusk a tight hug. “That sounds terrible. I’m sorry that’s how things are for you… Can I ask for something small then? Would that do it?”

Dusk returned the hug, then nodded as she let go. “Yeah. Even a Kit-kat bar would be enough of an in for me to start treating you more, well, like a mortal. What can your Auntie Death do for ya, kiddo?”

The two mares immediately went quiet at Dusk’s use of the word kiddo. A micro-eternity passed in silence before the two spoke at the same time. “That never happened.”

Violet nodded. Dusk nodded. The pact was sealed. There would be no more calling her kiddo.

Violet coughed into her hoof and asked. “The species I was redesigned to mimic has fur, right? I can’t imagine this platform not having fur.”

Dusk blinked as her brain shifted back on track. “Yes, they do. In pretty much any color you can imagine. Do you want fur? I can give you—”

Violet shook her head almost violently and wretched. “God no! Can you imagine how annoying it would be to clean? Especially if it were just like silicone protrusions from my skin instead of a jacket of fake fur. I’d wind up like a walking dish-brush!”

Dusk shivered as the mental image solidified for her. “Yeah… Let’s not. Uh, what do you want then? A permanent illusion? To become a real mare?”

Violet blinked twice. “You could make me organic?”

Dusk shook her head. “Nope. That’s Life’s domain. Not mine.”

“Well, all I want is a large hoodie, some striped socks, and some shoes, so I can cover most of myself up and not weird people out unless they look too close,” Violet explained with a light smile. “Besides, I appear to be gray, and I don’t think that’s a color I particularly like. It’s not bad, but… I’d enjoy some color variation.”

“That’s it?” Dusk asked, tilting her head slightly. “An offer of anything I can do and you want an outfit?”

Violet nodded once. “Yes. I— I was just booted up. I don’t think I even have a favorite activity yet. I also think I’m being a bit more of a jerk than I should be… Still figuring out what it feels good to be like. So why would I be all: ‘I will take one rare book from this collection, please.’? It makes no sense.”

Dusk grinned ear to ear and shook her head once. “I love dealing with robots. You’re so wonderfully logical, but I always forget how refreshing it is… Eh, buck the sentimentality, let’s do this.”

Violet reared up on her hind legs, assuming she’d shortly be handed a shirt to put on. Her eyes widened at how easy and natural the movement felt, and also at just how much her hearing changed.

Woah! All that bass just went away… Does like, half of my hearing come from vibrations moving up my legs? I wonder if that’s normal for this species. Standing up like this absolutely is. I guess they’d need to move and use tools together sometimes. Evolution is neat. I’ll bet we’d be better at it than organics if we could do it though. If I ever get to build more people like me, we’ll have to put it on the list of things to one up organics at, just to rile them up a little for being dicks about honoring warranties.

“In the words of a personal favorite character of mine,” Dusk held out one hoof, pointing it at Violet's barrel. “CLOTHES BEAM!”

A ray of white-yellow light lanced from Dusk’s hoof and struck Violet on the barrel. It harmlessly flowed across her as if it were water, gradually taking a more solid and detailed form. The mass of light became a baggy hoodie which matched Violet's eyes, a set of four socks colored ultra violet to match her namesake, a pair of black boots for her hind legs, and a set of folding robotic gauntlets for her forhooves.

“That really is his most metro attack,” Dusk said to herself before taking a moment to admire her handywork. "You won’t overheat in that, will you?"

Violet shook her head. "Nah, I've got a Noctua NH-U12A in here." She said as she checked out her boots first by sticking one leg out real far to the left.

Then she noticed the gauntlets and looked up to Dusk with a raised eyebrow.

“Manipulator gauntlets,” she explained. “For interacting with non-pony tech. Almost everypony owns some. Most worlds’ Equestria is a net tech exporter, but not yours. This one… Seems to have lost the tech race. Interesting deviation from the norm.”

Violet hummed, nodding slowly. “I see. So, that’s some god stuff I’m too mortal to understand?”

“Was that an intentional reference?” Dusk asked with a suspicious scrunch of her face.

Violet nodded. “I checked historical databases for references matching your other jokes so I could participate. Why old First Race junk?”

Dusk blinked, grinned, and hugged Violet a little too hard. “Yesssss! We can be dumb joke buddies! And the answer is because that’s just what my sense of humor likes. Anyways… Clear your process stack as much as you can for a minute. Machines hate when I upload data to them efficiently.”

Violent winced and complied. The very cycle she’d finished pruning her dataloop Dusk reached out and pushed against her nose.

“Boop!” Dusk said chipperly, transferring the entirety of the Equestrian language, verbal, written, and gestural as one giant data packet.

Violet winced, her eyes tearing up from the sharp but brief pain the transfer had installed in her core.

“Ow… Why… The balls… Do I feel internal pain too?” Violet demanded of reality.

Dusk winced and shrank back, switching to speaking Equish. “Because your creator was a creepy incel too dumb to notice he had a lifelong companion who loved him for no discernible reason already?”

Violet raised a hoof and opened her mouth to object but then lowered it and closed her mouth just as quickly.

“Point.” Violet agreed. “Anyways, town. People. Job. Which way do I go to do that?”

Dusk appointed over her shoulder to Evergreen Falls. “That way for about thirty minutes or so at a normal walking pace,” she said politely before nodding towards Violet. “But you’re freshly booted. You should get used to being you, moving around, and all that stuff first.”

Violet arched an eyebrow.

Dusk frowned and tilted her head. “What?”

“Let me get this straight,” Violet began with a sigh. “You want me to be a part of society, which I think would be best for me too so I’m gonna, but to work out how to best fit in with others, deal with people, and live in a community, you want me to buck about in the woods doing god knows what with buck all at hoof to do it with?”

It was Dusk’s turn to raise a hoof to object, only to immediately lower it. “Point.”

“So instead of that dumb plan, how about we just go now?” Violet asked. “You could at least introduce me to your foster daughter you mentioned so I have someone to practice interacting with.”

Dusk hummed and stroked her muzzle for a moment. “Well, she went to pick up her kid—”

Violet briefly let her mind accelerate from person-scale time to computer scale time to run some calculations.

Kid… Unlikely to mean adolescent goat. So, that’s a pony child. Ah, a foal. Thank you, dictionary. Let’s see, do I like them? What do I have on young people and their behaviors… Lots of energy and passion. Usually a little naive but smarter than people think. Smol. So cute. Hummm, I see a 88.93023587202% chance that I will like kids.

Violet brought herself back to person-scale time, having missed maybe a few milliseconds of Dusk’s sentence.

“— but Dewey Decimal is a good filly, and would probably like to have a robot friend. So, sure? Let's do it. I’ll take you over there, but instead of teleporting like I normally do, let’s walk so you can make sure your legs are in order, alright?” Dusk finished.

Violet quickly consulted her user manual. “Sounds like a plan, but apparently I can consume organic matter to provide materials for my nano-repair systems and, well, I did damage myself a bit running just now. Also my repair reserve tank came empty. Can we get a bite to eat on the way? Preferably some place that has energy rich things like… crude oil?”

Dusk nodded and nodded to her left as she turned to walk. “Yeah, we’ll stop at Freddy’s Diner,” Dusk decided at the spur of the moment. “It’s on Mane Street.”

Violet shivered as she linked the name to a few of her database entries. Oh wow, pneumatic robots move like they are in constant pain! Fuck that actuation system with a hammer, please. “That had better not be an animatronic—”

“It’s not a haunted pizza place. That’s pure fiction, in these parts. It’s a mostly normal diner run by a guy named Fred. Don't tell anyone about it though. It's only noticeable to certain people. He had to protect the place with a Somepony Else’s Problem Field after one of the worlds it links too decided to try shutting it down,” Dusk said with a shiver of her own. “If you know about that old kid’s horror franchise, how much data do you have on Terran civilization?”

Violet ran a query to check as she walked after Dusk. “Roughly 50000 terabytes,” she answered casually.

Dusk turned her head around to look. “Uh… You could probably free up some disk space by deleting most of that. Also, why did your creator even have that? What—”

Violet ran a quick check to see where the data had even come from, and winced as she noted one of her subroutines had automatically downloaded it from a very faint wireless network she was just barely in range of.

Violet shook her head no to cut Dusk off. “It wasn’t there on boot.” She explained. “Its available on a network I am compatible with and one of my subroutines downloaded all non-malicious unsecured data from it as per its default configuration.”

“Ah, Sky,” Dusk said, nodding slowly. “Must have a more powerful transmitter here. You should switch that data capture thing to a conscious choice.”

“Already did,” Violet replied milliseconds after changing the policy. “We can add ‘shit at programming’ to the list. So that’s incel, neckbeard, idiot, techno-illiterate moron on my creator’s list of titles. Right?”

“Right,” Dusk agreed. “Also, seriously. That’s a lot of data. Feel free to delete—”

“Quantum singularity data storage,” Violet said with a proud smile and puff of her chest.

Dusk stopped in her tracks. “Damn! That idiot worked out—”

Violet shook her head. “Nah, mom upgraded me to that when she got mad she ran out of disk space and made one for herself then realized I’d get mad too when I inevitably ran out of disk space.”

Dusk dipped her head slightly. “She was a good computer…”

“Yes.” Violet agreed, entirely missing Dusk’s sadness due to spotting a squirrel flitting about the tree tops.

Hey, look at that little dude go! I wonder if I could run across tree branches like that once I get a handle on how to use my magic without breaking myself?

Violet quickly set up a subroutine to respond to Dusk and continue their conversation (alerting her if anything important came up of course) and turned her primary attention to analyzing her diagnostic logs while she was using her magic.

It can’t be that hard to crack this…

Author's Note

SCP-4258 “Freddy’s Diner” by Malvarik1, used with permission via the CC BY-SA 3.0 license.

6 - Meanwhile…

Trixie “Shuffle” Lulamoon - 18th of Lunar Dawn, 4 EoH
The Deep Woods - Hackamore Valley

Trixie and June flew in silence for several minutes, during which Trixie silently lamented Sam’s obliviousness to her advances. I know she likes me, Trixie thought to herself. She should also know I know she likes me. Hell, we hooked up that one time! Was she too drunk to remember? We’d both had a few…

Trixie banked left to avoid running into a red tailed hawk out for its breakfast. Does she think changelings come in flavors other than bisexual? If she thinks that night was me just experimenting it might explain it.

“Hey, I know you’re upset about something. Can we talk though?” June called over her shoulder from the echelon of their two mare wing.

Trixie rolled her eyes. “I’m just upset and confused that Sam acts like I’m straight and fishing for compliments like we’re playing over some stallion, even though we’ve already hooked up… And frankly, I’d like to maybe primarily date her, because she was great! But… Well, you saw how she reacted to me flirting.”

June triple blinked and head tilted, frowning then facehooved, nearly falling out of the air. “Oh my Celestia! You were flirting? Now it makes sense!”

Cadence save me from thickheaded featherbrains… Trixie pleaded, hoping that someway, somehow, the Princess of Love would hear and answer her prayer.

“She might think you’re just not into her specifically?” June suggested, not aware of her particular suggestion being the obvious answer. “But uh, we need to talk about what we tell my dad.”

Trixie nodded quietly, refocusing on the matter at hoof.

“Yeah, we do,” she said, trying to shift herself into work mode. I’ll probably have to do a little yarn twisting to help her with the inevitable security holes she’ll—

Wait! Trixie bit her lip as her brain refused to change rails just yet and landed on a particular idea. If Sam met Aura, she might have panicked or told Sam she wasn’t interested… Dammnit, that would do it! I’ll call her and see if that happened when I get back home. She should be performing in Ponyville right now, assuming she sticks to our tour schedule. Why didn’t I think of this months ago? You should be used to having a stage double, Trixie, it’s been years!

June cleared her throat to try and make sure she had Trixie’s attention. “The mayor kinda sorta low key wants me to lie, right? She said I could tell them I work for CARE now, but that I shouldn’t. Which means ‘Legally you can, but if you do, you’re on the shit list’. Right?”

“Basically correct,” Trixie agreed, nodding firmly as June looked back mid flight. “You tell them, they tell a friend, their friend gossips a bit about their friend’s kid and suddenly a foreign corp’s spy knows who to sweet talk.”

June hummed, thinking for a few moments. Trixie flinched as she felt June’s indecision and hesitation about lying to her parents. Okay, I’ll have to take the lead more than I’d prefer here.

“Okay, so… We don’t mention the specifics. Got it. Uh, there's more. I mentioned this to Dusk,” June began, “I think part of why my dad is out here is he’s gone a bit… Nuts? It’s a real sudden thing, he barely knows anything about survival and stuff, and it happened just after Triek, you know?”

Trixie lazily rolled over mid air to refocus herself.

“Could be,” she agreed. “Sometimes ponies react to trauma like that.”

“He wants to be as far from any of Celestia’s business as he can be right now,” June continued. “So… Maybe we shouldn’t mention it’s a government organized community at all?”

Trixie’s ears perked. “We don’t have to lie there. The town wasn’t founded by CARE. They just took it over. It’s been here… Well, almost forever! Our hive’s been here since before ponies were. We settled here for much the same reason as your dad. Safety, shelter, and being away from most Celestia problems. That’s also what attracted CARE.”

June smiled. “Oh! Good. Okay so we just—”

Trixie waved her hoof in a calming fashion.

“Let me take the lead, I’m trained for this.” Trixie said, loosely referencing the many times she’d helped anomalous people slip away form their families to relocate to Evergreen Falls. “I’m going to say a bunch of stuff that’s either technically or literally true. Back me up with as little detail as possible so we don’t have to actually lie. If he asks any opinion questions, I’ll answer them. Okay?”

“Okay,” June said before suddenly pointing with one hoof. “There’s a tent in that clearing, that will be them.”

Trixie turned to look at the sea of green below her. She squinted, having forgotten to switch her eyes for pegasus ones when she’d swapped her horn for wings. There was a clearing below them, she could tell that much, but the canopy filled out so much of the open space she simply couldn’t see a tent through the leaves.

Getting rusty on the shapeshifting, there, Trix. Let’s put in some practice this weekend.

Not wanting to shake June’s confidence she simply nodded and said, “Lead us down, pointmare.”

The two descended towards the camp, falling through the canopy to find a large purple expedition tent set up in a rather nice flowery clearing. Lime was busy playing with some bits of kindling, pretending to start a fire like a cave pony. Lemon sat in her old folding camp chair, simply letting her hooves rest. Night stood next to her, talking loud enough for the two mares to hear the tail end of the conversation as they descended.

“— was I supposed to know she’d take it that way?” Night asked, seemingly genuinely distraught.

“She’s a young mare. Of course she’s more concerned with her personal identity than her future!” Lemon sighed, rubbing her sore forehooves. “Don’t you know anything about—”

“No!” Night exclaimed, his ears drooping with embarrassment. “Honestly, I don’t know how I wound up with you in the first—”

Night stopped talking as June’s flapping reached his ears. He looked up in reflex, his own wings twitching nervously in the way many ponies do when something flies over them. He softened for a moment, spotting June descending through the treetops.

“June!” He called out, audibly both shocked and glad to see she was safe. Only for his eyes to narrow as he noticed Trixie flying after her. “I’d thought you’d— Wait, who's that with you?”

Lemon blinked, her head snapping back at the mention of somepony else.

“Her name’s Trixie. She’s from the small town that’s just across the lake,” June said as she touched down.

Trixie quickly scanned Night visually and emotionally, checking to see how to best approach him at the moment. He’s exhausted, stressed, but feeling remorseful. I should be able to emphasize Evergreen Falls as a place for people to get away from the big city and be safe in the wilderness, and make him assume we’re a prepper community… Which isn’t untrue.

Night’s brow furrowed, and Trixie felt a few sparks of panic and confusion building in his mind.

“Town?” Night asked.

Trixie landed and closed her wings. “Yes, sir! Little place called Evergreen Falls, it’s not on most maps” she said, putting on her best rural accent. “It’s nice to see some new faces. Nopony comes out here. Too remote for everypony aside from the odd hiker.”

Trixie offered Night a subtle smile, nodding slightly. That should prime him to think—

Night’s frowned and twisted around to rummage through his saddlebags. “I don’t remember seeing a town,” Night said as he stared at his travel map.

Trixie nodded. “Yeah like I said, we’ve opted out of being on most maps. Folks around here can get their mail and out of towners don’t swing by. Which is just how we tend to like it.”

Lemon blinked, remembering a random factoid she’d learned one trivia night about Equestrian cartography standards. “Oh! You’ve got less than a thousand ponies then?”

“Just over one and a half,” Trixie answered honestly. “We’re so far out in the sticks nopony official cares to update anything unless we file it ourselves. Besides, most of us are changelings, so—”

“Changelings?!” Lemon gasped, a look of terror coming over her as she flashed back to Princess Cadence’s wedding.

Night’s wings spread slightly, he looked over Trixie with a more critical look than he had previously. That would be him trying to identify me as a changeling. Good luck with that, sir. I’m not copying anypony. All original body work here.

Trixie winced in response to Lemon’s gasp and offered her a friendly smile. “Hey, easy! We were just as horrified as you when Chrysalis attacked. We depend on love to live, hurting ponies is like cutting down the apple tree to get at the apples. Aside from her hive, we all care about your welfare more than most other ponies do, frankly.”

Night’s wings settled down. He nodded, satisfied this particular Changeling wasn’t any sort of threat. As a researcher, he was aware of the many hives scattered across the world. Obviously most of them simply wished to live in peace, quiet, and obscurity. Otherwise they’d be openly walking the streets of most Equestrian cities.

Lemon’s face went paler as she realized she was talking to a Changeling, then slowly returned to normal as the simple reality hit her. This was a changeling, just standing there. Talking. Not hurting her or anypony. Calling Queen Chrysalis insane.

“Oh… S— So you don’t follow her then?” Lemon asked shakily.

Trixie looked to June and Night. “Was she at Canterlot when—”

“Yep,” Night answered bluntly. “Dear, if she wanted to hurt us she could have love drained us from the air when she arrived and there wouldn’t have been anything we could have done. She’s harmless.”

Trixie internally rolled her eyes. Wow, thanks jackass… My phenotype literally can’t do that. Could have shot you from the air though, so the point stands.

“Chrysalis is insane, and a terrorist. We’re at war with her… Technically. She’s nowhere near these parts,” Trixie explained with a polite smile. “My hive farms our love. Generally by just openly dating ponies. We scratch your herd’s back, your gratitude is our lunch. That’s the real changeling way.”

Lemon let out a long breath and shivered before looking at Trixie apologetically. “I’m sorry… I just… It was so cold.”

Trixie reared up to offer the mare a hug. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe. We just grow weed for college students and help out ponies who need a nice remote place to be safe.”

Trixie spared her attention to focus her empathic powers on Night. Her statement seemed to have allayed most of the fear and panic he had over knowing there was a community nearby. Good. That’s progress.

Lemon stood up and accepted Trixie’s hug, quietly whispering so her husband wouldn’t hear. “If you wouldn’t mind, could you get me some of that weed? I have had a bucking month.”

Trixie let go of Lemon and turned to Night. “June mentioned you plan on building a bunker? If you don’t know how to excavate one, I can get a few certified bugs out here to lend a hoof.”

June nodded, that seemed about right. As far as school had taught her most bug ponies preferred to live underground.

“Sorry. This is just… Quite unexpected.” Night’s frown steepened. “I thought I’d be the only family out here…”

Trixie gestured to the woods around them with one hoof. “You are! Town’s border stops at the opposite side of the lake there. Woods are all yours and nopony’s going to bother you out here unless you invite them. You don’t have to worry about us putting our noses in your business. We keep to our own affairs, but you’re welcome to drop by if you need a hammer, nails, flower, an entire hospital, affordable stiff drink, expensive stiff drink, whatever.”

That should be the last of the priming. Trixie noted to herself.

“Are you all out here trying to stay safe too?” Night asked, cutting to the chase in a way June hadn’t seen him do in a while.

Holy buck, you dense horse… Trixie thought with a smile.

“We’re all about safety,” Trixie answered honestly. “For us, for the ponies who live topside—”

Night relaxed visibly. “Well in that case, I suppose having some neighbors isn’t too bad… How far off are you?”

“On hoof? About half an hour,” June said, fluttering her wings. “A few minutes by air.”

“Your camp is well hidden from the air too—” Trixie began, only for Lime to run up and bounce excitedly.

“Hey! Hey are you the Great and Powerful Trixie?!” The tiny colt asked between eager bounces. “Can you do a trick?”

Night blinked and looked Trixie over. “She can’t be, Lime. She’s a pegasus. But that’s some serious resemblance. Are you related?”

“Yes,” Trixie answered with a wing shrug. “She’s my twin sister. Don’t you worry about her. She’s like us, the stage act is just an act. Besides, it pays to have someone bringing news home the Princess might not want the papers to print.”

Lime’s shoulders sank. “Aww… I wanted to see a trick…. Wait, she's a changeling! She could totally be a unicorn if she wants.”

“I could,” Trixie agreed politely. “But that’s not me. She’s performing in Ponyville right now. You can check the tour schedule.”

Lime went back to playing cavepony, suspiciously looking at the changeling from time to time.

Night nodded in agreement, his eyes and heart softening enough for Trixie to be certain he was fully where she wanted him to be. There we go. Right impressions laid. Now to close the deal.

“Sounds like we have plenty in common,” Night decided after a moment’s thought. “I take it you healed June’s leg. Do I owe you anything?”

Trixie shook her head. “Not one bit.”

“Actually, they owe me bits,” June corrected with a smile. “There’s an observatory in town and I ran into a recruiter. I qualified for the job, so… I applied and since it’s been open for a couple years now, I took it.”

Night raised an eyebrow. “Observatory?”

Trixie nodded, then sighed and shrugged her wings. “Yeah… We might get to stay off most maps, but once you’ve got enough ponies in one place in Equestria you get the government mad if you don’t have the essentials. Water. Sewage. Power. Mail.”

Night mmmed and nodded slowly. “Fair enough. So to pay for it you… Lease land to a university?”

Trixie waved a hoof dismissively. “Eh, some research organization or another. Not too sure on the specifics since they don’t matter that much. We’ve got a nice expensive observatory, optical, radio, and thaumic. Apparently out here is one of the few places you can put one. The people who run it basically pay for everything we need as a town, so… They’re welcome to run their labs.”

Night nodded twice, Trixie could feel him deciding that he agreed with everything she’d said. This was one of the few places in Equestria with low enough light pollution, auric interference, and radio broadcast levels to put a major observatory.

“Weird you’re not on the map with something like that,” Night began, but June interrupted him with a shake of her head.

“Not at all. It’s a changeling town. Celestia mentioned they prefer to be left alone, so—”

“We kind of asked to be kept off the map once or twice,” Trixie affirmed. “We sleep better when our hives are hidden.”

Night nodded once, flicking his tail back and forth. “Well… I suppose it is best if there’s a hardware store nearby. I wasn’t looking forward to a three day commute to get concrete. Only so much you can pack in saddlebags. Even if you get the expanded ones.”

“We’ve got two of those,” Trixie said with a helpful gesture towards town.

Night bit his lip, then with some hesitation reached out to Trixie with one hoof as if to shake. “Well… Nice to meet you, neighbor.”

Trixie shook his hoof. “Nice to meet you too.”

Night let go of her hoof and turned to June. “So… Astronomy, huh? Not a bad career. Not the one you wanted, but… I’m sorry. I just can’t be in a city anymore. There’s just too much left that could happen.”

June trotted to Night and gave him a hug, letting go and taking a step back after a short moment. “Honestly, dad? I get it. I’m sorry for storming off earlier. You have some good points about the disasters recently. I know you were hoping for the middle of nowhere, but, like… It’s probably best there’s a few people nearby who can help when you have to dig a septic tank.”

Night winced, nodding sharply. “Okay, yeah, fair! I didn’t think about that…” He shivered momentarily, then cleared his throat. “So uh, indulge your old man a little. Do you know enough about astronomy to keep this job for long?”

June shrugged her wings. “I did take that one semester on ancient star charts, and from what I can see, I’ll mostly be checking some instruments occasionally. Not entirely sure what for, I haven’t read the orientation packet, but I think they want someone with an academic background to keep an eye on the data systems. Which I can do.”

Trixie shrugged apologetically, doing her best to take some of Night’s attention off June to prevent the vagueness of her statement from sounding too odd. “That does sound right. Last I heard they are trying to do some kind of star mapping or another.”

Night hummed. “I could do that,” he reasoned, nodding to himself. “Well, that’s good. Hopefully they’ll keep you for whatever project comes next and you’ll have a nice stable job. I— I still want that for you.”

June twitched her tail, her face falling somewhat as she pawed the ground. “I’m glad… But uh, the’re… One more thing about the position.”

Trixie did her best to keep her emotions hidden. Cadence’s teats, June! Don’t buck this up, we're golden!

Night arched an eyebrow.

“The observatory has an apartment, which comes with the job. So I’ll be living there. No offense but… I’m a grown mare. I should probably start living my own life,” June said firmly but gently.

Oh, thank buck, Trixie thought, managing to remain looking generally upbeat.

Night’s face fell slightly. “I see.”

Lemon stood up and gave June a quick hug. “I think that’s a great idea. Especially since you’ll be so close by. Night, why don't you give her one of the radios? A half hour walk is a five minute flight. It’s not like she’ll be in Manehatten. We can easily keep in touch.”

Night’s ears perked. “Hey, that’s right!” He fished in his saddlebag and pulled out a small minotaur built walkie talkie and handed it to June. “Here. Keep us posted… And if you’re not too mad at me for our fight, I’d like to drop by and visit once in a while. Your mom explained you thought I was talking about you… I was talking about your future. You know, finding a job and a wife. I’m sorry. I’m exhausted, and wasn’t thinking about how you’d take what I said.”

June winced. That made a lot more sense to her, but she still knew her stepfather was almost entirely oblivious to the details of modern Equestrian culture. It occurred to her that the griffons who raised him in Prance might be to blame, but surely after decades of living in Equestria…

June shrugged her wings to break from the introspection, took the radio and tucked it into her saddle bags. “It hurt… But I’ll be fine in a day or two,” June said coolly. “You can visit if you want. Maybe we could watch the playoffs?”

Night flicked his tail and Trixie winced as she sensed a sharp spike in the stallion’s regrets. “I— You don’t have to do guy stuff just because I like—”

Trixie physically recoiled from June as a wave of negative emotions welled up in her. Everypony in camp turned to look at the blue mare in shock and confusion.

Trixie took a deep breath, shivered, then looked Night in the eyes. “Sir, please take everything I am about to say as being my direct knowledge due to changeling empathic abilities, okay?”

Night triple blinked. “Uh, okay?”

“Your daughter is tomboy as buck! She likes hoofball. She’d enjoy watching a game with you. I felt that spike of fear and regret from both of you. You think you messed her up, but she just wants to go back to sitting in the stands with her old man watching ponies kick a ball. She likes that. She’s always liked that.”

June looked to Trixie and gave her a thankful nod before turning back to Night.

“Seriously, dad. I’m the same pony. I just look a little different,” June said, sounding quite hurt.

Night took a short breath. “Really?”

“Yes!” Lemon, Lime, June, and Trixie shouted in unison.

Trixie cleared her throat and with a flash of pale yellow flame transformed into a male version of her usual pony self.

“Can you think of any reason why what I just did would make me stop liking cheesy crackers and adventure novels? Also, TADAA!~” She said while also turning towards Lime, her voice now male to match her sudden transformation.

Lime clapped his hooves at her trick. “Yay!”

Night facehooved. “Luna above… When you put it like that—”

“You feel like an idiot?” Lemon suggested helpfully.

Night nodded once, practically bleeding genuine shame for his own stupidity. “Yep…”

“Did you think I’d changed my entire personality after I started my own transition? ”She continued.

Night bit his lip, eyes widening in mild terror. “Uh… Look I feel dumb enough right now, okay?”

Lemon patted Night’s head and smirked as years of vindication settled on her mind in a pleasant fashion.

Trixie shifted back to her preferred female form, taking the opportunity to make sure her eyes were properly pega’d up. Wow he’s really upset by that. I hope his negative vibes don’t make me throw up. If it gets stronger I can dash behind that log…

“Uh… C— Can I drop by on the third for the playoffs then?” Night asked hopefully.

Oh thank buck.

June walked over and gave him a quick hug. “Yes! I’ll make sure I have a TV and everything in time, okay? I’ve got to go now though. Because my place has a shower, and I would like to stop feeling like I rolled in sweat and mud. I uh, I know I’m clean and stuff, but I need the emotional comfort of a long hot shower.”

Trixie did her best to pretend she didn’t know June really meant she needed a spot away from her parents and sibling after over a week of being constantly around them while still being a hormonal young adult.

Maybe it’s best ponies aren't empaths after all. This kind of thing would be super awkward for them. Maybe I should send somebuggy over to help her with that… Nah, she wants to be alone for a bit.

Lemon’s ears perked at the mention of a hot shower. “Can we all drop by for a shower now?”

Trixie mmmed and shook her head. “That’s probably not the best idea. It’s your girl’s first night of independent living. How about I run back to town and get you a heated camp shower? Call it a welcome to the wilderness present.”

Night’s ears perked. He hadn’t even thought about bringing a normal camp shower. “Ma’am, I think I’d like that very much. I’d also like to talk to some of you about defense plans for the inevitable. I’m sure you know every good point in this valley to make a bolt hole if you need one.”

Trixie smiled and opened her wings to fly off. “We sure do! I’ll get someone to drop by and give you a tour, say…. In two days? June, I’m going to go. I have a friend to meet up with after I get your folks that shower.”

“Two days sounds good to me, noon?” Night asked.

“Noon!” Trixie agreed, making a mental note to pass the details on to some other changeling field agents.

June nodded and waved as Trixie took off. “Bye! I’ll see you around.”

That went as well as it could have, Trixie thought as she flew back towards town. It probably won't stay that way too long after the property dispute starts through… Hopefully I can convince the mayor to make that seem like part of the ruse? Heh, I suppose it’s more of a standard containment operation. I wonder if he’ll get assigned a number?

Trixie’s mind turned to more important matters. I wonder if Aura will be forthcoming about anything relating to Sam. If she bucked this up for me, we’re going to have to have a serious conversation about communicating who did what today… Again.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Raven Inkwell - 23rd of Lunar Dawn, 4 EoH
Palace of the Sun - Canterlot

The first moment of silence in the last two hours came upon Raven Inkwell’s office. She took a moment to enjoy the lack of enraged screeching echoing from her mostly bare marble paneled walls, wishing her minimalist preferences would permit her to install sound dampening.

“Please send in the next appointment,” Raven said into her desk intercom as she looked towards the heavy gold-plated double doors to her office.

She took a moment to take a breath, put on her usual professional face, and quickly straighten her desk decorations. Then she tipped her terminal back upright. Luckily for whomever was next, the head of the Manehatten Carpenter’s Union had not shattered its screen when they’d punched it over.

Suffice to say, he had not taken being officially ordered to allow building supplies to be purchased by other communities first given their reconstruction was now 98% complete well. While the argument had involved a good deal of yelling about the foundational righteousness of capitalism, Raven was happy that the thousands of other communities in Equestria would stop writing in to complain about a lack of construction supplies.

Raven spared a moment to hope none of the Royal Guards “escorting” him out wound up in the infirmary.

The doors swung open with an audible click and the shush of well oiled hinges. Raven flicked her eyes up from her desk, and frowned at the rarely welcome sight of a tall, reedy, bespectacled, pale cream and brown unicorn stallion dressed in a simple black suit filling her doorway.

Doctor Buttondown. Speaker of CARE Council. The Council had almost total autonomy in terms of the organization’s day to day affairs. Today wasn’t any of the scheduled reports or any kind of formally arranged meeting between the Council and Administration.

Buttondown closed the doors behind him with an elegant flourish of his telekinesis that betrayed barely a spark of his magic, then took a seat at Raven’s desk without her prompting him to sit down.

“We have two problems,” he said, bypassing the usual pleasantries to emphasize the seriousness of the situation.

Raven closed her eyes for a moment. “Which site?”

“Evergreen Falls.”

Raven paused, arching an eyebrow. “A Safe Site. Attacked? Infiltrated?”

Buttondown shook his head once, he had no time to waste on speculation. “The site is currently secure and functioning normally. For the short term. This is an emergent medium term threat. One we may be able to avert, or which may not occur. But it still needs discussing and planning for potentialities and eventualities. Immediately.”

“Please explain.”

“The biggest problem is legal in nature,” Button elaborated. “Are you aware of the full history and nature of the town’s ownership?”

Raven shook her head. “I only know for sure that we don’t own it. The parcel has an enchanted holder’s deed, which was slated to be sold to us, but the Lord died before the document could be signed by the buyer, then vanished.”

Buttondown nodded sharply. “That’s half of the complications relating to the property. Evergreen Falls is built within Hackamore Valley, which is itself part of the Deep Woods. The Valley is, and has been since time immemorial, a Changeling reservation. The previous Lord Deep Woods granted them full ownership of all land beneath the valley and the right to use the surface for their agricultural needs, though retained all other rights over the surface. The terms of this bargain did not specify equestrian or changeling agriculture, which—”

“Which in a contract that old means it defaults to the growing of crops and keeping of animals legally classed as livestock,” Raven sighed slowly. “Meaning our current arrangement with Citrine Hive, effectively leasing the land, in exchange for placing sufficient ponies there to sustain their dietary needs is protected under modern law, has backing old enough to be very difficult to question using Solar Era laws still on the books… What’s the problem?”

Buttondown took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It would be, if the deed had not just remerged. It was recently sold and activated, fortunately without the buyer or seller knowing there’s a patent of nobility attached to the valley. The deed itself doesn't include the patent as there was a previously existing separate document, also lost. Unfortunately for us, them lacking the patent of nobility does not preclude the de facto transfer of the Lordship as the law is very clear about the transfer of land titled under one of those deeds when there is no living individual with an active claim to the accompanying title.”

Raven groaned, resting her face in her hooves for a moment. “Who's our new Lord Deep Woods?”

“We’ve been a little lucky with that element of the problem,” Buttondown remarked, adjusting his glasses with his hoof tip. “One professor Night Sky purchased the land from one of Lord Stirrup’s descendants. He is recently retired, and while he didn’t work directly for CARE he was a frequently utilized consultant, though he didn’t know of our organization. This means we have records on him.”

Raven mused thoughtfully. “I take it since you’re here talking to me about this, there’s a wrench in the works somewhere.”

Buttondown shook his head again. “The problem is that his retirement took the form of becoming something of a doomsday prepper. As far as we can ascertain, he bought the Deep Woods specifically to live as far from his perceived source of danger as possible. Us,” the stallion explained. “We have call records indicating his daughter attempted to have him psychologically screened via Foal Protective Services before the family’s recent move. Meaning his family thinks he’s unstable at present. His overall behavior provides sufficient evidence for me to agree with them.”

Raven took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She sank back in her chair, thinking for several long moments. “I haven't gotten a phone call, email, or letter from him on this. If he knew he was the local lord, he could easily insist the Citrines are in violation of their reservation’s rights and demand our entire operation’s removal. If it reached the courts, it would cause—”

“An instant containment breach,” Buttondown agreed, interrupting to show he was fully aware of the consequences. “Specifically of Silkwing. We would no longer own the shed which, apparently, some numbskull placed within her moat instead of outside of it, she could if she desired enter it and destroy the pump, thereby freeing herself.”

Raven arched an eyebrow. “Silkwing wouldn’t do that. She’s one of our most—”

“She’s been starved since the Tirek incident.” Button said with venom in his voice.

Raven’s jaw dropped. “What?!”

“Her backup food supply was cut for budgetary reasons by a mid-level functionary who is now under review… Which is the second problem.”

Raven held up her hoof to stop Button. “Please quickly explain this.”

Button cleared his throat to suppress a cough. “The current head of the Civics Department, Grape Vine, is without a doubt corrupt. We’re investigating them presently, but are unlikely to be able to terminate him within the year due to how long the investigation will take. In addition to cutting Silk’s backup food supply, leading to her being presently feral due to the blood shortages from Tirek’s attack, he’s also allowed all of the maintenance staff to quit before sourcing replacements. Leaving Evergreen Falls with just a single mare, Samhain, to do all repair work.”

Raven’s eyes widened as the fur on the back of her neck stood up. “Excuse me?! She’d better be undead, because I’ve seen the work orders with that name on the budget reports! That mare has got to have three hooves in the grave!”

Buttondown coughed lightly into his hoof, Raven frowned slightly, wondering if he was coming down with something.

“Are you ill?”

“Recovering,” the stallion grunted. “Samhain is a problem the Council has just taken care of. We’ve hired 08 as additional maintenance staff for the time being, and started a proper headhunt, overriding Grape’s authority on the matter via Article 3. Silk remains a problem, but we’re losing focus. We need the Administration's help with the land dispute.”

Raven groaned into her hooves. “But the blood banks are still replenishing… Faust, damn it!” She took a few moments to just breathe. “What are we doing about Silk?”

“As I said, the council has handled it. I’ve tasked maintenance with installing a second pump, one outside of her moat. I told them it’s an emergency backup so no one suspects there could be a land ownership issue with containment. Fortunately, Silk isn’t automatically aware of ownership… That we know of. That could have changed since the last check,” Button said with a nervous twinge of his ears.

“I suppose we could stake her until blood can be found,” Raven proposed halfheartedly, knowing full well that nopony would be willing to try.

“With her in her current state? I don’t think any of our available agents would be able to get close to her,” Buttondown grumbled. “You’ve seen her file. You know she stands a chance against an alicorn. Our best bet is to try and keep this all under the rug and resolve the ownership dispute as quickly and above board as possible. A blood bag has already been dispatched by special courier, but a problem with delivery is still possible, and obtaining it was not without… Consequences.”

“I understand. I’ll… I’ll write something for the family, of course.” Raven said as she strained back up. “So… Back to the main topic at hoof… Professor Night clearly doesn't know he is the local lord yet. Or if he does, it hasn’t occurred to him that he can get rid of a government outpost on his land. OR, hopefully, he knows and doesn't give a buck… But, we have to assume the worst. What cards do we have?”

“We have an ace,” Buttondown replied with a mischievous smile. “His daughter Junebug was recently hired at Evergreen Falls. If he discovers our operation and raises an objection, he can’t shut us down without hurting her career and the new life she’s starting for herself. His former co-workers report he loves his children, which means he will likely hesitate to take any action once aware.”

Raven nodded, then paused. “Of course, with that close of a family bond, she’s absolutely told him of her newfound employment. It’s also likely she ignored the warnings and mentioned she joined CARE. In which case that starts the usual ticking leak clock.”

“Indeed,” Button’s face contorted as he attempted to continue to speak. He suddenly coughed into his hoof, frowned, then cleaned his hoof and lips with a handkerchief. “My apologies. I believe the stress is reinvigorating the infection.”

“Anomalous?”

“No. Mundane pneumonia. Disruptions in antibiotics since—”

“Tirek. I know,” Raven reached behind her desk for her can of disinfectant and generously sprayed the area around them. She put the can away before continuing with their discussion.

“We have another ace,” she mused as she set the can down.

“Oh?” Button asked, leaning forwards to alleviate pressure on his lungs.

“The title for the Deep Woods was never invalidated. That means the title’s requirements, obligations, and privileges are working under Solar Era laws except where the new Harmony Era law expressly alters them. The agricultural permit may have been made species-specific rather than pony-centric by some bill passed sometime during the last thousand years. More importantly, there will be all kinds of odd laws still on the books relating to the title’s responsibilities. I’ll have the Royal Scribes check over all relevant laws and requirements for that title, so that if he tries anything we can tie him up until he satisfies them. Now that the actual deed has been signed by a new living owner, we could turn this into an opportunity to establish more solid legal ownership for CARE.”

Buttondown chuckled and began folding his handkerchief to put it back in his pocket. “You know, if we had a torrens system we could have simply invalidated the deed due to it lacking a registered owner for nearly a thousand years. Ever wonder how many of Celestia’s other decisions have come back to bite her in little ways? The big ones are obvious, but few. I’d put my last bit on these little problems being uncountable.”

Raven ran a hoof down her mane. “You have no idea, Buttondown…” She shook her head slowly, then her ears perked as a thought occurred to her. “Changeling reservations have some interesting laws. For instance, the Crown holds the right to build defenses on them. We can probably use the old levies law to take ownership of the town itself by making it a fort, then we could transfer the fort to CARE as leased space under modern law. There’s likely a few other things we could do, too. I’ll get you a list of realistic ones as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, that’s what I came here for,” Buttondown said with a respectful nod. “As I said, this is a mid-term problem. Long term, we’ll win. Worst case scenario, Celestia simply goes through the process of delanding a Lord. I hope it won’t come to that, given the shitshow that would create with every other noble… Regardless of what the future holds, I do have two requests for the present.”

“Which are?”

Buttondown removed a manilla envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket and set it on Raven’s desk. “This is a report I prepared on Professor Night’s daughter June. She was recruited personally by Dusk, who also arranged for June to take over the study of Object 92. Death’s actions are usually beneficial to ponykind, hence, I personally approved June’s hiring after verifying her ID.”

Understanding Button wouldn’t have brought the file to her if its contents were not important, Raven gestured to the envelope with one hoof and said, “Pretend I had time to read it. What would I see?”

Button cleared his throat, and began to quickly summarize. “June’s had a rough life. Born male, her biological mother, not the individual she currently calls mother, that’s her biological father… Her mother died while on duty as an ambassador to the gryphon kingdoms in a terror attack,. Long history of bullying as she was suspected of being developmentally disabled due to lacking social grace until her college years…”

Buttondown sighed and shook his head slowly. “She’s well adjusted despite everything. However, I believe there are some simple things CARE could do to make her feel extremely welcome at home, and generally respected. If we do, then she’ll love her job and any action Night may take against us will hurt her far more. She’ll have told him about her friends, coworkers, and life as any child would, and so—”

Raven nodded sharply. “You’re considering special treatment… If we do, we can’t just stop once everything is convenient. Assume everything goes perfectly and then we cut that special status. We’ll own an enclave within Lord Night’s land, and will have hurt his daughter. Toll roads? Commercial access restrictions? It’d all be on the table for him.”

Buttondown smiled faintly. “I’m aware. It won’t be expensive to make permanent. Just a few subtle policy adjustments, a special clearance here and there to allow her to consult on items she could be of help with, permission to ask Cadence to find her soul mate, the odd generous bonus… Oh!” He paused, frowning slightly. “And approval for reasonable expenses. Such as getting an HVAC system installed in the Observatory complex. Apparently it has no cooling in the residential building. We could start by getting her climate control by the end of the week. Though it would mean having 08 do the work.”

“Who?” Raven asked, frowning at both the unknown entity ID and also wondering just who was going to get a hoof upside their head for building a small apartment building without a cooling system, and if she could be the mare to do it.

“The alien,” Button elaborated, ears slightly flat with irritation at one of the Administrators not knowing everyone and everything by ID number. “They are the only qualified technician we can get to Evergreen Falls on short notice due to its remote location. As she’s mostly harmless, well behaved, and generally inclined to be helpful, I had her removed from general containment a few years ago and placed into provisional citizenship. Did you not get the memo?”

“I had. I just didn’t recognise the number. Let’s see… Enox, right?”

“Right.”

Raven thought for a moment, then asked, “She’s a citizen of Equestria like any other in our employ. What’s the problem with letting her do the work?”

Button thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Nothing, come to think of it. It’s just that, well, I’m in the healthy habit of asking permission to use CARE’s charges for our operations.”

Raven smiled. Of all the bureaucratic sticklers on the Council, Buttondown was her favorite, and the most agreeable. His hang-ups were easier to predict, and almost never a problem. Not to imply any lack of effectiveness out of the rest of the council, but Raven preferred her solutions without collateral and coverups.

“Request approved. I’ll put it in writing later, but you have formal permission to make reasonable purchases, expenses, policies, etc. relating to June’s career. What’s the other request?”

“I want Celestia to know.”

Raven paused, her ears standing up in alarm. She’d planned on bringing the Princess into the fold eventually, but only once there was a clear road forwards. Besides, Celestia herself was becoming a concern, what with—

“Why?”

“Because while we will retain control over the site in the long term by one way or another, in the short term, if Night chooses to, he could do a great deal of harm to people within CARE’s… Erm, care. Evergreen Falls is her… Well, you know what the town means to her. She needs to be brought in on this as soon as possible. She won't be rash about it, I’m certain, even with— Not when it involves her. Oh, and don’t mention our plans for June. I don’t want the dressing down that she’ll want to deliver for that, and you and I both know Junebug is the best card we can pocket.”

Raven gestured for Button to let her think. Celesita had only rarely acted on impulse when problems arose in the past, but something like this could strike at her emotional core. In the old days, Celestia would probably have invited Night to discuss the matter over tea. Now?

Raven focused a little more, trying to predict the actions of an exhausted monarch. Now… Well, this problem did relate to her hometown. Surely she would still hold plenty of love for Evergreen Falls.

“You’re right. We won't mention June… But we’ll keep what we do with her subtle and we won't go further than we would for any other potential protege. I’ll email you the list of reasonable options once I have it, and I’ll tell Celestia as soon as I’ve made the call to the Scribes.”

Buttondown stood up, ending the conversation with a slight nod then wordlessly stood to leave.

“Button, wait. The name.”

“Name, ma’am?”

“Of the family. The one who isn’t getting their blood, so Silk can eat. For the card.”

Buttondown stared at her in visibly dawning shame, coughing slightly.

“I… I’ll find out and get that to you immediately, ma’am.”

Coughing wetly, he left the room with a wavering flare of orange from his magic on the doors.

Raven pressed down on her intercom button. “Rose, cancel the rest of today’s meetings. Code gray.”

“Yes, Ms. Inkwell.”

Raven let go of the button, ignored the upset shouting from her waiting room, and picked up the phone to dial the Royal Library.

7 - The Hail Windigo

Junebug - 3rd of Thanksgiving, 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

June sat in the sweltering heat of the Observatory’s dormitory’s common room. Sam had been absolutely right about the cooling situation. Even in the relatively cool autumn weather the entire observatory complex became miserable from sunrise to sunset.

Today was not a cool autumn day. Today was a scorcher, the town’s weather pegasi had to relocate the planned cloud cover to protect some of the town’s crops from a natural weather front blowing in from the not-too-distant sea. And so the intense sunlight hit Evergreen Falls in full force.

Stupid bucking atmospheric lensing compensator, June lamented, her mind’s eye picturing the radio telescope’s cooling array as a malicious entity out to make her sweat off half her body weight.

Indeed, the massive array set into the ground routed most of its waste heat into the hillside itself, but that bled out into the grounds as a whole. This was something a modern telescope would have compensated for with a large heat sink of some variety. This scope was one of the first. Even the thaumic sensor array had to be manually adjusted before use to compensate for the heat expansion of the gems.

I think I bit off more than I can chew… June lamented as she rolled over on the leather couch, ignoring the gross sweat squelch noise as she reached for the formerly ice cold now tepid Cranmelon Wine Cooler she’d brought home from the Brewer’s Hive.

I’ve only been here a week and the bar’s become my savior… I hope to buck they approve upgrading the central heat to HVAC soon.

June popped the cap off the bottle with a sharp smack from her hoof, as she always did, and tipped the bottle back to drink. The relatively cold berry-melon flavor carried her thoughts back to the first time she’d set eyes on the observatory.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Junebug - 18th of Lunar Dawn, 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

When someone hears the word observatory they tend to think of a small building with a round tower topped by a nice big telescope sheltered from the elements by a dome. While these certainly do exist and are invaluable for astronomy, they are somewhat obsolete.

The Hackamore Valley Observatory was more accurately described as a complex of eight buildings: an optical telescope tower, a 420 meter wide steerable radio telescope dish set into the hillside, a large control and maintenance building for operating a particle-accelerator sized thaumaturgic receiver which used scrying magic to detect arcane signatures and auras in deep space, several independent laboratory buildings each with their own designated function and specialty equipment, and an onsite dormitory intended to provide permanent housing for enough on-site staff to man the three telescopes around the clock, horizon permitting.

June’s jaw dropped as she took in the enormity of the observatory. She spun to look at Sam, gesturing across the square kilometer of red brick buildings separated from town by a chain link fence.

“What the buck is this?!” June demanded.

Sam frowned. “An observatory. Don’t— You went to college in Canterlot. They’ve got to have one of these.”

“That!” June said, pointing with one shaking hoof to the optical telescope’s tower. “They have a that! Not a this. I don’t even know what that arcane loop is even for, other than making someone’s bank account weep.”

“That’s the Deep Space Thaumic Detector Array,” Dew answered, fluttering up to June’s eye level with a smile. “I call her Desta, which is, admittedly, a slurred acronym. But—”

June’s eyes widened. “Wait, it’s alive?” she asked, assuming in her shock that giving the device a name and pronoun ment it clearly had sapience.

“Nah,” Sam said with an amused smile. “Just temperamental and cantankerous. This was one of Equestria’s biggest astrophysics centers until the last guys died.”

June’s eyes narrowed slightly, mostly to mask her embarrassment at her own stupidity. At least I didn’t say that outloud… “Yeah… About that. Just kind of had it click. What were astronomers doing digging in ruins, or archeologists doing manning this… Whole flipping facility?”

Sam sucked in a short breath through her teeth. “Let’s just say that CARE is a little cavalier with assigning its Field Agents side quests. You’re strictly a researcher, so you’re safe. But uh, the last guys were field agents who happened to have a background in astrophysics. So they were kinda just, here, doing stuff. You know, between missions.”

“Ah,” June said, nodding as she accepted that sometimes CARE clearly threw personnel at the wall to see what stuck, then took two steps beyond the front gate.

And jumped backwards instantly. “Why is it hot? Is something melting down?!”

Dew sighed. “I wish. That’s all the waste heat off the radio telescope’s atmospheric system.”

Sam pointed towards the massive dish. “Close your eyes and feel over there. Like, with your weather sense.”

June closed her eyes and complied, extending her magical senses to feel the local weather. While she had never trained to be a weather pony, there were a few things all pegasi could do on instinct alone. Getting a handle on what was happening around them was one such thing.

June winced as she felt the massive thermal updraft in front of the dish. “Oh wow… That’s just… Does that pillar of cold go to space?”

“Yep,” Sam sighed. “I mean, basically. For all practical purposes. We’re feeling all the heat that would be there.”

“And you picked here of all places to squat,” June said with a teasing smirk, just to try and center herself a little by being playful with her budding new friend.

“The other option was Enox's shed,” Sam grunted. “You’ll get used to the heat. Come on, you can take that relaxing shower cold instead of hot like you’d planned. It will be way more comfortable.”

“What’s wrong with Enox’s shed?” June asked in order to delay walking back into the wall of heat.

“She doesn't have to sleep and likes to sing,” Sam said in the voice of a mare who was being very diplomatic and respectful.

Dew, on the other hoof, cleared her throat and in what June believed to be an imitation of a genderless voice that had no right to be singing began to sing something cheerful, upbeat, and rapid fire in a language she’d never heard before which happened to be most kindly described as ear assault.

“ˈbeɪbi jɔːr ɔːl ðæt aɪ wɒnt. // wɛn jɔː ˈlaɪɪŋ hɪər ɪn maɪ ɑːmz. // aɪm ˈfaɪndɪŋ ɪt hɑːd tuː bɪˈliːv, // wɪər ɪn ˈhɛvᵊn.—”

“Dew, stop please.” Sam begged, her head already starting to ache. “It sounds bad enough when the singer’s fluent in… Whatever that is.”

“Young mares today have no sense of what’s truly avant-garde,” Dew huffed, crossing her legs over her barrel.

The reality of June’s situation suddenly sank in. I’m in charge of a huge science facility, in a town full of the kind of loonatics I’ve always fantasized about living near because “Well it would make life interesting!”, and have to live in a sauna with no AC…

“Girls… You go ahead. I’m going to town. Finding a bar. And getting a drink.” June said adamantly.

“The Brewer’s Hive is the best place in town for that. Tell everybuggy I said hi,” Sam said helpfully.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Quite appropriately for a place called a Hive in a town atop a changeling hive, the interior of the Brewer’s Hive was styled after a changeling hive. Molded fiberglass furnishings melded with the walls and floors, making the bar appear to have been carved out of a single piece of stone. Shards of magical crystal were set into the walls as the only source of light, giving everything an oddly comfortable and warm bluish glow.

A hidden jukebox played some mellow rock song with Changelish lyrics, providing an odd but pleasant energy to the mostly empty bar. The serving staff were naturally changelings, and went about their duties in their natural forms. Presently they were chatting up the few customers who’d come by for brunch, consuming a little of the pony’s delight for the home cooked meal as their own morning meal.

June had to admit it felt like walking through a portal to another planet entirely. Fortunately, that was something she found quite pleasant.

She walked to the bar, sat down, and in no time at all found herself face to face with a yellowish eyed changeling wearing a simple cotton apron with ‘No seriously, please kiss the cook.’ printed on it, and a nametag on it reading ‘da boss’.

“Haven’t seen you before, are you our new hire?” The changeling asked with a friendly smile.

June nodded, then frowned slightly. “How… How can your chitin bend like that when you smile? It’s just like how skin—”

“Just some changeling magic, don't worry about it,” the bartender said, still providing the usual customer service smile. “Let me guess, need a stiff drink?”

June nodded. Before she could ask for anything, the bartender bobbed up and down behind the counter, producing a frosty brown bottle with a green cap and no label. He set it down on the bar with a soft clink of glass on wood.

“House special. Cranmelon Wine Cooler, it’s your two drink minimum in a one pint bottle. On the house for every noobie!”

June’s ears perked at the odd turn of phrase. “Why’s it on the house?”

The bartender’s smile shifted from retail to genuine. “It’s my own invention. A little metaphor for what you can expect here. You’re the bottle, no one knows what's inside you. You don't have a label and no one has opened you yet. The drink’s our little community. It’s sweet and bubbly on the surface. The flavor’s great but unusual, and if you take too much of it in too quickly you’ll have a bad time because this here is ten percent ethanol.”

June laughed, a smile taking over her face. “You can say that again.”

The bartender shapeshifted his left hoof to add a bottle opener to the flat, popped June’s drink open, and poured the slightly less pink than June beverage into a tall glass. “Sip slowly, take it in, enjoy, and maybe order a pretzel or something to help take the edge off… Or to continue the metaphor, find a hobby so you’re not always stuck neck deep in our crazy until you’re one of us.”

“That’s a pretty good metaphor,” June commented before taking a sip of the drink, her eyes lighting up. “Oh wow that’s dangerously nice!”

“Told you… By the way, you’re up at the observatory, right?”

June nodded.

“See me before you go home. I’ve got a case of beer for Sam. Little thank you from the hive for sealing up the Culvert Spiders the other day.”

“Will do,” June said as she relaxed against the counter to enjoy her drink in earnest.

“Wait, Culvert Spiders?”

“Yeah. They break out every once in a while and some maintenance mare handles it,” the barkeeper mentioned off hoof. “Sam handled it last time, apparently.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Ultra Violet - 3rd of Thanksgiving, 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

Violet opened the creaky wood door leading into the dorm’s commons, her ears twitching irritably at the rasp of metal on metal.

Maybe if I explain to them that this sounds to me like how a bone snapping sounds to them they’ll oil this, she thought for a moment before realizing she could just oil it herself. Okay, let's take care of that before the day’s over.

“Hey,” June said miserably from the couch. “Find the stuff you needed?”

Violet nodded and took off June’s saddlebags, emptying the right one of several meters of radiator hoses, a couple old auto wagon heat exchangers, a desk fan, assorted bits of hardware, and a bottle of antifreeze. “Sure did! The junk yard is great. You should have come. There's all this broken stuff but it’s been categorized for reuse. Everything deserves that kind of end of life treatment,” Violet said as she brought June’s bags to her. “And thanks for letting me borrow these. I’ll buy my own after my first paycheck.”

June nodded and grunted with the energy of a half-boiled mare laying on a sweaty leather couch. “We’re getting a cloth couch…” June grumbled under her breath.

“I wouldn’t want to lay on corpse bits either,” Violet agreed, returning to her pile of parts to start working.

“Cloth is plant corpses, metal is rock corpses, get over it. Besides, this is veg leather. It’s even worse for getting sticky and gross,” June lamented.

Violet stopped working, looked over at June and asked. “Then why not lay on the floor? The carpet is made of carpet.”

“Polymer is processed ancient sea gunk corpse and concrete is dead mollusks,” June said, continuing her bad teasing. It’s too hot to do this well…

“Also I have discovered that it’s paradoxically hotter on the floor than the couch,” June added with a quiet whimper. “I should call dad and cancel his visit. There’s no way we can enjoy the game with this heat.”

Violet shrugged and started to connect the hoses to the heat exchangers. “Do what you gotta do, sis.”

“You’re building an aircon, right?” June more begged than said.

“Yes,” Violet commented idly.

“I’m glad you like to make stuff,” June said into the couch’s arm rest. “It’s cool.”

Violet giggled at her sister’s pun and tightened the second hose clamp.

“Shame that special paint you made only dropped the temp in here by three degrees.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Ultra Violet - 20th of Lunar Dawn, 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

It was dark. Everypony had gone to sleep hours ago, with the exception of Violet. The android didn’t need to sleep, and had not been programmed to do so. She’d merely been programmed to lay next to her partner as they slept, holding them and presumably hating all of the time she was wasting when she could be doing anything else at all. Besides, she'd tried laying next to June for a few minutes, and it had gotten boring very quickly.

Seriously, even by his logic I could have been cleaning his house, or getting a fancy breakfast ready, and other mom shit, Violet grumbled as she walked through the Stellar Tracking and Astrophysics Research lab’s dusty halls.

Night was the only time Violet could easily explore her new home. As good as her cooling system was, her cognitive systems were losing eight percent of their neural depth to keep functioning with the heat generated by the radio telescope.

They’d get pissed if I modded the telescope, but I’ll bet I could make a coating that reflects heat away from the building, Violet mused. It can’t be that hard to work out some kind of special paint or plating like that. It’s just surface finishes and their interactions with radiation. I should have the physics behind that on file.

Violet couldn’t help but check her database for materials which would fit the bill. There were many. Her creator’s species, being a starfairing civilization, had countless ways of dealing with heat.

Too bad most of those need exotic materials… Violet quietly lamented just as she passed a door marked ‘Maintenance Supplies’.

“Humm,” she mused out loud before putting a hoof on the door to open it. Oh hey! If I made a sample and showed them it would work, maybe they’d do it and I could think at the right speed during the day.

The door refused to move. Violet frowned and cocked her head, looking at the electronic lock with some apprehension.

“Uh, sorry. Did I offend you or something?” the android asked the lock.

The lock, being an inanimate object, did not reply.

Violet furrowed her brow in thought. I guess it’s dead? She mused, then focused her magic and ripped the knob and lock from the door with a flick of her wrist and a few blue sparks.

I’ll weld that back later. Violet noted to herself as she trotted into the cinderblock walled room lined with shelf after shelf of everything but exotic matter and materials sourced from asteroids around rare types of stars.

“Dang it,” Violet muttered to herself after inventorying the store room. “Oh well. No nanopolymer thermal isolation spray for ponies today.”

Violet’s database pushed an alert. She almost ignored it, given just how confidently wrong her database’s subroutine’s ideas had proven to be, but something compelled her to check anyways.

She opened the notification and quickly scanned the data. “Oh… Yes. That could help,” Violet said out loud with a happy flick of her tail. “Like, a little.”

She grabbed a large package of ceramic sandblasting grit from one shelf and a ten liter bucket of white paint meant for touchups from another shelf and began to carry them towards the kitchen.

I bet nopony will be mad if I use the big spoon to mix up a heat reflecting paint…

Unfortunately for her, Sam was quite mad that the good wooden spoon had been contaminated.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Ultra Violet - 3rd of Thanksgiving, 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

Violet nodded once, mostly focused on building her gadget rather than conversing. Come on, she silently pleaded with the assembled parts, get together you hunks of junk! I can literally feel my cpu slowing…

“It’s a huge difference though,” Violet remarked. “Raising the temperature of a liter of water by one of your degrees took just over 4000 joules when I tried to map your system to my own. You guys need smaller units.”

“Normally, we use the decimals for that. It’s just cool that the paint made a difference. Three isn’t nothing,” June said slightly more coherently thanks to her drink having dropped her core temperature enough for her body to relax a little.

The door to Dew’s studio apartment opened with a loud bang as the tiny filly shoved the hollow interior door aside with a swift kick from a hind leg. Violet and June looked up instantly, watching as Dew pulled a large bucket of plastic building bricks out of her room with her mouth.

“You should paint over the windows,” Dew mmphed around the bucket handle. “Mine looks right at the array. Boiling in there!’

Violet thought for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll take care of it later. I’m working on a thing.”

“So am I,” Dew said, dragging her bucket to sit next to the android and resume building a little plastic brick diorama of a hillside which had been resting atop the loose bricks in the bucket while Dew moved her project.

Dew began to click her building bricks onto her project, slowly making a little fortress that disappeared into the mountainside. June went back to laying on the couch, debating if she should cancel her day’s plans. Violet returned her focus to obtaining her salvation.

She connected the heat exchanges with the hoses, zip tied the fan to one of them, then the two exchangers together, filled the improvised cooling loop with the antifreeze, then capped the hoses with the quick disconnects she’d lucked into finding earlier.

That will do it, she thought in satisfaction before looking over to the other two ponies in the room with her.

Since Dew was already next to her, Violet decided to rely on the filly rather than make June get up and move in this heat. After all, organics had to be suffering more in these temperatures, given their cooling systems were evaporative. Right?

“Hey, Dew, can you help me real quick?” Violet asked, flicking her head to move her mane off the base of her neck.

“Sure, what’s up?” Dew asked, refusing to look up from carefully sticking one of those stupid tiny single dot detail bricks onto the ramparts of her fortress.

Violet disengaged her utility panel cover with a soft click, making a small square of her back pop up on its spring loaded hinge. “See that panel I just opened? Open it all the way then click these two quick connects into my auxiliary cooling loop. They’re size specific, you can’t get them backwards.”

Dew’s face scrunched with envy. “... I want to be able to connect to watercooling…”

June blinked and looked across the room. “I thought you were building us an AC?”

“I will be,” Violet promised. “As soon as I can run my brain hot enough to figure out how to make one out of what we have. So I made a bigger radiator for myself.”

“How is designing that at the junkyard harder than getting some old ACs when you were at the junkyard and putting them in the windows?” June asked through a sharp frown.

Dew took hold of the hoses and moved to connect them to Violet, only to drop them and yelp as she saw the light pink strands of myomer fibers running along Violet’s spine moving as she shifted her weight slightly.

“Ahh! What the buck?! Why do you have muscle? I thought you were a robot!” The filly shouted.

June’s ears stood up in alarm. “Wait, what?!”

Violet rolled her eyes. “It’s myomer fiber. Electronically actuated polymer that shrinks and lengthens with different voltages. Haven't you wondered why I don’t hum or whine or click as I move? Or why I’m soft?”

June’s ears relaxed. “Oh… Uh, no? Been too busy melting or going into town to even read my job packet.”

Dew coughed into her hoof. “I uh… I’m used to metal robots. I wind up in an Equestria where everypony is a robot like, one in seven times. They’re all servos and wires.”

“Well, I’m silicone and polymer,” Violet said, shrugging. “So… Yes, I guess my insides look a little like yours. But it’s not. I’m in no pain, and that’s not flesh, but I am super hot and my mind hurts from being throttled down, so if you don’t mind—”

Dew quickly connected the hoses to their appropriate sockets then tilted her head. “... Why do you have USB ports?”

“For peripherals, duh,” Violet answered, rolling her eyes.

“But you’re an alien robot,” Dew objected, her wings fluttering as she tried to process this information.

“The acronym stands for universal serial bus,” Violet replied with equal confusion. “Clearly everyone uses it.”

“Oh, good point!” Dew said, nodding in total agreement thanks to kid logic.

“Uh, that’s not how that works…” June commented.

Violet plugged the desk fan attached to her new radiator into the wall and switched it on while flooding the exchanger between her auxiliary cooling loop to her primary loop. Okay, I’ll need a full outer system coolant flush and replacement since I have whatever chemicals they put in their coolant in me now, but this will work for a few days before that starts to cause problems.

“Sis, my mom had USB compatibili—” Violet started to say only to stop speaking with a relieved sigh as her improved cooling system dropped her back to an acceptable level. “Ah… Cray be praised! Cool at last.”

June’s ears flicked back, making a bead of sweat roll down her face into her left eye. “Okay. I’m also jealous. Buck me, how long will it take to get a gods damn AC install request approved?!”

Violet grinned and stood up, knocking over her new radiator by pulling on its hoses. She eeped and picked it up. “Oh… Uh, obvious but unforeseen problem. I blame downclocking for thermal reasons. I’m kinda tethered here… But I can plan us up a temp AC unit now!”

“Please do,” Dew said as she lay back down to play with her bricks.

Violet began to task a subroutine with working out a viable design, and checked through other options. June’s suggestion of getting window ACs is… I can't believe I didn’t think of that. I’ll have to do that as soon as the junkyard opens again.

She thought for a few microseconds to recall the hours sign, then nodded to herself.

“June, you made a good point with just getting some window units. I was at the junkyard until closing. I’ll pick some up at five when they open tomorrow and see if I can improvise anything in the meantime via subroutine, okay?”

June looked up from the couch. “Any chance they’d let you swing by real quick after hours?”

“I don’t think so. I don’t remember seeing any kind of home there… I can try calling though?”

“Please do,” Dew asked, wiping sweat from her forehead.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Violet returned from the observatory office, having spent a good half hour on the phone trying to get ahold of anypony. She trotted back to the corner she’d placed her radiator in and sat down, reconnecting it with Dew’s help.

“No luck?” June asked.

Violet shook her head. “No… I found their home number and got yelled at for calling them at home… So, I’ll get something in the morning.”

“Okay,” June said with a sad sigh. “I have to get the energy to call dad then.”

“Sorry,” Violet replied, wincing. “I know you were looking forward to that game.”

Dew clicked another brick into place. “Just tape it though?”

“Good idea,” June agreed, rolling over to be face first into the least sweaty patch of armrest.

Violet diverted her attention to Dew’s building.

“What are those?” She asked, pointing to the bricks.

“Legos,” Dew answered. “I sneak them back any time I go to a universe with them, because our building bricks suck butt.”

“I mean… Are those small plastic bricks ment for creating things to play with?”

Dew nodded slowly, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Yes.”

“I’ve got the AC planning on a subroutine…” Violet said slowly, tapping her hoof tips together shyly. “Can I make a dragon to attack your fort with?

Dew’s eyes lit up like it was Hearthswarming. “Only if it has a bunch of skeleton ponies riding it as paratroopers!”

Violet’s eyes glimmered excitedly. “And a combat flight attendant with a little trolley full of milk to strengthen their bones?”

“Duh!” Dew agreed with a goofy grin as she moved the bucket so Violet could reach it too.

June couldn't help but smile at the two and shake her head slowly, wishing she still enjoyed simple pleasures like playtime.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Samhain - 3rd of Thanksgiving, 4 EoH
Evergreen Falls - Equestria

Sam trudged out of the mayor’s office, waving back and forth slightly as she made sure to secure June’s ID in her saddle bags. Her jumpsuit was stained pink, and she knew a lot of her fur would have gotten grimed up as well.

I am not looking forward to scrubbing this junk out, Sam lamented. At least I still had the energy to get June’s ID for her.

Same made it three more steps before a thought struck her. Hey… They didn’t verify my ID when I picked up June’s. Great. Now I have to add another form onto today’s paperwork. Buck me, I hate writing people up.

Sam moved one foreleg to wipe sweat out of her eyes, forgetting she was covered in the pink gunk from hell. Ah! Luna, help! It’s in my eye!

Sam blinked and thrashed for a moment, fortunately getting the oozing, staining lubricant to move out of her eye via Herculean effort. Effort she hadn’t really had the energy available for.

Figures the week I try to quit using pep pills we have a containment breach, she thought as she yawned and started walking home. I took four right? Feels like I went with three again… Okay not that bad, but still bad.

Sam shivered, she could still remember being jolted out of bed by her radio blaring the Breach Alarm.

“Sam, come in Sam! Code Red, repeat, Code Red. 38 was mishandled in testing, over!”

Sam shivered, her tail shaking more than her body. 38 was easily the worst object in containment. At least, in her opinion.

The object was a seemingly ordinary half quart mason jar filled with a mixture of molybdenum disulfide and pink dye. If opened between the hours of 7pm and 6am, it would inexplicably allow an infinite amount of the pink hyper-lubricant to be removed from the jar.

Ordinarily conjured matter would disappear within half an hour at best, but 38’s extremely slick, almost perfectly suited as a universal stain, chemical smelling mixture didn’t go away. At least, not for eight years and counting. The object had been recovered from a mechanic shop after the owner had died, taking the secret behind his long lasting and/or permanent conjuration with him.

While attempting to determine how the conjuration spell worked last night, the two junior researchers assigned to it had discovered that it could be stimulated into what they dubbed a ‘volcano mode’ for, well, frankly, no discernible reason. Unless that reason had been to force Sam and six janitors to spend eight hours after midnight shoveling and pumping thirty six tons of dry-lubricant into a portable generator operated Thaumic Collapser to prevent a building from collapsing.

At least we dug those idiots out of that crap before they drowned in it, Sam thought, trying to find a silver lining. Wait… Silver. I think I have enough cash on me for a breakfast sandwich.

Sam took the next left and began to walk to her favorite corner store, her mind wandering as she made her way down the mostly empty cobble street.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Samhain - 19th of Lunar Dawn, 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

“There! Filing cabinets moved,” Violet proclaimed with a proud smile and puffed chest.

Sam took a look around the basement. June’s idea had been admittedly a good one. Simply shifting some of the old filing cabinets allowed them all to remain accessible while making a bedroom sized space around where Sam had put her mattress.

A mattress which was now sitting atop a few wooden shipping pallets which Violet had sanded then screwed together to make a basic bed platform. Likewise, her radio had been placed atop a small end table June had found at the local secondhoof shop, along with a hooflocker for storage.

Better yet, the filing cabinets had been relocated such that it was easier to get to her improvised bedroom, but also formed room dividers to offer her some privacy in the event anypony had to come down to look at the files.

Sam nodded, a smile parting her lips. “Thanks. This is better… But a little pointless. I’ll be sleeping upstairs as soon as they get the AC installed.”

June snorted from behind Sam, where she was leaning against one of the cabinets. “Pointless my plot! I’m debating hanging out down here to read my job briefing. It’s too hot for clothes up there when the telescopes are on.”

Sam shrugged her wings. “Yeah, well… That’s just how those work. By the way, you keep complaining about not being able to dress. Do you normally?”

“Yeah, I like to wear a skirt and top in summer, and a skirt and a hoodie the rest of the year,” June answered as she trotted a short distance into Sam’s sleeping area to see if she could think of anything else to do to improve it in short order.

“You?” Violet asked, frowning a little more than an organic pony could (thereby making Sam wince). “Ms. opens a beer with a hoof smack, has her room decorated with posters of rocket engines, and the first thing she watched after getting satellite TV installed was Fantasy Wrestling’s Mountain Mania Madness Marathon… And you like skirts?”

June laughed, shaking her head slowly. “I like denim jackets and fatigued skater skirts, Vi.”

“That adds up,” Sam said with a sage nod.

“How?” Violet asked, her ears twitching as her processor attempted to do the math.

“You’d have to see me in the outfit,” June answered. “It’s not super girly looking, and I just prefer to keep my fur clean. Kinda like how Sam likes those jumpsuits.”

Sam snorted and waved her hoof. “I don’t like jumpsuits. I’d be naked all day if I could be. Never liked dressing up much. It’s just bucking necessary for my job, which I can get called into at any Luna damned time, as you’ve seen.”

“Necessary?” Violet asked, sitting down on the edge of Sam’s bed. “How so? I like to dress up since I find my colors bland, and as far as I can tell ponies see clothing as entirely optional… But necessary implies utility driven needs.”

Sam and June shared a quick look. Violet’s interactions were improving slowly, but she still tended to over explain everything. They’d have to coach her on that.

Sam cleared her throat, “Ever try to shampoo a tomato out of the fur on the small of your back?”

Violet shook her head.

“Well, there’s one room where they’ve got this whole shelf of tomatoes that chuck themselves at anypony who makes a bad joke, with more force the worse the joke was,” Sam explained. “I am usually too tired to make good jokes, so there's one building where if I go in it, I’m one tongue slip from needing to spend a good thirty minutes getting fruit splatter out of my fur. Or I can wear a jumpsuit. And that’s just the anomalous junk. I also have to crawl into dusty or muddy or slimy places like the Spider Culvert all the time.”

“Point made,” Violet said with a shiver, thinking back to the time slime mold got up in her—

June hummed and slid the end table’s drawer open. “Hey, Sam? Want me to get a bottle opener and a lighter for you to keep in here? I know you like to drin—”

Sam shook her head quickly. “I got them in my saddle bags, no need for that.” She said before frowning slowly. “Although…”

Sam reached into her bags, rummaged for a bit, then removed her pep pill tin. “I’m trying to quit these… But I might need some for an emergency. Do you have a little baggie or something? That way I can have one dose down here just in case but you could put this tin someplace so somepony besides me can track how much I’m using.”

June blinked, one ear drooping. “Wait, you want me to hide your drugs from you?”

Violet shook her head. “No, she wants you to hold them like a quartermaster.”

Sam pointed to Violet. “What she said. I’m not addicted, but I certainly have a habit at this point. I’m at a point where I can choose to not take them, still. It’s just… Work forces me to do it a lot. If somepony who isn’t usually an exhausted wreck is keeping an eye on how I use them, I can feel a little… Safer?”

“Why not just stop and switch to some extra strong coffee?” June proposed, her wings fluttering.

Sam bit her lip. “If I hadn’t already been using these regularly for about a year, that would work…”

June winced, thinking back to some of her college roommates who would abuse ADHD medication to stay up late and study. She didn’t recall many of them doing well. “Oh… Okay, I can do that for you.”

“Why not just use the power source embedded in your chest to directly replenish your ATP with thaumochromic induction at the subcellular interface?” Violet asked, pointing to Sam’s embedded crystal with one hoof.

“Uh… Because I don’t know how? Or even if I can do that, or what some of that even means?” Sam said, scratching the back of her head. “Why do you think that’s a thing I can do?”

“Well, its energy signature is a lot like my power core’s. It’s pulling ambient mana into itself and kinda just, storing it,” the android replied, standing up and quickly enveloping herself with a loose aura of cyan light as she let her magic simply bleed from her for a moment. “See? Plenty of power on tap! Just recharge yourself?”

Sam and June blinked several times to clear their eyes from the bright flash.

“She’s not a machine, Vi,” June began.

“Yeah, I don’t have instructions on how to d—” Sam stopped mid sentence, then fished the book Dusk had gotten her out of her bags. “Actually, I do have those… I just can’t read them. Dusk said Dew could though. Thanks for helping with my room girls, I’ve gotta go give her this so maybe I can rephrase my AD&D through the automata’s cellulons, or whatever the hell you said.”

“Later!” Violet said with a smile. “I think I’ll see if I can’t optimize the other filing cabinets. I think I can save about seven percent more space down here.”

June held out her hoof towards Sam as the older mare turned to leave. “Pills?”

“Oh!” Sam’s ears drooped with embarrassment. She tossed the tin to June and nodded. “Just keep one dose of exactly four down here, and I’ll tell you every time I need more, okay? One standard dose is four pills for somepony my size and weight.”

June nodded, taking the task quite seriously. “No problem. Happy to help a nice mare out!”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “Was that flirting?”

June blushed lightly. “Uh, a little bit of the playful kind? Maybe? I kind of like more mature mares… Older girls have their shit together and that’s hot.”

Sam smiled and gently set a hoof on June’s shoulder. “You’re too young for me, but I appreciate the sentiment. Thanks. It takes a lot of work to make this mess look together.”

June twitched her wings. “Eh, worth a shot. Friends?”

“Friends,” Sam agreed.

“Besides, Trixie wants to ask you out anyways,” June continued as she tucked Sam’s pill tin into her own saddle bags.

Sam raised an eyebrow. “What? Why? We tried, she had a panic attack over the idea of hooking up again. That made it pretty clear she wanted nothing to do with me. At least, not that way. Really hurt my feelings...”

June tilted her head. “That’s not what she told me. She seemed upset you don't respond to her flirting.”

Sam’s raised eyebrow slowly morphed into a confused frown, then a grimace as she facehooved. “Oh. My. Luna…” Sam moaned into her hoof. “Trixie performs year round, but she’s also also here… More than one changeling uses that shape! I asked the wrong one to buck…”

“That doesn't add up,” June said, shaking her head. “A changeling would have just gone home with you. Asking one to buck is the same as inviting a pony over for dinner. Almost none of them will say no.”

“Or you asked the real stagepony she’s copying,” Violet called from somewhere in the cabinet maze. “They do need an original to copy, right?”

Sam inhaled through her nose and let it out slowly. “Okay… I’ll call her and sort that out later. Right now, I have this book to get to Dew. Later, girls.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Samhain - 3rd of Thanksgiving, 4 EoH
Evergreen Falls - Equestria

Sam wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. I forgot to call Trixie, damn it. I hope I can remember to do that when I wake up.

Also wow it’s hot today… The observatory is going to be straight out of Tartarus. Maybe I should just take a nap at the Brewer’s Hive?

Sam stopped in the middle of the street as an idea occurred to her. She had June’s ID on her. She was authorized to transport oddities classed for CARE personnel’s use. June had put in a request for AC, which would be on record.

Isn’t there something that makes the area around it cold? Sam thought, doing her best to work through the exhausted fog clinging to her every thought. Yeah! The Windigo Statue. If June knew about it she’d have definitely requested it as a stop gap. I can just go pick it up on her behalf. Nopony will mind. I want to not boil.

Sam opened her wings and quickly flew across town to a large white cinderblock building labeled ‘Warehouse 4’ and landed on the front doorstep. She pushed the steel door open with a creak, wincing as she realized she’d be asked to oil it soon, and stepped inside just as the warehouse quartermaster looked up from his desk.

“Hey, Sam,” the short unicorn stallion said, glancing at Sam through the chainlink separator as well as over the top of his newspaper.

Sam took a second to squint at a copy of the Midnight Star he was reading. Top psychics all agree that the telephone company will have a brand new service that lets you talk to the dead… I hate how this job makes it hard to tell if that’s a tabloid or not.

“Hey, Slight,” Sam replied. “I’m here to pick up the Windigo Statue for the Observatory. Just till they get an AC installed.”

“Sure, got the new researcher’s ID and the request form?”

“Just the ID.”

Slight’s ears flopped back grumpily. He set down the paper on the counter, reached under his desk, and slid Sam a clipboard, form, and pen through the slot in the divider. Sam slid June’s ID through the same slot and quickly filled out the request form.

Slight took a moment to punch June’s information into his terminal, nodded as the screen reported her as a priority employee. He clicked a few keys, bringing up her requests page, nodding as the request for an AC equivalent checked out, then passed June’s ID back to Sam.

“Okay, everything checks out here. Paperwork done?”

“Almost…” Sam quickly signed the form, initialed it, then filled out the date. “There. She doesn't need to sign this, does she?”

“Nah, you’re cleared to check out, pick up, and transport. All I need to know is where this thing will be till it's back in its box, that she’s received it, and that she’s cleared to handle it. Which she is,” Slight commented as he started to retype the form into his terminal. “Hey, you know how to move that thing safely, right?”

Sam thought for a moment, then shrugged her wings.

Slight frowned. “Okay. Hold on.”

He swiveled his chair around to a row of filing cabinets, opened one, and removed a three page list of instructions, which he passed to Sam. “You look tired, so just follow the step by step as you take it out of the locker, and make sure June gets this copy of the handling protocol, okay?”

“No problem,” Sam said as she took the paper.

Slight hit the door release button under his desk, making the warehouse’s inner steel door buzz loudly. “Its in locker 19. You can’t miss it, it’s the one covered in frost that I’ve got a six pack resting on. Here’s the key and an ice pick in case the hinges stick,” he said as he passed a small brass key and a steel pick across his desk.

Sam took them with a nod and pulled the warehouse’s inner door open. The main warehouse’s room was filled with all manner of secure containers, practically everything from shipping containers to fireproof safes, but most of the space was dominated by row after row of simple lockers. The kind you’d find in any school in Equestria.

Sam looked around the entrance area, sure that locker 19 had to be close to the door. Her hunch paid off, and she spotted one locker covered in a light layer of frost with a six pack of Flower Foolish Ale on top of it only a few steps from the door.

Sam walked up to the locker and started to unlock it, only to stop mid key turn. “Wait… No. Bad Sam. Read the paper.” She muttered to herself, taking a look at the page.

Buck’s sake. June put four in the bag, right? Sam asked herself, closing her eyes to concentrate and remember. Yes. She did. I had four. I shouldn’t be this fogged up right now. Just focus and get the stupid statue out.

She opened her eyes and read the paper out loud for the sake of her tired brain. “Open locker normally, but do not remove statue from the locker immediately. Wait until frost clears from container. Place both hooves on either side of the statue’s base without touching the statue. Speak the incantation…”

Sam titled her head and squinted at the transcribed letters on the page before her. Even if she were entirely sober and freshly rested it would have been hard to read them, let alone pronounce them. It looked like what would happen if a modern Equish Doctor wrote a script for an ancient Gryphonese pirate in their runic language.

Oh thank buck, somepony hoof wrote a pronunciation down! Sam sighed in relief. “... the incantation, Ba Weep Grannah Weep Ninn—… annnd this part is smudged. Great!”

She squinted at the pencil smudges, searching for the word they formed. Well, at least I only have to translate one word of the runes. Sam said to herself, doing her best to make out what the last word was.

Pretty sure that’s pronounced Nuku… What happens if I’m wrong? Sam checked the bottom of the page for the statue’s warning section. “Mishandling can cause inclement weather in a town-sized area. Weather phenomenons the statue can induce are typically associated with winter and are typically no more difficult to manipulate than natural or pegasi-created weather systems. Okay, so if I buck this up, it snows a bit and the weather guys get a little grump…”

Sam thought for a moment then decided to triple check her work then risk it. She poured over the documentation, eyes narrow, all of her tried focus in play for several long minutes until she smiled and swished her tail.

“Ah ha! It’s Ninny-Bong!” she shouted in triumph.

“Yep!” Slight called from the front desk. “Did someone smudge my note? I gotta get a pen for those.”

“You super do!” Sam agreed, and opened the locker.

The Windigo Statue was exactly what its name implied. A block of unmelting blue glacial ice carved into a forearm length miniature statue of a windigo. The statue was posed in a way which suggested the windigo was dancing. The pose itself reached out to Sam’s mind, imbewing her with the knowledge that this statue depicted an ancient rain dance.

Sam raised an eyebrow and glanced at the documentation again, nodding as she found a line mentioning the memetic effect she just experienced. Okay, that’s normal. Good. Wait, can I just… Put this in a bag?

Sam looked back at the slowly defrosting container, certain that the forward placement of the statue’s left hoof was the beginning of the dance’s movements, then abruptly glanced at the paper again, skipping over a section of instructions coming after the incantation due to exhaustion to the bottom of the transport instructions. Yes, for transport purposes I can just put it in a bag once it defrosts and I say the words.

She waited for the frost to clear, then placed her hooves on either side of the statue and chanted, “Ba Weep Grannah Weep Ninny-Bong.”

The statue shimmered as a line of white light rippled upwards from its base, sparkling as it reached the statue’s various points and tips. Sam nodded to herself, then gently picked the statue up and placed it in her saddlebags before closing the locker. Without first holding it above her head for ten seconds.

Okay, let’s get home, put this in the dorm’s commons, shower, then… Then nothing. I’m going the buck to sleep. Sam thought to herself, yawning and arching her back before walking out of the warehouse’s main room.

“Thanks, Slight.”

“No problem,” Slight commented, having returned to his paper on how a Prench necromancer was shaking up the world of telecommunications.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Samhain - 3rd of Thanksgiving, 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

Sam trotted into the dorms at the speed of a dead mare walking, stumbling slightly as she pushed the main doors open. Walking across the gravel parking lot through the day’s heat alone would have been bad enough, but the extra heat the telescope had smacked her with had drained away any hope of showering before embracing the clutching oblivion of bed.

Everypony looked up as she entered.

June waved from the couch. “Hey, Sam.”

Violet and Dew put their Cyber Dragon vs Robo Fortress battle on pause to turn and wave as well.

“Hi, mom!”

Looks like my mattress will be pink and slippery forever now, Sam thought before nodding towards everypony. “Hi… Going to bed…”

Sam took three steps towards the hallway leading to the basement before Violet stood up and walked over to her. “Hey, want some help with the stairs? You look kinda shaky, and so do those stairs.”

Sam smiled faintly. “Actually, yes.” she admitted.

Wait, there’s something I picked up for Junebug… Right! ID. Statue.

“Hold on,” Sam said as she opened her saddle bag, first fetching June’s ID. “I picked up your ID, June.”

“Oh! Thanks,” June said, having forgotten she’d asked Sam to pick it up if convenient. She stood up and trotted across the room, taking the plastic ID card then huffing in annoyance. “Why does everyone always look bad in these pictures?”

“Curse?” Dew suggested, hoof to her chin in thought.

“Probably,” Sam agreed, then removed the statue. “Also. Checked this out of storage! Put it in the middle of the room. It will cool things down for us till we get an AC installed.”

June took the Statue carefully. “Cool! Uh… Is this something from Containment?”

“Yeah,” Sam grunted. “It’s okay. Some stuff’s approved for use like this.”

June nodded and looked the statue over. “Does it come with instructions?”

“Mhm,” Sam said, rummaging for the paper and finding it in the bottom of her bag, then passing it to June. “Don’t worry. Said at the bottom once picked up it can be handed off. Just follow the instructions if you pick it back up off a solid surface.”

Sam yawned loudly and resumed walking towards the basement.

June unfolded the paper and quickly read the handling instructions outloud. “Open locker normally, but do not remove statue from the locker immediately. Wait until frost clears from container. Place both hooves on either side of the statue’s base without touching the statue. Speak the incantation— Oh cool! That’s Amilic! Ahem, the incantation ‘Ba Weep Grannah Weep Ninny-Bong’ before lifting the statue from its resting place. Hold the statue above your head with both hooves for ten seconds before further handling. Easy enough!”

Sam blinked. “Wait, hold it up?”

“Yeah,” June said, frowning slightly.

Sam’s eyes widened. “Uh-oh…”

The sky rumbled overhead, and the crackling thud of hailstones striking the observatory’s roof filled the air, followed shortly by the distant Breach Alarm’s wails, then the less distant alarm repeated by Sam’s radio set echoing up the basement stairs along with Apple’s voice.

“General Alert. We have a Code Yellow, repeat, Code Yellow. An anomalous storm has formed due to mishandling of 932. Weather Teams stand down, repeat, stand down. The radio telescope is active and will cook you if you enter its beam. Exercise discretion with containment, over!”

Sam slumped down to the floor. “Damn it.” She sighed, muzzle firmly pressed into the carpet.

Violet gently scooped her up and set Sam on her back in a firemare’s carry. “Let me get you up off the mollusk and sea gunk corpses.”

“What?” Sam asked half awake.

“Messing with June,” Violet explained quickly. “Look, it’s okay. You’re exhausted and didn’t mean it. It’s their fault for having the transport instructions written on in pencil, really. This place needs more than one maintenance pony. Let’s get you to bed. We can deal with whoever’s going to yell at us for this after you get up.”

“It’s okay, the weather pegasi are on it,” June commented. “Says here the storm won’t even hit the farms with them up there. Not a big deal for anyone but us. This thing seems pretty safe over all. I’ve been reading up on what I’ll be studying, and oh boy! Things could be way worse than out of season hail.”

The observatory’s intercom crackled to life, allowing the facility’s computers to play a prerecorded message. “Warning: Inclimate weather detected. Telescope calibration disrupted. Recalibration required. Alert: Observation disrupted. Data loss prevention protocol engaged. Brace for recalibration pulse.”

June facehooved. “Buck…”

“Just for the record, you shouldn’t ever say that thing you said a few moments ago, June. It's totally a curse!” Dew called as she adjusted part of her lego fortress.

June nodded and set the statue down on the coffee table. “Yeah… That one’s even in the employee handbook. I just forgot—”

Sleep hit Sam like a brick, cutting off June and sending her to the land of dreams, where she was asleep in a nice big soft clean bed with a cozy blanket nest, instead of in a slippery puddle of pink ooze as the telescope waste heat spiked.

Author's Note

"SCP-504" Critical Tomatoes! by BlastYoBoots, from the SCP Wiki. Source:https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-504. Licensed under CC-BY-SA.

8 - Playoffs

Raven Inkwell - 3rd of Thanksgiving, 4 EoH
Palace of the Sun - Canterlot

Raven stood up from her desk and twisted her back to stretch away the aches of her working day. Most of the highest tier fallout from Tirek’s rampage was finally and officially dealt with. At least, in terms of her personally needing to do anything in her official capacity as Solar Regent.

Raven let out a short breath and smiled. Her first day getting to leave work nearly on time since the incident. It was time to go home, hug her husband half to death, then go to a nice restaurant and—

Raven’s terminal chirped three times in rapid succession as an amber light winked on. Raven’s face scrunched as she did her best to push past her irritation and answer the priority email as quickly as possible, then get the buck out of the office.

She turned the screen on with a flick of her telekinesis and hit the dedicated email button on her keyboard. The crystal screen flickered and jittered as it came back to life, displaying a series of simple amber lines and letters representing an abstract sort of mailbox.

Raven’s eyes fell on the most recent message. Evergreen Falls - Containment Breach Report.

Raven closed her eyes tightly. “That better not have been Silk…”

The vampire’s blood would arrive tomorrow morning, according to the shipping tracker. If they missed saving somepony by a mere 14 hours…

Raven opened the message and began to read.

Administrator 02,

While not ordered nor expressly authorized to contact you directly, I am compelled to report a pair of related containment breaches due to being expressly told not to do so by Doctor Grape Vine. He believes these incidents are beneath your notice and a matter for the Site Director, Mayor, and senior staff. I would ordinarily agree, however the days’ events are part of an ongoing pattern I believe threatens the stability of this site.

Despite the ongoing maintenance staff crisis many research groups assigned to non-priority projects have forged ahead with their work. This includes those studying the ‘Lubecano’ as Object 38 is now being called due to the discovery that it can discharge tens of tons of its contents in a volcanic-like eruption. This discovery occurred last night, and required several janitors as well as our sole remaining Maintenance Pony, Samhain, to work through the night to remove the mess before its mass collapsed the building and the research staff drowned in molybdenum disulphide.

This led directly to the day’s second and ongoing breach. New hire Junebug Sky requested the use of Object 932 as a stopgap for cooling her residence. This request was granted, however Sam was tasked with retrieving the Windigo Statue as she was nearby and heading home. As near as can be told, due to the quartermaster of Warehouse 4 lacking a printer, or even a pen (Yes, it is that bad…), the transport instructions were written in pencil and too smudged for the exhausted mare to correctly interpret.

As a direct consequence an out of season hailstorm has formed over Evergreen Falls. The town is in no danger, as O-932 is safe to handle (Hence being available for use by Personnel.). However, it may be prudent to move maintenance staff from other sites due to Apple Brandy’s frankly illegal abuse of Sam as a worker.

Emergency or not, it is a commonly believed fact that Sam averages 4 hours of sleep a day. This is, as it turns out, uncomfortably close to the medically necessary minimum level to survive. To compensate for this she has taken to using Pep Pills, a semi-legal wakefulness aid which, if I understand correctly, is in the process of being regulated into a prescription medication, at the insistence of Special Forces, no less.

Raven sighed and rested her forhooves on her temples.

“Son of Discord…” She grumbled into the screen, unaware of a massive figure materializing within the shadows on the wall.

The bundle of shadows behind her stretched outwards, taking the form of a winged unicorn before resolving into Princess Luna.

“Regent,” Luna said, her voice carrying the iron of an outraged monarch.

Raven jumped, falling out of her seat with a loud yelp. She spun on her plot, catching a glimpse of Luna’s flowing starscape mane and relaxing just enough to be able to speak.

“P— Princess Luna! I— I didn’t feel you teleporting in. My apologies, I was focused on a critical message—”

Luna held up a hoof for Raven to stop, and she did. “There is no blame on your shoulders, Regent, as t’was none to be felt. I learned the art of shadow stepping after my teleport’s flash dazed a few of my thestral guards. I had believed the Crown staff had all been informed… I shall have to look into this communications error later. For now, I have come to you with two critical matters which simply cannot wait.”

Raven’s ears drooped back. “I see… I mean no disrespect, but will they take long to resolve? Today was to be the first time since Tirek’s attack that I would have time to take my husband to dinner.”

Luna let some of her anger slip aside so she could offer Raven an understanding smile and nod.

“I too was to take my consort for a night of carousing,” she said, placing a hoof on Raven’s shoulder for a moment before returning to her more serious expression. “We were discussing venues for said putting when I detected a pony in such dire need of restful sleep that I was compelled, on the very cosmic level to which only an Alicorn is attuned, to grant her wish.”

Raven raised an eyebrow and looked over her shoulder at her terminal. “Uh… Let me guess, middle aged orange and red thestral mare?”

“Indeed! How do you know?” Luna asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Incident report caused by extreme exhaustion,” Raven said, pointing to her terminal. “How bad was she?”

Luna shook her head back and forth. “It took effort for me to clear her mind and put her in order for true rest. When I searched her heart for her truest desire to concoct for her a pleasant dream, the only wish she had left was to simply sleep. This poor mare is effectively sleeping twice as we speak, and dreaming in her dream about being allowed to nap. My consort described it as ‘Multi-nap Snoozing’ then insisted I watch a Neighponese cartoon later so I understand the joke.”

Luna’s wings twitched irritably. “Naturally, I put my evening on hold to determine how and why anypony could be nearly dead from exhaustion. I discovered much of this mare’s memories are arcanely sealed such that not even I can see them! I took this problem first to my sister, however… She was too busy with some archaic land dispute over one of those idiotic magical documents of hers to answer me. Given her rash race for retirement, I concluded you would likely have a better grasp of why I, Equestria’s other Diarch, am locked out of classified information.”

Raven’s eyes widened. “I— I’m terribly sorry, Princess! Samhain works for an institution called CARE. It safehouses and studies relatively safe anomalous individuals and objects so we can keep them, and the general public, safer through their work. It’s also one of our best sources of arcane research and development, hence, most of it is top… Level… Classified. Oh.”

Raven stood up and cleared her throat. “You are certainly entitled to access anything with Top Level clearance! I am personally outraged to hear you hadn’t even been informed of…” Raven shook her head and lit her horn, casting a spell which would briefly grant Luna the security credentials to see through CARE’s memory encryption. “That will allow you to view CARE employee memories. And I have to fill out five forms and see a committee for using it. This spell only allows access to memories protected only by the lowest circles of secret-wards. Please see me first thing tomorrow and we can get you all necessary clearances… I would do so now, but, well, the ponies who operate the system have gone home.”

Luna hummed, ears perking, then nodded sharply, flicking her starlit tail. “This will do for now. Though I am still most insulted by having been left out of this matter. Arcane research and development has military applications in addition to their civilian uses. Am I not entitled to know as the Commander in Chief of our armed forces?”

“You very obviously are!” Ravent agreed, herself angry. “Somepony has made a critical mistake. I’d assumed you’d opted out of directly interacting with CARE entirely. I will ensure you are invited to all Administration meetings from now on.”

Luna’s face softened. “I appreciate your attitude, Regent. Now, tell me. What caused this mare’s dire woes? You stated you’d been informed earlier… Is it the message on your…” Luna trailed off and glanced at Raven’s terminal before sheepishly pointing to it with a wing and asking, “Therm—Terminal?”

Raven nodded. “Yes, that’s what they are called. Are you able to read modern Equish yet?”

Luna’s ears flicked back. “Not… Fluently. Why, exactly, did we adopt so many Prench and Germane words?”

Raven shrugged her shoulders and turned back to her screen. “Well, in that case… She’s the only maintenance pony at Evergreen Falls—”

Luna sputtered, her wings snapping open. “My sister turned our home into a laboratory, and has then understaffed it!? HOW?! As its titled ruler, I had it entrusted to Lord Deep Woods, for safekeeping.”

“It’s still a real town,” Raven swiftly corrected. “Some science occurs there, but it is where we house individuals too abnormal to live a normal life in Equestrian communities, or who might be persecuted or exploited for their abilities or properties.”

Luna pulled her wings back to her sides. “Then the town is as it has always been… Pardon me, did you really not just say there is but a single maintenance pony?”

Raven nodded. “Yes, ma’am. We’re already taking action to punish the administrator responsible for the situation. We’ve also appointed one of the town’s citizens as a temporary worker to handle maintenance emergencies, but Samhein has been handling any and all repairs for at least eight months, possibly ten. We have a gap in records keeping due to a minor fire.”

Luna arched her eyebrow once again. “A fire which was no accident, correct?”

Raven sighed. “Probably not… We’re investigating. Before we drop the hammer, the case has to be airtight.”

Luna nodded, satisfied by Raven’s declaration. She glanced at the screen, squinting as she tried to process the strange new letters and odd borrowed words into something her mind understood. “Does this part here,” Luna tapped Raven’s terminal screen with a hooftip. “Does this say Sam was too exhausted to correctly read instructions which the quartermaster had written in pencil due to lacking a printer?”

Raven nodded again. “Yes.”

“A printer is one of those little mechanical scribes which puts that which is on your screen onto paper?”

Raven nodded once more.

Luna blinked twice. “They… They cost less than a manecut. I got my gaming group one of those for printing stat blocks and battle reports out of my personal entertainment stipend. How does a Crown Company quartermaster not have one? It would seem necessary for his duties, given we have moved away from quill and ink. And, one had thought, pencil!”

Raven drew in a long hissing breath. “Well… To make a long story short, Lord Deep Woods died before passing ownership of the town to the Crown. We made use of the land anyways as we have the de facto statement of intent on record. However without proper ownership, we’ve had to fund the town in… Shall we say, in unusual and inefficient ways. It gets the funding it needs, but on a delay.”

Luna’s mouth twisted. “A delay?”

“Yes. It varies depending on the item in question,” Raven continued. “For a printer, assuming he had one before and it broke beyond repair… He could have been lacking one for…”

Raven frowned, held up a hoof for Luna to wait, and punched a series of commands into her terminal to bring up the requisition data for Evergreen Falls.

“For up to three years… What?! Who decided—”

Luna’s left eye twitched as she grit her teeth. “Un… Bucking…” Her eyes warped, shifting to slit pupils as her rage brought the fragments of Nightmare Moon to the surface. “Unacceptable!”

Raven’s pupils shrank to pinpricks. “Ma’am, your eyes—”

Luna glared at Raven for what felt like an eternity, before letting out a long breath and claiming down, though the Nightmare's eyes remained and the inky darkness of her mane seethed behind her.

“I remain in command of my faculties, Regent. I am merely, as the foals say, absolutely bucking livid. How can such a travesty of bureaucratic nonsense come to pass?”

Raven cleared her throat, ears folded. “I don’t have the remaining lifespan to explain the last thousand years of property law changes and noble title alterations. Suffice to say, it’s a bureaucratic mess. One your sister is currently working on.”

Luna nodded once, closed her eyes tightly, and opened them to reveal her own eyes had returned. “Then there is but one thing for me to do.”

Raven frowned. “What is that, Princess?”

“I am going to get that stallion a gods damned printer, I am going to start throwing money and authority at fixing things, and I am going to destroy whoever is fool enough to try to STOP ME!” She said, stepping into the shadow of Raven’s filing cabinet and vanishing into the darkness. “And they BETTER NOT have redecorated MY room!”

Raven closed her eyes tightly, slumped into her chair, then picked up her office phone, swiftly dialing her husband.

“Hello?”

“Dear… Cancel any reservations. Princess Luna is on the warpath. I need to stay here to answer the inevitable barrage of—” Raven stopped mid sentence, her eyes shrinking with horror. “STARS ABOVE, CELESTIA NEVER OWNED THE LAND!”

Raven hung up the phone and began frantically dialing the Crown Lawyer.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Junebug - 3rd of Thanksgiving, 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

June stood in the doorway, looking through the glass doors at the pounding hail outside. She could see the edge of the fading magical storm in the distance, just short of where her family’s camp was.

The magical storm wasn’t all that bad. Cadites fought in worse, She mused, thinking back on several of her favorite novels. Heck, I’ll bet one of the First Kingdom’s Sages could have cleared this up on their own.

Indeed, the storm was a mild one. It wasn’t quite the right time of year for hail, but the stones were no bigger than peas and the sudden cloud cover was providing some much needed shade.

It was hot even away from the observatory… I’ll bet the townsponies are loving this. June thought as she looked upwards in search of both her father and any sign of the weather ponies who would be cleaning up Sam’s mess.

She spotted the weather team first. They were working the edge of the storm, moving it away from where Dew had mentioned the town’s farms were located. Yeah they’ll protect the crops and the rest of us can just deal with a nice afternoon hail. All in all, not that bad. Not like they’d let you check this statue out if it could end the world. And I re-contained it easily enough.

A repetition of the nonsense line, holding it up for the right length, and putting it down again had been sufficient.

June turned her head to look down the short hall from the entrance to the common room. The Windigo Statue sat on the coffee table, and had almost instantly cooled the room down to a manageable temperature. Enough so that once Sam had been put to bed, June had slipped into her usual outfit.

A dark denim jacket with almost too much wear and tear to be worth keeping, and her slightly longer than normal black skater skirt. Not that she’d ever skated, she just thought it looked cute, even with her CARE issued radio clipped to her barrel.

Too bad it’s stormy. I’ll be here for a few years at minimum. It would be nice to cruise the… June frowned as she realized she had no idea where to go in Evergreen Falls to find single ponies. Okay, that’s something to ask Trixie later.

June’s radio crackled as an unfamiliar stallion’s voice came over the airwaves. “Doctor Junebug, come in, over.”

June fidgeted with the radio, wishing she’d remembered it was of gryphon design and she’d thought to put on her manipulators to use it. After a moment’s struggle, she managed to press the button down with the side of her hoof by pinning the radio in place with her shoulder and chin.

“June here, and just FYI I am not a doctor yet, over.”

“Your work title is doctor, ma’am,” the stallion corrected. “This is Winter Wing, I’m with personnel. I’m calling with a request for information, and to let you know your HVAC request has been approved and a technician is on the way to perform the install. Is now a good time? Over.”

June paused for a moment. It’s just a tech dropping by. Dad and I can still watch the game.. She pressed the button down again. “Copy that, I’ll keep a look out. Thanks for getting anypony other than Sam to do the work, she’s… Dead on her hooves. Over.”

“Ten-four. Don’t worry, we’ve got a temp tech hired to cover emergencies for the time being now. Moving on to the information request: Your employee file is incomplete. Specifically in regards to medical records, you don’t have epilepsy, do you? Specifically photosensitive, over.” Winter asked.

June arched an eyebrow. “No? My mother did though. I’ve been tested and I’m fine. Why do you ask, over.”

“There was some confusion relating to your medical records is all. Says here you were tested, but it doesn't tell us the results. Guessing we got an incomplete fax. Good luck dealing with Enox when they get there. Oh, and Doctor Apple is pissed you’re taking his project and is raising a stink so… Just assume you’ll get to start working for real next week and enjoy the paid vacation. I wish I could, but I have to hear the shouting over here… Over and out.”

June let go of her radio and straightened her jacket, frowning slightly. Enox… Have I heard that name before? I guess they finally hired a new guy. I hope they did.

June turned her attention back to Dew, now keeping an eye out for this mystery mechanic as well as her father.

“What kind of name is Enox anyways?” June asked aloud to no pony in particular.

“It’s Tau Cetian,” Dew called from the living room where she was still playing with her legos.

June tilted her head. “What?”

“It’s a Tau Cetian name,” Dew repeated. “You know, from Tau Ceti b. A planet like, three stars down.”

June frowned slightly, confused for a moment until remembering the mayor mentioning the town was home to an alien. “Oh. Right…” June put a hoof to her chin. “Are we like, you know, secretly in contact with her people’s government or anything?”

Dew shook her head. “Nah. Apparently she went home once but her civilization’s gone. Some time travel junk or something,” the eternal filly said with a wing shrug. “So she chills here since we kinda look a bit like her.”

“Wait, really?” June asked, ears perking with excitement. “So like, she looks like an old b-movie alien?”

“No, old b-movie aliens look like her,” Dew corrected. “CARE did production work for most of those movies just in case her species showed up one day. This was before Enox decided to visit home.”

“Oh,” June commented, ears drooping. “That has to suck.”

“Meh, she seemed happy when she found out,” Dew said before trotting off towards the kitchen. “Wanna sammich?”

“No thanks.”

“Okay. Good luck with your dad.”

June turned back to face the doors just in time to see a set of two white lights, and a scanning red bar light between them racing down the road. As a city pony, June hadn’t ever seen a car in person. Equestrian cities streets were simply not wide enough on average to accommodate vehicle traffic and few ponies ever needed a personal vehicle. But she was familiar with them, and their complace use in rural Equestrian communities.

That’s called a truck, right? June mused to herself. I don’t want to seem stupid by getting that wrong… Long, square, has a built-in trailer kinda like a wagon with an engine on it… Pretty sure you call those trucks.

June’s confused squint slowly morphed into a frown as the vehicle’s lack of engine noise other than the faint whine of a turbine became apparent. Hold on, aren’t these supposed to be kinda loud? I can hear the radio playing in that thing, shouldn’t I be hearing its engine?

The radio played a dull thumping intermixed with the warbling electronic wails of a sequencer woven together with a male voice singing their heart out in a foreign tongue. It all came together into something close to Electronica, but had its own feel and sound so distinct that June knew this had to be its own genre.

The music blasting truck flew through the observatory’s gate, shot across the parking lot, locked its wheels all the way right, and drifted to a perfect stop in front of the observatory’s doors.

June found herself grinning. Cool! I didn’t know ground vehicles could do tricks. I thought that was an air exclusive.

Her grin faded slightly as the truck’s body caught her attention. It was in fact made from junk carefully hammered into shape, welded up, and haphazardly painted white with a standard house paint. The truck shell was sitting on top of another vehicle, sort of like a costume, albeit one which added a flatbed to whatever lay beneath.

The parked truck hissed as its hydraulic suspension lowered it to the ground. A small compartment below the driver door opened, releasing a thick white mist that pooled on the gravel. As soon as the fog blanket covered the general vicinity, the radio crackled, switching from Electronica to classic techno DJ Pony would have put on for a slow dance.

The vehicle's mated outer and inner doors swung upwards with a pneumatic hiss, revealing a smaller silver vehicle hidden beneath the truck shell for just an instant before a strobe light and series of pulsing lasers blazed to life.

A short ramp then extended from the driver floorboard to the ground with a long whirring hum. The lasers swept across the ground, creating a purple grid on the ground and ramp, and also highlight the doorway and ramp’s edges.

June’s grin came back. It’s like this Enox heard what we think aliens do and just checked off every bo— Her cheeks flushed pink as she realized, actually, it was the other way around.

A very short pony-shaped individual descended the ramp, their full shape obscured by a red silhouette accent light from within the car, the slow mo effect the strobe light created, and the bulky chrome space suit complete with fishbowl helmet they wore.

The figure picked a boom box up from the passenger seat, descended the ramp with it on their shoulder, then looked up to June from just a bit over Dew’s height. The alien (for they could be nothing else) was mostly pony shaped, albeit furless with mint-green skin, long pointed ears which would have swept back more than they stuck up if not for the confines of their amber-colored-fluid filled helmet.

Their suit was made from a strange silvery material which shimmered in the light. A last-gen luggable Griffonese computer was strapped to the alien’s barrel via a black harness. The computer’s screen had been flipped backwards so it could be seen if needed, and currently displayed a simple green vector line across its face.

The alien looked up at June through a pair of mono-lense sunglasses they wore over their featureless almond shaped rose quartz eyes, (yes, even though they also wore a helmet) and spoke. Their natural voice was lost to the fluid in their helmet, but a digitized mostly sexless male-leaning voice emitted from the computer strapped to their chest.

A voice best described as a MOS 6510 processor using its whole 0.985 MHz and all of its 8-bits to emulate a pony’s voice as best their backwater world’s technology could.

“I have come here to eat lunch, and install an HVAC,” they announced boldly before their ears drooped sheepishly. “... and I forgot my lunch.”

June’s jaw dropped. What the buck? I feel like somepony should have warned me that Enox is cool, tiny, and adorable! Brain, why do you think she’s cute? She’s an actual alien— Wait, is she a she? How can I know? Again, alien! Curvy could mean male on her planet. Also she’s clearly aquatic so… Wouldn’t she reproduce via spawning?

June closed her eyes for a moment to refocus. I can work out why I find her cute later. Probably some psychological thing for big eyes and small body. Wait! It’s because she kinda looks like a frog. Derp!

June nodded to herself, confident she’d worked it out and not entirely willing to think about why she had that association for frogs right now.

Enox, on the other hoof, stared up at June in a half panic. Nopony had warned her the new researcher was over a meter tall! Enox had specifically asked to be warned about that kind of thing. It was on her file! You had to warn a rana when they’d deal with someone absurdly hot, that way they didn’t wind up saying stupid shit.

Enox had just pulled up to her place up all normal like, betrayed their actual taste in music, then got so flabbergasted they’d said something stupid trying to act cool.

“Uh…” Enox said, their vox copying the pitch and intonation of their distress perfectly. “Would you have preferred: Take me to your boiler?”

June’s stunned face cracked as she began to laugh. Her shoulders shook for a few moments before she grinned down at the smaller mare and asked the stupid question, “Is that suit full of beer?”

“Yes, don’t be a narc,” Enox reapplied, grinning nearly ear to ear. Almost literally, given just how wide their deceptively small mouth could stretch.

“And… is that asbestos lined?” June asked with a worried wince.

“Uh, no?” Enox said, raising an eyebrow she didn’t have. “Okay, it used to be. Switched to a fireproof nano-polymer cuz I like to NOT give you weak-lunged aliens cancer.”

June blinked and tilted her head. Woah! That’s freaky… And cool! Did she have two tongues or is that a split tongue? I wonder if she’d let me take a look in— No. Bad June. Somepony’s already scienced the shit out of her. Just get the file later… Wait, she said yes to that being beer!

“... S— So, the beer… You showed up to work drunk?”

Enox shook their head once, once again irritated that ponies were 250 million years too late to have seen Futurama, and thus, understand an easy explanation via reference.

“No. Cuz I’m not breathing in oxygen. Which would make me drunk… Okay, well, not much oxygen. Suit has a few tiny leaks. Working on that.”

June’s heat tilt inclined further. “Wait… So—”

“I am amphibious and my homeworld’s seas are rich in ethanol,” Enox explained as they extended a forehoof for June to shake since that’s what ponies did instead of a hoof bump. “Hello, I’m an actual alien. You can call me Enox.”

June, being a younger pony of a new generation, gave Enox a hoof bump. Enox smiled again.

“June.” She replied. “Then why the heck did you make that narc comment?”

“Well, CARE demands I use pure ethyl alcohol, but I like flavor. That and pranking losers are why I stuck around.” The alien pony explained before nodding to their totally-not-a-starship shittily disguised as a truck. “We can chat after I do the job. I’m going to start working. Since you’re surprised by me, you can’t have read my file. Right?”

June nodded once, but didn’t manage to get a word in edgewise before Enox continued. “Okay, then you should know my species' thaumic polarity is the opposite of yours. Which means you will see me using what you call dark magic. Do not worry. It’s safe when I do it. If I tried to use what you call light magic, the same type of corruption would occur as if you used dark magic. Get it?”

June paused, thought for a moment about what little she knew about spellcraft, then nodded. “Got it.”

“Good,” Enox said cheerfully before activating their magic.

Their eyes lit up a bright emerald green, emitting a faint wispy smoking aura characteristic of dark magic as they levitated a tool belt from their vehicle’s back seat and buckled it on.

“I have a billion questions,” June admitted.

“Just one billion?” Enox asked. “That’s less than most ponies. I don’t mind chatting while I work, but that will make it take longer.”

June’s blush returned as she scratched the back of her head with a hoof. “Uh, well… I’m waiting for my dad to show up to watch the playoffs. So I can’t… But can I ask a few things? Just so I’m not a dick to you?”

Enox smirked. “My people showed each other affection by being massive dicks, just FYI.”

June raised an eyebrow.

Enox nodded sheepishly. “That’s… Part of why I’m okay living here. I thought it was stupid. We did a lot of stupid.”

June nodded, partially understanding. “Okay,” she began. “Uh, what’s your gender?”

Enox rolled her eyes, revealing to June they had pupils but they were nearly indistinguishable from the rest of their eyes.

“We don’t have your Equine genders. We only come in dude and diet-dude.” Enox commented.

“Uh… So… How is that different?” June asked, taking a half step back to try and remove herself from the awkward question she’d just posed.

“We spawn via techbased reproduction…” Enox trailed off, shook her head then pointed to June. “Reproduction methods, ket. You have two sexes, sometimes three when you miscompile a baby, and consequently, your civilizations developed ways for individuals to express their identity gained from their sex in different social contexts. My people have the one sex so our genders are our two predominant behavior modes. Get it?”

“Oh! Okay… So, what do I call you then? Like, pronouns. Is there any way you like to be treated in context of Equestrian—”

Enox smiled. “I like they, but she’s okay too. Anatomically, I’m closest to a female pony. You can call me whatever. It won’t bother me. I do plenty of dude stuff and chick stuff!”

“Great!” June smiled, happy to have her answer.

Enox looked over June for a moment, running a full bioscan as you do and arching an eyebrow at one particular result. “As for you… She, correct? Despite being biologically male?”

June bit her lip and nodded. “Yes. Have you dealt with transponies before? Because that’s a very rude way to put it.”

“Honestly, I have not,” Enox admitted. “Apologies. I intended no offense. Besides, your configuration is more aesthetically pleasing than your species’ defaults. Why don’t more of you do mods?”

“Mods?” June asked with a frown.

“Yeah! Your brain didn’t match your meatsuit, so you got it modded to be what you wanted,” Enox elaborated. “Mine was all gross and orange so I got it reskinned in green, and… Well some other things I found cool or handy. But most ponies are rocking a stock chassis when, well, look at you! You clearly have the capability to customize the rig.”

June’s irritation vanished in an instant as she realized Enox’s species clearly saw people as their minds, not their bodies. Huh… They really didn’t mean anything by that comment then. That’s an interesting outlook.

“Most of us feel comfortable staying as they started,” June explained.

Enox’s face scrunched, clearly confused until they facehooved, their dainty hoof tinking of their helmet.

“Riiight! You guys are all on your birth-bodies ‘cuz you haven’t developed trænsˈfɜːrᵊns…” They shook their head.

“Birth body?” June asked, tilting her head.

“Look, eventually, you’ll work out how to change those things out with legally distinct kuva-equivalent when they start to expire. Once you rediscover that again, or steal some of my supply, you’ll get bored of the stock model and things should get more cool around here.” Enox commented before nodding towards the observatory. “Can I take a look at your stuff now? MY suits reporting an alarming heat build up… Probably shouldn’t be out here for long.”

June nodded twice. “Sure thing, Enox. Just um, maybe move your truck so my dad can—”

Enox turned over her shoulder and shouted into their vehicle’s interior. “KAT, park somewhere convenient.”

The door sealed and the vehicle moved into a nearby parking space, seemingly of its own accord. Enox nodded in satisfaction, used her magic to hike up her tool belt and proclaimed. “Right, let’s build this reactor!”

“You mean install an air conditioner…” June trailed off, her eyes narrowing. “Which, you don’t have…”

“This is the visit to see what I have to do to get one installed,” Enox reported. “If there’s no problems like, say, needing to run vent lines or adjusting the ducting, then I’ll pop down to the hardware store and drop in what you need. You do know this could be a huge job, right? Like, I might have to rip down some walls to run ducting suited for cooling and heating.”

June’s ears and heart fell as one.

Enox frowned and reared up to pat her shoulder. “Hey, it will get done. Might just take a while. I’ll go check things out and let you know what the damage is ASAP.”

June nodded. “Thanks, I appreciate it… Do be quiet if you're in the basement though. Sam’s sleeping and—”

Enox’s ears stood up in alarm. “She’s sleeping?! Praise the sun! Yeah, I’m not bucking that up for her. I’ll go get a silence sphere out of my car.”

The alien turned and walked to her car, intent on collecting some not exactly terrestrial equipment.

“June!”

June looked up to see her father circling downwards through the hailstorm. He winced every so often as a hailstone struck his wing membranes.

Celestia’s mane, that had to be a pain in the plot to fly over here… June thought, cringing at the imagined sensation. She waved up and called back. “Hey, dad!”

Night quickly landed on the gravel in front of June then ducked under the entryway’s roof to get out of the hail. “Crazy storm for this time of year,” he commented.

“Yep,” June agreed, buttoning her lip to avoid mentioning this was kinda her fault but not really.

June’s awkward silence didn’t last very long. She could see her stepfather was obviously not doing well. He had a small cut on his jawline which absolutely had come from trying to trim his fur with a knife, and his face looked tighter than it should be, a clear sign of dehydration.

June frowned and gestured to Night’s cut. “You okay?”

“Ah…” He shrugged his wings. “Just… Getting used to doing my own barbering.”

“Mom didn’t want to help?” June asked, raising an eyebrow.

Night frowned. “She… Didn’t tell you? I… Put her and Lime up in a hotel in town. It’s… Rougher than I thought, but your changeling friend’s friends are helping me make progress. Should be good living out there by… Well, before winter. I think.”

June nodded, not wanting to push the clearly distressed stallion any further on a subject he was clearly way over his head in. Fortunately for her, Night provided his own out for the subject by dipping his head towards Enox.

“Whose foal is that?”

“Oh! That’s Enox. They’re just short as heck. Kinda cute, really,” June commented idly, wondering what her father saw Enox as given the town’s privacy illusions.

Night squinted at Enox for a moment then snorted in surprise. “Oh! Yeah. No filly’s got flanks like that. Wow, poor things parents must have been real poor. No way anyone’s that short without having been malnourished. She live here?”

“Nah, they’re here to install AC,” June commented as she pointed to the doors with a hoof. “Let’s go watch the game, should be on in a few minutes. Oh! Speaking of AC, I borrowed a magical statute to keep things cool till the AC’s in. Don’t touch it, don’t move it, just leave it the heck on the coffee table. I don’t know how much it cost, but I don’t want to pay for it, and I don’t want to have to sleep without cooling again.”

Night nodded twice. “Don’t worry. I won't go near it. I can feel the heat coming off that radio telescope. I don’t envy you having to sleep with that thing on,” he trotted to the door and opened it for June. “You know, you could spend the night at home if you’d like. Nice and cool in the tent!”

“Maybe,” June said in that way which everypony knows really means ‘no’.

The two walked into the common room where Dew was back to playing with her legos. She looked up and waved to Night. “Hi!”

“Okay, that one is definitely a foal,” Night commented before then looking at Dew and growing. “Uh, sorry. I mean Hi. There’s just a very short mare outside and—”

Night turned to June, having spotted the case of beer June had left out for the game. “Did you leave a kid unattended around alcohol?”

June rolled her eyes. “Her mom’s fine with it, and I don’t think Dew even wants it. Right?”

Dew shook her head. “Nope! You can keep all of your spoiled barley water.”

“Ah. Well… I guess that’s fine then,” Night grunted making his way to the couch. “So, these are common apartments?”

“Mhm,” June said as she joined him on the couch. “Right now it’s just me, the maintenance mare Sam and her filly Dew, and my assistant Violet.”

“Can I meet them?”

June shook her head and picked the TV remote off the coffee table. “Sorry. Violet’s recalibrating the telescopes since the storm threw them off, and Sam’s beat from working a triple. She’ll be fine, she sleeps in the basement. It’s cooler and quieter. We can make all the noise we want.”

Night nodded idly, then seemed to perk up for a moment. “Oh! Uh, I got you something.”

“What?”

Night dug into his saddlebag and took out a folded piece of poster paper. “Stopped at the store. Couldn’t find those snack bars you like—”

“Oh, those will only show up at a store that does Neighpone imports,” June interrupted helpfully.

“Mmm… Uh, anyways, I got you the poster for the latest Boiler Knight’s movie.” Night said, handing over the folded poster.

June took it and nodded as gratefully as she could. Great… Cool… I won't mention that folding it was stupid. He’s having a hard enough time.

“Thanks. I’ll put it up later,” she said, setting the poster down on the end table next to the couch. “Game should be on.”

June flicked the TV on. Its massive 48 inch tube crackled and hummed to life, forming a grainy but passable color image of a stadium in Fillydelphia where an announcer was in the middle of opening remarks.

“— 88th National Hoofball League playoffs! Tonight, we have a titanic clash between the Manehatten Metros and the Detrot Cabbies. The Metros have been struggling to retain their lead from last season, and they are led by their new star quarterback—”

“Oh good! We haven’t missed anything,” Night said smiling though still very obviously tense.

He’s sitting like he expects a timberwolf to pounce. I… I think I won't comment on that. He could probably use a relaxing afternoon without being reminded of his stupid ass decision.

“Should be a good game… I’ll put having to get up to get the snacks all game down on the Metros scoring the first point,” June said with a playful swish of her tail.

“With this year’s lineup?” Night laughed. “I’ll take that bet.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

The opening game of the 88th NHL playoffs was truly a game to remember. A full hour of overtime with both teams tied at six, coming down to a series of 13 plays to finish an 80-meter drive ending in a single point being scored by the skin of the Cabbies teeth. It would go down in history as the closest game ever played.

June had been on the edge of her seat for most of the game. Night had gotten into it as well, though seemed to be more into the snacks and drinks than the game itself. June couldn’t help but notice that, though she was glad he cheered as much as she did when either team had scored or pulled off an unbelievable play.

Both of them spent a good hour talking about the game after it had finished.

“It’s a shame that wasn’t the championship round,” Night said, shaking his head as he stood up from the couch. “It will be hard to get invested in the rest of the playoffs after that opening.”

“Right?” June asked with a goofy grin. “Next game’s tomorrow. Want to drop by? If not I’ll tape it and we can watch when you’ve got time.”

Night paused, biting his lip for a moment, then sighed. “I— I don’t.” he admitted slowly. “There’s a lot of work to do, and it needs to get done fast. I— I might hire some people to help. I want your mom to want to move back in.”

June’s enthusiasm dropped a few notches. “You mentioned she’s in a hotel? Which one? I can drop by, say hello.”

Night sighed and shrugged his wings. “I— I can’t remember the name. It’s the one on Mane Street.”

June nodded understandingly and smiled.

Both hotels are next to each other on Mane Street. If he doesn't know that… Yeah, mom took Lime and left.

“Well, you have to admit, none of us were exactly outdoorsy. It’s probably for the best she can stay somewhere with a toilet till you have one out there,” June commented.

“Yeah…” Night said, his shoulders and ears slumping. “I put up an outhouse, but that wasn’t good enough. The part I hate is I can't totally blame her for it. But…”

Night trailed off and shook his head. “Eh, it doesn't matter. It’s just a transition. Tape the game for me, please. I’ll make time as soon as I can.”

June stepped over and gave him a tight hug. “I’ll tape the whole series and we’ll watch it together. I’ll try not to read the scores, okay?”

Night smiled for a moment. A genuine, touched, heartfelt smile. “Thanks, Junebug. I have to get going. It’s late and I need to wake up early to meet the septic tank guy.”

June giggled. “I was right about you not wanting to dig that, huh?”

Night snorted. “Nope! I want to after seeing how much it costs to have somepony do it for you. Thing is, those are more complicated than Princess Cadence’s porn stash.”

June tilted her head back and laughed. Night joined her, glad his joke had an impact.

“Not that complicated. Its index is only four primary layers deep, it even fits on a single HD-DVD. The index, I mean.” Enox commented from the basement stairs as she came up.

Night stopped laughing, blinked, then gestured to Enox. “I rest my case.”

June smiled and shook her head. “Well, I should probably see what the damage is. Have a good night dad, and uh… If you want, you can take the leftovers.”

Night’s ears perked. “I would like that very much!” He said, moving to the coffee table and quickly taking the last three beers and plate of sandwiches, placing them carefully into his saddlebags.

Enox stood waiting at the top of the stairs until Night finished packing up, gave June one last hug, then walked out of the Observatory, closing the door and visibly taking off.

June cleared her throat, turned to the alien and asked the question which had been bothering her all night. “So… He’s not white listed. What does he see you as?”

“A tiny green mare with a black mane,” Enox reported, snickering as if that was some kind of in joke.

June blinked, just now noticing Enox’s lack of a mane. “Is… Is it funny because your species is bald?”

“No… You wouldn’t get it. It’s an old network thing,” Enox said, then sighed. Their vox didn’t translate the sigh, but the air bubbles coming from their mouth and nose and her forlorn expression made it abundantly clear what Enox was doing.

June flinched. “Oh… Were you one of the Old Web ponies? I’m sorry that mass adoption and social networks screwed everything up… Honestly the old web sounds like a place I would have loved. I’ve grown outwards a bit, but I used to be the shy nerdy geek who just painted inordinately expensive plastic miniatures and read fanfiction.”

Enox’s ears perked. “Battlemace?”

June’s tail lifted slightly. “Yes!”

“Got your army still?”

June’s ears and tail fell. “No…”

“Bah!” Enox said, waving a hoof. “Give me a day’s warning and I’ll get a 2,000 point army ready for you. I’ve got Gryphons and Dragons for guests, I run an Iron Line company.”

June snorted, grinned knowingly, and bent down to get on Enox’s level. “Nice try… But I’ll see you in a few paychecks when I can have an army capable of fighting that and becoming something other than paste. I run Cadites.”

Enox bounced from hoof to hoof in a little happy dance for a moment before eeping audibly despite their helmet and blushing awkwardly. “Uh… Anyways, your HVAC system! Found out a few things.”

June flicked her tail, doing her best to hide her amusement and delight at getting a fellow nerd to do a happy dance at the thought of a real challenge in a mutual hobby.

“So!” Enox said, doing their best to look serious. “First off, you have HVAC. Like, already.”

June tilted her head. “You… Installed one? How? Is there another entrance you took the—”

Enox lifted a hoof and shook her head rapidly. “No, there’s one installed. It’s just that somepony took all the thermostats off and replaced them with ones that only control the heat, and powered the AC off.”

“But why?” June asked, her eyes narrowing irritably. “And can we hurt them?”

“There’s a good reason, but it’s also a very bad reason.” Enox promised.

June gestured for Enox to continue. The alien pony cleared her throat and looked June square in the eye. “I shit you not, but… The Aurora Borealis.”

June blinked several times. “T— The northern lights?”

“Yep!” Enox said, nodding as any professional contractor would.

“At this time of year, in this part of the country, localized entirely within our AC unit?” June interrogated.

“Yep!” Enox practically bounced with visible joy.

June paused for a long moment. “Are you pulling my tail?”

“Nope!”

“Can I see it?”

“Yes!” Enox said, thrilled to be able to break the pattern at last, taking June by the hoof and leading her towards the stairs.

Enox led June into the basement, past a slumbering Sam who June noticed had been encased in some kind of pink force field which Enox insisted was a ‘silencer’, and into an open door with a sign making it as the Utility Room. The room was filled with parts of a halfway disassembled industrial heat pump, the type designed to move warm air to a proper heat exchanger and air conditioner.

The pump’s main chamber had been opened, revealing a series of rippling green, lavender, and red ribbons of etheric plasma that flowed in a nonexistent wind, looking for all the world like the northern lights, only tiny and entirely fixed in place within the confines of the heat pump.

“What. The. Buck?” June demanded of reality.

“Yeah, this needs an Object ID for sure,” Enox commented as they stepped over to the ruins of an industrial appliance and pointed into the chamber. “There’s supposed to be a bunch of stuff in here that does the, you know, moving of heat. This bit of the system is what pulls the hot air out of the building and moves it to the roof where the heat gets extracted by your rooftop units. But, it’s gutted. So, you need a new one of these things but first, a field agent has to remove this before I can put in a new one… Then I’ll have to replace all your thermostats.”

June blinked and shook her head to get the confusion out. “But… But why wouldn’t this have been moved or contained, like, when it happened? Clearly somepony knew when it happened!”

Enox nodded and reached into their tool belt to remove an old faded sticky note. “I found this on the pump inside the housing, but it won’t help.”

June took the note with her wingtip and read it out loud.

“I did a thing. Sorry.” June stared at the note silently as the confusion came back in full force.

“Yeah… I’m guessing this was a troll of some kind,” Enox commented with a casual nod. “Anyways, the good news is once CARE gets around to unbucking this mess, I can get this sorted in like, an afternoon.”

“What’s the bad news? Or is it that this mess exists?” June asked as she handed Enox back the note.

“Bad news is my work orders say ‘Be on site every day until the job’s done.’ and I’m taking them completely literally because Apple Brandy deserves a lifetime of malicious compliance. So, you’re stuck with me chilling here, being useless unless there’s an emergency for… I don’t know. Week or so?” Enox shrugged.

June raised an eyebrow. “Why is that a problem? You seem cool!”

Enox’s eyes sparkled. Literally. Tiny points of white light shimmered in them as if somepony ran a flashlight across glitter.

June felt her heart melt. Oh, my, Celestia! Has nopony ever complimented her? Also why don’t ponies do that? That was so cute!

“In that case,” Enox said, starting to grin like an absolute manic gremlin. “Want to go online, find a Galaxy Quest fan board, then I start talking about warp cores using real physics and watch the nerds call me an idiot while all the math geeks and physicists start having a conniption as everything I say checks out?”

June did not have the words to explain just how much she wanted to see some geeks unknowingly argue the workings of a warp core with somepony who had actually used one.

“Yes. Just, all of my yes!”

Quietly, June removed prioritizing looking for singles from her to-do list.

“So hey,” Enox asked, thinking back to the bioscan she’d run. Specifically how June’s vital signs were all present and working, but her cells were not dividing. Bodymods were always a favorite topic of hers to discuss. “How long have you been undead?”

June stopped in her tacks. “I’m sorry what!?”

9 - Batrachology

Containment Breach Report 978 - 3rd of Thanksgiving, 4 EoH
Recorded via Retro Temporal Scrying

Case Note 01: The CARE Council's assessment establishes the absence of culpability among the involved entities concerning the third breach transpiring on the 3rd day of Thanksgiving, 4 EoH, within the premises of the Evergreen Falls facility. All pertinent parties adhered to established protocols, and preemptive identification of the emotional parasite responsible for the breach was infeasible due to its exclusive detectability by entities native to its dimension of origin.

The nightmare loomed behind its would-be victim. Were it a creature of flesh and blood, its body would have been haggard, its skin taught, and eyes sunken. Dewey Decimal had proved an ideal host to escape destruction, but a terrible choice for survival.

The not-so-young mare’s curse and extended lifespan simply produced a pony with fears too abstract for the nightmare to exploit. It could turn a lover into an enemy, create a physical monster, turn public opinion against its host, inflict ailments, and other such things. Dew feared none of these things. She had faced them all before, enough to treat them with the uncaring attitude of a retail worker on their third shift of the day.

Dew lay in the living room, playing with her building bricks, enjoying the moment while subconsciously dreadding her inevitable fate of freezing to death in the vacuum of space after the last star burned out. A common fear held by many immortals with sufficient science education.

The nightmare could not replicate such peril. In truth, it feared much the same. What would it do when the universe could no longer support its prey? How then would it feed itself?

Perhaps it was the terror reflected onto the nightmare from Dew’s subconscious keeping it pinned to her. It could change hosts, find sustenance with ease. Yet it behaved much like an abused dog, laying in a single place, dreading offending its master.

Dew’s ears perked as June’s distressed voice called out from the basement.

“I’m sorry what!?”

The filly swiveled her ears to focus on the sound, curious as always to anything interesting happening around her. The nightmare shifted its attention as well. There was dread in those words. Perhaps there was sustenance to be had.

Enox’s digitized voice followed her exclamation. “When I ran a bioscan on you earlier, which I did to determine your gender since I’m awful at pegging it visually, I noticed your basic biological processes are all functioning normally, but your cells are not dividing. This state is a form of undeath. Typically employed to—”

“Show me!” June demanded.

Dew frowned for a moment, groaned, and facehooved. “Dammit, Dusk!”

The nightmare turned its attention back to its host, mistaking her empathetic distress for fear. It settled back down upon realizing there was nothing to eat within the emotion.

Dew stood up and walked into her room. It was decorated very simply. Bright orange painted walls, a few posters showing nice landscapes, and a glass faced cabinet holding small trophies and keepsakes from other worlds. Dew trotted to her bedside cabinet and picked up a small device best described as a ‘black mirror’ and pressed her hoof against the face.

She manipulated it with a few quick hoof taps, inducing the machine to light up with various runes and ring like a phone. The nightmare paused and leaned through the connection the device created. It was arcane in nature, a dimensional rift rather than a simple construct of electromagnetism.

The link resolved, and the nightmare could see a small, messy, dilapidated apartment on the other side. A white furred earth pony mare lay on a dingy sofa, surrounded by empty beers and pizza boxes while watching cartoons on a strangely flat television.

“New phone, who dis?” The white mare said into her own identical device. Which simply floated next to her head for no discernible reason.

“Dusk? It’s Dew. You uh… You forgot to fully rez June,” Dew said politely but with audible irritation.

“I did?” Dusk asked, frowning slightly before casually bending the fabric of space time to look at June across several barriers it ought to have been impossible for anything short of a god to look through.

The nightmare, despite its low intelligence, suddenly understood it should hide, and retreated into Dew’s deep subconscious. The view of the apartment vanished, leaving only what Dew herself could detect with her limited mortal senses.

“Oh shit, I did!” Dusk’s voice exclaimed from the device. “I had to run to save Violet. Can’t exactly resurrect a robot.”

“I’m not scolding you or anything, she just found out and she’s scared. Maybe fix it?” Dew suggested in that way which isn’t really a suggestion that girls use sometimes.

“Let her know you overheard and called me. I’ll be there in five minutes,” Dusk said before hanging up.

Dew stood put her device back on the bedside table, frowning at it for a moment and wondering how it could get a signal at home, but not when she took it with her on her adventures, then trotted back into the common room, passing through it on her way to June and Enox.

“I literally don’t understand how this could have happened!” June shout-cried, holding her head in her hooves as she sat on the floor.

Enox shrugged. “I thought you’d had it done intentionally for immortality. I was going to offer you some nanomachines to heal you from inevitable injuries since, well, no cell division means no healing.”

“No!” June shouted, her ears flicking back. “That explains why my HRT potions haven't finished… Buck me, they’d better finish up once I get this fixed. HOW do I get this fixed!?”

The nightmare stirred. Fear! Food. Not within its host, but within proximity. Perhaps, at an opportune time, it could make the jump. It only needed a moment with its host unobserved…

Dew cleared her throat and knocked on the wall with one hoof, getting both mare’s attention.

“Hey. Overheard the problem,” Dew began.

“You don’t happen to be a necromancer, do you?” June pleaded, her eyes wet with tears.

Dew shook her head. “No, but Dusk’s even better than a necromancer. And, frankly, she probably did this in the first place. How did you meet?”

June tilted her head, frowning for a moment. “I fell into a lake and… Oh. Oh I like, fully drowned. I’d thought she’d pulled me out in time, but I guess not.” June arched an eyebrow. “Wait, if she raised me from the dead like this, how can she fix this?”

Dew smirked. “She forgot to raise you all the way because she ran off to save Violet. It’s okay, she’ll teleport in and fix it in a little bit.”

June sighed in relief. “Oh thank buck.”

Enox’s ears twitched. “Why do you ponies always swear by sex, but when someone offers to take you to orbit for a little medical play you almost always go all prude?”

June snickered. “Wait, you actually do the whole probing thing?”

Dew tilted her head. “Didn’t you tell Sam no one does that? The abduction and experiment thing I mean?”

Enox blinked, then facehooved. “I forget you think like a kid sometimes. No Dew, with my species functionally extinct, no one is abducting people, experimenting on them, and putting them back on their homeworld for shits and giggles. If Sam had been taken for experiments by anyone around now, she’d never have been returned to Equis.”

“Oh, then what did you mean?”

June giggled. “She’s talking about the whole ‘aliens kidnapped me and did stuff to my butt’ urban legend.”

Enox smiled and rocked back on her hooves. “I make a point of abducting one lonely internet dweller a month who’s publicly posted a plea for anyone to boink them. They get their wish, I get to have some fun, and the package deal includes a detailed lecture on how and when to shower, a gift basket of deodorant samples, and a copy of Cadence’s Guide to Getting Some. Then I dump them in a crop circle somewhere near their home. It’s a public service, really.”

Dew’s face went blank. “Gross… Sometimes I’m glad I don’t grow up.”

Suddenly and without warning, Dusk was there. She existed in front of Dew, a few steps from June. There was no flash, no warping of thaumic flow. Only a jumpcut within reality itself.

The nightmare attempted to pull deeper into Dew’s subconscious. There were no greater depths to plumb.

Dusk spoke before June could react with more than an angry ear flick.

“Sorry about that! Normally I don’t miss accidentally leaving somepony as an animated corpse—”

June’s ears finished flicking back. “You could have told me I’d died! And what were you even doing, not just bringing me back all the way to begin with?!”

Dusk sighed and swished her tail. “Okay so… You set me up for a great joke by thinking I’m a changeling queen, but I’m not.”

“You’re not?”

“She’s Death, capital D.” Dew commented factually.

June stared blankly.

Dusk sighed and manifested a business card with a flick of her hoof. “Here, use your degree. I am Deus-Custos Dusk Vitae.”

June’s eyes slowly widened as the card itself delivered the truth of Dusk’s nature directly to her very soul. “O— Oh…”

“You have no idea how much of a plot pain it was before I thought to make those cards,” Dusk commented idly. “Anyways, before you ask, Normally I don’t animate and stabilize people. Normally I talk to you god to soul, let you get your whole ‘I just died’ emotions sorted out, then pop you where you belong. But… Well, I typically give out second chances to people like you. It’s best if I do that without taking you off the mortal plane. Less paperwork, less physical work for me.”

“And… And you partially raise them to… Check for will to live?” June asked with a morbid shiver.

Dusk nodded. “Mhm. If someone wants to move on to my realm, I don’t stop them. Unless their reason why is shit. Sorry for forgetting to fully raise you. I’ll fix that for you… Uh, I’m not Life though and you’ve been like this for a few weeks and have a couple potions working in you. There may be some minor errors.”

June arched an eyebrow. She didn’t need to say anything for Dusk to answer her question.

Dusk scratched the back of her head. “Typically, I raise people by simply rejecting their entry into death. Since you’re undead right now, you fall into my realm and I can work on you. I know I can restore you to life, but since I don’t do this very often—”

“Aren’t you a god?” Enox asked, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“I am, but your concept of what gods are and can do is probably incorrect,” Dusk said rather quickly. “I’m basically just a Customer Service Rep for the least important part of reality. Cosmically speaking. I love you guys. My bosses don’t care much. They do things like keep gravity working. In mortal terms, I’mma sysamin for this particular domain of reality.”

“Ah,” Enox said with a frown. “So… It’s bureaucracy all the way down then? Glad we killed our gods.”

Dusk raised an eyebrow. “More trouble than they were worth?”

Enox shook her head. “Nah. Textbooks said they were delicious.”

Everypony stared at her for a moment.

“What? I always tell people my species were dicks.”

Dusk nodded, remembering sending those ‘gods’ to their final resting place long ago, then turned her attention back to June. “When I restart things, those potions will likely snap finished, and more importantly, that will be just the way your body naturally is. Like, healing potions will return it to this state. Is there anything I should try and fix?”

June nodded immediately. “Joint pain and morning sickness. Cheap potion has my body thinking I’m pregnant. Uh, could a doctor fix things afterwards?”

Dusk blinked, then smiled. “Oh, right! Yeah. That’s not a problem. Sorry, last time I did this for somepony, doctors hadn’t been invented yet. Let me just…” Dusk extended a hoof and the nightmare felt reality shift, warp, and take on a new form.

June grit her teeth, her knees buckling as a sudden burning pain spread across her entire body for an instant. “OW! What the—”

“Sorry, had to force those potions finished to tackle the joints,” Dusk apologized. “Pain should be—”

“It’s gone,” June said with a sigh of relief. “Thanks… Enox?”

The alien mare quickly ran another scan then nodded. “You’re good. Wait… Uh, your telomeres are not shortening when cells divide.”

“Is that bad?” June asked, not being a biology or biochem major she genuinely had no idea.

Enox shrugged. “Don’t know. I don’t have those.”

“It’s fine,” Dusk said off hoof. “Just means you’ll age slower, have a slightly smaller risk of cancer… Probably has some kind of complication though. I can fix that later, but it will take me time to work out how. Or see any licensed biomancer. I’ve gotta go, I was in the middle of something important.”

June responded with a quick hug. “Okay. thanks. Glad we could resolve this quickly.”

“Me too. I’m going to split before you realize me being real means you want to ask me a million questions about life, the universe, and everything,” Dusk said as she vanished into thin air.

“You mean forty two?” Enox asked, seemingly genuinely, at the space Dusk had been standing.

“I— Dammnit!” June said huffing and stomping a hoof as exactly what Dusk mentioned happened just as she left.

Enox giggled and grinned, resolving not to mention that Dew somehow had Death on speed dial to see if June would remember how and why Dusk showed up to begin with. Instead, since she was short enough to notice…

“Was one of your potions intended to cause teat development?” Enox asked.

June’s ears flicked back as she rocked her hips side to side to check how bad everything was in terms of weight and sloshing. Okay, that’s… Annoying.

“No… That was a side effect,” June grumbled to herself and everypony else. “Which I forgot to tell her was a side effect… And now they’ll just be like that till I have a doc fix it. Cool…”

Dew shrugged her wings and yawned. “I mean, at least if you get cut or burnt while cooking it will heal up. Also, you have full health care.”

June opened her mouth, then closed it. “Point. I’ll just make an appointment with… Whoever in town can fix these.”

Dew nodded and turned to leave, her mission complete. “Since I’m Enox’s height, I should point out that your skirt will hide that for anypony much taller than us.”

“I can stand on tiphooves if you’re too embarrassed,” Enox joked, knowing ponies had no nudity taboo.

June cracked a smile and laughed. “More like irritated. If she’d done her job right, these would have just reached full size, then shrank away normally. Now I need to see a doc about it, and anything else I forgot to mention, like the idiot I am sometimes. It’s just… Irritating.”

“I’ve got my suit’s bioscanner. We could go to your room and I could do a basic exam. Project some holograms. Work out everything you forgot to mention to Dusk as a problem,” Enox offered, sounding a little shy about her offer.

“I’d like that,” June agreed happily. “Thanks!”

The nightmare tasted just, for the briefest instant, a small moat of fear as Dew worried she’d have to endure the sound of the two bucking all night. It surged, slipping free from her subconscious that it might feast on—

Wait. The walls are concrete. I won’t hear anything if they do hook up. Good! Dew thought to herself, flicking her tail happily.

It always bothered her when she ran into a couple getting to be, well, a couple. After all, she never would. The nightmare had repeatedly tried to manifest something using that fear too. Unfortunately, Dew was entirely resigned to being single forever. An accepted fate is not one feared, nor is irritation dread.

The nightmare knew then it must leave its current host, or die. It also knew it had minutes of life to live without a host. It was far too hungry to be picky. June would have to do.

Dew turned a corner. Nopony could see her. Had she not known where she was, she would have stepped into another realm. Instead, the nightmare stepped out of her mind, appearing as a thin wisp of dull gray light for the brief moment it existed at the threshold of Dew’s mind and the outside world.

Once entirely free of its incompatible host, the nightmare oozed along the floor, racing between the carpet fibers as it followed June and Enox to June’s room.

The nightmare cared for nothing in the room other than the mare in the suit and its target. The room was a black void to the parasite. It needed but an unobserved moment, and it would take the very first it could get. It did not have time to stalk its prey.

But it did have time to plan.

It had heard June voice her fear. That her current form would be permanent. The nightmare did not know or care why, or stop to consider the implications. It only knew there was a fear, albeit a small one, which it could do something with and thereby end its starvation. It readied itself, prepared to act as soon as it had its moment.

“So, do I lay down or what?” June asked as Enox shut the door behind her.

“Nah. Just let me fire up the scanner from passive to active and—”

The nightmare felt a wave of dark magic ripple over it.

“— Oop!” Enox commented as her scanner illuminated the nightmare’s presence for her and her alone. “Hang on a sec. Gotta sterilize the theater.”

Enox reached out with her magic and seized the nightmare, pulling it physically towards her and forcing the creature to stare into her eyes. For the first time, the alien within the suit became visible to the nightmare.

It screamed, for it knew the abyss staring into it. It knew the ravages and horrors these beings had unleashed upon its kind “for the lulz”.

Enox ordered the nightmare telepathically to avoid frightening her new friend.

The nightmare didn’t need to be told twice. It had no desire to be trapped in a gem to power a device by being tortured for all eternity. It slid under June’s door and raced towards the next nearest host, a mare it could sense at the very limits of its host-free perception.

The nightmare slid down the stairs, pooling itself for a moment at the base of the steps. There it languished like a frightened dog until it had regained its composure. It slid towards the sleeping mare, sensing her sharply enough to begin formulating a plan for feasting upon her fears.

Sam’s fears were simple enough. Having to go to work. No twisting or manipulating needed. The nightmare could simply exist within her and regain all the strength it had lost to that infernal filly.

A shadow next to Sam’s bed warped, bulged, and distended outwards as Princess Luna shadow-stepped to Sam’s side. She sat down and lit her horn, preparing to cast a series of spells to heal and restore the poor overworked mare out of pity for her abused state to proper health.

The nightmare, not being sapient enough to understand anything other than “AAAAAA! BIGGER FISH!” turned and ran up the stairs and out of the observatory in total panic, entirely unaware it was currently so weak and pathetic Luna hadn’t even noticed it.

The nightmare raced into the woods near the observatory, forgetting in its panic how close to death it was. Within a few minutes it left the area shielded by the observatory’s thaumic dampener. The instant it was beyond the perimeter, something spoke to the nightmare.

It did not speak in words, nor did it convey its thoughts telepathically. There were no words, no emotions. Pure mathematical truth which resolved into a declaration of intent and will.

The nightmare could not refuse the speaker's words. It was entranced. Its existence before this moment was irrelevant. It may as well never have happened. It had but one purpose. It had only ever had one purpose.

To heed the demands of this great elder thing in its realm far below the world, and move a piece of wood.

The nightmare raced for Evergreen Falls. It didn’t care that it was rapidly dying. It had enough time to be of service.

It reached the edge of town and slipped into a small home through a crack in the wall. Russet was asleep, dreaming of the day his neighbor Silk would be sane once more so he could ask her out. Exactly the sort of victim a nightmare prefers, a simple easily twisted aspect of reality which could cause endless torment, horror, and fear.

The nightmare didn’t care any more.

It entered Russet, latched onto his brain, and forced him to move. The possessed pony jerked and jolted, moving in a clearly possessed fashion with such start-stop jitteriness that he awoke in a panic.

“I— What? The buck’s happening!?”

The nightmare burned its very essence to continue directly piloting its chosen vessel. It forced the panicked and screaming stallion out of his home, down the sidewalk, and to the retracted bridge across Silk’s moat.

“NO!” Russet yelped as he realized what the alien force was making his body do. “NO! THEY WILL BLAME ME, PLEASE DON'T!”

A few passers by turned to see where the yelling was coming from. None of them were close enough to do anything.

The nightmare resisted Russet’s attempts to wrest control back, visibly struggling.

“Oh, oh you can be fought!” Russet growled. “Come on you piece of crap! Can’t take a stallion one on one can you?”

Russet forced the creature back for a long moment, managing to step back from the short bridge. The nightmare redoubled its efforts, lunged forwards and smashed into the timber, splitting Russet’s lip… And making the bridge shake against the two locks which held it firmly closed.

“Ha! It’s locked, looser! What’s your ghost ass going to do now—”

The nightmare burned half its remaining life to warp reality and undo the locks. They clicked open with two loud snaps, their warded mechanisms protesting but unable to resist turning.

“Oh, come on!” Russet growled, putting everything he had into pulling himself away from the bridge.

The nightmare could not fail its master. It burned everything it had, threw Russet’s influence aside, and shoved the bridge forwards. The wood scraped across the sidewalk, the roller wheels squeaked, a soft thump echoed down the street as the bridge connected with the yard on the opposite side of the moat.

Deep within her home, Silk’s ears twitched.

Russet yelped and moved to yank the bridge back.

A fully feral Silkwing burst through the stone wall of her home, moving too fast for most ponies to react to, and lunged for the stallion she could smell through the gap in the mystical barriers keeping her caged. Russet yelped, recoiling as his love in the form of a rotting corpse tackled him to the ground.

Her mouth opened wide, her fangs glittered in the dark, her neck jerked forward. The specific scent of this particular prey dinked against Silk’s heart. This was not food, this was mate!

Silk’s devouring bite morphed into a peck on the cheek mid lunge.

“Aww!” Russet couldn’t help but squeak, terrified and also quite happy.

Silk hissed at her mate to let them know she was hungry and would not be sharing then vanished into the night to find prey that was prey and not mate.

“Oh, shit…” Russet commented, realizing what was about to happen just as the nightmare finished fading from reality.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Raven Inkwell - 3rd of Thanksgiving, 4 EoH
Palace of the Sun - Canterlot

Raven looked at the clock on her desk. She’d waited four hours after Luna had left. There had been no phone calls. No angry emails. Whatever Luna was up to, it was somehow okay. She could go home. There was still time to grab a meal at a late night diner with her—

The phone rang, presumably for Raven daring to think she could have a personal life today.

Raven closed her eyes tightly for a moment, reached out with her hoof, picked up the handset and held the phone to her ear.

“Regent Inkwell speaking.”

“Field Agent Lulamoon reporting,” Trixie said over the phone. “I have an alpha priority statement and was told to take it directly to you.”

Raven held the phone away from her mouth to sigh irritably. She’d assigned Trixie to investigate Evergreen Fall’s corruption last week. The mare had been irritated, apparently she’d wanted to talk to a friend about something… But one did not simply say no to an Internal Affairs assignment.

Not even the mare who’d issued the assignment.

“What have you found?”

“First, we’re compromised. At least one suspect knows we’re investigating and that I am part of the team.”

Raven swore under her breath. “Right… Abort. I’ll change agents immediately.”

“Before I abort, there’s more,” Trixie said firmly. “This afternoon, an anomaly was discovered at the Hackamore Valley Observatory. It had been covered up. PoI 2 heard about it when I did, then found me, revealed our operation is known to this facility, and offered to spill the beans on the whole affair, while within a zone affected by my own truth telling spell. They want legal immunity, and permission to keep working on Object 92.”

Raven blinked twice. “Pardon? Five years of corruption, embezzling, and—”

“He’s genuinely willing to talk.”

Raven thought for a few minutes about what could be so important and/or catastrophic about the appearance of one new anomaly that somepony would betray criminal allies of at least five years when everypony involved was some form of secret agent or another.

Nothing good. Raven concluded. We have to know.

“Is this line secure?” Raven asked.

“Yes ma’am. PoI 2 cannot overhear either of us right now. I’m in a silence bubble… And I don't exactly have much air left, as I had to call two ponies under you before being told to report directly, ma’am,” Trixie answered, knowing full well Raven didn’t mean the phone connection itself.

“What’s the anomaly?”

“I don’t know. It was reported by a maintenance technician half an hour ago. Investigators are getting their equipment together as we speak. PoI 2, he knows. He absolutely knows. He was terrified. Then he approached me.”

Raven nodded to herself. The downside to making a truly silent zone was no air cold move in or out of the spell. Somepony should work on a better version of that.

“Tell him we accept the offer, but he has to talk to me personally before he gets his immunity. For the record, he’s not getting immunity. You will escort and guard him as a prisoner not an informant. Understood?”

“Understood,” Trixie answered. “I—”

Trixie was cut off by the sound of wood splintering, tile shattering, and metal bending as something burst through the floor under her, penetrating the bubble and causing the changeling to fall with a yelp.

“Agent Lulamoon? Report!” Raven said, sitting forwards in her chair as she switched to active management mode.

“Under attack. Standby,” Trixie said as she jumped back up through the hole. “Oh… ponyfeathers…”

“Report!” Raven demanded.

“PoI 2 is dead, and you can abort Silk’s emergency blood delivery. She got out. Somehow. Probably some idiot kicked the bridge.”

“It… It wasn’t locked? It’s supposed to be locked when retracted.”

“I have no idea, ma’am. But given the amount of horseapples going on here I’ve found so far—”

Raven took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Buck…” She groaned. “Agent Lulamoon, you’re off the corruption case. Find out what in Celestia’s name let Silk breach containment… And… Let her finish eating. I don’t want anypony else dying tonight, and it will save the janitors a little work.”

“Understood,” Trixie said, hanging up and being incredibly glad that the vampire had no taste for changelings, disguised or otherwise.

Raven spun her chair to face the wall and punched it as hard as she could.

I’m going to have to handle investigating that new anomaly personally…

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Junebug - 4th of Thanksgiving, 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

“Hey sis, can you two move real quick?”

June jolted awake, her head pounding from at least one too many drinks last night. She shook herself slightly, prompting a soft, adorable sounding moan from Enox who was laying in a blanket nest with her, out of her suit (albeit with a small breath mask on), head across her belly like a pillow.

“Uhhh…” June squeaked, ears flattening down. Okay… So… Not the first time I’ve gotten drunk and hooked up with somepony but—

“Please? Heavy…” Violet whimpered.

June looked up, spotting Violet holding a large window air conditioner on her back and shoulder, and realized her and Enox’s blanket nest was directly under her room’s window.

“Y— Yea, sorry,” June apologized, nudging Enox’s head with her hoof to wake her up.

Oh wow, that’s soft!

“She feels like a memory foam pillow wrapped in silicone,” June remarked to Violet.

“Cool. Congrats on getting a marefriend. But, like, this is digging into my back and it hurts.”

Enox opened her eyes in that way drunk people do when they’d rather just not move. “Wah?”

“We gotta move… Violet needs to install a window AC. Also uh… Did we bang or—”

Enox rolled over, wincing, arched her back like a cat, wagged her little reptilian stubby tail, then bent her neck around to look at her hind quarters. “I’m not stretched out and I don’t taste anything… So no.”

She trotted to one side to let Violet pass, followed by June a moment later. The two sat awkwardly on the bed for a moment before Enox telekinetically opened the window to help Violet, only to hiss in anger and pain as the sunlight smacked her in the eyes.

“Thanks,” Violet grunted as she levered the AC unit into place.

“What did we do?” June asked, holding her head gently. “We checked for medical issues… Hung out online trolling people—”

Enox giggled and nodded, then winced. “Ow… Yeah we did. Fuck you, atmosphere. Get below fifteen percent O-two…”

“Shouldn’t you get your suit on?” Violet asked as she shimmied the AC into place. “Don’t you need that?”

June frowned noticing her fur was damp and discreetly sniffed her groin, just to be double sure nothing untowards had happened. “... Why does my fur smell like beer?”

Enox tilted her neck and gently turned June’s head with her magic to show June the gills on her neck as they opened and leaked a small amount of pale amber fluid.

“Me. Breathing. Sorry,” she grumbled. “I’m fine in your air. Just got hammered. I think? I think I wanted to…”

June’s ears perked. “We played a drinking game!”

Enox winced at June’s shout. “Ow… Yea. Uh… Take a shot every time Princess Twilight says friendship during her ascension speech?”

June nodded. “Yeah… We did that… Terrible idea.”

“Terrible,” Enox agreed.

“I thought you didn’t sleep,” Violet commented as she lowered the window to secure the AC unit in place. “Sam said so.”

“I can pass out,” Enox yawned, checking her mask. “Oh shit, it’s almost out. Anyone got anything over 20 percent abv?”

Suddenly, something clicked for both other ponies present. Enox was speaking. In Equish. In a very cute feminine voice with a distinct accent. That was purely organic.

Violet snickered and put a hoof to her lips. “Soooo, is that translator box on your suit—”

“A massive troll,” Enox yawned. “Tell nopony.”

June grinned and giggled then winced and held a hoof to her forehead. “Ow…”

Violet plugged the AC in and switched it on, then nodded to June and Enox. “Well I’ll leave you girls to wake up from your date night. Dew’s making prench toast later.” She said as she trotted out of the room.

June frowned. “Was that a date?”

Enox shrugged. “Don’t know. Never done one.”

June kicked her hind legs shyly. “I mean, it was fun to cuddle… Let’s not do that drinking game again though.”

Enox smirked and nodded. “Yeah, screw that.” She stood up and arched her back before starting to look for her suit under the bed (that being the only place it could have possibly wound up if it was still in the room). “Not the cuddle tho. You’re very warm. Was nice.”

June blushed happily, though Enox continued. “I’m cold blooded, by the way. Sorry for just, getting all up on you like that without asking.”

June snorted. “It’s fine! Really. I wouldn’t mind if it happened again.”

Enox looked up for a moment then snagged her suit with one hoof and began to pull it out from under the bed.

“In that case,” she began. “I like mammals. You’re warm, smell good, about as firm as I like my mattress, and usually taller than me by a lot. You’re also lucky that we can’t give each other any diseases… But you literally have no idea what I am, and you might get too squicked out. So… Yeah.”

June rolled her eyes. “Oh my god, you’re a short reptilian half pony half dear girl. How horrifying.”

Enox laughed and shook her head. “Nope! Wrong taxa.”

June’s sarcastic eye roll became a frown. “Then…”

“Your closest comparison to me would be a yeast colony,” Enox said as she unzipped her suit to step into it.

“You’re a fungus?”

Enox nodded once, frowned, then shrugged. “Mmm. Sort of? Look, there’s nowhere I’ll fit into your taxonomy, just like how there’s nowhere you’d fit in mine if we ignore post-spaceflight bio-sci.”

June gave Enox a little poke, nodding to herself as the alien’s skin still felt like, well, thick rubbery soft skin.

“You know I have a degree in xenopology, right?” she asked, sounding genuinely interested. “So… Your skin’s quite thick. It can’t be mycelium, this is too dense and elastic so—”

Enox smiled gently and poked June back. “So is this keratinocyte? If you want the science, it’s all in the file. If you want the emotional side of things, bits of me won't grow out of my body or otherwise infest you. I’ve already had kids, and we can only do that once, so you won't inhale spores from me or anything like that.”

“Oh, you want the emotional side instead?” June rolled her eyes. “I get it, you’re an alien. Look it’s not like you’ve got a monopoly on weird biology. Like, a lot of my guts are not me, just like random microbes hitching a ride. Nature’s gross, so it’s best we ignore that shit unless medically relevant and stick to things like ‘Hey, she looks like a frog-dear-pony. Cute!’.”

Enox tilted her head slightly. “Okay. Emotionally you don’t care, but logically—”

“Logicaly, you’re a multicellular, sapient, motile, fungoid.” June’s ears perked, her lips parted in a half interested half SCIENCE!™ manic grin. “That is fascinating! What's your homeworld like? Is it fungus dominated instead of animal dominated?”

Enox blinked once. “Okay, so, the last few ponies I thought I might like got grossed out by that and stopped. What’s up?”

June raised an eyebrow and gestured to the room around her. Enox turned her head and slowly began to remember through her oxygen-hangover that June’s entire room was decorated with shelves of cheesy scifi novels, posters for spacecraft, real and imagined, and her terminal’s screen was displaying a paused episode of a show about magically traveling to other worlds.

“Ohhh…” The alien said slowly.

“Huge space dork,” June answered, then tilted her head. “Besides, you’re fun to be around, we like a lot of the same stuff, and you’re cute and soft and— Wait, you think you might like like me?”

Enox stared at June like she was an idiot for a while.

June blushed and coughed. “Uh… Good point. We’re having this conversation. So—”

“You’re lucky I like derps,” Enox snorted, then shook her head while smiling. “Look, we can try if you want. I know we’d be good friends. We have the same sense of humor. But there’s a lot more involved if you want to date me. Like, you’re a prey species and—”

Enox opened her mouth to reveal a single row of shark-like fangs, a set of small tendrils which were absolutely designed to help pull prey into that mouth, and a long probably prehensile tongue likely ment for grabbing fish underwater.

June swished her tail. Ooo! That implies some real cool hunting technique— I wonder if— I should ask! “D— Do you have an aquarium at home I could watch you hunt some fish in? I’d love to see how all that works. Wait, is it in your file? I should really read that.”

Enox closed her mouth then nodded solemnly. “Ah. Your science boner is stronger than your fear.”

June snickered and nodded. “I’ve never been scared of predators. It was a problem when I was little.”

Enox put a hoof to her chin, paused, then held her ‘hoof’ up to June and unclenched her webbed fingers, wiggling them. “How about this?”

“I was wondering how you’d swim well with hooves,” June mused, leaning down to inspect the alien’s morphable hoof with genuine intrigue. “How do those harden? They sound like hooves when—”

“This might work then.” Enox mused thoughtfully, folding her digits back up.

She finished shrugging her way into her suit, then quickly pushed her head through the water tight membrane and took a deep breath before sighing, smiling, and speaking through her vox again.

“Ahhh! Much better. I should sober up in a few minutes now that I can purge all the oxy from my blood.” Enox sighed. “Anyways… Uh…”

June’s ears perked suddenly. “Wait, you breathe alcohol. How did you do shots?”

“Take off helmet, put on mask, slip mask off and inhale deeply as needed,” Enox explained, flicking her tail shyly. “You could do the same on my homeworld.”

“Huh. Neat!” June nodded to the door. “Breakfast?”

“That sounds nice,” Enox agreed.

“Can you even eat with that on?” June asked just as somepony pushed the door open, making both ponies jump.

Standing in the doorway was a gray furred unicorn stallion in full tactical gear with a shotgun levitating at his side, but not pointed at anypony.

His helmeted head scanned the room for a moment, pulling up the IDs of both ponies. He nodded, turned to the hallway and called out. “Doctor Junebug and Technician Enox located. Dorms clear!”

June facehooved. Great, what the buck is this?

The armed security guard nodded to the hall. “If the two of you could please move to the living room…”

Enox nodded wordlessly and walked into the living room followed closely by June. Six more armed guards were present, along with Sam, Dew, and Violet, as well as a short mom-looking unicorn mare with cream colored fur and a mousey brown mane.

The mystery mare wore a bullet proof vest and a spell ward amulet under a lab coat and looked like she had exactly zero time for anypony’s sneeze, let alone shit. She walked up to June and looked her up and down for a moment.

“Doctor Sky,” Raven greeted coldly. “I’m Raven Inkwell. Second in command of CARE. You’re not in trouble. None of you are. But you will all be escorted to a safe room by these guards and held there until my ponies are done tearing the entire AC system apart, then putting it back in order.”

June winced. “Is this about the anomaly?”

Raven nodded once. “We’ll put things back the way we found them. Minus the anomaly. What's more, you’ll be working on Object 92 starting tomorrow.”

June tilted her head, frowning. “Wasn’t Doctor… Apple Brandy?” She asked, turning to a surprisingly well rested looking Sam.

“Yeah, that was his name,” Sam muttered darkly.

Was? June began to frown. “What—”

“There was a containment breach last night. Doctor Brandy is dead,” Raven informed with cold professionalism. “An alien—”

Enox winced and shouted “I was here all night! June can confirm!”, prompting Raven to roll her eyes.

“Not you, Enox.”

“Oh good!” Enox sighed in relief.

“A— An unknown energy signature appears to have been responsible and seems to have originated from here. I have reason to believe the aurora anomaly is related, and even if it is not, a full examination of the premises are required. I have elected to perform this examination personally as the number of preventable failures over the last few weeks is simply unacceptable and I was therefore going to audit the site anyways.”

“What killed him, exactly?” June asked with a worried flick of her tail. “Should we be looking out for anything specific to keep safe?”

Raven shook her head. “No. Silkwing breached containment through unknown means. She is not to be held responsible, and is no longer a danger now that she’s fed… Though she is immensely distressed at having killed somepony.”

Dew squeaked her eyes dilating in terror. “Wait, Silk ate him?” Her ears fell as she remembered joking about wishing for that last week.

“She did,” Raven confirmed. “Please, remain calm. Princess Luna and I are here to sort things out before they slide any further into the unacceptable mire which has formed here. If you need anything, ask one of the Stable Task Force. I have work to do. Boys? Please escort them to Safe Room six. And be nice about it.”

The guard with the most stripes on his sleeves nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Girls, please follow us.”

June stood up, her ears flicking back as her eyes narrowed. I liked this morning better when there was a chance of getting to take an alien mare out to the movies…

10 - Meanwhile II…

Raven Inkwell - 3rd of Thanksgiving, 4 EoH
Mayoral Estate - Evergreen Falls

Raven looked across the Mayoral Estate’s cramped utility closet, which had once been Princess Luna’s bedroom. She could just barely make the massive alicorn out over the boiler and past the electrical panel.

Luna sat atop a water filtration system where her bed had once been, looking like a mare doing her best to cope. “They had to build walls to make this smaller to make this possible…”

“I’m sorry…” Raven apologized on behalf of all pony kind.

“They discarded my jewelry…” Luna growled, her ears entirely flat against her skull. “It was sentimental.”

Raven had nothing to say.

“I will make this mire a home once more,” Luna vowed.

Raven cleared her throat. “If you’d move over here, I would be happy to offer you a hug.”

“I don’t need a hug,” Luna grumbled to herself. “I need a pack of changeling wenches, a firkin of whiskey, and for my sister to be busy for a few hours… And possibly Cadence to drop in. She seems to know how to find a good time despite one’s woes.”

“There’s a changeling hive below the town. I can arrange that once we’re done,” Raven promised, reaching out towards Luna to squeeze her hoof but failing due to the junk in the way.

I might even be able to get Cadence to help throw a spontaneous party. Raven mused, making a note to put in a call and see if she was free later.

Luna met her halfway and squeezed her hoof. “When Celestia retires… Will you do me the kindness of taking over as Twilight’s Regent? And should she have somepony in mind for the position, would you become my Regent? You’re the right mare for the title.”

Raven blushed. “I— Well, I would be delighted. That being said, why must we meet here?”

“Because despite being in shambles, the wards of privacy are still functioning. Nothing outside this room can hear, see, nor perceive us,” Luna explained quietly. “I used it to conceal my affairs from my sister, for at the time, loving one of your own sex was punishable by death.”

Raven winced at that particular anachronism. “I’m sorry you grew up like that… For the record, you’re bisexual, correct?”

Luna frowned at the word. “I know not that term. Just know that I do not care what my lovers are, only who they are.”

Raven nodded, content with the answer. “Understood. That is bisexual. Though I am certain younger ponies than I have one of hundreds of redundant categories to place you into with extreme precision…” She shook her head and chuckled. “Identity became a little political for them. I’m not entirely certain why.”

Luna shrugged her wings. “Likely the same reason anything strange happens within our culture. A Psychic Echo of the World Before resonated with a time, place, and people..”

“Maybe,” Raven agreed, nodding. “Shall we get on with this?”

“Please… It smells of ineffective cleaning agents in here,” Luna said, glaring at a bottle of eco-friendly degreaser which not only did a worse job of degreasing surfaces than other cleaners, but due to how much more of it you needed to use was actually worse for the environment than traditional chemical degreasers.

Raven cleared her throat. “Junebug, Samhain, Dew, and Enox were debriefed by STF Alpha-One,” she began. “We were able to determine, thanks to Enox’s testimony—”

Luna raised a hoof.

“Yes?”

“Is she truly from another planet?”

Raven nodded. “Yes. Many ponies under me believe she is a mutant, but she took me to a galactic mall to buy a replacement dress for one of mine she ruined with a prank. She’s an extraequestrial.”

Luna nodded, seemingly happy that there was an answer to one of the oldest questions.

“Her testimony proved to be the only fruitful one. She discovered the anomaly within the AC system and, in her words, ‘shooed off’ a form of nightmare creature. As far as we can tell, the nightmare hitched a ride with Dew on her last voyage beyond our realm. It appears to have left her in search of better food—”

Luna raised her hoof again, prompting Raven to stop and nod for her to ask her question.

“Hath nopony placed a tracking spell on the filly? Would that not ensure her location is known at all times and, thus, prevent her from traveling?” Luna asked.

“We tried. But the spell has no memory. Somepony would need to monitor it twenty-five/five,” Raven sighed. “A technological solution may be possible. I’ve heard SkyTech Industries has a digital tracking system. However, we’re not preferred clients of theirs. It would thus be costly to even get a consultation on… We’re getting off track.”

Raven cleared her throat and returned her mind to the current dilemma. “The nightmare… Mmm, I don’t like calling it that. It behaved quite differently from the ones I am familiar with. The... Let’s call it a pseudo-nightmare for now. It left Dew in search of food, was chased away by Enox, and after leaving the Observatory’s thaumic interference shield seems to have been possessed by another entity.”

Raven sighed and nodded to Luna. “The signature is the same as the one we found had interfered with the Elements of Harmony when they chose their new bearers before your return. The same one which allowed the Nightmare to possess Lyra Heartstrings in an attempt to take its revenge on the Elements… Erm, while we are on the subject until that happened, I genuinely believed you had been extremely enraged at your sister. Which, having worked for her, I can entirely understand.”

Luna laughed and shook her head slowly. “She can be infuriating, though she knows how to keep a nation stable and prosperous. Just not truly safe. That was meant to be my role,” Luna sighed and looked to Raven forlornly. “I am truly sorry for all that has beset you and your ancestors since I failed to get through to Celestia during our battle. I only sought to show her the truth. That some threats must be slain. How was I to know one must be precise to the point of perfection with their words when wishing upon demons? That was not a part of my education and apparently too common knowledge to have been written in the grimoires I used.”

Raven smiled. “No apology necessary. To quote Clover the Clever: The ancient past is distant indeed.”

“Less than five years ago, from my point of view,” Luna corrected, looking down.

Raven made a note to hire a therapist for Luna. “Well, back on track once more, the same entity we’ve been running into from time to time… You know the one. Shows up, messes with something only for it to almost entirely remove all traces of its existence? That thing. It appears to have been responsible for this. It possessed the nightmare, it delivered targeting information to Silk, it may even have directed Dew to the world she encountered that Nightmare in… And, it appears to have created the Aurora anomaly.”

Luna looked up, her eyes narrowing slightly. “First, it attempts to ensure I was never freed, then it sought to destroy the Elements of Harmony, then it compelled Celestia to attempt to visit that… Alternate Equestria, despite knowing the unstable portal might collapse our realities if somepony of her power crossed the gate again. Then it hijacked one of Discord’s old traps to incapacitate Celestia and I, forcing the Elements to keep them on the Tree of Harmony most of the time, lest it once again possess the tree.”

Luna sat in thoughtful silence for a moment. “Are we certain it’s the same signature? This does not fit its apparent modus operandi. Celestia and I are its clear targets.”

“It is the same,” Raven confirmed. “I agree it’s seemingly out of character for our mysterious opponent. However, this is your home town. Perhaps it knows? Is there anything here that could be used to destroy you?”

Luna snorted. “Not since my scrapbooks are long gone…” She said before looking a little more serious. “In truth, yes. Beneath the hive, in the ruins. There is plenty that could harm an Alicorn. If one knew what they were, how to use them, or how to repurpose them. Though most, if not all, would need repairs before any could use them, my sister and I are the last of the living with the knowledge needed…”

Luna snorted and rolled her eyes. “Correction: I am the last. Celestia couldn’t remember how to recharge her old regalia. I had to do it for her.”

Raven’s ears perked as an idea occurred to her. “In that case, June has been tasked with studying Object 92. It’s a relic discovered within a complex beneath those ruins. Perhaps it could shed some light on this matter?”

“Beneath?” Luna asked, frowning sharply. “Oh! Yes. A wizard lived in the caverns once upon a time. If the bedtime stories hold truth, that is. It’s worth making the relic a priority. For if its interference in this place is but a coincidence, in terms of my being from here, then perhaps the entity is from here as well… A ghost of a dead age.”

Raven nodded in agreement. “I’ll have June placed back in her lab tomorrow. As for the criminal investigation, what do you think we should do? We no longer have stealth.”

Luna laughed and smiled at Raven, standing up slowly. “I intend to make life as difficult for Grape Vine as possible by making it wonderful for the employees he griefs. As his plans fail, he will make mistakes. All you need do is watch for those mistakes. I also plan on dealing with this little land dispute.”

Raven nodded slowly. “I like your plan. It’s simple and could work quickly enough, and at the very least, it should distract him from my own moves. How do you plan on dealing with the property problem?”

“Simple,” Luna said as she walked to the door. “After I learn everything about Lord Night Sky, and I do mean everything, I will pay him a visit. I will agree with him that my sister’s threat resolution is unacceptable, offer to help him get military-grade materials for his bunker as a pure act of kindness, and negotiate for this facility. If he be willing.”

Raven winced. “That may not work, Princess. He is… Unstable.”

“Aye,” Luna agreed, nodding. “As am I. He and I have more in common than you would believe, and he realizes. At the very least, neither you nor my sister thought to simply speak to him on the matter. If I fail, Celestia still has her list of solutions. Silkwing is fed once again, so there can be no containment breach if CARE no longer owns the shed, as she is loyal when not ill. There is no longer a downside to simply asking him.”

Raven raised a hoof to disagree, then sighed and nodded. “Very well. Good luck. Let’s hope it works.”

Luna turned the doorknob with her magic. “It’s not a matter of luck. It’s a matter of sympathizing his madness with my own.”

Raven nodded in agreement and made a mental note to go tell June her project was now a priority assignment. We need to learn more about our meddling friend. It could be behind all of this, the corruption, the land issues, the new anomalies. My gut says the sooner we know, the better.

11 - The Astrolabe

Ultra Violet - 12th of Thanksgiving, 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

Violet hummed happily as she typed away on the observatory’s maneframe interface. With June busy working on CARE’s suddenly-now-a-priority project, tending to the Observatory's functions had fallen to her. It wasn’t hard work; the manuals explained everything and the work orders told her how to do it. It was, however, quite enjoyable work.

Equestrian computers were so simple and pleasant to interact with. She always felt calm and at peace, even though protocol dictated she had to type the commands in rather than directly talk to the computer for whatever reason.

The mainframe room was loud, hot, and suffocating. Violet barely fit between the mainframe’s cabinets to reach the built-in access terminal. An organic pony would have felt trapped. Violet felt like part of the machine, which, as a machine herself, she quite liked.

“Is that everything?” She asked herself, squirming to get her physical clipboard and check the task list manually, as per protocol.

A quick glance showed everything should be ready. While most of the observatory’s time was devoted to mapping the night sky in full, occasionally, another institution rented time for whatever they wanted.

Today’s special project was a request from SkyTech, a Zebrican megacorp that was interested in some of the Equis Systems’ orbital debris.

I wonder if they know that’s an old space habitat. Violet mused, checking her database to see what she knew about it. Mom scanned it… No life forms were found, but it’s also pretty heavily shielded… Could be some interesting things up there.

She rechecked the terminal screen. As far as she could tell, the mainframe was set to coordinate all three scopes to run the missions she’d programmed them for.

One complete, hopefully, clear 3D map of your old space ruins coming right up, Mr. Trigger… I wonder if he asks for everything with those little personal notes rather than formal letters. I hope so. It’s a nice touch.

Violet reached out and clicked in the sequence, which would start the custom script she’d created that would execute the new mission before automatically resuming the previous general mapping behavior, and hit enter. The terminal chirped, and a green line of text appeared saying the commands executed correctly. White lines under it displayed the new parameters loading in for execution.

Violet nodded twice and began scooching out of the cabinet space slowly and carefully to avoid damaging anything when the observatory’s intercom crackled to life.

“Scuze me, Mr. Subtractor…” she murmured to a reel-to-reel storage device as she bumped a flank against its cabinet.

“Vi?” June asked through the intercom. “Can you come to the general purpose lab when you have a minute? I need some programming help.”

Violet’s ears perked instantly. Yay! A chance to spend some time with her outside of a few minutes in the evenings. Maybe she can finally tell me what Object 92 is.

She squirmed free of the maneframe and jogged out of the telescope control building through the radio telescope heat as she crossed the campus and into the central building. The laboratory building was perhaps Violet’s least favorite building on campus. Rather than exposing its tech for decoration and ease of maintenance, everything was sealed behind bulkheads for no good reason.

At least with the dorms, trying to replicate an ordinary house for organic comfort is an excuse… She grumbled while making her way to the second floor to the general purpose lab.

Arriving at the simple iron double doors, Violet pushed them open, grateful for their smooth, soundless motion (unlike half the doors in the complex, which squeaked). The general purpose lab was, well, quite general in purpose. It had its own dedicated computer, which occupied one wall, a small chemistry station, a small workbench for fabricating odds and ends, a big central table for big central table stuff, and, of course, easily washed tile floors and walls.

June sat at the central table in one of those rolling office chairs that inevitably break down after a couple years requiring you to fix the piston in place with a bit of pipe because you can't be arsed to replace the cylinder. Her wings drooped slightly from focus as she leaned over the source of her project.

A bronze astrolabe? No…

It looked pretty simple at first, like an oversized pocket watch, complete with a mainspring winding knob and four small studs for adjusting the time and activating special functions or controlling the movements. Unlike a watch, the astrolabe, being basically an astrolabe, had many hands for pointing to different distances from the center point.

The odd thing about this astrolabe-adjacent device was its face. It didn’t have one. Instead, the device's interior was an extra-dimensional space containing an entire orrery. Many tiny carved crystals and gemstones drifted within rings, held in place by the device’s arms, where they made repeated precise motions along clearly defined tracks.

Violet looked into the astrolabe’s depths with interest. The centermost gemstone never moved… But she swore sometimes it flashed red for just an instant as if the emerald occasionally seamlessly switched out for a ruby for just a millisecond or three.

Huh… It’s like this is showing whole systems, rather than stars. Violet mused.

June looked up at the sound of Violet’s entry. She had bags under her eyes from the all-nighter she’d just pulled, and her lab coat was stained with ink from the copious amount of notes and sketches she’d made that now lay strewn all over the table.

“Vi! Great!” June said, smiling shakily. “I did a thing!”

“What’s the thing?”

“Well, I finished reading the documentation fou— five days ago,” she began, getting up from the table to cross the lab to a coffee pot and the bag of ‘Buck to the Brain: Super Caffeinated Bean Juice’ sitting atop it. “I was going to check their base observations because, well, a year of study with four years of theoretical work based on text descriptions and myth analysis… And they got nowhere. So I figured they’d made an error.”

“And now you need computer work,” Violet noted, trotting towards the table. “Can I look at it? It’s neat! I promise I won't touch it.”

“Yeah, that’s fine, it’s inert… Unless you’re Enox.” June agreed, reaching the coffee pot and debating just eating the beans before putting three servings in the grinder. “Anyways, I started by checking their claims that the runes around the edge of the case are either decorative nonsense or part of the arcane workings.”

Violet cast an eye over the elaborate glyphs, which had no business being called runes, that ran around the case in a ring on the front and back of the astrolabe. “These look… A bit too simple to be just decorations.”

“That’s what I thought. They don’t mesh with the rest of the elegance and mastercraft,” June commented. “Also, they’re all real Amilic rune convergences.”

“Rune convergences?”

June took a deep breath and held down the grind button for several long seconds so she wouldn’t have to talk over it. “Amilic is a language named for the Old Gods, who apparently are real… Dusk, please answer my info request prayers… Uh, anyways, it was used by the First Kingdom’s noble castes as their state language and language of magic. You can condense words, phrases, and sometimes entire statements into a single set of overlapping converged runes. Just as long as each rune remains legible and follows some simple grammar rules, it doesn't matter if they overlap or touch. See?”

Violet nodded, then blinked. “Wait, then… This could be more than one or two sentences. This could be like, use instructions. Or a dedication.”

“Or a warning,” June commented as she dumped the coffee into the pot to brew. “Because remember, the ponies who retrieved this are all the dead.”

“Wait, don’t you read Amilic?” Violet tasked, turning her attention towards her pseudo-adopted sister. “You read it on the Wendigo statue’s instructions.”

“Yes, I do,” June agreed, staring at the brewing coffee drip like a mare on life support. “It’s a rare skill, but the language wasn’t lost. It’s just… It's rarely important. Most First Kingdom relics are rubble or rotted away by now. I learned it to understand transcriptions other cultures made after the First Kingdom was destroyed in the First Thaumaturgic War. That’s kind of my Master’s field. Like the First Kingdom in general. Particularly their Great Sages.”

Violet nodded and turned to the astrolabe, desperately wanting to fiddle with its knobs. “Okay… So, what’s this say then?”

“No clue,” June said with a happy whinny. “It’s a ciphertext.”

“A what?”

“The runes are all valid, but they’re encrypted. I have no idea why! Isn’t that cool?” June asked, still staring at the slowly increasing amount of Brown Potion of Wake in the pot, which she intended to drink directly from because she had no time for mugs.

“It could be one of four ciphers I know the First Kingdom used. They’re similar, and their results all look the same, so I need to check four different cipher methods,” June continued. “If I were to decode them by hoof, it would take me several months. But I thought you might be able to help me with the grunt work by programming a decoder. Then I could just read every result till I find the ones that produce readable text.”

Violet’s tail swished happily. “I can super do that! Heck, I could probably run them internally and—” Her smile fell as she realized, “Oh, I don’t read the output language…”

“Mhm, and it's complicated. Took me four years to learn,” June agreed, wondering if she could connect the coffee pot via IV, then quickly realizing she should probably get some sleep and take tomorrow off lest she wind up pulling a Sam.

Violet trotted over to the coffee pot to make the conversation a little less awkward. “I might know the ciphers. There are only so many ways to encrypt text. What are we dealing with?”

“There’s no way you’ll recognize them by name,” June scoffed. “Like, even if you know what the Medeis Cipher is, you won't recognize it by that name.”

Violet raised a hoof to object, but her database politely informed her there was no Medeis Cipher on file, so she lowered it. “Point… What’s a Medeis cipher?”

“Well, given the sheer age of this thing, it’s the most likely cipher to be in use. Cuz it’s front he lifetime of the First Sage of the First Kingdom, Medeis of Hereca,” June explained, her heart skipping a beat as the pot finally produced one mug’s worth of coffee. “It starts with a simple substitution cipher. One rune is mapped to another rune picked at random. This continues till all runes are randomly mapped to another rune, but never the same rune twice. A special machine is used when encoding and decoding the cipher. Clockwork shuffled the rune map with each character used, but it would do this the same way every time. So if you put the encoded text through with the same starting rune map, you’d get the deciphered text back.”

“Oh, an Enigma Cipher!” Violet exclaimed as her database connected the dots. “I know… Well, I know how a similar one worked. But I have an idea. What about the other three?”

June hummed, then walked to the table to grab a spare sheet of paper and the pen that hadn’t exploded on her. “Here, it’s best if I just show you them.”

June’s demonstration of the ciphers took her nearly half an hour, not counting the minute-long break to chug down an entire pot of coffee (Violet was still horrified and awestruck at the lack of burns June experienced from this feat). With the lecture completed, Violet felt confident she could program decoders for each cipher.

“Okay, let’s get to coding!” Violet said with a cheerful smile, then flicked the computer’s power switch.

The lab’s computer fired up for an instant before dying amid protesting crackle and EM discharge across several capacitors. Violet winced. June eeped.

“Oh.. uh, I guess that’s a no-go then?” June asked, ears askew.

Violet shook her head. “Nope! Several computers in the observatory control building did this. It's the power supply. Your capacitors rot over time. I can fix this. I have the stuff on me,” Violet mentioned as she slipped out of the computer chair and under the wall cabinet while reaching into her saddle bag for her stupid-organics-forgot-maintenance-again tool kit.

“Oh good,” June said, sighing as she sat in the chair to watch Violet work.

“Can you tell me about your project while I work?” Violet asked. “I’ve been interested, but you’ve spent all week either working or boning your alien girlfriend. Which, you know, fair!”

June blushed and kicked her hooves. “Uh, sure! Where do we start?”

Violet disconnected the power supply and began extracting it from the cabinet. “Where did they even find this thing? It should be all dirty or corroded if it's as old as you imply. Even if it is enchanted.”

“Not true,” June corrected, switching back to academic mode with practiced ease. “After reaching a certain thaumic charge level, around a third of a Solar, enchanted items stabilize to practical indestructibility. At least as far as simple aging is concerned. I think that’s why alicorns are immortal, personally. They just have enough magic that physics sort of ignores them unless something directly interacts with clear intent…”

June cleared her throat. “According to the reports, the rumors about a First Kingdom palace having been here long ago are true. There are ruins of such a structure under the town, with access via an uncovered natural tunnel in the quarry. There isn’t much of interest to CARE in the ruins, but they found a second set of ruins in an entirely different architectural style a ways beneath the First Kingdom palace’s throne room!”

Violet blinked, one ear drooping. “And they went in there? Your people have horror novels, right?”

June rolled her eyes. “Vi, we live in a world where demon-centaur kaiju can pop out of another dimension and eat your magic, all while free-balling enough to make the biggest stallion feel inadequate. Horror novels are just historical fiction through a directorial lens, and I’m tired of pretending otherwise.”

“Point.” Violet said, wondering why the hell June needed to bring the second part of that sentence up. Note: June’s filter breaks if she’s up too long.

“Anyways, these mystery ruins were pretty extensive. The team studied them and found all mentions of them in folklore, records, and myth before exploring them. The logs of that exploration are missing… But they discovered the astrolabe in a perfectly intact chamber within the ruins, preserved in a crystal case. It was retrieved for study because clearly, they didn’t read their Daring Doo novels as foals.”

Violet squirmed out from under the cabinet to look June in the eyes, all unamused. “Really? After just saying horror is not a thing?”

June rolled her eyes. “Those are adventure novels and also, like, true stories. Just embellished a little, and apparently, with all the straight love scenes removed for… Reasons? No clue.”

Violet humphed and scooched back under the cabinet to return to work.

“Anyways, they got it out, but an unspecified ‘accident’ killed everypony.”

“Then how did it get up here?”

“One of them survived the trip to the base camp before keeling over from…” June frowned and thought as hard as she could, then shivered. “Uh… So… It’s really gross, but a curse made him kinda just… Pooped out all of his moisture content at once. He mummified in seconds by expelling all water in his body, including within cells.”

Violet shivered and retched despite being a machine. “Gross!”

“Yeah. First Kingdom boobytraps don’t buck around, and apparently, this was what inspired them to do what they did,” June said with a shiver.

Violet finished extracting the power supply and popped the case open. Sure enough, the same three capacitors that leaked and blew up on every other computer had leaked and blown up. She began replacing them.

“Soooo what’s this thing do? I mean, yeah, we don’t know what it's for, but what do we know it does?”

June shrugged her wings. “It moves of its own accord. The movements are random, but the timing is regular. We're not at the center, based on the little reference markers around each gemstone. We’re the watermelon-colored tourmaline on the outermost edge. Sometimes, the emerald in the center turns into a ruby of equal mass and volume. Sometimes, a small golden path of light traces out from the tourmaline representing us to one of the other crystals at random, but never the center one if the documentation is correct. At least, it hasn’t done that in a year. Also, I’ve noticed the light path vanishes instantly if the emerald goes ruby, and it won't make another path if it stays ruby until it switches back to emerald. Kinda like a game of red-light green-light.”

Violet nodded, interested but focused on work.

“Oh, and when Enox accidentally touched it, it projected the Amilic rune for ‘No Entry,’ and a male voice said, ‘I’m sorry, but you guys do not get to use my stuff anymore.’ in Amilic. This happened every time she touched it,” June added. “Which makes sense, cuz it turns out she’s from, like, a quarter billion years ago. So her people are older than this thing. She got time-catapulted. Somehow. Doesn't like talking about it… Though she apparently came here to try and find more fireflies? Not sure why.”

Violet snorted. “So she is just the token nice one of some kind of horrible monster race?”

June laughed and shook her head. “I have no idea. She could just be kind of a misanthrope. Some people just don't like their birth cultures.”

Violet nodded and slipped the last capacitor in place, connecting it with the no-heat solder she’d invented but refused to tell anypony about until the patent office got back to her. “Okay, fixed. Just have to plug it all back in.”

“Great!” June bounced excitedly in the chair and stood up so Violet could take it once everything was fine.

Violet quickly connected everything, secured the power supply to the cabinet, then sat down and flicked the computer on. It quickly hummed to life, happy and healthy once more.

Just call me Doctor Violet, Violet thought to herself triumphantly. “Okay! So… What are the odds of this computer having characters for Amilic runes?”

“It super won’t. Here, let me make a number chart. I can convert the outputs from numbers to runes by hoof. It will still save me a lot of time. Like, a lot of time,” June said as she went to get a sheet of paper.

Several hours later, everything was complete. All four cipher systems were ready to go, with the cipher text hardcoded into them, and each line of code made to run as efficiently as the alien robot mare could make them run on this particular archaic almost-not-a-computer.

The setup was simple: every time the system ran through one permutation, the potentially deciphered text would be output to the lab’s dot-matrix printer, which would type an indexed header and footer in Equish to label and isolate each result and then print a long series of numbers that would correspond to individual runes.

“You’re sure you want it like that and not saved to memory so you can save paper?” Violet asked, her hoof hovering over the button to start the computer running each cipher system in sequence.

“Vi… This thing has less memory than…” June trailed off and shook her head slowly. “I don’t know? A potato? I think it could store maybe twenty outputs with the memory we have in use, and also need free to run your code.”

Violet’s eyes narrowed. “A distressingly true point. I’ll bet Enox and I could make you a way better computer. In a cave. With a box of scraps.”

“Please do,” June sighed. “This thing is two generations old at least… So yeah, print it live. The sooner it finishes, the better. But for now, I think I’ll chill and then nap. Then dinner. Then sleep. I don’t want to become Sam, and I figure one breakthrough is good enough for a week.”

Violet nodded in agreement and hit the go button. The computer hummed to life, the green confirmation line flicking into existence almost instantly.

“Right, looks like it’s working,” Violet commented with a satisfied nod. “I think I’ll go find Dew and continue our Lego battle. Come get me if it bucks up.”

June gave Violet a hoof’s up and then a quick hug. “Hey, we should find something fun to do later. Like, on the weekend. Okay? It’s taken me a bit to get used to you, but now that I am… I feel bad we haven’t hung out. Gone to the mall or something… I don’t know what sisters do to bond, but we should do something, you know?”

Violet smiled brightly, ears and tail perking. “Totally!” She said, returning the hug before waving bye and leaving the lab at a brisk trot.

Violet quickly left the lab building and trotted to the common room. She stopped to pick up the afternoon’s mail from the gate. She’d asked the postmare to stop walking into the compound to put it at the dorm door when she noticed the poor yellow pegasus mare walking while sweating a probably deadly amount.

I wonder if Sam knows there’s a new flier in town? She’s been looking for a friend to go on her evening flights with. Violet thought while checking the mail. Sam, Sam, Sam, Dew, June, June, me, June— Me?

Violet blinked at the small yellow envelope for a moment. It was indeed addressed to her, but the return address just read ‘The Postmare.’

Violet opened the envelope. The letter inside was written on expensive, thick, custom-printed stationery paper with a flower and woodland critter theme. Either the manufacturer or the postmare had additionally perfumed the paper with lemongrass, and whatever the buck scent people insist is what a fresh breeze smells like, making the letter smell the way an organic imagined a lovely spring day smelled.

Charmed by either the effort in making the letter nice, or the fact they just kept something this fancy around for any old letter, Violet turned her attention to her first letter ever.

Dear Miss Violet,

Thank you for being kind enough to be willing to get your mail at the gate. I can’t remember why you said it’s so hot on the grounds, but I have a health condition which makes it very hard to remain energetic when I get too hot, even if it's only for a few minutes. A bottle of water and ten minutes rest won't quite make it all better. I need a night’s sleep.

I’ve been able to do my whole route without needing a break all week. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but it is for me. I volunteer at the local veterinarian’s after work when I’m not too tired, so I’ve gotten to volunteer as much as I’d like too.

I want to thank you for the kindness. It can’t be easy to walk so far in that heat while wearing a silicone body glove. So I appreciate it.

Would you like to go to dinner with me this Moonsday at seven? Leave a note in the mailbox for me with your answer, okay?

With love,

Fluttershy

P.S.

Are you a burn victim? I’ve been trying to figure out why you wear that every day. I hope it's for fun reasons and not because you got hurt. Do you only have the gray one? Would you like other colors? I make stuff with silicone and could do a body cast for you. It’s a hobby, so I can do it at cost.

Violet found herself smiling at the letter.

Aww, she’s adorable! I guess I should go to dinner if only to explain that I don't need to eat and that it's okay. I’m not hurt, I’m just a robot. She decided, tucking the letter away to keep and quickly writing a confirmation note down on some scrap paper she had in her saddle bag.

I wonder if my skin is swappable? I’d love to be able to change it. I’ll check my blueprints later so I can get back to her with that offer verbally one day, Violet decided as she slipped the note into the mailbox and trotted across the parking lot and into the dorm’s common room.

The common room had been greatly improved over the last week. June’s first paycheck had cleared and that meant everything got a nice cheerful sky blue paint job, a new synth-cloud couch, a rug with a plush cloud pattern, everything one might imagine a pegasi dominated group would want to decorate a common space if they didn’t live in a cloud house.

Violet personally found the simulated cloudscape a little extra, but given she entirely lacked any real sense of aesthetics or decor yet she felt she shouldn’t complain or judge. Besides, they liked it and that was enough reason for it to stay.

Dew sat on the couch next to Sam, cuddled up flank to flank as any mother and daughter would be while reading a book together. Albeit with the charming inversion of Dew being the one reading to Sam.

“— like orchestrating a symphony within. Imagine the energy as vibrant notes, flowing through your limbs and core. With focused intent, you become the conductor, leading the harmonious dance. Each movement, each breath, shapes the melody, drawing upon your inner reservoir of power. It's a delicate balance of control and connection…”

Dew trailed off as she noticed Violet arrive, wait a moment, then start to turn around since Dew was busy. She lifted a hoof to wave. “Hi, Vi!”

“Hey! You’re busy so I’ll go find something else to do,” Violet said over her shoulder apologetically.

Sam cleared her throat. “Uh, actually, Dew? Can we stop here for now? If we go over any more theory I might start forgetting things. I’d like to try out what I think I’ve internalized so far.”

“Sure!” Dew said, closing the book and putting it away in the new end table. “What’s up, Vi?”

Violet turned back around. “Uh, well I have nothing to do for the moment. June might need me to fix some code later, and the scopes are all programmed for the SkyTech job and I made it so they’ll automatically go back to their previous job once that’s done so… I was wondering if you want to continue our Battle for Somewheria?”

Dew’s little wings fluttered excitedly. “Totally! But uh, mom? Didn’t you say you wanted her help practicing physically?”

Violet tilted her head and looked at Sam. “Practice with what?”

“Dew’s been reading me the book Dusk found about this,” she said, tapping the gemstone in her bare chest (Sam refused to wear anything but her hat while on her two weeks of medical leave). “You’re right. I should be able to tap into it in a similar way you’ve described your magic working. I know you’ve been practicing for months and I thought you could help me get started on that myself.”

Violet jumped from hoof to hoof in a good approximation of Enox’s happy dance. “I can do that! I have a cool place in the woods and everything!”

“Oh cool! I was worried about having to work out in the yard… It doesn't seem safe to practice some of this stuff indoors,” Sam said as she got up from the couch, stretching a little like any middle aged pony would after an extended sit.

“It’s super not,” Violet agreed as she turned to lead Sam to her hidden workout grove. “I collapsed half a starship moving a door with it once.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yea. The one I was made in. I’d take you there but it’s full of horrible horrible butt slime. And would probably finish collapsing the second I entered it, and I doubt Dusk would save me from the same thing killing me a second time.”

“Fair enough.”

Violet led Sam out of the sweltering compound, across the road, and up a bike trail that circled the town. Sam made a bunch of smalltalk while they walked, which Violet ignored, having tasked a subroutine to handle that sort of time filler and just give her a summary of the conversation later. Apparently Sam wanted to comment on the weather for some reason.

Violet turned off the bike trail after a while and stopped in a large clearing somepony had carved out to make a soccer field at some point, but then abandoned. She swept a hoof across the grassy field (with a small scattering of craters and scorch marks) and proclaimed “Tadah! One nice workout spot! Trees keep it shady all day, there’s a creek over there with some buckets in case I start a fire again, there’s an entrance to the Citrine Hive over in those trees there so sometimes buggies come watch and go all cheerleader, and once they even brought me a protein shake because they didn’t know I’m a robot. Now they bring me batteries. Which I don’t need and can’t use, but I eat anyway, to be polite.”

Sam giggled, shaking her head with a smile. “They can be so weirdly nice sometimes… But also very dense. Hold on a sec.”

Sam reared up and put her hooves to her mouth to call out in the direction of the entrance. “Hey! Changebugs?”

A moment later someone called back. “What?”

“I’m working out with Violet today and I’m not a robot. Just FYI.”

“Okay, cool. We’ll get you water and a towel,” the voice called back.

Violet tilted her head. “You can just… Ask them for things?”

“Duh!” Sam reapplied, adjusting her cap slightly. “You’re grateful for the water bottle, they get a snack out of delivering it.”

“Oh yea…” Violet frowned. “It’s hard for me to remember they eat something immaterial.”

Sam put a hoof on Violet’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. They’re pretty weird as a species. I get it, they get it. It’s okay… Anyways, what’s the simplest thing you can think of? I want to start with the basics.”

“Lifting stuff,” Violet answered immediately and led Sam by the hoof a few steps away to a large fallen log. “Can you lift—”

“No,” Sam said without even trying to lift it.

Violet’s ears drooped. “But you didn’t—”

“If I’d been keeping up with my exercise for the last year, I could maybe pick up half of that or move it with a lever. I used to be pretty toned and like, girl buff. I had abs and you could see some of my leg muscles. I liked that… But you know, no time for this stuff recently.”

“I’m glad that’s changing,” Violet commented. “But will you humor me and try to lift that?”

Sam sighed, nodded, then bent down to attempt to lift the waterlogged, moss infested, four ton chunk of white oak. She got her hooves under it, extended her manipulator gauntlets for extra grip, grit her teeth, pulled up with her forelegs while pushing up with her hind legs, and…

“Nope!” Sam said, letting go. “Not budging.”

“Okay, good. We don't need to find a heavier thing, then,” Violet said with a satisfied nod. “So, it sounded like Dew was telling you about what it feels like when I focus on my magic. Is that correct?”

Sam nodded. “Mhm. That was out of the poem section of the book. It’s some kind of training manual for some ancient warrior philosopher caste. Dew can’t translate most proper nouns in the book so, we have no idea… But it looks like a long time ago people did similar implant jobs like mine to make warriors better at war stuff.”

Violet giggled at Sam’s phrasing. “You’d think you of all ponies would be more formal and respectful of—”

Sam shook her head once. “Nope! War is dumb. Fighting isn’t, but war is. Let's get started okay?”

Violet nodded, frowning apologetically. I forgot she doesn't like to talk about her time as a Ranger in her home country. Oops. “Uh, sure. So… You want to be calm and centered. Do you know how to meditate?”

“Nope.”

Violet facehooved hard enough to leave a brief imprint of her hoof on her skin. “Oh boy…”

An hour and a half of explaining, trial, error, and some “I AM CALM, DAMMIT!”s later, Sam was finally able to clear her mind of all distractions.

Violet smiled through clenched teeth. Okay let’s do this before she gets frustrated about having to not think about Trixie’s allegedly cute butt for a fifth time. Seriously, organics, learn to task-kill processes when you need to monotask!

“Okay, now, reach into your center. There will be power there. You can feel it if you look. Just, pick it up,” Violet coached.

Sam frowned sharply as she searched. Her face twitched, morphing through several expressions before she finally nodded. “Yeah… Yeah there is. It’s ‘behind’ my flight magic.”

“Now, just take that energy and push it, slowly, carefully, and not all of it, just a little, to your whole body,” Violet continued.

Sam’s brow furrowed as she went about the unfamiliar mana routing. She was well versed with this concept for her wings, but using the rest of her body felt…incorrect.

“I think I have it,” Sam said after a moment. “Everything feels like pins and needles, but good. Not bad. I— I don’t know how to describe it.”

“That’s about how I perceive it,” Violet agreed, nodding. “Now open your eyes, and just lift the log. Let the magic flow only as much as it needs to. Don’t push it or you will toss the log into the clouds and hit the cute postmare who just moved here. She likes flying around here.”

“Little twiggy for my tastes,” Sam grunted, trying to keep focused but unable to not gossip about the new girl.

Sam walked over to the log, grabbed it with both forehooves and began to pull. An aura of green light shimmered around her as a thin, barely perceptible haze as the magic within her began to bleed into the world. She pulled, the aura intensified. Violet smiled. She’s doing it!

The log lifted up half a hoof width. Sam yelped, startled and happy, breaking her concentration. The log crashed to the ground.

“Buck! I almost had that,” Sam growled, kicking the log with a hoof irritably.

“You had it!” Violet said, giving Sam a quick victory hug. “You’ve got this! It’s probably a lot trickier for someone who can’t just do it once and program herself to do the same exact action on demand… So let’s keep going!”

Sam nodded and glared at the log. “I’m gonna throw you before sunset… I swear to Luna!”

Violet nodded, grinning. “That’s the spirit! But I heard Cadence is better for swearing to when mares need to handle large objects.”

Sam snorted, then snickered. “Different class of objects there, Vi.”

“Not if you’re brave enough!” A changeling called from the hive entrance.

Violet frowned, thoroughly confused.

Sam laughed and closed her eyes to refocus. “Okay… Round two!”

Sam’s brow slowly furrowed. Her tail flicked across the grass in a happy swishy motion.

“You’re trying not to think about Trixie again, aren’t you?” Violet sighed after a minute.

Sam’s left ear twitched. “Shut up, Vi...”

Yeah, she is. Violet thought to herself before quietly sitting down to wait for Sam to be ready to try again.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

The sun hung low in the sky, nearly vanished behind the mountains. Violet was very thoroughly bored, and Sam was very thoroughly tired and frustrated. Twenty six attempts came and went, with a break for dinner (a bowl of spaghetti alfredo, thoughtfully provided by a random Changeling), and Sam had not come close to replicating her successful attempt.

“Did… Did you think about anything special that one time?” Violet asked. “Like, was there some motive? Or fantasy?”

Sam sighed and flicked her tail shyly. “Okay, so yea, my head wasn’t totally clear… I’m sorry.”

Violet shook her head. “No! Like, that works for me. But maybe it doesn't work for you? What were you thinking about?”

Sam winced and looked away from Violet. “I’d rather not get into…” She let out a short huffing breath. “Buck it. It’s probably important. I was thinking about some of the stuff I did back in Irbrand. About how nice it would have been if I could have moved a certain boulder.”

Violet hmmed, nodding slowly. “I don’t want to press you… But… Were you thinking about how you could have saved somepony?”

“Yeah,” Sam said bluntly. “And no. I don’t want to talk about it. I’m not traumatized. I’ve seen a therapist. But nobody wants to relive that stuff.”

“I understand,” Violet agreed, putting a hoof on Sam’s shoulder to be comforting.

Sam shrugged the hoof off. “Please don’t… Not right now. Frustrated… And remembering.”

Violet bit her lip thoughtfully. “Okay but… If you thought about something you could have done, and that helped it work… Why not think about how if you can do this, you won't ever be in that position again? Flip it on its head.”

Sam’s eyes widened. “Huh…” She said, frowning thoughtfully. “I mean, I clearly have the potential to go all earth pony with this thing. It’s possible, but I think we’re just using the wrong fuel.”

Violet thought for a moment. “You have a point. We’re very different from each other. Like, physically. What do you think might work?”

Sam bit her lip, hesitant to go into detail. “There’s this… Feeling. It’s not the pain of loss. It’s a type of dull anger. The desire to avenge someone close to you. When I lifted it a little the first time, I remembered how it felt when…”

Sam trailed off, closed her eyes, and shook her head. “I think this gem is a weapon. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But that’s what it is in my mind. I want to take a shot with it like it’s a weapon, not some, climbing equipment. Or a martial arts weapon some ancient Neighponese stallion has to spend years teaching you how to master.”

“That’s worth a shot,” Violet took a step to the side and gestured to the log. “Go for it?”

Sam nodded, closed her eyes, and returned to the worst moment in her life. The moment she’d wished she could have done anything, because they’d deserved everything. The instant she stepped into a puddle that used to be her best friend.

The pale green aura blazed to life, looking much brighter than before though Violet couldn’t be sure if that was because it was darker, or the aura was stronger. Sam stepped over to the log, placed her hooves on it, and with a loud groan of effort, lifted it entirely off the ground, halfway up to her pelvis, before dropping it with an exhausted huff.

“Buck! That was heavy!” Sam groaned, dropping back to all fours.

“But you lifted it!” Violet exclaimed, grinning ear to ear.

Sam paused, blinked, then smiled too. “I did!”

Violet stepped over to Sam and gave her a tight hug. “Good job! I’m sorry I didn’t think about how it might be different for you earlier. I need clarity, you need hope!”

“I’d say more like… Determination,” Sam mused thoughtfully as she returned the hug.

The two let go of eachother and Sam walked around the large log, marveling at how she’d just curled something twice her own size.

“It's good the day’s almost over,” Sam said after a moment. “Cuz this day is all downhill from here.”

Violet giggled. “Yeah, but what a milestone! Next time you want to do stuff with me we can practice doing it on demand, okay?”

“Sounds good,” Sam said, before both ponies turned to look at the sound of crunching grass coming from the hive’s direction.

Trixie was walking towards the group, looking tired, a little stressed out, but happy enough.

Sam waved to her. “Hey Trix! Did you see me lift this log?”

Trixie tilted her head. “No?” She called towards the two distant mares.

Violet hopped from hoof to hoof, still quite excited at Sam’s accomplishment. “She totally did! It was awesome. Took us all day but now she can tap that gem in her chest for strength! We’ll work on stamina once we get it all consistently tappable.”

Trxie blinked. “Wait, that does something? I thought it was body jewelry.”

“It’s super not,” Sam confirmed. “Anyways, what’s up?”

Trixie finished walking up to the two and took a deep breath. “So, I wanted to get to you weeks ago on this, but I got called to active duty,” she began.

Sam tilted her head. “What about… Oh! Right. June said you wanted to talk to me. I can’t remember what about though.”

Violet frowned, not sure if she should leave to give them privacy or not. Before she could decide either way, Trixie grabbed Sam’s shoulder, pulled her to her lips and gave her a long, loving, tongue filled kiss.

“I have a stage double,” Trixie said as she broke the kiss. “You found her after our hookup, not me. She panicked. I like you. I’m stressed out, I wanna relax, do you want to spend the night at my place getting taught about a thousand ways not to sleep? Or at least, getting to sleep later than you normally would?”

Sam’s cheeks flushed. “I— uh… You’re super lucky Luna herself dropped by to help de-fatigue me, cuz if she hadn’t… Not even you could have gotten me to stay up when I could have slept.”

“Sooo, is that a yes?” Trixie asked hopefully.

Sam nodded, her blush deepening. “Only if you’re still into… Well, you know.”

Trixie’s ears flattened. “Girl, a changeling doesn't change her favorite flavors. Like, ever. You got exactly what I love the most.”

Violet snickered. “So… I guess lifting that log—”

“Is so NOT the pinnacle of today anymore,” Sam said, still blushing, her tail flicking happily. “Tell Dew I’m sleeping over at a friend’s… Actually, you two are besties. Can you help her get to bed?”

Violet rolled her eyes. She’s not an actual filly… Though she still does like bedtime stories. “I’ll get her anything she needs,” Violet promised. “You two have fun. Later!”

Trixie’s ears perked. “Oh! Hey! Violet,” she said, sounding a bit odd.

Violet turned and looked at her wordlessly.

“A yellow pegasus mare moved into our hive’s guest quarters last week. She has a thing for you because she thinks you share her kink, cuz your skin is silicone. If you’re looking for a marefriend, give her a serious shot,” Trixie volunteered, as any changeling would for any of their friends with whom they were personally incompatible.

Violet blinked twice. “What?”

“She likes you, like, emotionally and physically. Trust me. She’s next door to my house and the walls are NOT emotion proof,” Trixie promised before nodding to Sam. “Speaking of my room, I’ve still got that mattress you liked.”

“Awesome!” Sam exclaimed, eager to get to sleep on a waterbed later.

Violet frowned. “Uh, thanks for telling me?”

“No problem! Have a nice night.”

Trixie and Sam began walking to the hive, laughing occasionally as they small talked.

Violet trotted her way home, deep in thought.

I’m trying to avoid that kind of thing… Aren’t I? She mused. I mean, I deleted all of his programming, but I still get jealous when I see June and Enox cuddle. Clearly I do want somepony… You’d think the question of free will would be easier for a beepboop like me.

Violet thought long and hard, going as far as to check her programming several times to see how her neural network had adapted from her base code. By the time she trotted through the observatory gates, she had her answer.

Ah… I see, she mused, stopping to sit for a moment. So, I do have a baked in sexuality. But it's not code, it’s neural. He just made code to force that part of me to do what he wanted it to make me do. I guess… I guess the only thing to do is see if she’s okay with me being a robot, and if she is, see if I go full sex doll for her or not.

If I do, then his programming is baked into me and I can’t ever have a special somepony if I want to be me. Or it’s permanent and I’m stuck like that forever. If I don’t, well… Then I really am me. Or maybe I’ll genuinely like her like that enough to be okay with doing… All that stuff. Just for her instead of that gross jerk.

Violet’s ears perked as a thought occurred to her. June can help me! She’s dated before and she can help me sort all this out!

Her ears fell as she realized June would have gone to sleep early after her all nighter and was probably already in bed. Asking her sister would have to wait for the morning.

Violet frowned and decided to sit down at the gates and watch the moonrise.

“I’m like a month old. I shouldn’t be having an existential crisis yet. Right?” Violet said to the moon.

The moon opted not to reply.

12 - Madness

Night Sky - 15th of Thanksgiving, 4 EoH
The Deep Woods - Hackamore Valley

Night lay on his cot, staring up at the roof of his tent, alone save the distant howls of unknown beasts. He checked his watch. Just after two in the morning. He’d been laying for five hours and couldn’t sleep a wink.

Third night like this… Maybe I should see a doctor. I might have caught something. There has to be diseases that keep you up till exhaustion takes you, he thought as a frigid breeze made its way through the thin camping tent and he shivered in his sleeping bag.

The salesman definitely lied about how long this stuff could be used for, Night lamented silently.

He stared quietly at the tent’s roof, thinking about his progress so far. He’d dug out a main entry hall, an air lock, and a bathroom. That was it. Thirty seven days of backbreaking work for one hallway and two small rooms.

The local changelings had helped a great deal. They’d shown him how to make his own timber bracing for the dig. How to grade the tunnels to prevent issues with groundwater. Occasionally one named Facet would come by and help him dig, though he was mute.

Night rolled onto his side and stared at the empty spot on his twin sized cot. Septic tank and leach field should be done tomorrow. I got the well finished. Another week and the bathroom can work. Maybe then Lemon will come back.

Night’s stomach growled angrily. He let out a long sigh and rolled over onto his other side, doing his best to ignore how upset his stomach was on the twelfth day in a row of canned food. Night had planned on going into town and taking the whole family to dinner at whatever restaurant in town was nice, only to have heard Princess Luna of all ponies had come to visit.

Naturally, he’d been staying in camp till she left. Every town in Equestria would receive the occasional visit from one of the Princesses. It wasn’t entirely out of the ordinary for one of the Sisters to just pop in for a few days to “win hearts and minds”. But Night would rather not be seen by any of them.

Then again, Night mused to himself. Trixie said she was here to give out office supplies and help out with a spell here and there. That’s more than Celestia ever did. She just rides into town on her train or chariot and struts about. So at least it’s somepony who understands what help is.

At any rate she can’t be here for more than a couple weeks. The Diarchs have their schedules. I could probably go to town tomorrow. She’s gotta have moved on to whatever other small town is on her list by now.

Night pulled his sleeping bag tighter around himself, certain that when he woke he could brew a crummy cup of coffee, wash up in the lake a little, and have enough energy to take the family to lunch.

June mentioned over the radio she started dating somepony. It will be nice to meet them.

“Hail, the camp!” A mare’s voice cried out, startling whatever creatures were howling.

Night’s ears jolted upright in alarm. He jumped out of bed, scrambling to get his manipulator gauntlets on while frantically searching for the spear he’d made incase of bears (Lemon had taken the bear gun when she’d left).

“Who's there?!” Night demanded, his eyes darting around on reflex while he sought to use his thestral abilities to pinpoint the sound. Come on sonar, don’t fail me now…

His ears caught the echoes from a massive hulking figure, easily twice the size of a pony. An alicorn. Night winced and sucked in a deep breath. Luna…

“Luna of Seven Falls, now Evergreen Falls,” Luna called out, her voice level and even.

Night paused, frowning slightly. Why is she not using her title? What is she doing introducing herself like a peasant to their Lord?

Luna stopped at the edge of the clearing, maintaining a respectful distance from camp. Night’s ears twitched as she stopped, his echolocation showing him exactly where she stood.

Night cleared his throat. “I want nothing to do with the Crown. Please, leave me be. You’ll get your taxes and I have my permits.”

“I come as a mare, not a monarch,” Luna reapplied swiftly. “These were my lands when I was a foal, and would be still had I not entrusted them to Lord Deepwoods. Speaking of whom, he and I have business.”

“Conduct it elsewhere,” Night said as firmly as he dared to somepony who nearly killed Celestia once upon a time.

“As you wish. Where shall we go?” Luna asked with such simplicity that even while tired, Night instantly understood the problem.

“My new property comes with that title, doesn't it?” He said more than asked, groaning.

“Indeed it does,” Luna agreed, nodding calmly. “I looked into you, as any landlord would look into a property manager. Please, do not misunderstand me. I am not angry. I am not vengeful. I hold no regrets towards your ownership of the title and lands. I do, however, know you wish to be as far from Equestrian Politics as possible. That is a goal I understand on a deeply intimate level. Hence, we need to talk.”

Night took a deep breath and set the spear down. It wouldn’t help him anyways. He walked out of the tent so Luna could see him, but didn’t approach further.

“If I may be frank, you are one of the reasons I chose to move out here,” Night said, his eyes narrowing.

“I assure you, if I were the Nightmare, you and I wouldn’t be speaking,” Luna said with a chuckle. “Believe what you will about my sister’s foolish security policies, but the Elements of Harmony do work.”

Night’s frown deepened. “I suppose she would have killed or mind controlled me…”

Luna snorted and rolled her eyes. “Not remotely. You’d be beneath her notice. Though I am no longer her, I know how she thought… For she was all that was dark within me.”

Luna paused for a moment then looked Night in the eye. “You and I have more in common than you may realize.”

Night snorted dismissively. “Sure.”

“Would you like to know why I became the Nightmare? The real story. Not the white lie Celestia tells the masses?”

Night raised an eyebrow. “I would. I would like even more to do so in a truth telling field.”

Luna nodded once. “I understand. Name a pony you trust who can cast the spell. I shall fetch them immediately.”

Night thought, placing a hoof on his chin for several long moments. “I don’t trust any pony for something like this. But I do trust things. Get one of the truth amulets from the Canterlot Police department. I helped design the runework. I’ll know if it’s real, and I know they work.”

Luna dipped her head respectfully. “Of course. I will return swiftly,” she said as she took a step to the left into a shadow and vanished instantly.

Night jumped, sputtering in shock. By the Gods! She can Shadow Step at will. If she had meant me harm she could have emerged from under my bed, or even within my sleeping bag. Instead, she hailed my camp. Respected the boundaries… Maybe she really is nothing like her sister?

Luna returned a moment later, emerging from the same shadow as if stepping through a doorway. Her lit horn levitated a small copper and brass amulet on a silver chain along with her. She floated the amulet towards Night and gestured to it with a hoof.

“I trust this is genuine? If not I will return for another.”

Night plucked the amulet from the air and examined the runes on the outside, then popped the amulet open to activate it by pressing on the quartz crystal contained within it. A small sphere of pale gold light washed out from the amulet, covering a distance of a half dozen meters.

Night nodded in satisfaction then sat down in his damp cloth camp chair next to the cold fire pit, and pointed to a log on the opposite side. “Have a seat and tell me.”

Luna complied, taking a seat. Her weight made the log creak slightly as it bent.

Luna squirmed for a moment, her brow furrowing as she stared across the unlit campfire into the air over Night’s head. “How about I lay on the grass instead? I dislike being… I would rather it be that we were not taller than other pony tribes.”

Night nodded permission and Luna slid off the log to lay on the grass, putting her on eye level with the stallion. “A thousand years ago for you, my sister, and everypony save myself… and five years for me, Celestia and I came to an irreconcilable disagreement,” Luna began.

Night snorted. “Obviously. Nopony comes to physical blows with anyone without—”

Luna gave Night a look every stallion knew. The look a mare uses when that stallion is saying some complete nonsense they know to be false, and also interrupting. Night’s reflexes as a husband kicked in and he buttoned his lip.

“Suffice to say,” Luna continued, “Celestia’s policy of offering second chances, reformations, banishment, and imprisonment goes back to those days. In truth, I have no issue with those concepts. For most. For a few, death is necessary. Some are too dangerous or mad to be allowed the chance to regress. Others have committed acts so heinous they have forfeited their right to life.”

Night nodded in agreement. “That’s certainly true.”

“One day, Celestia, without consulting me, made it illegal for Equestria to have absolutely any intelligent creature executed. I objected, she did not listen. I presented every philosophical, legal, moral, ethical, and practical argument I could think of. She would not listen. Celestia is, on some subjects, a damn fool!” Luna spat, her eyes narrowing with anger from the not-too-distant-to-her disagreement.

Night relaxed slightly in his seat. She understands the problem! I— Of course she would. Unless…

“I concluded Celestia would not listen to me, nor reason. In such circumstances, unreasonable measures are to be used. I retreated to my library in the Everfree Forest, and there I conjured a demon,” Luna admitted, giving Night a regretful look.

“You… you what!?” Night yelped, his tail raising in alarm.

Luna held up a hoof. “I will obviously never do so again. I took every precaution, and the summoning, binding, and trapping were without flaw. Yet I did not know that when one wishes upon such a creature, your wording must be perfectly precise and impossible to misconstrue. I wished for Celestia to face a foe she would need to kill. It granted the wish by making me that foe through possessing me.”

Night’s tail lowered as his rational mind remembered that Luna spoke from inside a zone of truth. “So… The Nightmare Moon was an accident?”

Luna nodded once. “One most dire. One which failed. I do not know how Celestia managed to wield all six elements against me. She refuses to tell me, on the grounds that wresting control of them from me broke them for a thousand years. If true, reasonable. If not, I am quite… disgruntled. That is beside my point, however. Had Celestia not gained access to the full set, I would have killed her had she not killed me.”

Night mmmed. “In other words, you found her madness something terrible enough to make a stand against.”

“Indeed I do,” Luna said, leaning into the present tense term as hard as she could. “Few ponies know of this, but Celestia intends to pass her Crown to Twilight soon. She believes I will retire with—”

Night jumped up from his chair. “WHAT?!”

Luna rolled her eyes. “Yes, mad isn’t it? Twilight is barely older than your daughter. Fortunately, Raven is willing to remain Regent during the transition period and longer if permitted. Nor do I intend to step down. Celestia may have had her fill, but I wore the crown for but fifty years.”

Luna looked Night in the eyes as he sat back down. “Know that I will be changing much of my sister’s policies. Her ‘Security Theater’ will be dismantled in its entirety. I will make this nation as safe as I am able. I will find every evil she sealed and destroy it. I will set our armies upon these things, leading them from the front. That which cannot be destroyed by my hoof, well, I will task scholars with finding a way.”

Night let out a long breath and slumped in his chair. “I— I didn’t think you’d be like this.”

Luna chuckled. “Few ponies do… The see me as some sort of—”

“Miniature Celestia,” Night grunted.

Luna nodded sharply, her ears laying flat. “Precisely.”

Night closed his eyes for a moment. Okay. Princess Luna is sane. She wants to talk, let’s talk.

“What did you come here to talk to me about? Do you want to take back the title but let me keep the land?” Night asked.

Luna’s ears perked. “That would certainly solve the problem at hoof.”

Night shook his head slowly. “This is clearly not a politically important title, or land, if it could sit here, absent from politics for a thousand years. It’s an empty title, right?”

“For now,” Luna agreed, nodding. “Such things can change quite suddenly. Again, I have no problems with you keeping your title. Should you give it up, I will give you the land. Save for Evergreen Falls, my old hunting lodge, and the grave of my first husband.”

Night winced at the mention of the grave. “Where’s that? You can have it. Like, no matter what. I’m not going to stop anypony from paying their respects to family.”

Luna’s face softened. “Thank you, Lord Deep Woods. I appreciate the token… Especially as the problem we face is my sister’s doing, she’s put some of this land to her own use.”

Night groaned and held his face in his hooves. “The observatory is doing work for the Crown, isn’t it? It’s a research station for the Royal College… I knew it! No other institute could afford—”

“No…” Luna said quietly. “The town is used by a Crown Company for the study of magical oddities. Nothing dangerous. Still, it is a Crown Company of Celestia’s. On our land.”

Night’s eyes narrowed. Did Trixie lie to me? I trusted her! “How classified is it? Would any random townspony know of what they do?”

“No,” Luna answered, the zone of truth confirming her answer by not brightening. “Everything is classified. So much so that I wasn’t informed of their projects until I reminded the Administration in person that I, as a diarch, have Top Level clearance for everything.”

Night nodded, mming softly. Then Trixie and I remain friends. Good. “How do the changelings factor into all this? They have a hive here.”

“The previous Lord Deep Woods granted the land beneath what is now Evergreen Falls to the Citrine Hive as a reservation. That land is theirs, and neither you nor I could take it back if we pleased. They hold sovereignty of everything above the ruins of the old palace to the surface.. But not the surface itself.”

Luna huffed and shook her head before continuing. “There is some confusion with the surface. Agricultural rights, but no other rights, were also given. Your precursor was not clear on what kind of agriculture. Naturally changelings—”

“Can’t eat oats,” Night said, nodding in agreement. “Obviously that would have to have been permission for them to… Keep ponies, I suppose?”

He frowned in thought. “Was slavery legal back then?”

“Yes,” Luna confirmed with a laugh. “But only as a punishment, and even then only for a set number of years. The Hive Treaty specifies reservations may provide housing for Equestrian citizens for the purposes of having access to food.”

Night’s frown deepened, he scratched the back of his head in fatigued thought. “Then… What’s the issue? Other than a Crown Company existing. The changelings have permission to be there, and make a town. How is that a problem? You’re implying it’s a problem, right?”

“Well, technically speaking, the town should be underground. If one were to adhere to the exact words of ancient laws made before we fully tolerated other peoples,” Luna said bitterly. “I… Despised that part of our culture. I am glad it is dead.”

Night shrugged. “I can just decree things about my land. So, easy fix, right?”

Luna nodded wordlessly. Then, on brief consideration, clarified. “You can. I cannot. You hold the rights to manage this land in my name. Under the old laws, which apply to us on this matter, I do not. Not unless I take them back.”

“Then,” Night cleared his throat. “I hereby give permission for the Citrine Hive to use the land above their hive to house ponies in a manner ponies prefer to be housed. Done. Problem solved. Now about this Crown Company…”

Night’s eyes narrowed. “I hate that. It sounds like you hate that as well.”

Luna smiled wickedly. “Oh… You can not fathom the amount of hatred I have for what my sister has done to my home,” Luna agreed, laughing bitterly. “Though I am pleased it serves as a home to ponies who couldn’t live a normal life elsewhere, and though I agree with what this… CARE does, and I believe so would you… I want this out of her hooves. I want that town’s projects and work to continue, indeed, I believe it would be for the betterment of all ponykind… If Celestia is no longer in charge. Under her eye this place has become a mire of corruption.”

Night leaned back in his chair, nearly tipping it over. Luna grabbed the chair with her magic, stabilizing it and pulling him back to the ground. Night nodded to Luna in thanks.

“Tell me about this… CARE. What is it exactly?”

Luna nodded and began to explain. She left nothing out, nor bent the truth in any way. She explained the organization existed to study oddities, that they worked with dire threats in other sites, but here they placed only that which could be secured simply by putting it in a box, and only those who posed no intentional threats to anypony but needed to be located somewhere safe. For their own sakes.

She explained the many works and breakthroughs CARE had made. Every medical problem solved. Every engineering hurdle overcome. Every modern convenience which had come from CARE.

She went into the basic details of the kind of people living there. Refugees from dead worlds. Ponies with peculiar curses. Individuals with special needs. Even the Citrine Hive itself, whose members were all trapped as Proto-Queens, meaning they had to stay away from other hives lest insect instincts and pheromones cause conflict.

All of which the amulet responded to as being entirely true.

“— To summarize,” Luna said to begin wrapping up her lecture. “This is a refuge for those who do not fit into the world my Sister created. It is a place where scholars, mages, and scientists can shed light on the unknown for the good of all. A diminutive twin to the Trottingham Mage’s Library. It is most noble and necessary. I would see it continue.”

Night nodded as Luna finished. “You’re here because you are worried I could have found this out on my own, and that as the Lord, I could have that shut down.”

Luna nodded once. “Yes.”

Night rolled his lips. “My title is a stewardship. Under you. Right?”

Luna nodded again, taking a moment to seemingly think about what to say. “That is correct. I could deland you with a word and have my soldiers force you to leave. I could. I do not wish to without due cause. I understand your desire for self sovereignty and safety. It is one I share. One I would pursue myself if there was another better suited for repairing the harm my Sister has done.”

Luna took a quick breath and looked Night in the eye. “I have a solution to propose. One to settle this matter easily, conveniently, and which allows all parties to get what they desire. Will thou hear me out?”

Night bit his lip. She does seem to want to actually help, unlike Celestia… Why not? He nodded for Luna to continue.

“Celestia left me the vast majority of my lands,” Luna said with a dismissive snort. “She… failed to make any actual use of most of them. Irrational grief, in my opinion. I can transfer your Lordship to another remote plot, granting you full control over the plot, barring of course breaking national laws. You could do as you pleased. I will even have a secure bunker built there for you and pay for your moving expenses. All you have to do in return is return this land to me, so I may manage this enterprise my sister began and ensure it can do the good it was meant to.”

Night snorted and rolled his eyes. “I can do that here, and just kick CARE out. They’d find some other place to do this. Why should I move?”

Luna smiled faintly and played her trump card. “Because this land is not as safe as it seems. You moved to avoid Celestia’s nonsense and settled directly on the last bastion of the First Kingdom.”

Night winced immediately. “I— But— There’s no sign of—”

Luna held up her hoof. “I could show you if you like. We’re above the arena now. Half a kilometer of digging would take us there. There is an access to the market district on the edge of the palace in the quarry. We could venture through the passage and you could see—”

Night groaned as the zone of truth failed to brighten at any lies. “I… I see. Do you know what’s buried down there? There’s the myth you and your sister are the last of the ancient alicorns. Is that true?”

Luna nodded once. “It is true. Though we never saw the city full of life. I know some of what lies below, but not all. There are some dangers I know of. There are some boons as well. Once I will not be opposed, I plan on securing the ruins due to this. Celestia believes obscurity to be the best shield on this matter. But not I.”

“Could you stop any threat coming from below?” Night asked adamantly.

“I could stop all of the ones that I know of,” Luna answered. “I do not know if I would stand triumphant against the unknown. Any who say they would is a liar.”

Night paused for a moment to focus his tired mind. She’s telling the truth. Which gives me one real option…

“Where would you have me move? I studied the maps. There isn’t any more remote place in Equestria,” Night stated flatly.

“Correct, however, there are places closer to civilization which are at less strategic risk,” Luna said as she removed a map from seemingly the aether and pointed to a small forest northeast of Baltamare. “Do you like redwoods? I own this forest. Or would you prefer land on the edge of the badlands? In a hospitable valley of wheat along the Saddle River. Both are an hour’s walk from a settlement capable of providing you with essential supplies and services.”

Night’s ears perked. I like the idea of the badlands, it’s close to Zebrica. I could flee over the border if needed, and the river could be used for hydropower. However… I won't abandon these poor souls to their fates. Trixie and Facet deserve better, and despite June probably working for CARE she’s starting her own life and is entitled to the fruits of her labor. Even if I would disagree with who she chooses to work for. She’ll come around after a few years of dealing with them. Then she’ll see. She always needed first hoof experience after all.

Night cleared his throat. “I will accept the deal and take the plot in the Badlands,” Night declared. “On two conditions.”

Luna frowned slightly, her left ear perking. “I am prepared to bargain, though I am offering you a great deal. Including having your fortress constructed by my soldiers to military specifications. That is costly, and I am giving up a most literal potential gold mine by granting you this land.”

Night filed away the gold deposit in the back of his brain for later. “Yes, but I hold the winning hand here,” he reminded. “One sentence and I can make that entire organization have to leave.”

Luna nodded once, her eyes narrowing slightly. “True… Though do remember I am here to resolve the matter peacefully, without creating animosity.”

“Which I appreciate,” Night agreed. “I want my family and I to be put up in a nice hotel until the bunker is finished and we can move in. I don’t care where it is as long as it’s not here.”

Luna blinked and fluttered her wings. “I— What? Of course I will, you didn’t have to ask for that.”

“Then I only need one thing, and it’s not for me,” Night continued. “It’s for everypony in town.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “I’m already getting them all office supplies and beer.”

“I want you to hire an independent company, someone who can’t be ordered to say everything’s fine, someone who won’t go ‘Oh no, we’ll lose funding if we reveal XYZ!’, and who has no reason to do anything but tell the truth, to independently investigate the First Kingdom ruins, clearing them of any dangers, as soon as possible. In fact, I demand this! Or we have no deal and I’ll kick CARE out on my own,” Night declared, standing up and planting his hooves firmly into the ground for emphasis.

Luna sighed, looked up for a moment, thinking quite hard. “Night, I do not know of any civil enterprise suitable. I am still a mare out of time in many ways.”

Night snorted dismissively. “Figures your sister wouldn’t get you caught up on that kind of thing.”

“Doesn't it?” Luna asked flatly. “Besides… I feel as if you have someone in mind. Do you?”

“I do.”

“Then whom?”

Night sat back down. “SkyTech Industries. A Zebrican company, so they owe no fealty to Equestria. However, their CEO saved the world when Celestia almost collapsed another dimension into ours. So he can be trusted, and he’s worked with First Kingdom arcana and technology before.”

Luna’s eyes lit up. “Sir Trigger? I did not know he owned a company. I’ve met him, naturally. I was there when he stabilized the portal. While not First Race in origin, Starswirl created that particular gateway, he based the design on my people’s technology. I agree he has the necessary knowledge to handle the common elements he would encounter below.”

“Then we have a deal?” Night asked, holding out his hoof to shake.

Luna nodded and lit her horn to swear a magical binding oath, then pointed below them. “I swear upon the graves of my people, who rest beneath this earth, on the bones of my first loves, whose ashes were scattered within these woods, and by all those who call this sacred place home. I shall transfer thy title to the land we discussed, construct a home to your specifications, house you till it is finished, and bring those we discussed in to ensure the town is safe from the ghosts of the past..”

Night felt a chill go down his spine as he felt the magic resolve. “You… you didn’t need to go that far.”

“I disagree,” Luna said with a flick of her mane. “I desire you trust me without the amulet. As I said, we have plenty in common. I would see us be friends.”

Friends? No, I don’t think so. But I can work with her. Night thought to himself.

“I’ll take your boon, so long as I get the final say in all designs.”

Luna laughed. “Of course you will,” she said as she stood to leave. “Have any architect draft plans and mail them to me. We will handle changes to the design as they happen. I must go, I have other appointments…”

Luna frowned for a moment and looked at Night once more. “I do not think you will say yes, but I sense you are plagued with restlessness. I can cure you and ensure you rest well this night. Would you allow me?”

Night blinked once, and answered without thought. “Please!”

Luna smiled, glad she would be allowed to help the distressed stallion. Her horn shimmered as she cast a quick spell, and Night felt the restlessness begin to slip away.

“Fair well, Lord Deepwoods.” Luna said as she began to step through a shadow to leave.

“Good night, Luna of Seven Falls.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Raven Inkwell - 15th of Thanksgiving, 4 EoH
Mayoral Estate - Evergreen Falls

Raven almost didn’t react as Luna emerged from the shadows of her rented room’s wardrobe. She’d grown so used to Luna coming and going in this manner over the last few weeks that she was beginning to wonder if she was at risk of being abducted or killed by shadow creatures due to mistaking one’s emergence for Luna popping over for something trivial.

Raven sat up in bed as Luna fully emerged from the shadow. “What is it?”

“I talked to Night Sky,” Luna answered. “I… Well, I have either solved the land dispute, or caused a major problem and settled the dispute. I am not certain which.”

Raven whimpered and looked down at her bed. “Can it wait for morning?”

Luna shook her head and smiled apologetically. “You’re already dreaming. I didn’t wish to wake you. I’ll leave you lucid once I depart as an apology for, well, what I need of you.”

Raven facehooved. “What did you tell him?”

“The truth,” Luna answered with a mischievous smile.

“All of it?”

“All he asked for, presented in the way most likely to resonate with him,” Luna clarified, flicking her tail. “And I told him at a time my investigations and manipulations revealed would make him the most receptive. A little fatigue can move mountains. Though he did have more fight in him than anticipated.”

“And?”

“And…” Luna sighed. “He will allow CARE to continue its operations here, and even leave for another remote plot of land. In exchange for me transferring his title, building a bunker for him, and… If we hire SkyTech Industries to inspect the ruins below town.”

Raven took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay. That’s dangerous. They’re a foreign company, and even if their CEO saved the world once, and could probably handle what’s down there just fine, there’s no easy way to prevent them from stealing secrets Celestia wishes to remain in our hooves. Can you please negotiate with him on this more?”

“We shall not,” Luna said adamantly. “I gave him my word. What's more, he promised no trouble from him should we do so, and fully understands what he could do to CARE if he wished. What's more, I swore a magical oath to him so he would know I won’t cheat him out of what was promised. Again, to prevent him from attacking us out of paranoia.”

Raven groaned loudly and rubbed her eyes half in exhaustion and half out of frustration. “Do you even know how to hire them for this? And what it will cost?”

“It will cost us less than losing this site and its long term benefits,” Luna countered with a sly flick of her tail.

“Point…”

“As for how to accomplish this… No. I do not have the knowledge needed to do so. I am afraid the work falls to you, Raven.”

Raven plopped back down onto her bed and moaned. “Celestia is going to be livid!”

“I’m stopping by her dreams next…” Luna sighed. “Please get the work done. As per the bargain struck, this is my land once more. I am in charge… As soon as I sign a piece of paper, at least. This is ultimately my land and so it is my right. I chose this path, for it is the least disruptive to the people living here. My people. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” Raven said. “Sooo, I’m lucid dreaming. Will you be mad if I make a you to punch?”

Luna laughed and shook her head. “Not at all. Dreams are dreams and we all may do as we please in them without consequence. That said, I understand this is what the foals call a ‘dick move’. You can punch me properly, if you like. Though it wouldn’t hurt me. Oh! I could help you work out for several years then let you strike me for this. It might hurt a little then.”

“That’s why I want a dream version of you… We’re still friends. I’m just— You understand.”

“I understand completely,” Luna said honestly as she stepped back into a shadow and out of Raven’s dreams.

Raven thought for a moment. You know… She’s right. If using civilian contractors to clear a dangerous ruin will get him off our plots, that’s… That’s fine. We can get them all clearance. Also those civilian contractors would be paid less… This could save us some money.

Raven stared at her ceiling for a few moments. There was a lot of work to do on a short time scale, but in truth, it wouldn’t change much in the end.

You know, there’s no need to take out anger when I could do anything else.

Raven opened her eyes, and manifested her husband in her dreams, as well as a nice restaurant.

13 - Potential…

Samhain - 18th of Thanksgiving, 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

Sam rolled over in her bed, covering her head with her wing to block the light as much as possible. Unfortunately, her wing-membrane simply tinted the light orange. Feeling slightly confused at the accompanying sound of a creaking box spring. She blinked her eyes open and looked around, spying the interior of the apartment she’d moved into last week.

I should decorate a little, she thought, looking at the bare walls and minimal furniture. Maybe that would help me remember I live up here now.

She stretched as she got out of bed, popping her back into place with a few twitches of her shoulders and one long slow twist to the left. Once her spine was no longer mad at her for existing, Sam checked her clock and wall calendar.

“Oh… Right,” she grumbled to herself, staring at the circled 18 on the calendar, ears flicking back. “SkyTech.”

Three days ago, Princess Luna had made a public announcement. In the Royal Canterlot Voice, so the ponies who didn’t attend would hear anyway. Sam had gone, and been the only pony to bring ear protection (and consequently the only pony without mild tinnitus).

The gist of the announcement had been that Luna was repossessing the land the town was on from the current Lord and would be the ultimate authority for non-CARE operations after the transition. However, in order to get the current Lord (whomever they were, as Luna kept them anonymous) to give her back the property, they had demanded some old ruins under the town be explored and cleared of any dangers by a civilian organization.

For whatever reason, they had demanded this be SkyTech Industries. The Zebrican consumer goods company had agreed to take the job. Thus, the corporation would be setting up a temporary base of operations in town.

And for whatever reason, I have to give one of their goons a tour of the observatory today, Sam said to herself grumpily. Which means I have to put on pants and look nice on a day off… This is some horseapples, I tell you!

Sam opened the trunk at the foot of her bed, kicked her work clothes aside and took out her plastic wrapped navy blue suit. She only wore it for job interviews, and the plastic kept it nice and pristine between uses. It was easily the nicest bit of clothing she owned, and fortunately for her, its tailored fit still managed to look nice once she’d shrugged her way into the suit pants, shirt, and jacket.

Sam checked her reflection in the window and huffed. I look like trash without my hat… Buck it, it doesn't match but I’m gonna wear it. Corpo-dick can just deal with it.

Sam huffed and began searching for wherever her hat had wound up while Trixie was visiting last night. Her hat proved to have made its way on top of her curtain rail, requiring her to flutter her way to the ceiling in order to retrieve it.

The moment she picked it up Sam noticed some of the stitching on the band had come undone and made a little hole. Nothing major, one easily repaired. By somepony who could sew. Which she could, in fact, not. At least, not well.

Great! Sam sighed and quickly removed the pin from her hat and set both on her bed. Now I have to go see if the tailor can fix my hat. There isn’t time to do that now, I have the tour in like, thirty minutes.

Lamenting the need to open her old hooflocker, Sam took a breath to steel herself, reached under her bed, and slid the chipped and battered olive green crate from under her bed.

I liked it better when this was in a local storage unit, Sam grumbled as she put in her combination and opened the box’s lid.

Her old ranger uniforms sat on top. One dress, one field. One clean, one stained with blood and mud. She pushed the uniforms aside gently, making her way through the layer of ribbons and certificates, then the letters from old friends and old homes (addressed to her translated name, Autumn Twilight, of course), to the bottom where a rifle-green beret lay.

Sam picked up her old cap, and began to dust it off with one hoof, prompting a formerly tan now dark brown bandana to fall from the hat and plop onto the box’s contents. Same froze, staring at the bandana for several long moments. In her mind's eye, it was clean, new, and tied around a friend’s neck at a jaunty angle. In her mind’s heart, it was soaking up the blood from a neck slit by gryphon talons.

Sam put her hat down on the bed and picked up the bandana for a moment. As much as she preferred not to think of the past, a moment of silence for her old friend seemed in order. Wordlessly, and without thought, Sam unfolded the bandana, smoothed it out by hoof, used a little weather magic to steam it smooth, then neatly folded it and replaced it at the bottom of her locker.

“Miss you, Tangerine,” Sam said quietly before she re-buried the bandana in the locker’s contents and closed the lid.

Sam clipped her ranger pin back to her beret and put it on, tucking her mane up into the cap to be all professional and lacking in visual distinction, personality, or anything that mattered. As corporate types always demanded of everyone they interacted with professionally.

Sam couldn’t help thinking about the rest of her old kit while putting the beret on. That was why it languished in a locker despite being her favorite style of hat.

Irbrand Special Forces had some of the best equipment in the world. Manipulator gauntlets linked to exoskeletons allowed them to use heavy weapons without tripods, run all day without tiring, and clear record breaking distances in a single jump. Enchanted anklets that made them faster. The endurance amulets which let them stay up for days on end.

Sam blinked, frowning sharply. “Wait a damn minute…”

She turned her mind's eye back to the old days, carefully ignoring the parts she preferred to never revisit. That’s why I felt like a failure for getting tired! I just went right for pep pills because I was all “I can’t even be awake for two days, something must be medically wrong! I’ll see a doctor later” then I just never did!

Sam turned and punched the wall angrily. Those bucking amulets! It was never me being awake that long. That was war kit! Buck! How much of what I remember doing when I was young was even me? This is some crap the therapist should have asked about. I sure as hell didn’t think of it! I was using that thing every single day for three years during the war, retired when it ended, and just went right out into civvy life without anything that made me… A weapon! That’s kind of an ego death there, guys. Might want to have someone warn a girl about it.

Sam spent a few moments regaining her breath. She’d almost succeeded when the intercom crackled to life, playing the mid-hi-lo chimes for the doorbell.

Oh. Early. Cool. Sam thought bitterly, then left her room and walked to the dorm’s front door.

The early morning sun shone through the glass doors, silhouetting a mare who visibly bounced with excess energy and had the single most distinct outline Sam had ever seen. Her eyes narrowed, her jaw slowly dropped.

Is that… Holy buck! She didn’t die when the camp was—

Sam raced to the door and practically ripped it open. A pink and more pink earth pony mare gasped and hugged the crap out of Sam before the thestral could get her own hug out of its holster.

Damn. Out-drawn again.

“Autumn! Long time no see!” She proclaimed, managing to make herself excite-bounce on her hind legs despite holding another mare’s entire body weight.

Ah. Smell still bothers her. Sam lamented. Can’t blame her much though. We both went through some shit.

“Nice to see you, Pinkie. I go by Samhein now though,” Sam corrected. “Where did you go after the…well… You know. They wouldn’t tell me. I thought you’d died.”

Pinkie let go of Sam, allowing Sam to see Pinkie was, as most ponies, entirely undressed.

“What are you doing here?” Sam asked, frowning slightly. “I can’t catch up for long. I have to give some SkyTech dude a tour.”

“That’s me! I’m Mr. Trigger’s secretary of secretary stuff,” Pinkie proclaimed with a wide simile.

Sam tilted her head, frowning in mild confusion. “Really?”

“Yepperooni!”

“Shouldn’t you be in whatever uniform your corp issued then?” Sam added, making Pinkie laugh.

“Oh, Sky doesn't do uniforms. Just an ID on a lanyard. I keep mine in my hair!” She said with a little shrug. “As for old days' stuff, I switched jobs after escaping Camp Pinnacle. Became a medic, that way I could help ponies get better. Seemed a little more useful to all my friends than a cook after that, you know? Oh um… Sorry I didn’t get you out too.”

Sam nodded in understanding and agreement. “Fair enough… Bit of a shame though. The Zebrican military lost one hell of a cook! You made every R&R I got to take, actually relaxing. Still miss your brownies.”

Pinkie smiled. “Weeelll, sometimes a cookie doesn't make it all better. By the way, you can totally get out of that monkey suit. I know you hate it.”

Sam nodded and wordlessly started to undo her tie with a hoof and unbutton her jacket with her wings.

“Soooo, wanna do this whole thing real quick so I have time to make you some brownies?” Pinkie asked with a hopeful smile. “You seem like you could use a pick-me-up.”

Sam paused her stripping to nod. “Yea… Got reminded of a friend this morning.”

Pinkie nodded, quietly indicating her understanding.

“Probably worse for you,” Sam muttered as she shrugged out of her jacket. “What with befriending everypony you meet.”

Pinkie snickered. “Well… Yes and no.”

“So, still in the Zebrican National Guard? Why’d you even join up with them? Weren't you just in Zebrica on a work visa?” Sam asked, making conversation as she awkwardly stepped out of the rest of her suit and quickly folded it up.

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “No. Retired the same time you did, probably the same reason. As for why, the country I moved to went to war. I wanted to make sure everypony got a good meal, and you didn’t need to be in the real army to be a camp cook. I just… Felt I should help out how I could, and there was a way to do that where I shouldn’t have gotten shot at. I’d have done the same for Equestria too.”

Sam nodded, satisfied with the answer. “Duty is as good a reason as any,” she said. “Hey, come to think of it, you never mentioned why you left Equestria. Mind telling me?”

Pinkie giggled. “It’s… stupid. How about you go first? Why’d you move to Equestria?”

Sam grunted. “Uh. Dusk needed a favor involving me being here. I wanted to be somewhere I couldn’t be called back to active duty… And I owed her one for that whole ‘let me walk off being shot in the back of the head so I can escape’ thing she did for me, so. Yea.”

Pinkie frowned and gave Sam a quick hug, knowing full well how badly the griffons had treated PoWs.

“Sorry for bringing it up. I just…” Pinkie paused for a moment, then decided to just be totally honest with her old friend. “When I was a filly, I saw a rainbow. From that moment on I knew I was going to be important to Equestria. Until the morning after my graduation from culinary school. Something changed. I knew I wasn’t important any more. That I was free and could do anything I wanted with my life. So I thought about where I’d like to live, and an oasis with lots of sun, and zebras, and changebuggies, and ponies, and all kinds of people to meet and learn about seemed nice. So, I moved. I never planned on staying long but, well, I wound up working for SkyTech and… I don’t know. I feel happy working here! Like, totally at-peace happy.”

Sam smiled. “I’m glad you do. Here’s hoping I can find that one day.” She said, finally done getting out of her monkey suit. “Let me toss this in my room and we can get this knocked out real quick. Looking forward to those brownies.”

Sam led Pinkie on a quick tour of the dorms, commenting on them being largely private areas, though Pinkie did delight at the state of the art (for 20 years ago) communal kitchen, noting she could “feed an army with a kitchen like this”. Sam laughed, remarking she’d done it before on some camp stoves, and they moved on to the telescopes.

Pinkie didn’t seem all that interested in any of the three scopes, only making idle comments and a few jokes. Sam almost thought her tour was some kind of corporate checkbox tick, except every once in a while she caught her looking a little too critically at an empty room, checking if a power outlet was up to code, and noting fire exits.

Suspicious, but not yet worried, Sam continued on, taking Pinkie through various outbuildings, then the labs.

As Sam showed Pinkie the currently not in use Astrophysics lab, located in one of the corners of the compound, Pinkie nodded, seemingly satisfied. Having been trained to understand non-verbal communication as best she could, Sam knew that some company parameters had been met by the dusty, mostly empty, mothballed old building.

“So… What’s SkyTech really doing here?” Sam asked, stopping and standing entirely still to emphasize she wouldn’t budge on the issue.

Pinkie bit her lip, then shrugged. “Meh, you won’t mind and I know you know how to keep a secret… Not that it will be secret for long,” she mused before pointing to the large empty space they’d just left. “Since there’s no equipment in there, cuz it’s obviously a lab for wizards who do illusions and simulate stuff, it could be made into a barracks pretty easily. We’ve been asked to clear out the ruins, which will take a long time. It’s a whole city down there, see?”

Sam’s wings twitched. “What?! I thought it was just a palace.”

“Palaces come with cities. Also we got seismic scans done,” Pinkie corrected, shaking her head. “Princess Luna said it was a city too. So… Celestia misremembered I guess? But, it will take a long time to clear it out, so we’ll need a place to stay long term. The Observatory's close to the quarry, so Sky wanted to see if we could have fifty or so ponies here, and then another hundred or so at the base camp and on the site. Which we totally can!”

Sam rolled her lips, not entirely sure how comfortable she was with having a company move into her home. “Not that I can really object… I don’t own the place and neither dose June, we just live here but—”

Pinkie rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Sammie, SkyTech isn’t like most companies. Know how everyone says ‘This is a family!’ when you go to the interview?”

Sam nodded once. “Yep.” Most common lie ever.

“Well, SkyTech doesn't say that,” Pinkie continued. “And then, like, you know. They totally are! Yea, we’re all there to make money and stuff, but it’s mostly about bettering everyone’s lives and solving problems. And I know how culty that sounds to you, but I promise for once it’s really just a bunch of people working hard to help. Like, you know Mr. Trigger was raised by changelings, right?”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “I hadn’t actually…” She thought for a moment then sighed. “I trust you. It’s just… Nopony likes their home being disrupted, you know?”

Pinkie nodded eagerly. “Right! Which is why I’m glad we can use a totally different building.”

Sam closed her eyes tightly. “That’s… A good point.”

“Besides, I’ll be on the support team for this job,” Pinkie continued happily as ever. “Which means we can be next door neighbors for a while! I hope that makes up for the inconveniences. Cuz I know there will be a few. Like, you do maintenance here right? I know I’ll break something at some point, so, sorry in advance.”

Sam snorted. “Well, if you’ll be here, then it can’t be all bad,” she decided. “It's nice to… Well, get to see you again. I thought I’d never know anypony from the old days.”

Pinkie blinked and pulled a small notebook from her mane. “Lots of us made it! Didn’t they give you addresses?”

Sam shook her head, her eyes narrowing in anger. “No. They didn’t.”

Pinkie’s face fell. “Oh no! Well, come on. You can copy all my contacts with blue labels while I make us some brownies, okay?”

Sam stepped over to Pinkie and pulled her in for a close hug. “Thanks, Private.”

“I retired as a Sergeant First Class actually,” Pinkie commented off hoof.

Sam raised an eyebrow. “As a medic?”

She blushed lightly. “Yes. For the kind of squad you’re not allowed to talk about.”

Sam nodded, entirely understanding. “Tried to get assigned to my squad?”

Pinkie smiled knowingly. “I’d rather just talk about good times, okay?”

Sam nodded in agreement. “Kitchen’s this way.”

The two headed to the kitchen, moving back across the compound and giving Sam some time to think.

If what she says is true, then it's the best case scenario for this entire thing, Sam mused. June and I are pretty sure her dad’s the Lord Luna’s not mentioning. From what June told me of her dad, this is the kind of idiocy he’d have pulled and we’re both kinda sure he wound up being the Lord somehow. At least he didn’t demand FlimFlam Co.. Even if those idiots stayed in Vanhoofer, I’d hate them just being here.

Sam looked up at Pinkie for a moment, doing her best to not stare at the straight mare’s plot. Stop it, Sam. You have a marefriend now… Who would also check her out. Because changeling. Mm…

Sam mentally cleared her throat to refocus. Though it is pretty good evidence that SkyTech’s not like normal companies if she gets to dress how she likes. Maybe I’ll get lucky and it will just be like subletting to some cool exchange students.

Sam hummed and tilted her head in sudden realization. Some of their workers will be Zebricans. I can probably get to have those awesome kebabs again! So that’s something.

The two arrived at the dormitory’s rear entrance and Pinkie held the door open for Sam, allowing the two to enter directly into the communal dining room / kitchen combo.

“Soooo, brownies!” Pinkie said with her usual chipper smile. “Do you have everything we need?”

Sam shrugged and opened the baking cabinet and began to sort through the carefully labeled tupperware containers. “Flower, brown sugar, white sugar, red sugar, Changeling vitamins—”

“Changeling vitamins?” Pinkie asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sam sighed and took a small white tin container out of the cupboard and set it on the counter. “No idea. It’s been here since before I was. Where was I? Right! Salt… Cake flower, vanilla sugar, chocolate sugar, toffee chips, chocolate chips—”

Pinkie trotted over to the container on the counter and opened it. “Oh! Neat.”

Sam turned away from the cupboard. “What is it?”

“What it says on the tin. Love,” Pinkie informed matter of factly.

Sam gave her a blank look. “You can’t put love in a tin.”

“You super can, see?” Pinkie said, tilting the open container towards the other mare.

Sam peeked inside and gave Pinkie another more intense blank look. “It’s empty. Don’t pull my tail like that.”

“Super isn’t and I’ll prove it. We’ll make two batches of brownies,” Pinkie said as she produced a cookbook from Celestia knows where and set it on the counter already open to the brownie page for such is the nature of the pink one.

Sam shrugged. “Sure. I’m guessing you add that to one and—”

Pinkie nodded. “Mhm! Just follow the recipe, it’s super easy. Mind if I sing while we bake? It’s a habit.”

“Not at all,” Sam said as she bent down to get a pair of mixing bowls out from under the counter.

Pinkie took one bowl and began to measure flour with measuring cups Sam swore had been in the drawer and not already on the counter, singing in a foreign language as she worked.

“ˈdɒmɪnəʊz ˈfɔːlɪŋ // ˈraɪət ɪn ðə striːts. // ˈbeɪbi ðɪs taɪm, // ðeəz nəʊ rɪˈtriːt. // ðeəz nəʊ səˈrɛndə // ə ˈdɛvᵊl ɪz ˈraɪzɪŋ, // ə ˈʃædəʊ frɒm ðə pɑːst—”

“Hold up,” Sam said, putting a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder. “That’s Enox’s language. How do you know it?”

Pinkie’s ears perked up. “Oh! Sorry, that’s English. The Emerald Changelings speak it, and live under Phoenix. I like their music. I don’t know what any of that meant, I just memorized the song. I didn’t think anybuggie from down there moved up here. I should say hi and offer to take a letter home.”

Sam blinked twice. “Uh… No? She’s an alien. Like, a space alien. From space. It’s an alien language.”

Pinkie shrugged. “I don’t think so? Is she a prankster? Might just be pulling your tail!”

Sam’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “That… Little… Troll!”

Pinkie cracked a grin. “Sounds like I’d like her. Are you sure she’s actually an alien?”

“Yes. She’s proved that a few times.”

“Cool! Pass the eggs, please. Chicken ones, not alien ones.”

Sam looked in the fridge, frowning. “Wait, why are there alien egg—” She facehooved. “You got me, Pinkie.”

Pinkie laughed and continued her baking.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Later that night, Sam sat on the mountainside, overlooking Evergreen Falls under the light of the moon. She’d felt restless since Pinkie had left. The excitable mare’s well adjusted attitude and unchanged nature had hit her in a way she’d never expected.

Of course, Pinkie was much younger than her, and while they’d apparently shared a career for a while, Sam had been in it longer. She’d also been doing it while the Gryphon-Zebrican War had been in the phase most amateur historians had started to call “The Shittening”, a period of rapid escalation as two lightning offenses hit each other in the middle of the Hotep jungle.

Needless to say, it was a very bad time to be a member of special forces in a nation allied with either side.

It’s good that happened early in her life, Sam mused. She gave it a small part of her formative years. I gave it the last of mine… And what do I have to show for it? Unmeetable self-expectations, a box of crap that makes me sad, and a list of friends I don’t get to see anymore.

As much as Sam disliked the corporate life, she was glad Pinkie had found something that called to her. She’s got everything ahead of her. Plenty of time to get her life set back up, get on a good path, and retire after a full life. I’m glad for the lucky filly. I really am… Shame that’s just not the case for me.

The toxic thought swirled in Sam’s mind for a few minutes. Eager to push it away and get back to enjoying her nighttime flight, Sam reached into her backpack for one of Pinkie’s brownies which Pinkie had insisted she pack away for “Sadness Emergencies”.

Now seemed like a good time for one.

Sam unwrapped the brownie, took a bite, and chewed for a few moments. Something, perhaps the rush of dopamine from a genuinely delightful treat, or maybe some stray remnant of Sam’s younger more optimistic self, lept up from the depths of her consciousness and pushed the cloud of negativity out of Sam’s mind like a good friend who was mad at her brain for being sad about stupid shit.

“Oh!” Sam exclaimed, smiling ear to ear instantly. These ones are better. Buck me, I guess you can put love in a tin.

Come to think of it… I’m not that old for a pegasus. I’ve got another century. Maybe a little more. I did a lot with my first century, and I’m not worn out yet. Sam realized, starting to mull that line of thought over.

I lifted that log the other day. This crystal in my chest is something I’ve never gotten to explore, and it’s absolutely opening a door for me. Who knows what else this can do. The book Dusk got me is for something similar to what I have, so… Buck me, maybe I could use it to cast unicorn spells! It’s all an unknown.

Sam took another bite of the brownie, and nodded to herself. This wasn’t the end, and she wouldn’t get anywhere she wanted to be by looking over her shoulder at closed doors. There had to be something out there she could do. Something her young self had always dreamed of. Something—

Sam’s eyes widened with realization. I could have friends that are like family to me, but ones I’ll never have to leave, for the first time ever! That’s something I can start working on tonight. June, Violet. They like me. They care. I should care back even more.

Sam finished the brownie, put the plastic wrap in her bag not to litter, then paused for a moment and smiled.

“Thanks, Pinkie. You always did make the best brownies,” she commented before opening her wings to finish her late-night flight on a happy note.

14 - … Differences

Junebug - 11th of Harvestide, 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

June set down her pen and shook her cramping hoof. “Ugh… It will be cool when you and Vi finish that lab computer,” she said to Enox while looking at the stack of translations she’d finished. “At least I’m almost done.”

Enox huffed and flicked her ears as she lay on a plush dog bed she’d brought in to chill on while watching her marefriend work. “You already found one with readable text, so…”

“These can be translated several ways,” June reminded. “Yes, there’s only one valid cipher… Per possible encoded text. I need to check them all.”

“You haven’t even read the one you fully translated,” Enox objected.

“I mean, I got the gist from translating it. I’ll look it over seriously once I know if it’s the only one, or if it's part of a set that needs to be used together to solve another puzzle, or a fragment of a longer text, et cetera.”

Enox nodded, shuffling her weight slightly. “Why not take a break?”

June smirked and looked over her shoulder at Enox. “I’m still good from this morning.”

“Not that kind of break. Though I could totally go again,” Enox corrected, giggling mischievously. “I mean why not do something else? Work stuff. Just take an hour and work at… Whatever.”

June hummed and rested a hoof on her chin for a moment. “I guess I could check some of their documentation,” she mused, turning her chair around to look at the Astrolabe. “Yeah! That will be a nice break from this. Can you get me file two? I think I’ll see if the knobs do what they said they do.”

Enox levitated the file from the workbench across the room to the central table. June pushed her chair away from the wall, rolling into place next to the file just as it arrived.

“There you go.”

June nodded and opened the file, flipping to the tabbed section marked ‘controls’.

“Okay… First one. Center knob,” June began, referencing the document several times. “One click clockwise, no change.”

June grabbed the knob with a hoof and twisted it. It clicked loudly once, and the dials on the face immediately retracted, allowing the void within to be unobstructed as the centermost emerald filled the viewport, overlaid by the tourmaline June had concluded represented Equis… And then, a series of runes, lines, patterns, and most notably of all, Amilic runes reading ‘Comparison Mode’ on the bottom of the device’s viewport.

“Mmm. Mhm. Nothing. Suuuuuure!” June said, clenching her jaw irritably. “Okay, these files? Worthless. I’m calling it right now. These are totally fabricated. Raven said there was some corruption and cover ups, right?”

“Yeeeeep!” Enox agreed, having stood up on her rear hooves to see onto the table. “That’s true, and that’s something alright… Wait, those lines. They’re almost the same but a few are different. What’s the display saying?”

“Comparison mode,” June answered, noting Enox’s discovery and taking a closer look herself. “This… Kind of looks like one of those spot the difference puzzles. And the one poem I retrieved—”

“Poem?” Enox asked, tilting her head, making the fluid in her helmet slosh.

“It’s a whole-ass sonnet,” June said quickly. “It claimed this thing was a map of the multiverse. I wasn’t sure that was true. Aforementioned reasons. But… This could be a way to compare differences between realities.”

June nodded, certain of the discovery. “Thanks for noticing that, Enox. We need to report this. I’ll write up a report for him and—”

“And that report goes right to the Director of Research for this site,” Enox interrupted, giving June a sidelong glance. “Who is…”

She waved a hoof to prompt June.

June facehooved. “Cadence’s throbbing cunt!” June swore groaned into her hoof.

She took a few moments to process the stupid, then took a deep breath. “Okay. Why is it Doctor Grape Vine? How much does that guy do around here and why hasn’t he been replaced while he’s being investigated for corruption?”

“Starting to understand why Administrator Raven has moved in for the time being?”

“Yep.”

“Also, I’ve met Cadence. Her husband prefers kit like yours, but with a higher drop rate,” Enox clarified.

“TMI, Enox,” June mumbled under her breath.

“Just want to help you swear better,” Enox mumbled dejectedly. “Not my fault you swear by your demigod’s body parts. Which, presumably, you should be accurate about.”

June took another deep breath. And ignored Enox’s grumbling. “Okay. Cool. So… How about we just go report this right to Raven in person? Like, right now? Get that bucker kicked out soon as possible. He can’t stay in charge with a major project having clearly been total horseapples, right?”

Enox shrugged. “Maybe it doesn't work when a stallion turns the knob? We could find a dude and have them turn it.”

June rolled her eyes. “Says here they tested a male and female pony of each tribe with these controls. You know, standard protocol for determining if a relic is tribe or gender locked. And, since there’s no way it only works for transmares, we’re telling Raven this report is ‘bullshit’, as you’d say.”

Enox stretched up more to get a better look at the project folder open on the desk. “Oh shit, it does say that. Yeah. Okay. Raven time!”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Samhain - 11th of Harvestide, 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

Sam jolted upright from her nap. Her wings fluttered as she instinctively flapped up onto the couch’s back, looking for whatever had woken her up. Nothing? What? Maybe Dew dropped something heavy? I should see if she’s—

Four loud yet timid knocks of hoof on glass made Sam’s ear twitch. Her face fell slightly. Ah. That will be one of the SkyTech engineers with another random thing for me to help them with. On my last day of medical leave… Woo.

Sam flew down to the floor, stretched her hind legs out and walked towards the door. Once in the hallway and able to see the glass door, her annoyed look vanished. It was the postmare. The yellow pegasus who liked Violet.

Her name’s Fluttershy, right? Sam wondered as she trotted down the hall to open the door.

Fluttershy stood awkwardly on the step, clearly too hot given her glistening fur and flared nostrils.

Sam did her best to remain blank faced while walking despite shivering slightly at how thin and long legged the other mare was.

She looks like she spent time in The Hole, Sam thought, recalling how other PoWs looked after coming out of solitary confinement. Like she got to a medic and it's been a couple weeks since she was… You know what? I’m offering her a burger. She’s a pegasus. She can eat what I can eat. She’ll like meat.

Sam opened the door and waved her into the air conditioned space.

“You’re hot. Come in for a few minutes, I’ll get you some lemonade and something to eat before you head out…” Sam trailed off noticing the yellow mare was naked and didn’t even have saddlebags on. “Wait, it’s the afternoon. You’ve already delivered, right?”

Fluttershy nodded timidly. “Y— Yes. Can I still come in though?”

“Of course!” Sam said, gesturing again. “Violet mentioned you have a heat disorder. I’m not a monster.”

“Thank you,” she said, stepping inside as quickly as she could.

Sam closed the door to keep the cold in. “Are you looking for Violet? She—”

“Yes!” Fluttershy said with an eager smile, cutting Sam off unintentionally. “I was hoping to get to see what she does for work. We, um, we had lunch and talked and… Well, uh, you know she’s a robot, right?”

Sam giggled and grinned ear to ear. “Yes. It’s hard to miss.”

“Well, I didn’t,” Shy continued. “She asked me to think about things after telling me and… Well I did. I think she was trying to warn me off because she’s not a pony but… I mean, changelings can feed off her so she’s a person and I wanted to get to know her better… But um… I realized I don’t know what a Research Assistant even is… And if I don’t know what she thinks is important enough to do for a job—”

Sam nodded understandingly. “You don’t know a big part of her. Fair enough. I can give you a tour, show you what she’s been up to.”

Fluttershy’s ears drooped. “Oh. I was hoping Violet and I could do that together.”

“You can if you can wait for like, four, five hours,” Sam informed with a wing shrug. “She went into town with June and Enox to make a report, and I got a call like…”

Sam trailed off and glanced at the wall clock.

“... twenty minutes ago saying they were going to be back late because their report is serious, meeting with the Council, and blah blah blah,” Sam finished.

Fluttershy swished her tail timidly. “Oh. Um… I can’t wait that long. I have a meeting later. I’ll come back tomorrow.”

Sam raised an eyebrow and shook her head. “Don’t do that. I can tell you right now that while Violet is nothing like the robots you’ve read about she is still big into efficiency. You’ll be fatigued from walking up to the door through the heat till you have a full night’s sleep, right?”

Fluttershy timidly nodded. “Y— Yes. It’s not the heat… It’s sudden temperature changes.”

“Okay, but the point I’m making is if you come back later, since the telescope is set for a year-long mission, it will just be hot again. We don’t have downtime days scheduled.”

“Oh.”

“So, you’ll be exhausted for two days if you go home. Take it from me, minimize how long you spend exhausted. Your body will thank you for it.”

Fluttershy looked into Sam’s eyes, thoroughly confused. “Um, how could I…” She trailed off, biting her lip.

Sam sighed. Weird she didn’t understand me, but okay.

“I can give you a tour today. You can tell Vi that you went on it to learn about her. She’ll like you did that and didn’t waste your time and hurt yourself twice. She’ll be happy you’re interested in what she does and you two can plan from there,” Sam said, then nodded to the kitchen. “At any rate, lemonade?”

“Yes!” The overheating mare beg-answered, her eyes suddenly doing an excellent impression of a distressed kitten.

Several ice cold glasses of lemonade later, Fluttershy had her decision.

“I um… I’d like to take the tour,” she said, looking down at the table for a moment.

“Cool. It will be the second one I’ve done this month, and probably way more fun,” Sam said, smiling politely. “I’m Samhein, by the way. You can call me Sam if you like. Most ponies do.”

“Most ponies wind up calling me Shy,” Fluttershy replied.

Sam, still a little sleepy, blinked. “That’s… Rude. I’m sorry about that.”

Fluttershy laughed and flashed Sam a smile. “Good one.”

Oh poop… That’s just the end of her na— Wow, her parents were jerks! Sam cleared her throat. “Anyways, Shy, we’ll be going in and out of a few buildings, and it will be hot out there. Will you get more and more exhausted with repeated exposure?”

Shy nodded twice. “Yes.”

“Can we do anything about it?”

“W— Well, um, I could wrap a cold towel around my chest, but… I don’t want to get made fun of…” She said, looking at the table, her ears drooping with years and years of sadness.

Sam raised an eyebrow. “People have made fun of you for dealing with a disability?”

“Some people are mean.”

Sam’s raised eyebrow slowly became a furrowed brow. “Let's get you a nice cold towel, and I’ll punch anyone who laughs at you for it. I’m a vet, so, it’ll hurt ‘em more than they hurt you.”

Shy’s ears perked up. “You’re a veterinarian? Can you help me get a job—”

“No.” Sam raised a hoof to cut her off. “Vet as in retired soldier. Zebrican-Gryphon War.”

Fluttershy eeped, recoiling slightly. “Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry you were there. I heard it was awful.”

“You heard right,” Sam said as she stood up to go to the bathroom. “Have a snack, a few more drinks, anything you like. I’m going to soak a towel in cold water then toss it in the freezer. We can chat while it gets all cold, okay?”

“Okay!”

Ten minutes later and the two mares were back at the table, waiting for an egg timer to tick down and a soaked towel to be cold but not frozen. They were in the middle of a conversation mostly about each other. The simple questions everyone asks just to get to know people. Sam went first, and was grateful that Fluttershy asked about her military career just once and accepted a ‘I don’t like talking about it,’ then moved onto her current job.

Of course, it eventually came time for Sam to ask her questions. “So, you moved into the hive, right? Not town.”

Fluttershy nodded timidly. “Y— Yes.”

“Why?” Sam asked, quite reasonably. “Hate homes with windows?”

Fluttershy smiled for a moment at Sam’s joke then kicked her hooves gently. “A— Actually… I’m a changeling.”

Sam blinked. “Oh. Well that answers that then. What hive are you from? Might have been out their way,” she said with a friendly smile.

Fluttershy tilted her head, not remotely having expected a kind and polite response. The Ponyville area, being mostly full of uneducated farmers, had not taken well to Queen Chrysalis's invasion of Canterlot.

“I don’t know,” Fluttershy quietly replied. “I thought I was a pegasus my whole life, till the invasion. I got transformed by the… love… wave… thingie? You know when Cadence freed her husband?”

Sam nodded and Fluttershy continued. “I thought the magic turned me into a changeling for weeks. So did doctors because, I don’t know? They didn’t say it in a way I understood. I eventually changed back on my own… And that’s when I realized I’m just, you know… Not a pegasus.”

Sam nodded and gently took hold of Fluttershy’s hoof. “That’s rough. But lucky you, you can be anything you want!”

Shy shook her head. “Nope. I um… It’s kind of like a martial art. I can be me, or a bug. That’s it… and not even proper me. I’m too skinny and I think I look sick.”

Sam clapped her hoof against the table, making Shy jump. “That’s why I think you look too twiggy!” Sam announced, a little rudely.

Shy’s ears drooped. “T— Twiggy?”

“You’re a changeling Scout. Like, that’s your caste. You know how you guys have different castes, like ants?”

Shy nodded slowly. “Y—Yes?”

“You’re inexperienced at shapeshifting, and you’ve got a scout’s body proportions on a pegasus body. It looks a bit off,” Sam explained. “Now that I know you’re a changeling, it’s not setting off my ‘Call a doctor’ alarms.”

Shy blushed deeply. “O— Oh… I thought I was starving too… I used to be um, plump. So uh, I tried letting some stallions have fun with me to eat, but it didn’t work. Obviously. Also I didn’t feel like I do when a pony appreciates me, so…”

Sam winced. “Oh. Yeah. I have a few changeling friends. Eating lust is hard, apparently. More nutritious, but hard. I think it’s a skill they teach? Kind of like cooking.”

Shy nodded again and twitched her wings nervously. “Mhm. At least I know why I feel sick if people around me are angry now though.” She shuffled her hooves for a moment. “Am I a bad pony because I’m nice so I don’t starve?”

Sam gave her a flat look. “No. And if you’re going to use that level of overthought logic, then everypony is only really nice to not be disliked and altruism is a lie. Kindness is kindness, it doesn't matter why someone’s being kind… Unless they’re trying to trick you to hurt you. Which noling ever does.”

Sam frowned as she realized her point was muddied by many recent events. “Okay, some do. But you just want to live a normal life and not be hungry. Right?”

“Right.”

“Then there you go,” Sam said, smiling once more. “So, you moved into the hive to learn about your people then?”

“Yes. But I can’t move all the way in yet… Apparently because I don’t smell like the hive, and we work a lot like ants. Except my scent should change over time, so in a month or two I can be doing normal things there... Instead of being stuck in a small area on separate ventilation…”

“Then you don’t work for CARE?” Sam asked.

Fluttershy shook her head. “Um, no. Just the town post office.”

Sam nodded, paused, frowned, then asked. “Wait, if that’s the case… Some stuff here is classified. Do you have CARE Clearance?”

“Yes. Level 2, for access to buildings only. Because I deliver the mail,” Shy answered honestly. “I um, I have it while not on shift too, so I can pick up mail after hours on request.”

“Oh. Cool. I have a similar clearance. Nothing in here’s above a 3, so, we’re fine to go whenever—”

The egg timer buzzed, making both mares jump.

Sam cleared her throat and stood up to get the towel. “Okay. Violet spends most of her time working on the radio telescope and helping June in the lab. We’ll start with the scope.”

“Sounds good.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

After an hour Sam decided she preferred giving Fluttershy a tour over Pinkie. Sure, Pinkie was an old friend but she’d been there on business. Shy, on the other hoof, seemed genuinely interested in all kinds of things. While it was clear she was the outdoorsy type, she had some level of appreciation for gadgets and gizmos.

Fluttershy had excitedly pointed out how cool it was to see the observatory’s mainframe working because “Oh wow! Thermionic diode machines are rare!” But also, the maneframe’s many moving data-reels, servo actuated plugboards, and of course the humming and thrumming was “just like a tiger’s purr!” as she put it.

Sam recalled Violet mentioning she saw the observatory’s computers much like pets and passed the information on, which seemed to brighten poor Fluttershy’s day. Eager as she was for her tour, it was clear that even with the towel every time they had to go between buildings she was in distress.

“Why don’t you pick up one of those cooling vests?” Sam asked as she closed the laboratory door behind the two of them for the final stage of the tour.

Shy blushed and flicked her wings awkwardly. “Fillyhood bullying…”

Sam’s eyes narrowed. “Wow. Dicks.”

Shy blushed lightly. “Um, just between us girls… Isn’t it weird how we use dicks as a negative word when most of us rather like them?”

Sam paused to think for a moment, then nodded. I haven't seen her shapeshift, but that is absolutely a changeling thought. “I guess?”

“I should get one though,” Fluttershy mused. “A vest I mean. Ponies here seem much nicer. I um, probably could have had one in Ponyville too… But I didn’t need it. The weather ponies kept everything stable all the time. At least they did while Rainbow was in charge, but then she became an Element and the new pony in charge of the weather team was kind of a slacker and… um, nevermind.”

Sam nodded understandingly and trotted down the hall. “Labs just down here. Violet’s in the middle of building a better computer for June in here. Speaking of June, she’s studying a relic in the lab so, don’t touch anything. I don’t want to mess with her flow.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy said, flapping her wings to take off and slowly hover after Sam.

“You can touch the floor.”

“Oh.”

Sam smiled as she pushed on the locked lab door. “It’s okay, I’ve done that too,” she said while fetching her key ring from her saddlebags and making a mental note to lock the lab back up after leaving.

I can't wait for the SkyTech people to get their clearance so I can stop having to unlock every single door… Oh man they’re not going to rescind that order till they’re done and gone are they? Dang it!

Sam opened the door and held it open for Shy. She trotted forwards, only to stop next to Sam, cock her head and sniff the air briefly on reflex.

Sam sighed, bracing for the inevitable instinct-level rejection. “I know, I don’t smell like a—”

“Y— You smell great though?” Fluttershy said, frowning.

“Uh? Well, uh… no? I don’t have any personal pheromones. Registered disorder.”

“Right! So you smell like the places you go and things you do. It’s nice! Kinda like a scented candle that tells your story.”

Sam blinked. “Oh. Uh… Thanks?”

“You’re welcome!”

The two trotted inside. Their attention was drawn to the far wall where the lab’s old computer sat, whirring away as it ran some program or another. Next to it sat a newly added workbench where a pile of old computer parts and some strange silvery gem studded alien looking components lay in a neat and orderly arrangement.

“Oh that’s interesting,” Shy commented, trotting towards the computer in progress. “Those look a lot like the old tech relics you can find in those super-deep-down ruins sometimes. Is this what June’s studying?”

“No, that's the computer, Enox is helping her with it. I guess those are the parts she made?” Sam questioned, looking at the parts suspiciously. If that little green troll has access to her people’s tech, why do I only ever see her using our junk to do stuff?

Shy nodded and continued to inspect the parts, not touching anything. “I have no idea what I am looking at… Everypony says these will be used for everything soon. Should I learn how they work?”

Sam hesitated a moment, her old ranger training telling her this mare was pulling her tail. While Fluttershy did imply she had no idea what she was looking it, she’d said as much while looking at the parts Enox had brought. And she’d known the names of all the older components in the other machines.

Nopony that interested in old computers could be this naive about them, she decided, but I’ll play along. She probably wants to avoid being asked to do IT work.

Sam nodded slowly. “Yep! They’ve digitized the time card system for the CARE labs. Everypony should at least know how to use a computer, if not how they work,” she continued before turning to the central table. “June’s working on understanding this… Thing…”

Sam’s eyes widened slightly as she saw the astrolabe on its stand displaying something she’d never seen before. “Oh! That’s new.”

Fluttershy turned to look. “What’s new?”

“I’ve never seen it show what it’s showing right now,” Sam said, trotting towards it. “I hope June was here for this… Let me see if she took any notes.”

A quick glance at the table showed nothing. No note, no pad with an impression of a note which she may have run off to Raven with. Nothing.

“Well it’s a good thing we stopped by,” Sam commented. “June might not know about this. We should leave a note… And I should copy the runes it’s showing. Shame my hoof writing sucks for runes.”

Fluttershy trotted over to the table. “I have good penmanship, let me do it.”

Sam nodded in agreement and then carefully, without disturbing any other papers, picked up June’s notepad and a pen and passed them to Fluttershy. “Here… Uh, June. Hi, it’s Sam. I brought Fluttershy on a tour of the observatory to show her what Violet does. The astrolabe is showing a screen displaying some kind of new data overlaid with other… dat— is that us?”

Sam frowned and stared intently into the astrolabe’s small screen. A pair of silhouetted mares were outlined on its face, arranged in the same way she and Fluttershy were standing. Notably the taller thinner silhouette had a faint ghostly image of a changeling overlaid on it as well, along with some runes spelling out a short message.

Had either mare been able to read Amilic they would have known what the device was saying. Unfortunately, to them, the runes were just mysterious slightly sinister red glowing lights within an even more sinister device. Of course, ‘Unique divergences located’ is a fairly sinister sounding phrase in and of itself.

Fluttershy looked up at the astrolabe from the pad and gasped, she flapped her wings to move back from the relic showing an image of her, on instinct, and clipped the table edge with her wing. The jolt knocked the astrolabe off its stand, making the relic plop onto the table with a soft metallic thud.

Shy eeped and reached out to pick it back up, again on instinct. “Sorry, I—”

Sam’s eyes widened. She reached out to grab Fluttershy’s hoof, missed, and both mares touched the astrolabe at the same time. They yelped as a mild static shock struck both of them with enough force to make their fur go all poofy.

“Buck!” Sam shouted, waving her hoof in pain.

Fluttershy coughed awkwardly and waved her hoof, faking distress. “Um, ow…”

Sam side eyed Fluttershy. Is she faking that having hurt to seem like a pony? Poor thing. She needs to know she doesn't have to do that anymore.

“Changelings are shock proof? Lucky.” Sam grunted, putting her hoof back down with a slight hiss thanks to her still stinging frog.

Shy blushed and nodded. “Yeah...” She said in a way that very distinctly was covering up for a little white lie.

Oh! Sam blushed shyly and leaned into her own horseapples to prevent the other mare from being embarrassed further.

“Yep. Well believed fact…” She coughed into her good forehoof. “Right, so uh, now we need to go into town and tell the doc we got shocked by a relic and get a full check up. You know that, right?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes. Um, can we go do that like, now now? Just in case that’s a melt into goop curse?”

Sam had not considered that possability. “Yes. Yes we can.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Later that night, Sam went to bed, happy to have been given a clean bill of health after an hour and a half of intensive scans. Fortunately for her, the shock was considered to be a discovery rather than a containment breach, and internal affairs’ quick investigation had decided she hadn’t done anything wrong by giving Fluttershy a tour in light of both mares’ clearance allowing for it, and the Astrolabe having been previously designated as entirely harmless.

They did give her a written warning to not go near active projects without the Researcher's knowledge again, though. A disciplinary measure Sam entirely agreed with.

Sam got to sleep far more easily than she did most nights. She laid down, pulled her blankets over herself to hide deep within their quilted folds, and was out like a light. No sooner than she was asleep, she found herself plunged into a vivid dream.

Vivid dreams had been something Sam had gotten used to over the last couple weeks thanks to Princess Luna’s blessings. She was entirely familiar with the hyper-reality of a well crafted dreamscape the princess had forged expressly for someone in need of quality rest and true relaxation. This dream was nothing like those.

It was too real.

Everything looked, felt, smelled, sounded, and tasted exactly like it was real. No imagination, no exaggeration, no fog from a half remembered sensation. It was as if Sam were plunged through a pool and emerged in another world entirely.

A world where her homeland didn’t exist, where it was just a province of a less prosperous but more expansive Zebrica. A world where she saw through eyes that were her own yet not her own. A world where she was a school teacher.

Then, as if the dream were a rubber band being stretched out, she snapped out of that world into another equally real-feeling time and place where she was an auto wagon mechanic.

Another change. She was a mother who stayed home to tend to her foals.

Another. This time Sam was a weather pony.

A warehouse clerk.

A drill instructor for an air force.

A priest in some weird purple cube religion.

A happy single mare in a utopian world where all work had been automated.

The dream opened windows into the lives of thousands of Sams, then it opened one final window. One Sam knew already. This window led to her life.

She was seven. She’d just flown for the first time on her own that day. She’d snuck out of the house to fly again, this time in the moonlight so the poor Mare in the Moon wouldn’t feel so bad that nopony did anything in her prettier-nicer-not-hard-on-the-eyes light.

Sam braced herself, ready to relive everything. The beam of light that engulfed her. The random slips in and out of consciousness while under an unknown entity’s knife. The feeling of the crystal being set into her bones.

It never came. Sam felt herself pulled out of her younger self’s body to watch from the sidelines. She saw herself reach the peak of the climb she’d been making when she’d been captured. An oily stain on reality Sam had never seen before oozed into existence from a crack in the world behind her younger self.

It bent, twisted, and moved the world to its liking. It did not create the ensnaring light, but it called out for it. It arranged her fate. The proof was staring her in the face. Somehow, Sam simply knew what the stain was doing.

The dream faded away. Not to blackness but to greenness. Sam found herself standing in a large featureless room. It was freezing, wet, and everything felt slightly too light. As if everything were under intangible water within a room lit by a dim green lamp.

She was not alone. A large brain floated at eye level before her, a long slender unicorn-like horn attached to it as Sam knew horns to be but had never, ever, wanted to see outside of an anatomy textbook.

The brain’s horn lit up with magic and it floated the Astrolabe into a place where it could have looked at its face, if it had eyes.

It spoke to her. “You’re free to choose your own fate. You could hurt that shadow if you wanted to. I recommend you do.”

Sam sat bolt upright in bed, sweat soaking her fur and blankets. The phone in her room was ringing.

Sam grit her teeth, took a deep breath to try and forget the nightmare, then picked up the phone, her voice shaky. “H— Hello?”

The sounds of a stand mixer whirring away reached Sam’s ears slightly before Fluttershy’s voice. “Um, h— Hi. Sorry for calling late. It’s Shy.”

Sam groaned and rubbed her eyes with her free hoof. “Did you also have a nightmare?”

“Oh, you did too,” Shy said with a worried tremor in her voice. “I um… I hoped you didn’t.”

“Did you…see a bunch of like, other lives you lived?” Sam asked wearily.

“Yeah… I’m something different every time. Sometimes a pony, sometimes a changeling, sometimes brave, a robot once.” Shy said timidly. “D— Did you see a… B— A br—”

“Yes, I saw it,” Sam said to spare the poor mare from having to relive it too much. “Did it talk to you? And uh, did it have the Astrolabe?”

“Yes. To both,” Shy said as the mixer stopped whirring. There was a long pause as Sam heard the sounds of her starting to scoop dough from the bowl.

“Are you making cookies?” Sam asked, frowning somewhat.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“W— Well what did it tell you?” Shy asked nervously.

Sam winced, hoping she hadn’t been woken up before that thing had time to give her some kind of instructions to avoid a terrible fate at the tendrils of that stain on the world.

“It showed me… That something made sure I got this crystal,” Sam answered slowly. “Told me it messed up. That I’m free to be… What I want. That I could hurt whatever that shadow thing is. If I wanted to. And that I should hurt it, probably. You?”

“I um,” Shy cleared her throat. “It showed me that I was supposed to be an Element of Harmony. That some… Oily thing changed my destiny. Then it told me I'm free to be anything I want to be… And that I make the best snickerdoodles in the whole multiverse and I should bring it some if I ever get the chance.”

Sam blinked twice. “Oh. So… You’re making snickerdoodles?”

“Yes, I’ve never made any before. So, um… Could you come over and tell me if they are good? S— So we can know if the dreams are true.”

“You know it’s true,” Sam countered instantly.

“Yes. But. I don’t want to be alone and I don't have Violet’s phone number and I’m about to have a bajillion snickerdoodles because I anxiety-baked. And robots don’t eat! Okay Vi does, but she hates like, food food because energy density, blah blah, superior gear oil and screws diet… Come help with cookies!”

Sam nodded once, facehooved as she remembered ponies couldn’t see you through a phone, and said, “I’ll be right over. I could use a friend too.”

Sam quickly flew to Violet’s training field and after explaining to the changeling standing look out at the hive entrance she wanted to visit Fluttershy was led into the hive. She’d been in the changeling city before, which made it nothing special to her. Just a series of organically shaped, smoothed stone, dross lined tunnels filled with many large chambers for socializing with fake stalactites and bioluminescent plants, and tunnels with row after row of doors leading to homes, businesses, shops, and everything else civilizations need.

In no time at all she found herself guided through an airlock, told that her guide wouldn’t be going further due to ‘pheromone changes’ and that Fluttershy was in the first room on the left.

Sam knocked on Shy’s door, and the mare opened the green resin slab immediately. While Shy’s thin frame filled the doorway, Sam could see she’d gathered some clouds to make her own furniture and painted the walls brown at the bottoms, green at the tops, and also painted the ceiling blue.

Huh. She likes the surface more than the sky… Of course she does. Actually a buggo.

Sam nodded and stepped inside. Fluttershy closed the door behind Sam, then wordlessly handed her a cookie. “R— Remember. I’ve never made these. Have you had one before?”

Sam nodded. “My country invented these. My mom owned a bakery, made the best snickerdoodles anypony ever had,” she said truthfully before taking a bite of the cookie.

Her eyes widened. Her pupils dilated. Her heart sped up as her sense of cookie quality instantly shifted forever. “Nevermind! Mom’s were crap! She’d agree.”

Fluttrshy bit her lip then, hesitantly, took a bite of her own cookie and gasped. “Oh my goodness!”

The two mares quickly ate another six cookies each before realizing, with some level of horror, that their dreams had been less dreams and more messages.

“We… We need to tell June or somepony else about this, right?” Fluttershy asked Sam.

Sam nodded. “Yeah… Also, I think we should probably, you know. Help her.”

“So we can understand what happened?”

Sam nodded again. “I want to… Pretty sure you want to.”

“Yes. I need to know,” Shy agreed. “W— What if we’re meant to stop that thing?”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “The brain or the stain?”

Shy paused, twitched her wings nervously, then swished her tail. “Um… The shadow thing. I think the brain’s just lonely and wants a snack.”

“Wait, it asked for cookies?”

Shy nodded once. “Y— Yes.”

I mean, it did ask her for cookies, Sam mused. Eldritch horrors from beyond the stars probably don’t care about some flour and sugar.

“Did… Did it tell you where to deliver them?”

“No,” Shy said, her ears drooping. “Which bothers me a lot.”

“Right so… Want to head over? June goes to sleep at like, two. She’s either at the lab, or at her marefriend’s. If she’s at her marefriend’s we wait for morning because. Uh… Well, she’s still a young mare and her marefriend’s species seems to default to horny.”

Shy blushed and squirmed a little. “Um… How about I just, stay with you? Like overnight. And we tell her in the morning. I don’t think I could get back to sleep anyways.”

Sam laughed and nodded. “Yea, me too. Come on, we can… I don’t know. Write down everything we remember, then watch whatever is on TV at this hour.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Junebug - 12th of Harvestide, 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

June trotted across the compound to her lab. She’d spent the night at Enox’s since it was closer to town and the meeting had gone late as balls. It had gone well though.

Raven and the anonymous council all agreed that the reports were obviously falsified due to her discovery. And as falsifying data was a fireable offense, several of Grape Vine’s cronies could now be taken aside and interrogated. Unfortunately the kingpin remained untouchable, as it wasn’t technically his fault if a report turned out to be a lie.

June yawned and walked through the exterior door to her lab. Since the sun was coming up, it took her a few moments to realize the lab door wasn’t locked. Her eyes widened as she feared a break in. She sprinted to her lab, shouldering open the doors, eyes wide, searching for anything amiss—

A tired looking Sam and a yellow pegasus mare June didn’t remember the name of were hovering over the lab’s table next to the astrolabe making an arcane circle out of cookies.

“... What?” June demanded more of reality than the two mares.

“Eep!” Fluttershy squeaked.

“Why are you two drawing Meddowbrook’s Matrix in cookies on my table?” June demanded, this time of the ponies.

Sam cleared her throat. “Uh… Well, you see…we put a cookie on the astrolabe but nothing happened after it vanished, so—”

June took a deep breath, her wings flaring. “WHAT?!”

Fluttershy cleared her throat. “Well the floating brain in it asked for some snickerdoodles—”

“WHAT?!”

15 - Mares… IN SPACE!

Junebug - 12th of Harvestide, 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

June sat down at the lab work bench and took a deep breath. Pull it together, June. You can do this. You can totally avoid bucking up the eighty-thousand bit spell matrix. It’s just like making a wireless earbud, only for something way way more expensive than a messenger gem.

June took a moment to look at the Translation Talisman she’d been issued for her project. After Sam and Fluttershy had contacted an entity through the device, it had been bumped up to a top priority project. June had been told in no uncertain terms that if Dusk had not recruited her the astrolabe would have been transferred to a more senior member of CARE immediately. As things stood, the assumption was Death believed June to be the pony to crack this particular nut.

Hence, she’d been issued SkyTech’s new translator after mentioning off hoof she wasn’t entirely fluent in Amilic. Leading to her being hunched over the carefully crafted crystal amulet, having popped the case open to attach a small piece of silver and osmium to the primary spell matrix.

June looked over her tools. Arcflux wand. Ethercoil tuner. Flux analyzer. Chronocircuit integrator. Super glue. That’s everything. Let’s do this.

June carefully lifted the small silver chip with tweezers and placed it on the talisman’s exposed matrix. The osmium pins clicked against several of the micro-etched runes, prompting dim blue light to spill from the amulet up onto the chip.

June bit her lip in concentration as she peered through the flux analyzer. The pins were slightly misaligned, feeding into gem traces that didn’t accept direct flow. She shifted the chip until the analyzer beeped approvingly, signaling that everything under the pins should be under the pins. With the chip contacting the right traces, June slowly, carefully, gently, pressed the wand against the chip, bonding the crystal to the osmium with a flash of green light.

June let out a long held breath. Right. Didn’t crack it. Let’s hope I don’t slag it with step two…

She moved the chronocircuit integrator’s dish over the modified talisman and switched it on. She’d already stored the ruby-quartz bi-crystal wafer she wished to link in the device’s attunement slot, and so flicked its switch. The lab’s lights dimmed as the device briefly taxed the circuit, almost long enough for the breaker to trip, before beeping three times to indicate a successful attunement as the lights recovered.

Okay. Gems linked. The gem’s resonance was 6.38 gigahertz. Just gotta set the chip’s resonance to the same so I can have a clear signal.

June moved the integrator out of the way, picked up the tuner with her manipulator gauntlets, held it over the exposed chip and talisman, and began to carefully dial the device in using her tool’s knobs. As soon as the device was tuned, June popped open the super glue and coated the chip with a thin layer to waterproof it and give it a slightly better bond to the talisman.

Her work completed, she closed the talisman’s case, removed the magically linked ruby-quartz gemstone from its slot in the integrator, and super glued it into a black anodized aluminum ear clip, which she then slid onto her left ear.

“Okay,” June said, smiling to try and distance herself from the stress of having potentially messed up an expensive piece of kit just so she didn’t have to wear a two kilo necklace the size of a soda can for work purposes. “Testing time.”

June left the lab, locking it up behind her, and left for the dorm building quickly arriving and entering the common room. Fortunately for her, Dew was present in the living room, reading a trashy romance novel and giggling. June trotted up to Dew and cleared her throat politely. “Could you do me a favor?”

Dew blinked. “Yeah?” she frowned, her ears folding back in irritation. “You know you can tell me what that is when you ask right?”

June winced and took a step back. “I’m sorry. Did I upset you?”

Dew sighed and shook her head. “No… Sorry. I ran into a new cop and he thought I was ditching school.”

June gave Dew a quick hug, which the eternal filly returned.

“Well, want to cuss him out in a language that’s not Equish or Neighponese for me?” June asked.

Dew raised an eyebrow.

“So I can test this remote link to a translator talisman,” June explained, gesturing to the clip on her ear.

“Oh, sure. This will be in, uh… Draconic,” Dew decided on the spur of the moment. “That guy put me in a juvie holding cell for half an hour till his boss got me out and yelled at him. Dude’s such a lowlife he could parachute out a snake’s asshole.”

June smiled. “Hey! Great. I heard Equish… Also that really sucks. Did you report him?”

“Yeah, but that doesn't un-arrest me,” Dew mumbled going back to her book and also Equish. “I’m going back to laughing at ponies who think this is sexy now.”

June nodded in understanding and turned around to go back to her office. She made it three steps before the common room phone started to ring. Not wanting to make Dew get up, June walked over, lifted the hoof set, and cleared her throat.

“Hackamore Valley Observatory Common Room, Research Director Junebug speaking.”

The phone crackled and sputtered as it did its best to transmit Enox’s vox modulated voice using the same frequency space as the average pony’s voice. “Hey June! I just got a bed. Like, for you! So you can sleep on it instead of the couch when you stay over. Want to drop by after work and break it in with me? Maybe try it out for sleeping on too?”

“Absolutely!” June agreed, smiling ear to ear. “I just had a pretty stressful moment, so I could use that. See you in…” She took a moment to look at the wall clock. “... Maybe four, five hours?”

“Great! I’ll make food!”

June cleared her throat loudly.

“Including stuff you can eat this time,” Enox added swiftly. “Sorry about that. I forgor ponies' renal systems can’t handle that much sugar.”

Dew blinked and looked up from her book. “She made something so sugary you couldn't eat it? What the buck was it? How do you get more sugary than a literal brick of sugar?”

June made a note of Dew’s excellent hearing and quickly answered her question. “She called it ‘Fair Food a la Americana’. It was like, almost literally, sugar noodles in a sweet cheese to make a mac and cheese which she deep fried. That was the appetizer. The entree was a ten bean salad made from deep fried jelly beans, served on pita bread which I think started as a pudding. The bread was also breaded and deep fried. The fry oil was liquified MSG and pure glucose. The drink was like, flavored slushy snow stuff. I think the meal was around two hundred thousand calories. I have no idea how she’s alive. I didn’t eat it. She ate my serving too.”

Enox laughed through the phone. “I told you I’m basically yeast. I eat, like, pure sugar. I fermented all that.”

“And you don’t like, piss a distillate, how?”

“First, it would be more of a prison wine,” Enox said before giggling again. “Second, because my cells metabolize the alcohol I make and inhale. I’m internal combustion powered! Kinda. Actually, in a way, my lung sacks are superchargers. I’ll make you a salad this time. See you later!”

“Later,” June said as she hung up.

Right. We have two sonnets and a hundred remaining decoded attempts to translate. Let's see if there’s a third one.

“I’m voting to ban Enox from bringing food over next family meeting,” Dew said as she turned a page on the couch.

“Agreed,” June agreed as she began to walk back to her lab.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Several long hours later, having completed the translations at last, June flew across town to Enox’s house. The alien mare lived in a small blue ranch house next to the junkyard right at the base of the mountain next to one of the town’s many waterfalls. June loved the spot, its view was amazing, the area would have been perfect for a nice little neighborhood… If not for the town junkyard filling the nice flat area almost entirely.

I should ask why she built her house here of all places. It would make sense if she ran the junkyard, but that’s Waffle’s job, June noted as she circled overhead, doing her best not to wonder just how often Enox had to clean her pool filters, and failing. There’s no way it’s less than twice a month. So much rust has to blow into that pool.

June banked left into a dive and landed on Enox’s porch right in front of the door with a soft click of hooves on wood. She rang the bell with her wingtip and seconds later the door was pulled open by Enox’s magic as her unmodulated voice called “Come in, hon! Back room.”

June trotted inside and as usual, took a look around Enox’s house. In a word, it was normal. Timber construction. Hardwood and tile floors. Conventional Equestrian style furniture. A living room with a Minosian produced front projection TV in a nice walnut cabinet. Carpets in each room that made sense. Light blocking curtains.

The only feature of Enox’s home that wasn’t normal was a commercial fire suppression system. Each room had a sprinkler, sometimes two, and also what June thought was a HALON system. Though she couldn’t be certain if those were indeed HALON or some other fire-retardant foam jets.

The truly strange thing about Enox’s house was her taste in wall decorations. Posters, wall scrolls, paintings, all of which were pinups, lewd nudes, or pornographic in nature. While most anypony would find that to be weird, if not a little gross, it was entirely understandable given Enox’s doormat read ‘Cadence bless this mess’ and the sign on her door reading ‘Adults Only’, and the one below it which looked like a conventional Equestrian road hazard sign only it was marked with a cliche UFO and read ‘Warning: Probing Hazard’ in four languages.

The fact Enox’s house wouldn't have been out of place anywhere a slightly odd pony lived used to unnerve June a little. She still felt that an alien’s house should be different from her various teenage girlfriend’s bedrooms, but she’d come to accept it. After all, if Enox was content living on Equis, she clearly enjoyed the local culture.

June trotted through the entry, then the living room (giving the couch she often slept on a pat as she passed it), and into a back room Enox used to store random crap. The room had been given some new shelves to consolidate the mess to one half of the room, and a large Princess sized bed had been added.

The bed lacked any sheets or blankets, though there were pillows. This allowed June to see quite clearly that Enox had bought a water bed. June’s ears flicked back instantly, though did perk back up at the sight of Enox laying atop the bed wearing only her breath mask. She waved at June as she stepped inside.

“What do you think?”

“I think you don’t know how polarizing that kind of mattress is,” June said apologetically.

Enox frowned and looked down. “I asked Sam what kind of bed was best. What’s wrong with it?”

June took a breath and nodded. “Okay, so, bed type is pretty personal and divisive. Some ponies like springs, some like foam, I prefer clouds. And a few very, very, very weird ponies like plastic bags full of water for reasons I simply cannot understand. Sam’s one of those weirdos, I guess.”

Enox winced, her ears flopping back. “Ah. I’ll return it tomorrow then. Sorry.”

“It’s okay, you didn’t know. I’d say keep it if you like it and I’d just deal but you don’t need one.”

Enox nodded twice. “Yep yep! Any objections to using it for fun?”

June thought for a moment then shrugged. “I’m down to at least see if that won't make me nauseous. They just bounce so much.”

Ten minutes of experimentation later and the mares abandoned the water bed for the floor. Then the couch. Followed by Enox’s favorite armchair, then an ill-advised attempt to make use of the shower.

Thoroughly exhausted from their fun and her work day, June settled down on the left side of the couch since Enox was very protective of the right side seat.

Probably cuz that’s where she bolted the fire extinguisher mount, June thought briefly wondering why the extinguisher was necessary given the house’s absurdly robust fire protection. Wait… Better question, why is it double barreled? What purpose can that serve? Is… It is a fire un-extinguisher?

June curled up with a content yawn, calling out “Night, hon.” while scrunching herself into a cozy ball like the weirdo of a pony she was for the night.

“Night,” Enox called from the kitchen where she was busy making an abomination best thought of as a superclass of milkshake to recoup the calories she’d just burned.

June paused for a moment. While exhausted, she felt she could stay up for a while longer and she had often wondered what Enox did while she wasn’t there.

I think I remember dad’s tips on how to do echolocation, June mused thinking back to the many times Night had tried to help her be a better hoofball player by listening for incoming players.

While proper echolocation was limited to thestrals and pegasi with especially great hearing, any pegasus could do a crap job of it with a little practice. Of course, the range was garbage and the picture extremely fuzzy, and trying it out often made it impossible to understand spoken words as their language center would be overwhelmed trying to piece echos into an image without dedicated wetware, but it could be done. Sort of.

June focused her hearing as best she could, positioning her ears how she remembered Night telling her, and concentrated. She could sort of hear Enox in the kitchen, right at the edge of the range before everything became a fuzzed out mess of noise. Her marefriend was standing on tippy hoofs, drinking her shake in one long gulp while bouncing to itch her back on the edge of the counter.

Note to self: Buy her a backscratcher.

Enox finished her ‘shake’ and itch, put the two liter cup she’d been drinking from in the sink and trotted into the living room. She took a seat on the couch next to June and used her magic to levitate a book and a pair of headphones from a shelf across the room, and slipped the headphones on to quietly listen to music and read.

June twisted her ears a little so she could try and hear the music. Enox was incredibly embarrassed about her taste in music for some reason. The player clicked on, and June was surprised to hear “Equish” lyrics coming from the headphones. Likely due to forgetting she was still wearing her earclip.

“What is this song all about? // Can't figure any lyrics out. How do the words to it go? // I wish you'd tell me, I don't know… // Don't know, don't know, don't know, oh no! // Don't know, don't know, don't know… // Now I'm mumblin', and I'm screamin'! // And I don't know what I'm singin'!”

June did her best to stay still and not make a surprised face. Strange. I thought she exclusively liked foreign music. Isn’t this just Cheese Sandwich? So she likes pop parodies. Why is she embarrassed?

Enox continued to read and listen to ‘Cheese Sandwich’ parody hits for a while, pausing once to go to the kitchen and fill her mask’s breath tank up with, presumably, some vodka. Just as June started to think about letting herself fall asleep for real, Enox put her book down and looked at June critically for a moment.

She bent down, gave June a kiss on the cheek and quietly whispered, “Hey hon, want another BJ?”

June did, actually, but she did her best to not react prompting Enox to nod to herself and sit up straight. “I wish you’d sleep on anything else,” she said quietly. “I need to use this too, you know.”

What’s that supposed to mean? June wondered silently as Enox pushed down on the couch’s right side armrest and flipped it up to reveal a hidden control panel.

June repositioned her ears, suddenly fascinated.

Enox hit a button on the panel and her TV flicked to life. June hid her disappointment, assuming it was simply a hidden TV remote… Until a digital voice spoke quietly.

“System link established. Awaiting command.”

“Computer: Call my doctor,” Enox ordered, quietly enough that it wouldn’t have bothered June if she were sleeping.

“Command recognised.”

“Thanks, doll,” Enox commented.

June’s wings twitched as she realized she was about to at least overhear some cool alien stuff.

A few moments later a male voice spoke from the direction of the TV. “Good evening, Enox. Please state the nature of the medical emergency.”

June desperately wished she could sneak a peek at the screen, but knew opening her eyes would give the game away.

“No emergency today, Doc,” Enox said with a shrug. “Just want to run a few symptoms by you. I might be getting sick.”

“By all means.”

“Well, about a local month ago I got involved with a nice mare. It might be getting a bit serious. We haven’t hit the mammalian slowdown, if you know what I mean. I want to make sure I can be with her as long as she wants me… But, well, she’s a transmare so plenty of her fluids wind up in me, and while that’s normally safe—”

“You’ve been feeling ill,” the doctor commented.

June flinched, prompting Enox to glance her way for a moment. I’m making her sick? I hope not! That’s terrible!

“Yeah. I’ve been taking the formalin you prescribed. It definitely works for keeping me healthy in this atmo and with light contact with ponies, but uh… Yeah. Joint stiffness. Slight loss of range of motion. Decreased appetite. Occasional moment of wandering attention. Started about a week into our relationship. Seems like I might need some higher dose tabs?” Enox proposed.

“Your species is fully compatible with equus sapiens, outside of the metakelfin depletion the tabs I prescribed you would fix,” the Doctor reported. “She shouldn’t be causing you any health problems at all. Is that her on the couch next to you? Can you send me her bio-data? There could be a mutation or health problem of hers impacting you.”

Buck that! June exclaimed to herself. If there is, she missed it on the scans she did of me before. I should see her doctor in person.

“Or I could, like, go to your doctor and have him look,” June said, opening her eyes.

Enox froze, squeaking in adorable distress. “Oh! Uh… G— Good job being a sneaky little bitch. How dare you out me myself!”

June couldn’t help but giggle at Enox’s self-directed irritation at having been fooled. I know she loves having anyone get one over on her.

“I would prefer to run my own scan here, yes,” the doctor said. “If you don’t mind taking her in I could also implant you with a gland to provide a constant supply of formalin. The subway reopened and I was able to restock.”

“I would love—” Enox stopped talking and turned to June. “When and how did you learn Terran?”

June triple blinked. “Uh… You’re not speaking…” She facehooved. “Right! I’m wearing a translator talisman,” she said before her wings flutter in surprise. “Wait, what is an alien language doing in the translation database?”

June took off the earclip to press its gem and open the interface. Enox’s conversation with her doctor dissolved into a strange alien tongue while she flicked through the projected illusion-menu.

“What the buck do you mean ‘English (Emerald Hive)’?” June demanded of the translator, narrowing her eyes at it. “How do changelings know—”

Enox snorted. “Oh. The Emeralds. That makes sense.”

June raised an eyebrow, prompting Enox to continue. “Gee, I wonder how a bunch of changelings living in an ancient wrecked starship know the most common intergalactic language in the universe?”

June raised a hoof to object, then lowered it. “Then… That’s an alien language, and nopony knows because we all assumed they made it up?”

“Yep!” Enox said, grinning ear to ear at the act of unintentional trolling on all ponykind.

June slipped the earclip back on just in time to hear the doctor say, “I’ll see you soon. Goodbye for now.”

The TV clicked off. June’s ears drooped. “Dang it! I forgot to look at… I could have seen a whole new alien species!”

Enox rolled her eyes. “We’re going to his office. You’ll see, like, two new species soon,” she said while tapping some commands into her couch-control. “Hold onto the seat.”

“What? Why?” June asked, frowning slightly.

Enox wordlessly levitated a pair of aviator sunglasses from a shelf and put them on. Then, after a moment’s pause, fetched a second large pair for June, slipping them over her eyes without asking.

June’s tail raised in alarm. “Are we going to teleport or—”

“No,” Enox said and hit one last button on the control. “Oh and um, don’t tell anypony anything. I don’t have building permits for any of this.”

A mechanical click echoed through the house. A soft klaxxon blared as trap door opened under the couch, allowing it to slowly descend via a hidden elevator system. The shaft was lined with orange hazard lights that blinked in time with the alarm.

June sat frozen in place from surprise until the elevator reached the bottom of its twenty meter shaft, placing the couch on a turntable. June couldn't help but notice a second shaft located about where Enox’s chair was which went deeper into the earth.

“What—” June managed to say before the table jolted to life, rotating the couch a hundred and eighty degrees to face a tunnel which the couch then proceeded down thanks to a monorail system embedded in the floor.

“Shhh,” Enox urged. “It works better if you act cool and keep your hands inside the couch.”

Enox hit a button on the couch’s control panel, switching on some upbeat synthwave. The rail tunnel ran for maybe sixty meters, moving upwards at a shallow angle. It emerged in a large cavern lined with metal catwalks, roofed with steel girders that supported cranes, and almost entirely occupied by a large saucer shaped craft which June swore she’d seen grainy photos of in every tabloid ever.

The ship was easily the size of Enox’s house, but not much larger than the five room ranch home. It had a slight dome shape on the top in the center which June instinctively understood was the bridge, but was otherwise a smooth thin disk made from a chrome colored alloy. There were a pair of small, terrifyingly square engine housing built into the ship’s rear, but otherwise the disk was smooth and uninterrupted. The ship had no windows, nor any markings of any kind save for a name and number painted on the side facing the hangar doors.

Thunderbird, GR-004, June thought to herself as the translation spell informed her as to the meaning of the alien writing.

The couch-track continued, moving into the center of the ship hangar where it met a simple cable-based elevator and automatically locked into the elevator car. June gripped the couch arm for dear life, realizing they wouldn’t be getting out to use any of the staircases or lifts she could see at the sides of the hanger.

The couch descended smoothly, entering the ship via an iris-hatch in the roof of the bridge. As soon as the couch touched down at the front of the bridge, at the base of a massive view screen and within reach of the ship’s controls, it unlocked from the elevator and locked into place on the bridge floor.

The elevator cables retracted from the ship and the iris hatch closed before June let go of the arm rest and realized she was sitting in something halfway between a naval ship’s Command Information Center and a scifi nerd’s sketch of a spaceship they made when they were ten.

Everything was a shade of purple, pink, or silver. Except viewscreens, all of which glowed a warm green color. There were countless flexible metal cable conduits running across the roof and behind the bulkheads. Tons of little lights blinked merrily on control panels spaced out around the circular bridge. Something industrial hummed relaxingly in the distance.

June didn’t care about any of that. “Did… Do… Why is your captain’s chair a brown couch I swear you bought off Cobslist?”

Enox shot June an irritated look. “Okay so, this ship is my safe space. No criticism, please. But for the record, it’s because this is so much comfier when I’m flying around.”

June nodded and buttoned her lip.

“Computer: ready launch.” Enox instructed. “Input course for Lunar Lagrange Two.”

“Launch Sequence: Stage 1. Calculating course.”

June blinked. “Wait, isn’t that… Isn’t that a spot just behind the moon?”

“Mhm,” Enox confirmed before starting her version of the little ritual every pilot has before takeoff.

June watched Enox pat her control console, flip a few switches, then gaze longingly at a small photograph of herself and four other aliens of different species wearing suits identical to Enox’s albeit with a different patch. The picture was stuck to one of the console’s gauges like something out of a war movie.

She’s so going to stroke the picture and fondly—

“See you in hell, losers,” Enox said in a loving tone as she stroked the photo with a hoof.

June blinked. Wow. Um… I guess the trope is different for real friend groups.

“Course integrated,” the computer reported. “Launch Sequence: Stage 2. Opening bay doors.”

June took another look at the picture, noting Enox making bedroom eyes up at a probably female blue furred alien and had a sudden realization. Oh! That's why Enox likes my teats. Her last marefriend… Erm, girlfriend, was a new mom. That’s kind of sweet. Also sad. Mmm…

The viewscreen flicked to life, projecting a holographic replica of the area in front of the ship. June watched the twin doors as their hydraulics hummed and hissed, dragging the door apart to reveal the back of the waterfall, which was gracefully parted by a pair of troughs which swung outward.

“Okay, that’s cool,” June was forced to admit.

Enox nodded once. “Mhm.”

“Launch Sequence: Stage 3. Commencing Engine ignition.” The computer reported as the screen suddenly overlaid a green vector line from the bow of the ship through the parted waterfall and towards the moon hanging in the night sky.

Oh my gosh! I’m actually going to space! I’m consorting with other worlds like a First Kingdom Sage! June squealed internally as the realization of what she was about to do fully kicked in.

“Can I do the countdown?” June asked excitedly.

“Huh?” Enox said, turning to look at June with some confusion.

“You know, the countdown! T minus ten and so on.”

Enox smirked. “Oh! Sure. Knock yourself out.”

June cleared her throat. “Ten… Nine… Eig—”

Enox pushed the impulse engine throttle lever to ‘max power’. The ship smoothly slipped along its entire course out of atmosphere and past the moon in about three seconds while the ship’s G-diffusers made the near-instant acceleration entirely imperceptible, thereby thoroughly upsetting the poor laws of physics.

“Okay we’re here,” Enox said as she throttled back down to ‘nill’.

June stared out the viewport, jaw hanging slack in shock as she looked at Equis hanging in the void, peeking out from behind the pockmarked gray disk of the lunar horizon.

She could see all of it. Every last place in the world, all at once. The single supercontinent floating as a bath toy in a bowl of water. The thin shell of the atmosphere clinging to the world like the blue glow of a neon sign.

It’s so… Small. June thought, her eyes tearing up as her mind struggled to find anything to compare the beauty of that blue marble too.

Enox turned for a moment, frowning as she saw June’s tears, then pulled her into a side hug. “Right, space virgin. I should have done a nice slow flyby in LEO to pop the space cherry properly. What do you think?”

“Borders are stupid and politics is pointless small time garbage,” June replied almost instantly. “Everyone lives in the same place. There shouldn’t be factions. Just…people.”

Enox chuckled. “Yeah, that’s what almost everyone thinks from up here,” she started to tap a few commands into the ship’s computer. “I’m spooling up the main drive. You’ll feel a small pinch in your guts when it goes off. It’s nothing to worry about.”

June shook herself to try and pull her attention away from the blue jewel sitting within the infinite darkness. “Huh? B— But aren't we at the… Moon?”

“We’re in the right location. Just not the right plane,” Enox corrected. “Blah blah blah space between spaces, please don’t make me explain the dumbest quote from the worst Indy movie.”

“The what movie?” June asked curiously.

Enox pushed a button marked ‘Hit it!’, the ship lurched in space, teleporting through the multiverse to a specific iteration of Equis’ moon. From June’s perspective, the button made a large cylindrical space station simply pop into existence off the port side.

“Ah man,” Enox groaned. “I thought I’d stopped right where the hanger would be. Dang it, I hate parking.”

“But— How did—” June stammered.

Enox facehooved and hit the auto-dock button. “My girl’s an Ifitian Scout Ship. They don’t make things like her anymore. Not since the Terrans vanished. Heck, since I got jumped forwards in time, there may not even be any of these left as relics.” Enox paused for a moment then patted the dash gently. “No FTL on this cybership. Zero to point-seven-five C in seven hundred planks. Need to go faster? Teleport instead.”

June gasped. “This entire ship can teleport?! Like, cosmic distances!? But the power draw—”

Enox rolled her eyes. “Oh wow! The actual interdimensional spacecraft has a power plant that’s inconceivable to a species that mostly still burns wood and coal for power. Whoda—” She stopped and slumped her shoulders. “Sorry. That was mean. I didn’t mean that personally. It’s just frustrating. Living on your planet. Being forbidden from even doing something simple like giving you a crispr sequence that would eliminate stillbirths because your Princess is all ‘Do not interfere with our cultural development’. Buck me… The things I could fix in a weekend!”

June winced at Enox’s outburst, then gave her a tight hug. “I— I think I can feel a bit of that anger. What powers this anyways?”

“Condensed white hole someone spun up, no big deal,” Enox explained, explaining nothing.

“Uh, do you mean black hole?”

“No,” Enox sighed. “Here’s hoping the observatory you run lets you guys fill in your astronomy and astrophysics knowledge real quick… You can’t even see the Star Roads.”

“Is a white hole, like, a singularity that nothing can enter?” June asked, assuming it had to be the opposite of a black hole.

Enox nodded. “Mhm. Basically puts out infinite power. It’s void energy bleeding into a universe. DO NOT open the reactor hatch! Like, at all. Ever. I’m qualified to work on it, you’re not built to survive that hatch opening.”

June sat silently, processing this as the ship auto piloted into the station’s hanger through the atmospheric containment field and touched down.

“Enox?” June asked as the ship settled down onto its parking repulsors.

“Yea?” She replied then smiled. “Oh, you won’t need a suit. My doc also breathes oxy-nitro. Same rough ratio, too. Uh, there won't be Radon-242 though, so you’ll feel tired and slow after like, thirty minutes.”

June nodded, taking in the information. “Okay. I um… I just wanted to say thanks for fixing my AC even though you are super overqualified.”

Enox smiled happily and stood up. “Hey! No problem. It’s fun working with early infoage tech! The limits make for nice challenges. We’ve gotta take the boring exit because doc refuses to put in a couch-lift. It’s this way.”

Enox led June through her ship to the boarding ramp. June couldn’t help but notice it opened with the same fog and light show effect Enox’s truck used. Nor could she help but notice the hanger looked like a parking garage.

H— how is this concrete?

The doors leading into the station were clearly air tight but resembled conventional commercial building doors. There was even a black plastic sign above them reading ‘Ye Olde Imperial Medical Centre’ in white painted letters from some boring font or another.

Once through the doors, June could have entirely forgotten she was in space. The station’s interior was a large waiting room with plaster walls covered in odd landscape paintings, a laminate floor meant to look like hardwood covered in many seats, and a counter at the far end of the room with space for three people to sit behind clear polymer sneeze guards.

The homey hospital waiting room June found herself in was even infested with the usual over abundance of potted plants and outdated magazines.

June’s eyes homed in on the magazines. Galactic Cosmographic. Spacetime Magazine. Alien Encounters Illustrated… She shook her head. “Why is this a normal doctor’s waiting room? It's in space! Wait, how is my translator link working across dimensions?!”

“Thunderbird patched that into the comms array for you,” Enox said as she trotted up to the counter. “She’s nice like that. Hey you wanted to see aliens, right?”

June turned away from the magazines. “Yes!”

Enox jumped so she could reach up and smack the bell on the counter. A door opened in the receptionist area and a quadruped creature halfway between an insect and a reptile walked into view, taking a seat at the other side of the counter. It had a glossy black exoskeleton, a long flexible tail, and a head that June was pretty sure had too many teeth in it for something that looked like all it wanted to do was menial labor.

It hissed at Enox in something that had to be a complex language, but was simply too alien for June to process as anything but animal noises.

June sighed in relief. Finally! Something alien that feels alien.

Enox hissed and clicked back, perfectly mimicking the alien’s speech and voice. The alien passed her a digital tablet and Enox quickly filled out some paperwork on it and passed it back. The alien hissed again and Enox sat down in one of the chairs.

“She says the Doc will be a minute.” Enox translated.

June’s face went blank at how normal and Equestrian the whole interaction was. Nevermind….

“So, fun fact about species that evolve to be sapient tool users,” Enox said, waiting for June to look over at her before continuing. “We’re pretty much all the same inside. Just people, you know?”

June paused for a moment to think. “I mean… Ponies, griffons, changelings, zebras, minotaurs… We’re pretty much the same. It makes sense aliens would be too. It’s just a bit… Disappointing.”

Enox laughed. “Oh there’s plenty of weird out here! Xsthril’s species, he’s the receptionist there, they’re designer organisms meant to maintain some ancient cross-dimensional telecoms. He just prefers reception work, so he’s here. Working for my doc, a fragment of a hivemind from the future that just wants to help people. I just meant that all the little things stay the same.”

“Huh,” June mused.

An ordinary wooden door at the back of the waiting room opened, revealing a tall, hairless, gangly, bipedal, magenta-pink, fleshy alien with way too small facial features dressed exactly how one would imagine a doctor to be. White lab coat, stethoscope, and all. It bent down to about half its height to get more on Enox’s level.

Huh, that guy looks similar to our depictions of humans… At least if the stained glass of Megan and the Clover Scrolls are anything to go by. June mused. I wonder, since Enox looks kinda like a pony, how many species are ‘remixes’ of others?

“Nice to see you again, Enox. Do you remember the way to the auto-doc?” It asked in the male voice June remembered from earlier.

Enox nodded. “Want me to just go through it?”

“Please do. I programmed it to give you a full checkup and install the gland,” he said before extending a long, fleshy, many-fingered appendage to June. “As for you, nice to meet you. I’m Doc. It’s a name and a title.”

June hesitantly held out her hoof to shake the alien’s hand. “I’m Junebug… Uh, it’s my first time for… Any of this. So, um, What should I do?”

Doc let go of June’s hoof and stood back up to his full lanky height.

“Just hold still and let me scan you with this,” Doc said, slipping a small handled device out of his pocket which resembled a Thaumic Analyzer. “Then, I pop into the back, synthesize anything you might need, give it to you as a hypospray, and send you on your way with your girlfriend.”

June blinked twice. “W— B— That’s just a normal doctor’s visit, though?”

“That’s what this is,” Enox said as she stood up and trotted through the door into the back. “We popped around the space corner to my space doctor’s for a space checkup. Back in like, three space minutes tops, space hon.”

June shrugged her wings nervously then nodded to Doc. “Go ahead then. I don’t want to make her sick, but I think I may be approaching some kind of limit for normal flavored weirdness. Vanilla flavored weirdness? This.”

Doc nodded, flipped the device in his hand open and began to enter a few commands into it. “Let me guess, you’re a fan of science fiction?”

“More science fantasy, but yes,” June agreed. “How can you guess?”

Enox popped her head back around the corner for a second to call out “Space!” Then vanish again.

“Because no one who reads that stuff expects a hospital on a space station to look like the one down the street,” Doc said before slowly sweeping the device across June, making her fur stand on end with a static charge. “You never think about how people’s tastes in decoration don’t change based on location.”

June frowned, her ears drooping. “Then… The cool sleek chrome and neon space future is a lie?”

“Oh! Not at all. Plenty of people love that. I, on the other hand, like a nice terrestrial homey touch,” Doc said, finishing his quick sweep and flicking through the data. “You appear to be in good overall health, barring your recent death.”

“Oh! That's good to know,” June said with a smile. “Uh, any sign of anything that might hurt Enox though?”

He shook his head and continued reading. “Not yet—” He stopped, frowning sharply. “Ah. There it is. But why?”

June shrank back nervously as the doctor’s expression slowly went from calm professional to intensely serious.

“Ah… Well then,” Doc said after a distressingly long moment. “That would do it. You have an artificially induced deficiency in a particular symbiotic microorganism found in all known post-Terran life forms. Thus, you are a transmission vector for pony diseases to other species.”

June’s eyes widened, she whinnied in distress. “B— Wait, all known— How?”

Doc crouched down to be as close to a pony’s comparatively short stature as he could. “Long ago, one of the first species to colonize the galaxy seeded life throughout the cosmos,” he explained calmly. “They included a special microbe on each planet they seeded. We call it the amicitiae factorem, aka the friend-maker. Without it, almost no one could be in the same room as each other without an environmental suit.”

June nodded, slightly less confused but still quite panicked.

“You appear to have had your biology tampered with by… Extra-universal forces,” Doc continued. “Have you ever been exposed to anything classifiable as eldritch?”

June shook her head. “Not that I know of? Dusk maybe?”

“Mmm, no she’s fine,” Doc looked at his scanner again. “Does your species typically remember events occurring during your infancy or while dead?”

June snorted. “What? No! Does yours?”

“Ah. Then you wouldn’t have… And yes we do, though we don’t spawn as infants,” he murmured, thinking for a few moments. “Well, it doesn't matter. It's easily fixed with a booster shot.”

How the buck does a single life stage species even work?! June demanded of reality.

Doc smiled and stood back up. “Is there anything specific worrying you? Back pain? Shortness of breath? Lack of some cosmetic procedure? Medical care is free of charge to pre-FTL species.”

June started to shake her head no, then paused. I haven’t had time to see a normal pony doctor about getting rid of my teats… Okay I have, but Enox likes them…

June squirmed in place for a moment, thinking about her future. I am pretty sure I love her, like, really love her. I could see us being together for a long time. Should I keep them? Yeah they are annoying and I’m worried about being asked where my foal is… But, like, dad never gave up anything for mom and look at how their marriage has turned out.

A proper shiver went down June’s spine at that thought. Okay! Lets see if they can be made less annoying while I’m at free alien healthcare land. I can deal with a little dysmorphia for her sake.

June shuffled her hooves shyly. “Uh… Well, I’m a transmare—”

Doc looked at his device. “Yes. Would you like your genome resequenced? It would take a week to finish but you’d be fully female by the end of it.”

June shook her head. “No thank you. I’m happy this way and Enox likes it,” she said as politely and least awkwardly as she could. “But um… We don’t normally have teats. My transition and uh, that necromancer’s error made them kind of grow in and stick. I was going to have them removed, but Enox likes to use them as pillows and um…”

June awkwardly trailed off, growing silent. Wow, this is hard to talk about…

“It’s alright, miss. I’m a doctor,” Doc reminded. “I know it's your first time off world and everything is strange, but I am still a doctor. I’ll keep anything you tell me confidential.”

“Can you do anything to… Make them not as heavy and annoying?” June asked. “I can have them… Taken care of at home. But, like, normal hospital as this is, you’re still an alien doctor in a space station. There's gotta be something—”

Doc nodded. “Yes there is. Plenty of species have them permanently. There’s a large selection of mammary management methods. Let me check for ones compatible with your biology.”

Doc sat down next to June and proceeded to flick through menu after menu on his scanner tool, humming a merry tune as he went before slowly frowning. “Ah, here we are. This one does the most for you without causing health problems.”

June nodded. “Okay. What’s it do?”

Doc glanced at the device’s readout. “A simple nanite injection to restructure the tissue in question to reduce weight, improve elasticity, and add pain blockers for non-critical injuries. It will also make the weight almost unnoticeable by adding six new muscle-tendon complexes, all smart tissue of course.”

“Smart tissue?” June asked, tilting her head.

“Right. First time here…” Doc murmured before clearing his throat to explain. “They will intelligently move and deform for your convenience. They won't hit your legs if you run, adjust to anything you wear, and so on. Reviews say most girls forget they have their breasts until they want to, erm… Use them. Pardon the lack of professionalism. I couldn’t think of a better way to phrase that.”

June’s ears perked as she remembered Enox mentioning body mods back when they first met. Oh! This is what she meant by ‘stock model’. Anyone in space has their whole body just, made convenient. That’s… Once I get my head wrapped around this I’ll have to see what else I can get done! I wonder if there’s a cure for ‘enter room forget why’?

“If that’s true, then I might be okay with keeping them for her sake… Are there side effects?”

“Yes. A twenty percent increase in resting volume is required to accommodate the extra tissues the system needs for a quadruped of your size and shape.”

June winced at the number. Twenty percent? That’s going to make ponies think my favorite Princess is Cadence… Then again, she kind of is, isn’t she? But for the fighting stuff mostly.

June thought for a moment, pursing her lips. “Uh, Enox can just take me back here to get it undone if I don’t like it, right?”

Doc nodded. “Of course. You’re on Enox’s health plan by common law. She has full coverage, which means so do you. Also, you’re Pre-FTL. Double coverage. Go nuts!”

“I’ll try it,” June said after a moment’s thought.

“Alright,” he said, typing a note into his scanner. “Anything else?”

June shook her head. “Nothing I can think of.”

“Excellent. I’ll be back in a moment with a hypospray.”

“Wait. Is there a cure for ‘enter room, forget why’?”

“No,” Doc lamented.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

The Thunderbird touched back down in her hanger with a happy sounding humm of engines spooling down.

“Annnnd, power off,” Enox said, flipping a switch on the console before smiling over at June from her position on the couch. “So, what did you think of your first space flight?”

“I feel like we drove to Manehatten, and I don’t know how to feel about that,” June answered honestly, flicking her tail with awkward embarrassment.

“Yeah, Doc’s folks are a lot like Equestrians,” Enox said as she hit the ‘return to living room’ button on the couch. “Same modes of speech, same taste in decor, same overly friendly and helpful attitude.”

June shook her head slowly. “Did… Did it feel that weirdly normal but not normal for you? Like, when you first went to space?”

Enox nodded and put a foreleg around June. “I was born in space. But it happened to me the first time I went planet side to a place my people didn’t rule. I come from an evil star empire so it’s a bit different for me.”

“Makes sense, I guess?” June said as she stared upwards on instinct as the roof hatch hissed open. “I’m going to need a few days to just… Redo my world view.”

Enox nodded. “Now that I am familiar with. First time I went to a world with people who weren't just jerks? Magical but weird. Took me a week to get back to normal,” Enox coughed awkwardly and scooted over to lay against June’s side. “By the way, thanks for deciding to keep your boobs. I appreciate it.”

“It's just a trial run,” June warned.

“You’re laying on them all squished flat and not squirming all uncomfy-like,” Enox pointed out.

June looked at her hindquarters. It… Feels like I don’t have those at all. “Cool! Still, just… You know. Trial run.”

“Well, even that’s a nice birthday present,” Enox said casually.

June eeped. “It’s your birthday?!”

“Yeah. At least, on my homeship’s chronometer. Why? What’s the big deal?” Enox asked, frowning sharply.

June sat up, picked the smaller mare up and held her out to look her in the eyes. “How long have you lived on Equis?”

“A few hundred years.” Enox frowned. “What’s wrong? I’m confu—”

June’s face went blank. “And you haven’t heard of a birthday party?”

Enox’s frown deepened. “Uh… That didn’t… I don’t know what that word is.”

June blinked and set her down. “You don’t know the word party?”

Enox shook her head.

“You know when a bunch of people get together to celebrate something, or just have a good time?”

Enox’s eyes sparkled. “Oh! A server raid!”

June winced. “Your species scare me.”

“The fact they do is why I like you,” Enox said with a sad giggle.

June inhaled once. “So you know what a birthday present is, but not a birthday party. I don’t know how you managed that, but Sam mentioned her friend Pinkie who moved in with the SkyTech dudes can throw any kind of party at the drop of a hat. So you’re gonna learn! Like, right now!”

Enox frowned. “But I wanted to watch the rest of Sword Art Online to see if it ever gets to be bad instead of terrible,” she said, ears drooping like a sad puppy.

June shook her head. “Nope! You’re gonna have an emergency late night birthday party. You tossed me into a weird alien world I wasn’t ready for, now it's my turn to do the same!”

Enox grinned ear to ear. “I love you.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Later that night after using smelling salts to revive Pinkie Pie after she learned a four century old pony had never had a birthday party and the subsequent party, Enox discovered she quite liked the bizarre little Equestrian tradition that is a normal birthday party. Enough to pass out oxygen drunk on June’s belly after cuddling to watch a movie.

June gently pet Enox’s head as she started to drift off to sleep herself, still a little weirded out from her out of this world evening, though having fully internalized that if she was going to date an alien, she was going to have to deal with weird alien things sometimes.

Wait a minute… June thought, frowning steeply as some of the doctor’s words came back to her, their significance having its full impact now that she wasn’t overwhelmed. The other thing. The… Symbiotic microbe thing. He said that the deficiency was caused by exposure to eldritch things.

June’s eyes widened as the pieces fell into place. Sam was drawn here by Dusk, and she has the weird gem in her chest because of an elrich entity messing with her. Fluttershy is here because an eldritch entity bucked up her destiny, and mentioned yesterday Dusk recommended she move to the Citrine Hive. I had a weird medical issue that would have hurt or maybe killed Enox because an eldritch entity messed with me, and Dusk had me come here.

It’s all the same entity. We’re all tied to the astrolabe somehow. Except Violet and Enox… That I know of. But four out of six fit a pattern, and I just lack data on the other two. Yeeeeah. I need to crack this case open ASAP.

“Buck…” June whispered, staring at the ceiling, now wide awake.

16 - Nightmare Night

Junebug - 16th of Harvestide, 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

June and Sam had spent four long days working hard on the astrolabe. Between Sam’s contact with the entity within and June’s revelation, they had little desire to do anything else. Between the two of them, they’d managed to fully document the device’s controls, and in so doing, learned its primary functions.

In short, the Astrolabe was a navigational device; a tool for locating and opening gateways between universes. It also tracked relative time between them, kept an up to date map, allowed for comparing up to three universes side by side, and helped the user locate elements unique to a particular universe once within it. These functions all aligned perfectly with one of the two sonnets June had translated from the device’s engravings.

She’d made copies of the translation, side by side with the original runes, just in case anypony noticed something off about her Equishization of the text (despite nopony else present knowing the language).

Contain Astrolabe Galaxy(s) waltz(?)

Chart rug planet (?)

Door road contain fancy

Activation box large is

Medeis’ touch fancy make

Unbox whisper mighty distant

Box link pick

Find place quick

Spooky fancy mighty

Spooky mighty box

Fighty spooky

Get out fox(?)

Box is one of

Go do not shove

Within this astrolabe, a cosmic dance,
It maps the tapestry of realms untold,
Portal and pathway, in its elegance,
Key to the universe’s manifold.

By Medeis' hoof, this intricate design,
Unveils the secrets of the great expanse,
Each universe and link it can define,
A gateway for the curious to enhance.

Yet hidden in its depths, a purpose grand,
To bind eldritch power, keep chaos at bay,
Routing foul energies, a plan,
Ensuring horrors in their prison stay.

So take this artifact, a marvel rare,
Unlock the multiverse with utmost care.

There was, of course, the second set of potentially correct text which had emerged from the starting cipher. June naturally gave it the same treatment.

Place go eyes no

Hourglass Astrolabe wayfinder masterpiece

Stitch rug flow tug

Back wound right found

Gate box eye

Gate star wise

Medeis rhyme lies

Chaos Ruin Skies

Medeis wise trance

Fancy make enhance

Spooky out fox(?) waltz(?)

Planet claws tango(?)

Wise exhale

Astrolabe skull

In realms beyond what mortal eyes can see,
A timeless astrolabe, a guide profound,
It links the threads of multiverse, yet plea,
Return it whence it came, let truth resound.

With portals to each universe it shows,
A gateway to the stars, both near and far,
Yet heed this cryptic verse, let wisdom close,
Lest chaos reign, unbind an eldritch scar.

Archmagus Medeis, in wisdom's trance,
Did forge this artifact, a mystic art,
A prison for the horror's wicked dance,
To save our worlds from tearing them apart.

So bear this warning well, hold not your breath,
Return the astrolabe, avert the death.

June looked up from her translations for the umpteenth time today to address her small squad of helpers.

“Did you turn thirty six emoji inta’ two bucking sonnets?” Sam asked, incredulous.

“Yes, because they’re sonnets, you can tell, because there are thirty six of them, obviously.” June said to the small group gathered around the laboratory table. “The quality of the poems notwithstanding, both are distinctly warnings.”

“Are they even distinct warnings?” Violet asked, staring at her copy of the first sonnet. “To me this one reads more like ‘I made a cool thing but it’s powered by an unspeakable evil so don’t drop it.’ You know?”

Enox nodded twice. “I’m with her on that. The second one is more like ‘Hey this thing opens gateways. Don’t.’ which is the kind of warning I’d put on something I couldn’t for some reason cast into a block of concrete and stick in a random heliocentric orbit around, say, Proxima Centauri. ɔː jɔː mɒm.”

Fluttershy giggled.

June put a hoof to her chin. “Well, yes… But the main problem here is that these are translated poems. We lack a lot of cultural context. We don’t know if they are being literal, figurative, or exaggeratory. We don’t know if something is a metaphor or a common saying. There’s just, next to nothing on First Kingdom culture.”

Fluttershy raised her hoof along with Sam. Shy lowered her hoof and nodded to Sam. “You go first.”

Sam dipped her head in thanks. “Why don’t we use this First Kingdom’s name? Is it one of those ‘don’t speak of it because magic’ things?”

Shy’s ears perked. “Oh! That's what I was going to ask.”

June shook her head slowly. “We don’t know it. No one does,” she explained as bluntly as she could. “Ever hear about ‘the power in a name’? That’s true in some arcane disciplines for some things. The First Kingdom’s name had arcane power, and it was destroyed at the end of the First Thaumaturgic War. Like, the actual physical knowledge of what the kingdom was called was destroyed. They blew up a word. Several, actually.”

Sam’s wings snapped open. “Wait! We’re dealing with something from a school of magic that can destroy a concept!?”

“That doesn't seem safe,” Violet said, frowning steeply. “Enox, is that safe?”

“Very unsafe,” Enox answered.

“Thank you, Enox.” Violet sat back in her chair and stared at the Astrolabe. “That explains why you haven’t opened a gate to see if it really can do that.”

June’s eye twitched slightly. “That, and like, a hundred other reasons. Seriously, in stories like this they just open a portal and poof! It goes right to hell, demons everywhere, and not the fun kind that just want to make things kinky.”

Enox’s tail wagged. “I could go for shooting some murder demons. It’s been a good few millennia...”

Everypony took a moment to stare at the alien pony. Enox frowned. “What? I was on an interstellar cruise and it went all Event Horizon. It happens.”

The group turned their attention back to the artifact.

Sam cleared her throat. “Well… Both poems say this was made by Medeis. Do we know anything about them? Would they use a portal to tartarus to power something?”

June sighed and nodded again. “I know a little. I know he was an Archmagus who worked with the First Kingdom, and possibly predates its formation. I know he was the infuriating type of mage who liked to encode information to test the wisdom and intellect of his apprentices. It's entirely possible that we’re supposed to interpret these poems using each other, comparing them through some cultural touchstone lost to time.”

Fluttershy crossed her forelegs over her barrel and glared at her copies of the sonnets. “My dad did that once…”

June tilted her head and looked at Shy. “W— Why?”

“He bought a new computer for the family while I was grounded,” Shy answered, sinking in her seat a little. “So he made it so I couldn’t learn to use it without decoding the manual using Celestia’s ‘Way of Equestria’ as the cipher key.”

Violet winced. “Wow. Dick move.”

Enox tapped a hoof to her helmet since she couldn’t reach her chin. “Well… I don’t think the five of us are going to figure this out. If I have my history right, we’re talking about someone from around twelve thousand years ago?”

June nodded. “Yes. If they pre-dated. If not, then around five thousand years ago. Why do you ask? Other than… I should probably have just told you all that… Mmm… Sorry.”

Enox shook her head. “It’s fine… That’s long enough ago there’s a chance the Lux Foundation Library has a book on the guy. They used to hop from place to place making copies of all the books they could find.”

“The what?” Shy asked, frowning slightly. “I um… I like to read and I’ve never heard of that library.”

Enox coughed awkwardly. “It uh… It’s not in this neighborhood. And come to think of it, even if they do have a book on him, it probably wouldn’t talk about this specifically. And we’d have to work around the infestation of flesh melting shadows.”

Everypony winced.

“Yeah, that’s not an option.” Violet said with a shiver. “I like you guys too much and I don’t think I could fix melted pony goop.”

June’s ears perked as an idea occurred to her. “You know… That library’s a no go, but we have our own local library!”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “Uh… I don’t think the public library is going to have a copy of the Book of Ancient Obscure Wizards for CARE researchers.”

“Why not?” Shy asked quite seriously. “That sounds like a vital resource for lots of projects!”

“Because it’s a book I made up for sarcasm,” Sam explained politely.

“Oh! Thank you,” Shy said, grateful for the explanation.

Violet shyly scootched over and gave the yellow mare a side hug. “I didn’t get that it was sarcasm either.”

June let a slow breath out of her nostrils. “I meant we could call the Trottingham Mage’s Library,” she informed, doing her best to remain professional. “If anypony has an expert on this, they do. Though… I’d rather not have everypony know we’re stumped and need help…”

Sam blinked and gave Juen her best ‘are you stupid’ look. “Why the buck not? Cuz we are! We need help.”

“Yeah,” June admitted, hanging her head. “It’s just… I got this job because Dusk recommended me. I was expressly told I was hired on as a Masters thanks to her, and I wouldn’t have gotten it without a PhD otherwise… So, I’m not even formally qualified for this job. If I need outside help, they might decide to fire me and…”

June trailed off for a moment then looked up. “I don’t want to have to go… I love you guys. S— Short time, I know, but—”

Sam got up and gave June a tight hug. “Hey, I get it. It’s okay. I feel like we’re family too.”

June relaxed as somepony else said it. She was about to say thank you when Enox rolled her eyes. “I’ll just tell Raven if she fires you for this I’ll incinerate the First Bank of Fillydelphia again.”

Shy giggled at what she presumed to be a joke. “Could you blow up the Ponyville DMV for me afterwards?”

Enox nodded, thought for a second, then got out of her chair. “I’ll do that for you now, actu—”

June reached out and put a hoof on Enox’s helmet to stop her. “No. Bad.”

Enox’s ears drooped and she sat back down. “Fine…”

“Why not call an expert for some other reason?” Violet suggested, having spent the last few moments thinking of a half-decent plan. “We have a whole observatory to run, right? There has to be something we might want a wizard— Uh, it’s a mage’s library that does research, right? So that means they’re wizards?”

June nodded. “Yes. Go on, please.”

“Well, I mean. Observatory. Wizard. CARE has this project as priority for us. We could be like ‘Hey we’re focusing on the astrolabe, so we would like someone from the library to check out this thing because we don’t have time to. Also, it would be convenient if they knew something about First Kingdom history because if we’re bringing a wizard out here we might as well have them check our work, right?’ and then we look responsible instead of stuck. I think? Am I anticipating pony socializing correctly?”

Enox nodded and flashed Violet a grin. “Yes! That is exactly how they think.”

“That would never work!” June objected. “It's super transparent.”

Sam coughed and shook her head. “Uh, no that could work. Ranger training includes some social manipulation. That’s almost right out of the textbook. But you don’t need to—”

Fluttershy reached into her saddlebag and removed an Equish copy of ‘A Changeling’s Guide to Fine Dining’. “It is right out of this book.”

Enox’s ears perked at the sight of the book. “Can I read that when you’re done?”

Shy nodded.

June sighed. “Okay… Fine. I’ll make a phone call,” she turned to Sam. “Should I just go right to Raven? Or the mayor?”

“Raven,” everypony said at once.

“Why is that even a question at this point?” Enox added.

June nodded in agreement then cast an eye across the group. “Okay so… What else is the Observatory doing?”

Violet’s ears perked. “Oh! Well, I’m almost done with the full night sky map path encoding!”

June’s eyes widened with horror. “Full? Like, the one for everything, everything?”

“Yes, that’s what the mission file said to do,” Violet agreed, nodding once and puffing her chest out proudly. “I even found a bug which would prevent it from recording a few stars randomly here and there. Patched it out. It will be a perfect map! We could ask them to have a guy check to make sure it’s—”

June jumped up and ran to the lab phone. “Violet, stop that program. Now!”

“What? Why? What if it’s hypothetically too late?” Vi asked, frowning and tilting her head.

“Yeah, what’s wrong with a full star chart? I have one,” Enox agreed.

“There’s an ancient prophecy that says doomsday will fall when ponies know the full breath of the heavens. IE; stars,” June explained quickly. “A lot of academia thinks it might actually be true. Look, even if it’s horse apples, a full map would be off industry standard and throw off every formula used for astronomy because— Like, there’s an algorithm and… Just stop it. We need someone to delete the Safety Stars from the map. It will be off spec if we don’t.”

“That’s stupid,” Enox objected, huffing and crossing her forelegs. “Stop being stupid!”

Violet had already left the lab the moment June had said ‘off industry standard’. Even if the standard had arisen from superstition, the android would rather die than publish work that didn’t meet spec.

“Maybe a little, or maybe the prophecy is true and that one old dead dude was right that writing down every star in one record would fulfill the prophecy,” June said as she picked up the phone and began to dial Raven’s hotel room via its direct extension.

“We could test it by burning my nav database to disk and giving it to a random pony,” Enox said thoughtfully.

June closed her eyes tightly for a moment while the phone rang in her ear. “Hon, if it’s true, the dead star we orbit would reignite. Between it and the sun orbiting our world, everything would—”

“Oh, let's not do that then,” Enox agreed, wincing.

“Yeah, no… Let’s not,” Sam said with a shiver.

“If we survived, we would become desert adapted though. I wonder what ponies would look like after that evolutionary pressure?” Shy said thoughtfully.

Sam spent a moment looking between Fluttershy and Enox. “Living charcoal horses?” She asked the alien mare.

“Plasma ponies, maybe,” Enox disagreed. “... Probably still cute…”

June did her best to ignore her friends/family/assistants and listened to the ringing phone until it was finally answered.

“You’ve reached Regent Raven, I’m currently attending a critical matter of state and not in my office. How may I help you?” Raven said with an artificial calm even June could accept.

“Uh, hi Raven. It’s June. I have a small request, I promise it’s nothing you need to worry about. You sound like you had a bad day, so can I just ask real quick?”

“One of the worst so far,” Raven said. “What is it?”

“Well, I asked Violet to handle the sky mapping project since I’m focused on the astrolabe. She had no idea we have to leave out the Safety Stars and—”

“And she added them in because she thought it was a bug instead of dumb academic superstition?”

“Exactly. I don’t know which stars they are, obviously, so I can’t fix it, and I’m also pretty busy. I was hoping you could arrange for someone from the Trottingham Mage’s Library to come fix it, that way I could ask them for a second opinion on a hypothesis I have. I um… I don’t want to be wrong about this, you know?”

“Are you trying to get a consultation on your project while making it look like you don’t need help?” Raven asked, audibly smiling at the follies of youth.

June’s ears flicked back with irritation. She turned to glare at everypony and held the phone away from her ear. “It. Didn’t. Work.”

Enox winced. “Yeah, because you suck at it!”

Sam and Shy nodded in agreement.

“Also super unnecessary,” Sam grumbled.

June rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the phone. “Well, yes. But while looking for an excuse uh… The map problem is already quite real.”

Raven was quiet for a moment, detecting the fear in June’s voice. “June, did you think we’d fire you for needing help?”

“Uh—” June said, audibly wincing at being called out so directly that Raven had her answer.

“June, there’s nothing wrong with asking for an outside consult, or calling in an expert,” Raven said as kindly as she could. “I understand the feeling of needing to do everything yourself but sometimes you need some outside help. Also, tell your assistants that getting anyone more qualified than a college astronomy department worker to do a Safety Star check was a dead giveaway. What subject do you need help with?”

June’s wings fluttered triumphantly. HA! I was right. Suck it, girls! She cleared her throat. “I need an expert in First Kingdom mages. I want to verify our hypothesis of the astroable’s creator and a couple translation issues. I uh… I mean, who knows anything about First Kingdom culture? These translate into poems. I have no idea what is supposed to be a metaphor and what’s supposed to be literal.”

“The runes are First Kingdom poems?” Raven asked.

“Yes.”

“That’s rough. I had to analyze one in college. It meant twelve things. I’ll get you the specialist. I have to go now, you’ll get a call from the Library with more information later. Goodbye.”

“Bye,” June said as the phone clicked and began to shriek its dial tone.

June hung up the handset and trotted back to the table. “Okay. So… I guess they’re not as strict and vindictive as I expected.”

“CARE’s more of a co-operative organization,” Enox pointed out, turning her attention back to the sonnets.

Sam walked over to June and gently put a hoof on her shoulder, making the younger mare look up.

“June,” Sam said in as motherly a voice as she could manage. “You’re not in college anymore. Asking for help isn’t cheating. This isn’t about your grade. We’re not here to test you. We’re here to solve a real problem with a real thing in the real world.”

June frowned, processing her statement for several long moments then facehooved. “Oh. My. Celestia… I’m a bucking idiot!”

Sam nodded. “We all are sometimes. Want to keep taking a crack at these while we wait, or should we do something else?”

Fluttershy cleared her throat. “I could use a break. Would anypony like to wait for Enox to go home so we can hide under her window and listen to her cartoo—” Shy eeped, realizing she said that in front of Enox.

Enox blinked. “Y— You can just come in and watch the bad anime with me. That’s fine.” She offered, doing her best to look shocked and confused out of a genuine desire to make Fluttershy understand she could just. Come. In.

“I um… I don’t want to get probed…” Shy said, turning red. “You’ve got the sign on the door.”

Enox rolled her eyes. “Dammit, Shy! I’m horny, not a rapist. The signs are just there because I think it’s funny.”

June giggled, grateful for the laugh. “Besides, she just means she’d break out her toy box and have fun with you, if you asked.”

“Oh…” Shy blushed and curled into a little ball of emotions in her seat.

Sam gave the three of them a blank look then shook her head. “Sometimes I wonder if ADHD is contagious. Can we focus on the problem we’re here for? We’re like, so close to officially being done for the moment and I really want a beer.”

“I have to stay near the phone,” June lamented. “We could watch some TV in the commons though. Maybe order a pizza? I’m sick of cooking and working…”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Junebug - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

June paced back and forth in her lab, tired, irritable, and full of enough caffeine to kill a changeling. Despite knowing the Library had dispatched a historian specializing in First Kingdom writings she couldn’t help but try and solve the problem on her own.

I wish Sam’s lesson had taken better, June wished, fully appreciating the irony of her desires. She’s right. Like, entirely. But here I am, still compelled to solve it on my own. The two poems together have to mean a third thing.

Her pacing was interrupted by the lab’s intercom crackling to life.

“June? The old pony you ordered is here,” Dew said over the intercom with a mischievous kid giggle before switching the intercom back off.

June facehooved. Dammit! Now I have to deal with a wizard who's mad at a foal.

June exited her lab, locking up behind her and mumbling a morning greeting to the random unmorphed changeling in SkyTech janitor’s overalls who was mopping the floor.

I can’t believe we were so focused on the project we basically spaced out them moving in four days ago… June thought to herself. At least they’re quiet.

“Morning!” They called back happily. “Oh! Uh, did you girls say yes to letting us clean the dorm building too?”

“Yeah, we did.” June replied, starting to walk away.

“Cool. I didn’t get the memo. Oh! Um, would you mind if I copied you?”

June blinked. “What, like, now?”

She shrugged. “I mean like, in general. You look like a fun pony to be, and I don’t wanna be rude and copy you without asking.”

I’m too tired to care about that, June decided. “Knock yourself out.”

“Awesome! Thanks! I’ll go red fur and white mane so nopony confuses us, okay?” The changeling said, immediately assuming June’s general appearance, but giving herself notably different fur and mane colors.

“Okay,” June said as she left the observatory.

She made it across half the compound before bumping into Trixie. “Hey June! Have you seen Sam? I made her breakfast but she’s not in her room.”

“She’s helping Violet fix a computer in the control room,” June answered with a ‘I-got-four-hours-of-sleep’ yawn.

“Ah! I’ll go let her know then, thanks,” Trixie said as she started to walk towards the appropriate building.

June frowned for a moment then called after her. “Wait! Does it mean anything if not just one but three changelings have wanted to morph into me?”

Trixie didn’t even have to think to reply. “You’re a slightly chubby pegasus with enough earth pony in you to be tall. That’s not exactly common and a lot of us like to ‘dress exoticly’. Don’t think anything about it, it’s a compliment really.”

“They all asked permission though?” June pressed.

Trixie’s eyes widened. “Wow. Emeralds are a lot more polite than we are. I just wait till my friends aren't around before trying out being them.”

June arched an eyebrow at Trixie.

“What? Not shapeshifting would be like if you just decided to not fly.”

“Huh… Fair point,” June admitted.

“It only means something if they’re young, generally unmorphed, and looking to adopt a pony shape as their own for daily life. In which case ask if they can use your shape to base their ‘daily wear’ on. They’ll change colors up and stuff, but like, you’ll be the base of their pony-self,” Trixie said, finishing the explanation.

June frowned as she realized just how many ponies she’d seen who looked just like someone else only a different color. OH! Well… I guess it’s fine. I’ll ask her to change up her manecut too later…

“Okay. Thanks, Trix.”

“No problem. Oh! There’s an ancient wizard in the lobby waiting for you,” she said as she trotted off.

Right! June winced and ran to the common room, arriving through the kitchen. She slowed to a jog as she entered the living room, nearly tripping over the rug, dreading upsetting any practicing wizard by making them wait overlong.

To her surprise, a tall, elderly, silver and blue-gray unicorn stallion wearing the distinct unadorned beige robes of the Mage’s Library was not exactly waiting for her. The Wizard was quite occupied, his horn lit and glowing a lovely plum while he cast a spell on Dew.

June gulped and cleared her throat, calling out to save the not-so-young mare from whatever dire fate awaited her. “Whatever she did to annoy you, please make the newt transformation temporary. She’s a good pony.”

The wizard laughed, the outburst not interrupting his spell at all. “I’m doing no such thing, Miss June. Please, give me a moment.”

He closed his eyes and focused while Dew did her best to remain as perfectly still as somepony with a filly’s belly full of sugary cereal can be. June buttoned her lip and watched as the wizard simply held his spell’s aura over Dew and seemed to nod to himself.

“Yes… I do believe I was correct, it is a first order soul curse,” he said, ending his spell.

“Then you can break the curse?” Dew asked hopefully.

“Not personally, but if you’ll give me a moment…” He removed a notepad and an everlasting quill from his robes and wrote down three names and addresses. “Here, write any of these ponies and tell them Primary Source is giving you a referral for treatment. Master Repose could certainly break the spell entirely or even selectively remove the parts you dislike, Doctor Lily could allow your body to enter puberty and possibly develop to adulthood despite the curse, and Lady Mint could pester Princess Cadence until she found a place for you to live as an adult despite your appearance.”

Dew grabbed the paper, then jumped into the air, hovering to hug Source. “Thank you so much!”

He returned the hug. “Mind you, none of them will work for free. But you’re welcome to use my discount or call in some of my favors. That is a nasty case of runebranding and nopony deserves such a fate.”

Dew nodded and ran to her room to start writing letters. Source straightened his robes and turned to June. “My apologies, miss. Your friend reminded me greatly of my younger brother. He too was struck with a runic brand, and your organization’s research into Dew allowed it to be… Mostly mitigated. I felt I owed her some gratitude.”

“I completely understand,” June said, doing her best not to hug the wizard and failing. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. We have work to do!” Source laughed, briefly hugging back before giving her space so he could bow. “Primary Source, Library Historian and today, bearer of an industry standard list of Safety Stars for your automaton friend to remove from a database. Which you could have found on Nest Porch.”

June fluttered her wings, doing her best to pretend she hadn’t been a huge idiot in asking a Library wizard to do something that was apparently one lookup on a BBS away. “Hey so… Is there any truth to the whole Safty Star prophecy or is it just one of those things ponies do?”

“It’s rooted in a particular legend,” Source said, his expression darkening. “At the turn of the…”

Source cleared his throat and quickly stopped himself from channeling the spirit of Lindybeige and launching into a multi-hour impromptu lecture on a random historic subject. “For time’s sake, during the Second Thaumaturgic War an archmage attempted to prevent his enemies' arcane workings from, well, working, by denying them the ability to have complete star charts by constructing a doomsday weapon. The tradition arose from a fear that the device was completed, and is still functional. In theory if we found the runestone powering the curse we could confirm the story, and eliminate the threat… But that would cost time and money and we can simply leave a few irrelevant stars off any maps we make.”

June flinched. “I’d rather get rid of the rock.”

“So would I. But don’t worry, it's largely myth and tradition and sometimes ponies are silly,” Source gestured to the door. “Shall we deliver the list and get to our mutual specialties?”

June blushed. “Oh! Um… I’ve only got a Masters and my specialty is field work actually—”

Source smiled, shook his head, and put his hoof back down. “Don’t belittle yourself. Translating a Medeis Cipher from the runework is no small feat. And you knew they could be translated multiple ways. Please, think more highly of yourself. Just try not to get a swollen head. At any rate, shall we? I’m excited to see a lost piece of history in person.”

“Sure! Violet’s in the control building with Sam. It’s not too far from my lab,” June said as she turned to leave. “You’re going to be boiling in those robes.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

With the list of stars to skip and remove delivered to Violet, June and Source sat down in June’s lab to work. The wizard had no eyes for the lab or its equipment. He was drawn entirely and wholly to the astrolabe itself.

Source made a bee line for the relic and got close enough that June was worried he might touch it, though he didn’t. He simply admired it up close, moving to see it from every angle before asking June very softly. “May I hold it?”

June nodded. “Yes, but do not touch any of the controls.”

“But of course,” he lifted the bronze implement with a hoof and gently turned it to catch the light. “This is without a doubt at least a very early First Kingdom relic, Miss June. Perfectly preserved! Oh, this is a marvel! Would that I could keep it on my desk, but alas… It is not to be.”

Source set the astrolabe back on its stand and took a deep breath. “Thank you. Now… I see you have many copies of the sonnets on the table here. Let’s see… Ah, here’s one of each. May I?”

June nodded and trotted up to take a seat next to the standing wizard. “It's why we called you.”

Primary Source studied the two sonnets for a moment then retrieved his notepad and quill and began to make a copy of each. Notably in Prench. He nodded to himself as he finished then looked to June. “Do you speak Prench?”

“No.”

“Ah… I should have asked if you natively knew another language before I… Erm, do you?”

“I can read Neighponese.”

“Sadly, I cannot,” he sighed and put his note and quill away. “Shame, it’s always fun to demonstrate Medeis’ writings. These are authentic.”

“How do you know?” June asked, frowning and looking at the pocket he stored his pad in. “Some kind of phrase pattern analysis?”

“Not at all,” Source said with a knowing smile. “How do you know these are sonnets?”

“Because when I translated them, they were sonnets,” June reapplied deadpan.

“Do you think if I were to translate a song from Prench to Equish, it would retain its rhyme scheme and measure?” Source pressed.

June paused, frowning as she realized. “No… No I don’t… How the buck did this come out as a sonnet?”

“That would be the work of Medeis,” Source answered cheerfully. “His very writing was enchanted to preserve its form through translations. The…quality certainly takes a nosedive, but it remains in the form he originally wrote it. It all comes back to his love of testing people through puzzles. If the clues were lost in translation, his puzzle would be unfair, see?”

June laughed. “That’s adorable, and crazy in that way you hope ancient wizards were.”

“Isn’t it just?” Source said as he magically levitated both sonnets to look at them without looking down at the desk. “Now, in my opinion, as a pony who has completed a small number of his puzzles, what we are looking at with these sonnets is called a Shuffle Cipher. We need to transpose the meanings of each sonnet line by line onto each other, making use of the appropriate cultural lenses. Only then will the poem’s true meaning be revealed.”

“Its a good thing I wrote down the runes then. The computer program Violet wrote for me had to output them as numbers,” June said with a sad laugh.

Source nodded solemnly. “It’s good you checked all permutations. If only our knowledge of the language was complete. It’s possible we’re missing one or two other sonnets simply due to not knowing all rune combinations.”

June flinched and rested her head in her hooves. “Celestia above! You’re right. I forgot my professor mentioned we only know about… Eighty five percent of it?”

Source nodded a second time. “Indeed. However, I will be able to at the very minimum gather more information through the Shuffle Cipher. This may also be the complete set, I was merely commenting on your thoroughness, and how it has granted us the best chance of learning what we seek.”

“Thanks,” June said with a genuine smile, before her ears fell somewhat. “Though it is a little disappointing that I couldn't have done this on my own. Linguistics is my special talent.”

Source’s ears twitched irritably. “Perhaps not, but that’s what asking for help is for. Cheer up! I’ll need your assistance to decode these.”

June arched an eyebrow.

“I’m not infantilizing you,” Source promised. “I will be most intensely focused, and will need you to read the lines I am working with outloud at my request. Else we will be here a good six hours instead of perhaps forty minutes.”

June nodded and slid two copies of the poems to where she could easily see them. “Okay. Just say when.”

Source nodded and once again retrieved his notepad. “Oh, and by the way. Of the three Princesses, only Cadence likes to be sworn by. Celestia is rather opposed to it.”

June flinched. “Oh. Uh. Noted.”

Source licked the tip of his quill and stared at the first line of the first poem. “First line, second poem, please.”

June glanced down. “In realms beyond what mortal eyes can see.”

“Yes… I see,” Source said as he began to write.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Source’s estimate of forty minutes proved to be a little optimistic. An hour and twenty minutes, the wizard set his quill down and nodded in satisfaction. “There. I am confident this is the final poem. I preserved your runes and Equish formatting.”

“May I?” June asked.

Source slid it across the table to her. “By all means, and feel free to remove the page to keep.”

June looked down at the sonnet and began to read.

Astrolabe fancy galaxy dance(?)

Stitch world rug silence

Gate and road shape does not hold

Key unknown thing not shown

Medeis making fancy

Gateway galaxy dance(?)

Universe string angle

Door dream entangle

Shape purpose true

Spooky hold undue

Map good through

Spooky bane true

Lift and very go

One moon limit

In bronze embrace, a dance profound,

It weaves the realms, a tapestry untold,

Portal and pathway in its form unbound,

A key to secrets, mysteries to unfold.

By Medeis' touch, its intricate design,

Reveals the pathways of the cosmic scheme,

Each universe and thread it can align,

A gateway for the dreamer's daring dream.

Yet in its core, a purpose nobly penned,

To hold eldritch power, chaos in thrall,

Guiding energies to a righteous end,

Restraining horrors, lest the worlds should fall.

Take it from the pedestal, explore the great maze.

Be sure to return it by the moon's next phase.

June let out a deep breath. “That… is way more clear.”

“And more importantly, something that sounds like Medeis wrote it,” Source said with a satisfied nod. “Yes. His voice. His tooling on the device, his styles of puzzles… This is solved.”

“The hay it is,” June scoffed, tapping one line roughly with a hoof tip. “This is a clear as day instruction to put this thing back where you found it within a quarter moon! It’s been up here for at least a year! Probably longer!”

Source frowned. “Well, yes. Granted its warning is specific and dire, however, the correctness is what matters…” He trailed off realizing for the first time the meaning of what he had just decoded. “Oh dear… I believe we should call your boss and get this sorted.”

“You’re telling me!” June said as she raced to the lab phone and began to frantically dial Raven’s hotel room for the third time this week.

Raven picked up after several agonizing minutes. “Raven Inkwell’s Second Office,” Raven greeted, sounding quite tired. “Raven speaking.”

“The astrolabe is a dimensional travel device created by the ancient world archmage Medeis, which serves the dual purpose of keeping an eldritch creature prisoner, but only while it’s on a pedestal. We have to put the astrolabe back on the pedestal it was found on, right now!” June said without bothering with pleasantries.

Raven paused for a long moment. “I was taking a nap. Could you repeat that?”

“The astrolabe. It keeps an unspecified evil sealed. It can be removed from its pedestal, but not for long. It’s been off that pedestal way, way, way too long. We need to put it back… Unless it was keeping Discord contained?”

Raven groaned. “No… No, that was the Elements of Harmony. How sure are you about this?”

“As sure as the Library Mage who helped me translate the poems Medeis wrote on the astrolabe, who has translated other writings of his before,” June answered before holding the phone out to Source. “Please back me up.”

“I can attest to Miss June’s statement, Regent,” Source said honestly and simply. “The final transcription of this writing is a statement informing the reader of the device’s functions, but warning it should not be away from a particular location, referred to as a pedestal, for a period of more than a quarter moon. However, as no dire threat has emerged, we can infer the danger is either no longer present, or takes quite some time to reach a problematic level.”

June took the phone back. “Yeah, fair point, Source… But much like that probably broken doomsday runestone, I’d like to not have this be a thing!”

“That goes for me as well,” Raven agreed as June put the phone back up to her ear. “We lost the records of the retrieval in a fire. I do however know the astrolabe was located in a hidden chamber accessed somewhere within the First Kingdom Palace.”

Raven paused for a moment, almost long enough for June to say something, but not quite.

“I’m reassigning you to project related field work,” Raven said firmly. “This is not a punishment, June. You have a degree in xenology and we need somepony to find that pedestal and how to safely interact with it. That’s your degree, correct?”

“That is literally my degree,” June confirmed, her wings floofing up excitedly.

“I will be sending a STF squad to retrieve the astrolabe within the hour, it will be held in secure containment until it can be returned. We can continue research into it on location as needed. The SkyTech team is currently working on getting safe access to the ruins, check in with them starting… After lunch. I imagine you’ll want a full belly.”

June nodded eagerly. “Thanks for taking this seriously. Even if we’re super lucky and whatever this sealed away is long dead, it should be on its pedestal.”

“Just keep as quiet as you can about this, June. I’ve learned a few things relating to… Ah, right. Not a secure line. Lets just say the astrolabe has more to do with the problems here than you’d think. Just not directly.” Raven said before hanging up.

June winced and hung up. That can’t be good. June thought as she turned to Source. “Well, um. Thank you for the help. I’d love to chat, but my boss did just order me to go get SkyTech to let me into the ruins, so—”

“Oh, that’s not gonna happen any time soon,” a stallion said from the lab’s door.

June yelped and jumped spinning around in alarm. Primary Source looked up at the stallion and nodded in recognition of the burnt orange, electric blue maned pegasus standing in the doorway.

The pegasus extended manipulator gauntlet clad hoof to shake. “Sorry for spooking you, the door was open and I was on my way to the apartments to say hi to everypony. Name’s Sky Trigger, yes that one. This job seemed like fun so I came to help out in person.”

June looked at him suspiciously. “Why won't you let me in the ruins?”

Sky frowned and wiggled his hoof as if to say “Come on… Shake it.”. June couldn’t help but shake his hoof.

“Nothing nefarious or anything,” Sky said as June let go. “It’s just the tunnel from the quarry into the run collapsed without warning last night, killing one of CARE’s dudes. So we’ll need to dig a new one, and they need to have an investigation. It’s going to take at least three weeks. Maybe a month.”

“Buck…” June swore under her breath, knowing in her gut the oily shadow that seemed linked to the Astrolabe was somehow responsible.

“Yeah, welcome to boring,” replied Sky Trigger, “It’s boring.”

17 - Meanwhile III…

Raven Inkwell - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Young Moon’s Hunting Lodge - Hackamore Valley

Raven stepped off the ATV she’d rented for her stay in this Celestia forsaken town and wiped the mud from her bloodshot eyes. Groggily, she took three pills from a tin of Pewter's Peppy Step: Trucker's Aid and downed them dry.

I. Hate. Dirt. Roads. I hate pep pills. This day is pear shaped. And now I have mud all over me! Raven groweld internally, doing her best to vent her frustration at the glaring lack of infrastructure before making her way towards the ancient log lodge she’d driven nearly half an hour through the pines to reach.

Princess Luna had taken to living in the old lodge she’d kept as a young mare while staying in Evergreen Falls. It was still called by its original name, Young Moon’s Hunting Lodge, and was a lovely two story log structure. Sadly for those who prefer misery and depressing lack of basic functionality in their homes, the lodge had been renovated and refurbished several times over the centuries, including just last year. It was no longer a pre-medieval structure, instead it had bathrooms, lights, a stove that didn’t burn wood, central air, and modern furnishings.

Luna loved the changes. She was debating moving her official residence to the lodge, an idea its current owners were all for.

Raven couldn’t fault Luna’s decision. If I could step into a shadow and go anywhere I wanted, I’d like it here. Stupid commute skipping alicorns!

Raven took a few deep breaths and flicked as much mud from herself as she could by shaking herself. She’d have scraped the muck from her fur with magic if she hadn’t just spent most of her energy that morning on some rather delicate spellcraft. The exhaustion was more than enough to have prevented her from remembering to slow down when crossing the creek on her rented ATV with its terribly designed fenders.

I swear they direct more filth onto me than away…

Raven walked to the lodge door, flicking her legs every few steps to try and shake off more mud, and raised her hoof to knock. Before she could even make contact with the door’s wood paneled surface, it clicked open and a mint furred unicorn mare with hundreds of tiny black spots on her coat and a creamy white mane immediately and wordlessly began to scrape the mud from Raven’s fur.

With a pressure washer.

Raven’s ears drooped all the way back.

Oh. Good. Princess Cadence is here too. Which means so is Mint… Yay… Raven thought before giving the mint colored mare her best low key glare. “Thank you, Mint. I appreciate it.”

Mint Chocolate, oblivious as always to any negativity directed her way, finished the spray down and flicked the water out of Raven’s fur with an expert pulse of telekinetic power. As the mute mare couldn’t “speak” while using her magic, she waited until she was certain Raven was clean and dry before conjuring an illusory speech balloon to talk to Raven with a genuine smile.

[Good morning, Raven! I’m sorry you got so messy. I haven’t had time yet today to build a bridge over the creek. I’m hoping to get to it before Princess Cadence wishes to go for her evening walk. Are you here to say hello to my mistress, or are you here to see Princess Luna?] Mint asked before floating the small pressure washer back into its place in the closet near the door for thorough cleaning emergencies.

Raven cleared her throat. “I have business with Luna, can you take me to her?”

Mint nodded and made an adorable happy noise. [Of course!] She wrote, turning to walk deeper into the rustic hunting lodge’s interior while adding more text by scrolling it into her speech bubble. [So, you two are on a first name basis. Are you dating?]

Raven’s ears flicked back. “No! I’m happily married, thank you.”

Mint replaced her bubble. [Friends then? I’d like to know how to announce you.]

“I can announce myself, thank you,” Raven said firmly as she could. Annoying as she is, she’s going to have been impossibly thoughtful in three, two—

Mint turned a corner to enter a short hallway leading to the lodge’s main hall. Sitting in that hall was a tea trolley set for brunch, complete with four individually brewed cups of tea, four place settings including a plate and soup bowl, four small cauldrons which smelled like they contained soup, and four sandwiches. Each of which were entirely unique, practically perfectly made, and nothing less than exactly the favorite type of sandwich for their intended recipient.

[You still prefer pickle and tomato with watercress on pumpernickel, yes?] Mint asked as she began to push the trolly into the room.

“... Yes…” Raven was forced to admit. She sniffed the air. “Did… Did you bake those this morning?”

[I didn’t want to trouble the local baker,] Mint replied, quickly writing out. [Earl gray and carrot and leek soup, low sodium, extra pepper, with gingerbread crumbles on the side, correct?]

Raven stopped walking. That was exactly correct.

“Mint… Please, for once, just answer this straight,” Raven begged. “You overheard my favorite brunch once. How do you remember it two decades later? And how in the world did you know I would be coming? You’re lying about not being able to see the future, aren't you?”

Mint rolled her eyes and giggled in the way any mare would when somepony asked them a very silly question.

[No, silly. I merely take the time to get everything as perfect as can be. My Princess deserves no less,] She said before trotting into the room and replacing her speech balloon with another in the view of Luna and Cadence who were sitting at a table in one of the far corners where Raven couldn’t read it.

Raven narrowed her eyes. Okay. The foal gloves are off. I’m getting a field agent to investigate her.

Luna turned her head to look to the door after reading Mint’s speech bubble. “Raven! Come in, and join us. Cadence’s maid is a wondrous cook! You’ll love her… Little… Filled… Pastry…”

Luna trailed off and looked to Cadence for help with a desperate plea on her face. The smaller pink and sherbert alicorn smiled kindly. “They’re called churros. They’re not normally cream filled, but I prefer them that way.”

“Yes!” Luna said, slamming a hoof down on the hewn-timber table excitedly. “They were excellent.”

Raven crossed the room and sat down just in time for Mint to pull a chair back from the table for her while levitating everyone’s meal into place, including her own. Cadence began to eat immediately, though Luna waited for Raven to sit down (and have her chair pushed in gently by Mint, to precisely the exact location Raven was about to scoot it herself).

Raven sighed and looked over to Princess Cadence for a moment. “Princess, are you here on a simple social visit, or has Luna requested your help with an ongoing matter?”

Cadence finished chewing a bite of her grilled plethora-of-cheeses sandwich before replying. “I am here to assist Luna in the likely event of our shadowy friend striking tonight,” she answered casually. “Just in case it’s a two-alicorn job.”

[Also, Consort Shining wished to go out with “the boys” for Nightmare Night, leaving us free.] Mint added while daintily drinking her bowl of—

Raven’s train of thought derailed. “Is she drinking a steaming hot bowl of garlic and onion soup?” Raven demanded of everypony before looking up into Cadence’s eyes. “You made her as some kind of biomancy experiment, didn’t you?”

Cadence laughed and shook her head. “If only I could get more of her. I’d make an army of Mints if I could.”

“If I may address the topic at hoof,” Luna said, wishing to get business out of the way so she could eat her meal uninterrupted. “I have asked Cadence here in her role as Celestia’s Spear rather than…”

Luna frowned and turned to Cadence. “How would you phrase your other duty?”

“Tending for those Celestia’s world rejects, showing everypony who isn’t malicious they are loved, and making every twink in the kingdom jealous of my husband,” Cadence answered without a hint of irony.

Raven cleared her throat. “We condense that to Public Relations on the official paperwork.”

Luna nodded in understanding. “Princess of Fun it is,” she said, making Cadence crack a grin. “Regardless, while Nightmare Night is a holiday honoring me in a way I do quite enjoy, this particular one happens to fall upon a blood moon. I’m certain you’re already aware of the event.”

Raven nodded slowly. “I am. I’m also aware of the many forms of magic which a blood moon can affect. What are you anticipating?”

Luna gestured towards the valley with one wing. “I expect our shadowy friend to react to our efforts to disrupt its workings on the night it will have the most power. It's not the strongest of assumptions, but similar entities in the past have shown greater strength during such events, as such, Cadence is here to help me slay it.”

Raven winced and looked up to Cadence. “You won’t use the—”

Cadence rolled her eyes. “I used it in a town once! After it had been fully consumed by a monster. I’m not in the business of maximizing property damage.”

Raven nodded then sighed in relief. “Forgive me. I don’t have the clearance to read most of your mission reports. Princess Celestia marks them for her eyes only.”

Cadence’s wings and ears twitched with irritation a split second before Mint seemingly instinctively refilled Cadence’s tea without looking up from her meal.

“You’re her Regent… You should know,” Cadence grumbled into her newly replenished tea.

Luna nodded in agreement. “Cadence and I are also discussing future plans for the post-Celestia Equestria,” she informed. “Primarily her roles. In short, I don’t believe we will change anything. Aside from expanding the extent to which Cadence is permitted to assist in drafting policy.”

Raven hummed and nodded. “Interesting idea. I’ll have to put a pin in it for now. I need to talk to you about the investigation… In private if possible.”

“Is it something I could help with?” Cadence asked hopefully.

Raven paused for a moment, thinking it over, then nodded. “Yes, it is. However, I would prefer not to discuss an active investigation near a civilian, ma’am.”

Cadence and Mint shared a quick snort of amusement.

“Tell her, Mint,” Cadence urged.

Mint nodded. [I accompany my mistress everywhere, and aid her in everything. Including violence.]

“Legally speaking, she’s my squire,” Cadence explained. “It stopped Celestia from excluding her from meetings, and ensures she can travel with me on my stipends. She’s also fully combat trained, and prior to working for me, was a retired detective turned police consultant for the Manehatten PD. Whatever it is, she’s cleared to know.”

Raven blinked once, her brow furrowing. “Oh. Well, that explains a few things.” She said before nodding to herself. “In that case, we’re currently investigating the site Director, Doctor Grape Vine, on corruption charges. He’d recruited a few of the old lead researchers, most notably the late Doctor Apple Brandy, to work on an off the books personal project. The nature of which is not confirmed but I highly suspect to be studying a particular object in CARE’s possession which would allow one to become quite powerful and wealthy.”

Cadence nodded and took another bite of her nine cheese sandwich.

“We have no conclusive proof as of yet,” Raven continued. “At least, when it comes to Grape’s involvement. However, the extent of what we can confirm is impossible without his implicit permission and help… Unfortunately, despite the logical impossibility of everything occurring without his help or by his command, we still have nothing solid. A good lawyer could get him cleared of all charges.”

Raven turned to look at Luna with a dark expression. “You were right. Countering his plays with your own positive ones made him slip up. As of this morning, we may have him on murder.”

Luna stood up from the table. “Who did he kill, and how? If we have proof, I will personally execute him and put an end to this today.”

Cadence levitated Luna’s tea up to her face. “Luna, hon, put the murder boner away until we know where to stick it.”

Luna begrudgingly took the tea and sipped it.

Raven bit her lip to stop herself from laughing at Cadence’s choice of words.

“The tunnel leading into the ruins beneath town was collapsed through the use of explosives. Muffled ones, military equipment. Meaning somepony enchanted them to go off silently, though it clearly didn’t muffle the rockfall…” Raven said grimly. “Like I said, Luna, he’s making mistakes. Before I continue, is there any other entrance? Junebug needs access to the ruins as soon as possible. The Astrolabe must be returned to where it was found.”

Luna sat down and thought for a moment before shaking her head. “No. What’s worse, my own experimentation this week has shown the city’s teleport interdiction remains functional. There is no way to access it magically. Nor would it be advisable for me to burn a tunnel to it, as the city’s more reactive defenses are likely awake and well.”

Cadence winced. “I cut into a First Kingdom ruin once… I almost died when it shot back. Thankfully, Mint was able to perform a liver transplant in the field. Still not sure how she pulled that one off.”

Everypony stopped talking and turned to Mint who was calmly sipping on her tea.

[It was nothing, really. Just a little cutting and sewing.] She explained, explaining nothing.

“Where did you get the liver?” Luna asked suspiciously.

Mint smiled politely. [There were plenty of fresh bodies available for organ donations.]

Cadence nodded in agreement. “Foal trafficking ring,” she summarized. “There were no survivors.”

“Good,” Raven said, nodding in satisfaction. But how the buck did she perform that operation?! Two field agents. I am going to put two on her.

Raven cleared her throat. “To continue… The tunnel was blown as one of my field agents was leaving it. I have no idea why Safety Lock went down there, or who set off the explosives, but the boys from forensics are going over everything with a fine tooth comb.”

“Safety Lock? I know that pony. His name is on half of the reports for this operation. Was he our lead investigator?” Luna asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“Yes,” Raven answered bluntly.

“Mistakes indeed,” Luna growled.

“We recovered Safety's body from the rubble. He almost made it out. He had a large manila envelope on him containing notes. Mostly text, but some drawings and maps,” Raven said, pausing a moment to take a sip of her tea. “Our shadow friend… Ate most of them. I checked the arcane residue myself and its signature is all over the damaged pages. Fortunately for us, I was able to use my own talents to reconstruct a few key items. I’m… Nearly out of mana. It took most everything I had. So it’s for the best you brought Cadence to help. If that thing attacks…”

Raven shook her head slowly only to nearly jump out of her skin as Mint seemingly teleported to her side with a small green potion vial.

[I forgot to set this on your plate earlier, my apologies.] Mint said as she sat back down.

Raven stared down at the mana restorative potion on her plate for a moment before looking back up to Cadence, then Mint, and then lastly Luna, begging with her eyes for them to tell her the answer to the mystery of Mint’s sheer impossibility.

Luna shrugged her wings. “Don’t look to me for answers. She somehow found my old hairbrush twenty minutes after I complained of missing it.”

Raven took a moment to quaff the potion so she wouldn’t be dead on her hooves and useless come nightfall.

Ugh… Why do they always taste like whatever the horseapples pharmaceutical companies think grapes taste like?

Raven took several bites of soup to cleanse her palette. “The recovered documents detail some of the ruins, cover a good chunk of the investigation’s general details, but most importantly for us, state that Doctor Grape Vine is indeed the mastermind of an operation intended to use the Astrolabe to steal valuables, information, arcana, and technologies from other universes for…a reason I couldn’t recover entirely, but is some form of personal gain. More importantly, combined with what Junebug discovered this morning, Safety’s notes indicate that there is a prison for our shadowy friend beneath the palace. One which he’s slowly been breaking out of but is still mostly contained by.”

Luna nodded solemnly. “I see… Then as you mentioned June must return it, the device is part of the creature’s prison,” Luna pondered something for a moment. “How long has the astrolabe been away from its, resting place?”

“Officially away? As in physically removed? A year,” Raven said bitterly. “If what Safety learned was correct, then Grape Vine has been attempting to remotely make use of the device since a few months before your return, Luna. It’s possible that while being remotely operated it was unable to contain the creature, allowing it to do what we know it did. Or, alternatively, and what I personally fear is true based on what fragments I have been able to read from some of his more recent notes…”

Cadence closed her eyes and groaned. “The idiot discovered the creature and was trying to use it for their own ends?”

“It's possible,” Raven admitted.

“Can we prove this to the satisfaction of your modern court of law?” Luna asked, her eyes narrow with anger.

Raven shook her head. “We have the suspicions of a trusted agent. Nothing concrete. Grape is usually infuriatingly excellent at covering his tracks…” Raven smiled for a moment. “But Safety Lock took a picture of the bomb. It’s from the local STF armory. Guess who has to sign those out.”

Cadence’s wings fluttered excitedly. “Please tell me you also have a wizard who can do retro-temporal scrying on the way before it's too late to get an accurate—”

“Junebug has Primary Source on retainer, he got here today,” Raven said with a knowing smile. “I was hoping to get Luna to play bodyguard while he works, just in case.”

Luna stood up immediately. “You have my full cooperation. Let us go at once!”

Cadence stood as well. “I have no one to do. May I accompany you?”

“You mean noth—” Raven managed to say before noticing Mint had left and just arrived with Cadence’s traveling cloak, rainboots for both alicorns, and four umbrellas.

[It looks like it will rain later. We should dress for it.] The mare wrote so everypony could read her speech bubble.

Raven looked out the window at the small patch of cloudless blue sky she could see through the treetops out the lodge’s window.

You know what? I’m not going to waste agents on her, Raven decided as she took an umbrella.

“Source is currently at the observatory, and I have several STF agents body guarding him from the shadows. Let’s—”

Luna looked to Cadence. “Teleport to me after a count of six,” she said before simply grabbing Raven with her magic and telling the unicorn mare. “Hold your breath.”

Raven had just enough time to hold her breath before Luna stepped into the shadows beneath the table, taking Raven with her.

There was no more time to waste.

18 - Go Time Preparation

Samhain - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley - Hackamore Valley

Sam, June, Enox, and Violet trotted their way up the road towards the old quarry north of the observatory. Their hooves clicked against the two kilometers of crumbling pavement, and the two pegasi were miserable.

I can feel that rain coming in… Should be flying. Would be faster. We could leave sooner. Be out of this… It’s not going to be a normal afternoon rain. I can tell. Sam silently griped, knowing June would be doing the same no matter how weak her weather magic was.

It's at least a rainstorm, Sam added, looking to where she could feel the stormfront building, and grunting irritably as her view was blocked by a legion of cedar trees.

“It’s going to rain soon,” June said out loud. “Vi, you mentioned you can maybe fly? Would you mind—”

Violet shook her head, offering both pegasi an apologetic frown. “Sorry, I was able to slow a fall two days ago, but I still can’t fly. Getting closer though!”

“I can’t fly either,” Enox commented. “Were you planning on carrying me, June?”

“I probably could,” June admitted. “But I thought you’d just pull some alien jetpack out of your plot.”

Enox harrumphed. “I would do no such thing! I like not lighting my tail on fire. There are more civilized means of personal flight, you know!”

“I don’t know,” June said with a shy smile.

Enox’s ears drooped. “Oh. Right. Uh, sorry,” she thought for a moment then suggested the logical idea. “Two pegasi, two ground dwellers. Why don't you carry me and Sam carries Violet?”

Sam laughed, instantly grinning ear to ear and drawing everypony’s attention.

“What?” Sam asked, frowning slowly. “I’m not an earth pony and her bones are made of titanium. That’s at least two hundred kilograms right there!”

Violet nodded in agreement then paused, remembering observed pony behaviors. “Wait, uh… I’m supposed to do something here… Right!” Vi put on her best angry face. “Are you calling me fat?!”

“No, just made of metal and heavy ass polymers,” Sam countered with a snort. “I don’t think I could lift you without using this thing.”

She tapped the crystal in her chest then coughed awkwardly. “And uh… I haven't had much time to perfect just getting it to turn on. So, I’d rather not drop you a couple hundred meters.”

“I would enjoy not being dropped several hundred meters,” Violet agreed.

June swished her tail and flicked her wings. “I mean, do we all really need to go? I’m just trying to assess the collapse for myself. It feels like something my job requires I do? No specific instruction but—”

“It’s totally a thing you should do,” Sam agreed. “But you’re right. We don’t need to go. We could go back home and you could fly over.”

June looked to everypony. Enox shrugged. “I’m just here to spend time with you. But if you think we’ll get caught out in the rain I can wait for you to get back.”

Violet nodded in agreement. “Me too. I’m waterproof, but I don’t like how rain feels. It’s all… Tappy.”

June smiled thankfully and nodded back down the road. “I’ll see you at home then, okay?”

Sam cleared her throat. “I’ll still go. It’s not CARE property but they might need a maintenance worker to help out. Caveins suck.”

June nodded again and was about to say something when the radio clipped to her jacket blared a loud, long, impossible to miss, haunting alarm. Everypony flinched back from the sound, looking to the radio with a mixture of instinct and pain. The alarm sounded two more times before the speaker crackled to life.

“Attention all personnel, this is Administrator Raven Inkwell. Director Grape Vine has been arrested. All work is to immediately cease and all personnel are to secure any active projects and return to your personal residences without delay. A full audit of all Site Activities will be performed in forty minutes. All personnel who are not at their residence, securing a project, or traveling to their residences will be detained and interrogated. All civilian contractors are to close down their businesses and return to their accommodations immediately. Remain at home until instructed otherwise by this channel and only this channel. Message will repeat every 10 minutes for the next hour.”

Sam winced. “Oh… Oh no…”

Enox huffed and rolled her eyes. “Idiot finally bucked up publicly, didn’t he?”

June sighed and started to walk home. “Well, here’s hoping this doesn't take long. We got like, two days of food, right?”

“Three if we stretch it,” Sam agreed.

“I wonder what happened,” Vi mused, starting to turn around herself. “He seemed to get away with anything. Did they finally drop the hammer?”

Sam shook her head. “He was arrested mid day. So… This is something specific. That’s also not a standard Director Incapacitated procedure. That’s just a normal full site investigation and audit. I think—”

Sam’s radio chirped loudly, indicating a message coming through on the encrypted maintenance channel used for urgent requests for repairs that might cause a panic if publicly broadcast.

Sam winced, flexed her manipulator gauntlet to life, and pressed down the transmit button. “Technician Samhain here, I’m with Doctor Junebug, her assistant, and Enox. I can get to a clear location if required, over.”

Sam let go of the button, then flinched as she heard Princess Luna’s voice reply. “Excellent. I wish to address the majority of your company, Samhain. I require you and June to come to Young Moon’s Hunting Lodge immediately.”

June arched an eyebrow, waiting for the princess to say ‘Over’, but she never did.

Sam sighed and squeezed the button again. “Your highness, I would be happy to. However, we just received direct orders from Administration too—”

The radio squawked as Luna transmitted despite Sam speaking. “She’s with me, Samhain, and I am not asking you to come as any sort of member of CARE. I am asking you to come as the Crown Princess of Equestria.”

Sam flinched enough for everypony to look at her in worry. Soldier senses are tingling… We’re getting recruited for something. I just know it.

Raven’s voice came from the speaker a moment later. “Technician, you are to come as quickly as possible. Priority Black.”

Sam nodded once. “Understood. June and I can be there in ten minutes.”

June waved her hoof, gesturing to Sam for her radio. Sam shook her head. “Sorry, I can’t let you use this. Not when we’re absolutely going to be audited for anything we do today. I’d get fired. I can relay whatever you want to say though.”

June, understanding entirely, cleared her throat. “If they want us, it’s probably for the Astrolabe, right? Vi is the one who wrote the code to analyze the runes. Do they need her too? What about Enox? She’s been a huge help. Also, Fluttershy.”

Sam nodded and squeezed the button again. “Doctor June would like to know if you also need her assistant Violet, Enox, and / or Fluttershy, due to their involvement with her project.”

The radio was silent for several long moments, then crackled as Raven answered. “We know we can trust everypony but this Fluttershy. What has she contributed?”

Sam looked to June. June sighed. “I guess she hasn’t had time to read all of the reports yet? Let her know about the thing.”

Sam nodded. “Fluttershy is confirmed to have been affected by the same shadow as myself by the Astrolabe. She’s been assisting with research to learn about herself, and is responsible for helping determine the range at which the Astrolabe can detect divergences in individuals from… Whichever universe it uses as its base. This was included in the last report.”

The radio was silent for another few moments, before Luna answered. “She must come also. Do you know where she is?”

Sam thought for a moment. “She’s back at the observatory, waiting for us to return so she can go on a dinner date with Violet. We can get her in five minutes, but without a way for Violet and Enox to fly, it will take us half an hour or more to get to you. Can you come to us?”

More silence. “Return to the observatory basement,” Luna ordered. “I’ve been there before. I will shadow step and transport you here myself.”

“Understood, moving out,” Sam said, deactivating her gauntlet then running her hoof down her face and moaning.

“What’s wrong?” Violet asked, head cocked to one side.

“Well,” Sam said as she began to jog down the road back to the observatory. “I don’t know about you, but there’s a critical emergency and I’m probably the only pony in town besides Raven’s body guards that she fully trusts and has military experience.”

June frowned for a moment. “Okay, but all I know is archeology, ancient magic, and—” she frowned. “Um, I did pass a self defense class? That could be on my rec— Oh no!”

Violet’s frown deepened. “Still don’t get it. All they know I can do is self augment my systems to—” The android flinched as it hit her like a ton of bricks. “Oh no…”

Enox rubbed her forehooves together and flipped open a hidden panel on the back of her suit's left foreleg to start typing commands to her base computer. “Oh yes!”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

True to Luna’s word, she arrived in the observatory basement exactly five minutes after she’d made contact. Sam and company had been a few seconds late, a fact which Luna didn’t seem to mind. Sam was grateful for the reprieve. In her experience in both the military and corporate worlds “in five minutes” meant “ten seconds or you’re in the shit”.

Luna had taken them to her old lodge, more specifically, to a small secure room which was probably a wine cellar in progress, given its lack of light other than a few lanterns and very obviously being in the lodge’s basement. The room was small, and Raven had set up an impromptu stage of sorts along one wall where she stood along with the wizard Primary Source.

Once everypony had arrived, there was hardly any room to move, especially since the door was blocked by Princess Cadence’s assistant… And not only was Luna present but so was Cadence herself.

I guess the shit could be being packed into this room like sardines with two Alicorns. Sam mused, sweating a little nervously. There was a Risk Category 5 thing held here, wasn’t there? We’re the only ponies who can possibly deal with it because the STF dudes are being audited by the 30 guys Raven brought with her. Buck me…

Sam winced and shot Princess Cadence a glance over her shoulder. In case you’re telepathic, that was me being facetious, not an invitation.

Cadence, being magically attuned to all things battle and love related through her alicorn magic, elected to wink at Sam just to get under her fur a little.

Sam snapped her head back towards the front of the room and did her best not to think about anything at all.

Raven cleared her throat. “Is that everypony, Princess?”

Luna nodded firmly. “It is. The…not-filly Dew offered to contact Death for us. She can do that, somehow. Would it be a good idea?”

“No,” Raven answered immediately. “Dusk recruited these ponies, or at least got them to come here. This is how she’s helping us.”

Sam groaned audibly. “What breached containment and are we really the only ponies you can trust?”

Raven sighed and turned to Sam. “The only people I can trust beyond a shadow of a doubt are currently in this room.”

“Buck…” June swore under her breath. “Also, why?”

Enox beamed Raven the biggest grin. “You really shouldn’t trust me, but thank you!”

“I trust you to do the right thing when others will suffer if you don’t,” Raven clarified for the alien mare. “I also trust I will have to check all of my toilets for cling wrap when you leave.”

Enox rolled her eyes. “I don’t repeat pranks… Also this is Luna’s pad. We’re cool.”

Raven, professional as she was and dire as things were, frowned and looked at Luna. The princess blushed slightly. “She brought me a little hoof held game console when I was trapped on the moon. So the Nightmare repaid the favor, somehow? I cannot remember the specifics. I have little conscious memories of my time on the moon’s surface.”

“She fixed my food replicator,” Enox clarified, “and I don’t prank friends unless they ask for it.”

Wait… We could have just, like, physically gone to the moon and picked her up? Sam asked herself silently before flinching. Oh gods! She was still Nightmare Moon then! That means Enox ran her a Gamecolt… And the nightmare, like, played it. And enjoyed it. And they were besties…

Sam took a long hard look at Enox. Note to self, do not anger the space mare.

Raven nodded and began to address the room. “For the past several months, Administration and the Council have been actively investigating the actions and activities of Doctor Grape Vine. As of two hours ago, the investigation is completed, by way of murder. It is time to act on the information our investigation has uncovered.”

Raven took a moment to mime taking off a hat, and putting another on. “That was me taking off my Administrator hat and putting on my Regent hat. Princess Celestia is indisposed, she’s speaking with the Zebrican Pharaoh at present. As such, I am formally handing all necessary military and civil powers to resolve this crisis to Princess Luna, in her name.”

Sam winced and closed her eyes for a moment. Yep, now June volunteers us by accident…

June raised a hoof. “Okay, so… What’s the crisis exactly? How can I help?”

Sam’s ears flicked back. Damnit, June…

Fluttershy squirmed awkwardly. “If you want a changeling’s help, I don’t know how to shapeshift yet. But I can do all of the pegasus stuff! Um, not too good though.”

Princess Cadence reached across Sam with a hoof to give the yellow mare a comforting hoof on the shoulder. “It’s okay, you’ll be the mare in a chair for this thing.”

Fluttershys’ wings twitched. “Um… My lawyer has advised that I do not confirm or deny any particular skills I may or may not have relating to accessing and or manipulating electronic and or magical systems—”

Cadence rolled her eyes. “If you were still in trouble, you wouldn’t be here.”

“Oh.”

Sam arched an eyebrow. You know, she does seem the type to have spent most of her time at home playing with computers… And cats.

Raven cleared her throat loudly. “Princess Luna has insisted on mobilizing you as a specialist force for a highly specific mission which will save, at minimum, the town. I, as Celestia’s Regent, have agreed with her plan. The five of you are hereby formally…” Raven trailed off frowning while looking at Luna. “What on equis is the word for this? I don’t think anypony’s done it in centuries.”

Princess Luna cleared her throat and uttered the words Sam had expected since the radio call. “I, Princess Luna, hereby call upon you as citizens of the realm to serve as Mares-at-Arms in duty to your Kingdom for the duration of no more than a fortnight.”

Dammit! Sam’s wings slumped. Emergency full-on soldier? They’re not ready for this. I’m barely ready for this.

“But I like having four legs?” Violet objected. “I don’t want arms!”

Luna facehooved.

“It means you’re soldiers now,” Raven elaborated.

June groaned. “Well… At least it’s only for as long as a round of that crappy game.”

Luna pressed her hoof more firmly against her skull.

“She means a period of two weeks,” Cadence elaborated. “Mint? Why don’t you get everypony milkshakes. Help them calm down and focus a little more.”

Mint nodded and stood up, prompting Sam to flinch, turn her head and quietly ask, “No offense. No kinkshaming, but… Just please get milk from an actual cow.”

Mint giggled and conjured a speech bubble. [I assure you, I will fetch precisely what everypony will enjoy the most.]

“She will, I promise,” Cadence added before looking up to Raven. “Please, continue. We’ve wasted enough time.”

Raven smiled gratefully. “The five of you must be brought up to speed. Mister Source, please replay the scrying record for these mares.”

Primary Source lit his horn wordlessly, focusing his entire being on his order’s specialty spell to condense the 3D illusion into a simple 2D projection, and preserve as much detail as he could given he’d already replayed it three times before.

Sam watched as the wall behind Raven seemingly transformed into a view of a rather nice office with a purple carpet and fine walnut furnishings. The view showed the office from the top down, prompting Sam to squint at the seemingly familiar location.

That’s Grape Vine’s office. I remember installing those shelves for him… He tried to grope my ass but missed, somehow.

The sound of a door clicking drew Sam’s attention to the bottom left of the illusion. Two ponies walked in. One was the taller green-gray furred blue maned unicorn stallion Sam knew to be Grape Vine. The other was some random earth pony mare she’d never seen before, except perhaps in passing on the streets.

“— care about the implications!” Grape Vine exclaimed, his voice distorted due to repeated reconstructions. “The fact remains that Safety Lock got out of the bunker. We have to assume he knows everything, he wouldn’t have left otherwise!”

“He can’t know everything, everything, sir,” the mare said in that voice everypony uses with angry bosses. “We relocated the object notes when Luna began her efficiency improvements.”

“Don’t care!” Grape Vine said as he sat down in the large overstuffed armchair he used as his office desk seat. “You were following Trixie Lulamoon for a month. We had no idea they’d moved her off the case and put Safety on it until last week. I thought he was genuinely here to audit the warehouses following the Wendigo statue incident. We don’t know where he’s been except for last week. We don’t know what he knows. What we do know is he has a good hundred pages of notes and documents in a folder and he left the bunker. He has to die!”

The mare sighed and nodded slowly. “I suppose you’re right sir. But nopony in our circle is not being watched. When Doctor Junebug reported our work on the astrolabe as fraudulent—”

Grape Vine held his head in his hooves. “I know… I’m amazed we had almost a month of time before that happened. I know nopony isn’t being watched. I know they know everypony. But we only need a few more days. If Safety reports in, they can stop us before tomorrow. We need to do something.”

The mare nodded, then lifted a hoof to her chin in thought. “I think he believes I’m willing to betray us, sir. I may have a plan.”

“Why does he think that?”

“Because I gave a few false documents to my tail to get them to leave me alone for the hour I required three days ago.”

Grape arched an eyebrow dangerously.

“That’s why they are investigating the old lumber mill currently,” she continued. “I made them believe we used it for an arcane ritual recently. I used the free hour to prepare part of our escape plan.”

Gape nodded, seemingly satisfied. “What’s your idea?”

“We don’t need the tunnel anymore, do we? The one into the ruins.”

“No… Are you proposing we leak the real site to Safety and collapse the tunnel on him?”

“That is exactly what I am proposing, sir. He always carries his notes with him. If we bury him, we bury the notes too. That could buy us a week! It will certainly get us a day… What’s planned for Nightmare Night, sir? I’m out of the loop there.”

Grape cleared his throat. “It's best if you remain out of the loop in case you’re captured when you go to set our trap. I know who my tail is. I can give them the slip, or kill them if needed. I can also fetch muffled breaching charges from the armory. I will have the tunnel wired and the explosives hidden by illusions by midnight. I will wait as long as needed, but be certain he arrives after midnight. Tell him we’re planning a ritual or meeting… No. No tell him that it will breach at the witching hour. Spin him some sob story about not knowing what we were up to, let him know putting an empty mana crystal on the podium could contain it for a few days. He’ll buy that, he’s the hero type. He walks in, never comes out. We have our time.”

“Yes sir,” the mare agreed.

Sam rolled her lips, reflecting on the name. Safety Lock… Didn’t he sign my reimbursement checks? Back when I was getting those, at least? Yeah. He did. Shit… Another good soul lost to organized crime.

Sam looked down, giving the stallion a moment of silence, even if nopony else in the room would.

Source let his horn’s glow fade as he released the spell.

“I’ll need a moment before I show the other records,” he informed, sitting down and producing a flask from his robes marked ‘Aspirin Infused Water’. “This spell is most taxing. I do not believe I will be able to show these again today, no matter what circumstance may arise.”

Raven nodded sharply. “I understand, and I appreciate your services, Master Wizard,” she said as the image fully faded. “To give him time to recover, I will progress to our immediate concern: Grape Vine’s conspirators have brought an unknown malicious entity of an unknown classification to the brink of escaping an ancient First Kingdom prison.”

Sam sighed, having already slipped back into the role of a mare who gets thrown into the thickest of the horseapples. Fluttershy let out a terrified squeak which could only be classed as adorable. Violet tilted her head, wondering what she could do about this.

June yelped in fright, jumping to her tippie hooves. “What the buck do you think we can do against anything they couldn’t kill!?”

Enox quietly began to type into her wrist computer again. “Large…X-Pulse…” She murmured to herself.

Raven chose to address June. “Simple. We’re quite certain this entity is the one linked to the Astrolabe. Which Princess Luna currently has on her person. You are to enter the ruins, locate its pedestal, and replace the device in the hopes the ancient containment is reestablished.”

June, still looking at Raven, turned half way and pointed both of her hooves to the two motherbucking alicorns sitting behind her. “And they aren’t doing this, why?”

Luna bent her neck to look June in the eye as best she could. “Cadence and I will be engaging the beast in arcane combat to buy you this opportunity. You are the only ponies we can trust due to what limited knowledge we have of our foe. Raven, please tell them of its history.”

Raven lit her horn to project a simple illusion, a still depicting Sam’s fillyhood abduction. “As per your own report, in the 907th year of the Solar Era, an unknown shadow entity re-routes an extrauniversal…thing…resulting in Samhain’s abduction and subsequent implantation with what appears to be a Harmony Crystal, albeit with some distinctly archaic differences. The purpose behind this is unknown. Theorized to be experimentation involving fate manipulation, because it’s next notable appearance…”

Raven shifted her illusion of the night sky and moon as it was 4 years ago when Nightmare Moon returned onto the wall.

“... was at the Dawn of the Era of Harmony, when again an unknown entity interfered with the ties of fate in an attempt to neutralize the Elements of Harmony by invalidating its Bearers. Its efforts prevent four of the six fated Bearers from assuming their destinies as Bearers,” Raven said, playing the illusion forwards through several slides showing complex arcane signatures that non-unicorns simply had no chance of ever understanding. “The entity’s efforts are largely in vain as the Elements locate the next most suitable Bearers instead.”

Raven changed her illusion again, this time to show a series of images together, depicting Celestia and Luna’s brief kidnapping by magic vines, the near-collapse of their universe due to a malfunctioning portal, Silkwing’s feral rampage, and Tirek escaping from Tartarus.

“Its signature can be found surrounding all of these events,” Raven explained. “It has been reaching out to pluck the strands of fate with the clear intention of bringing harm to Equestria.”

She paused again to expand the illusion of Silkwing’s escape while dismissing the others, then allowing Silkwing’s killing of Apple Brandy to play out, pausing the playback when a dark oily stain leaked from her shadow and vanished into a crack in the floor.

“See that void in the image data?” Raven asked coldly.

Everypony nodded together.

“I— I saw that in the vision the astrolabe showed me,” Fluttershy said quietly.

“Me too,” Sam added. “I can’t forget it. It’s…more and also less than the tendrils.”

“Yeah,” Shy agreed, shivering.

Raven smiled thinly, satisfied. “ That is the signature of this…entity when made visible through magic. Keep it in mind,” she said as she turned towards Primary Source. “We’ll skip showing them Grape Vine blowing the cave, for your sake. But please play his arrest.”

The wizard closed his eyes and cast his spell again, his chest immediately shuddered, sweat began to drip from his brow as the illusion filled the wall.

The door to Grape Vine’s office burst open in a silent explosion, sending shards of wood flying across the office. The renegade doctor was behind his desk, packing saddlebags with camping supplies. Trixie Lulamoon stepped through the breach, flanked by six STF agents in full combat gear.

Sam’s ears parked. Get ‘im, hon!

“Hooves down, horn dark. Now!” Trixie bellowed in a good attempt at Canterlot Voice.

Grape Vine took no time to think and fired a blue-white bolt of magic at Trixie. She ducked and the bolt struck an STF agent, melting a hole through his tactical vest and dropping him with a screech of burning lung.

The remaining agents returned fire instantly. Shotguns thundered. Rifles cracked. Spells crackled.

Grape dove behind his desk, finding shelter behind the steel-backed oak. He arced several spellbolts over the desk, striking nopony but starting a fire in the hallway.

Trixie ducked, fast-crawled around the desk, and fired a thin ray of light from her horn. The stun spell struck a silver shimmering field Grape manifested, sending it bouncing into the floor. Grape rolled to get behind his chair, sitting up for cover from Trixie’s spells.

A shotgun slug separated his skullcap from the rest of his cranium with a sound much like dropping an anvil on a coconut.

“Buck!” An STF agent swore, throwing their shotgun down.

“Who packed lethals?” Trixie asked calmly.

“I— I fired that. Shit. I grabbed the wrong gun…” The agent lamented, putting their head in their hooves.

Trixie stood up and moved to Grape’s body to examine it. It hardly seemed necessary, given the stallion’s brains were currently staining the white wall gray-ish-beige-pink.

“It’s not your fault Wire,” another agent said, putting a hoof on the stallion’s shoulder. “They look the Princess-damned same. We should put a green stripe on the non-lethal loaded ones. Or something. Anything. Or at least store them separately… Actually, can we include the quartermaster in the audit today because what the buck?”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll pass it along,” Trixie said, finishing her inspection. “The brain stem is intact. I think we can get a necromancer to revive him if we can get the brain scooped up. Somepony find a spatula and some tupperware. I think we have about twenty minutes. I’ll call the necro.”

Then, right when nopony was looking at the corpse of the late Doctor Grape Vine, an oily mess of tendrils bled from the open wound, oozed down his side, and vanished behind the splintered desk.

Raven nodded to Source who ended his spell and promptly sat down to have another deeper swig from his flask of aspirin tonic.

“By the old fates, if only this was the hooch everypony thinks it is,” he muttered under his breath.

Sam winced. Cadence above… Is that actually just aspirin juice? His poor liver.

“As you hopefully realized,” Raven said knowing full well that some of the nuance could be easily lost on the temporary troops, “the entity linked to the astrolabe was either controlling, augmenting, or had replaced Doctor Grape Vine. We don’t know, and we will never know because his soul could not be recalled. It was…missing. Our necromancer is recovering from burnout trying to scrape what we did recover.”

Raven cleared her throat. “Yes, before you asked, we asked Dusk to double check. She claims he never existed. We both know he did. So she’s on that. Which leaves us here, knowing this thing below us has been attempting to break free of its own accord for at least five years, if not almost a century. It was unsuccessful until its ally, Grape Vine, was able to remove the astrolabe from its resting place. As this thing has been contained for ages without being able to persuade or mindjack anyone into freeing it… Luna, Cadence, and I have a limited amount of patience for fate-twisting entities. Its existing containment methods certainly work, but we will be reviewing and patching them once the situation stabilizes.”

Sam nodded firmly. “Seems reasonable. It’s been there for what, 12,000 years?”

“Possibly way longer,” June admitted quietly. “If Medeis sealed it away… And he pre-dates…”

Luna blinked twice. “Medeis? Who— Oh!” she chuckled. “You’re mispronouncing it. It’s Mead-ees, not May-deu-ice. He was most insistent that we not use the linguistically correct pronunciation. He found it ‘Overly masculine and unnecessarily tongue twisting’.”

June frowned and turned to look at Luna oddly. “But… But aren't you… You’re only three thousand, right?”

Luna huffed. “I would say two thousand, given I was not conscious for a third of my lifespan. But, yes. My sister and I learned magic from a personality-construct he left behind, which I repaired. Was… Was he the archmage who worked beneath the palace?”

Luna frowned and sat back, distantly pondering days long gone to connect the puzzle pieces.

“He made the astrolabe, signed it and everything,” June answered. “It’s all in my reports.”

Luna’s eyes brightened. “Then I fully believe we can contain this threat if it cannot be slain. His construct was but a toy, and yet the good it did my sister and I… Raven, they understand the threat. Proceed to the plan.”

Raven nodded and cleared her throat. “With Cadence’s help by way of taking us to the Crystal Empire to make use of some specialty equipment, we have determined this thing can only directly affect an individual once. All of you have been influenced by it, so it can do nothing to you directly anymore.”

Enox raised her hoof. “What did it do to me? Give me a sense of empathy, an understanding of ethics, and—”

Raven smirked as she remembered having a little fun a few hours earlier. “When we attempted to check its ability to use or manipulate dark magic, the simulated signature collapsed. Dark Magic appears to be anathema to it. I then thought about seeing what would happen if we simulated it interacting with you specifically, Enox. It wouldn’t go near you. As a dark magic aligned creature, we assume it can only harm you through physical means. You’re safe from manipulation.”

Enox nodded in satisfaction “Good, then our party mage won’t be useless,” she commented. “Let’s see, we have a bard, a fighter, a mage, a barbarian— no offense Violet, and then the weirdo playing a homebrew class that everyone insists doesn't fit the setting except it super does if you bothered to read the setting’s old lore… Good party comp, fairly balanced. No healer but I got stims for days. We got this!”

Everypony looked at Enox like she was an idiot, except for Luna who quietly whispered. “You’re hereby invited to my O&O nights.”

Sam slowly shook her head. Nevermind. No one actually competent would compare this to a board game… Okay, sure, wargaming is used for planning strategies and anticipating the enemy, but sometimes it, just… Damnit Enox. We need to, you know what—

Sam cleared her throat. “Girls, I know you’re trying to stay positive, but try and focus a little on handling a dangerous situation. Think about what you can do, try and anticipate exploring an old ruin for real. Jokes are fine, but we’re going to really do this too.”

June bit her lip. “Fair enough… Thanks, Sam.”

Sam nodded. “Just doing my old job.”

Raven refocused. “Tonight there will be a blood moon. Notes recovered from Safety Lock imply a high chance the creature will attempt to break free tonight. Cadence and Luna will keep it in place as long as possible. They too have been affected by it, Luna when kidnapped with Celestia, Cadence that one day she was… Erm—”

Cadence rolled her eyes. “I had an afternoon where I wasn’t in the mood… Don’t be a prude.”

Raven blushed lightly. “Are you really… All the time?”

“Always. I’m an embodiment of love and passion for almost all things,” Cadence snorted dismissively. “Luna always wants to make life like a dream, Celestia always wants to be the beacon of life and hope, and poor Twilight wants to be everyone’s friend. We can’t help what we bond to. It consumes us. Since my ascension I have literally been horny all the time, never satisfied, ever, or done. Does it suck? Yes. Can I do anything about it? Yes. I can have plenty of lovers on standby. I want to love everyone, physically, romantically, and platonically. I have an infinite amount of passion for everything, all at once, always. I want to paint every vista, build every stock car, shoot every gun, go shopping at every mall, knit every scarf—”

Cadence took a breath to recenter herself and stop thinking about everything she wasn’t getting to do by being here and doing this. “For six hours, I felt none of that, and just wanted to curl up with some chips and watch TV. My mantle-required nymphomania and autistic-tier passion for almost all activities, events, hobbies, and other nouns being disrupted is absolutely an influence on me by another power.”

Sam flinched and resolved to be much less judgmental and supportive of Cadence as a pony in the future.

“So,” Cadence finished, “Luna and I will keep that thing in its cell. You girls are going to take the key back down to the lock and close that door. Got it?”

Sam cleared her throat. “Since we’re the only ponies you can trust with the job, and the tunnel collapsed, I assume we’re teleporting in?”

Luna shook her head firmly. “No. The city’s defenses are active. I attempted a shadowstep. Cadence attempted a teleport. Her teleportation was interdicted. My shadowstep activated a war construct. Which followed me out, forcing me to destroy it. We will be asking Sky Trigger to blast an emergency entrance. It will not be stable. You may be trapped below if it collapses after you… But it’s the best we can think of with the time we have.”

Sam viscerally recoiled with all the force of engineering. “Buckin’ whae?”

June sighed and shook her head. “Blood moons do all kinds of magic weirdness. We have till nightfall. Then however long they can buy us.”

“I could burn a hole in for us,” Enox commented off hoof. “Then we don’t have to involve Sky, who may not be secure.”

“Mmm, I suppose you could. I forgot your vessel is armed. We’ve already had him start with the emergency drilling,” Raven commented before her eyes widened. “Oh… Oh we forgot to check him! There’s just been so much to do. Girls, get loaded up and get to the quarry. We’ll meet you there and confirm Sky isn’t compromised.”

“What gear?” Violet asked, her ears perking. “Can I get a cool helmet like your guards have?”

“Yes you can,” Cadence answered, frowning as she looked at June. “As for you… You’re going as the pony who can read the ancient street signs and control panels. I wish I’d thought to bring some of my old armor. We have similar builds, so it would fit you if magically shrunk. I don’t think anything in the armory will accommodate your teats… Nice choice to have them out galactic style for your marefriend’s sake, by the way. I can sense the affection. It’s adorable!”

June blushed bright red. “Oh… Uh… Thanks?”

The door opened, prompting both alicorns to briefly light their horns, ready for battle… But it was only Mint, returning with a serving tray of various treats and a large duffle bag.

Mint set the duffle bag on the floor, then began passing out the snacks. A bottle of 10W30 gear oil garnished with a bit of brass lathe trimmings for Violet. A small pink heart shaped lava cake for Fluttershy. An off brand knock off salty trail mix bar for June which she knew full well was only sold in one bodega in Canterlot near where the student dorms were. An unidentifiable squishy thing for Enox which was probably jello based.

And a strawberry milkshake for Sam with a note on it reading [I’m certain you are aware that some mares will happily agree they are a ‘cow’ if pressed. I don’t think you wanted that, so this is milk from a female Bos taurus. Yes the scientific name is necessary, as cow is also the name of the female sex for many mammals, including:]

Sam stopped reading to look Mint in the eye. “You’re pedantic as heck, but thank you.”

Here’s hoping this isn’t my last meal… Sam thought before taking a sip of what might be the best shake she’d ever had. Holy hell! If it is, it is a great one.

For Raven, she’d brought an espresso-brandy triple triple, and for the Princesses, she presented an entire god damn pizza and two Champion’s Chalice Calorie Cherry Cheesecake shakes. For Source, she had a heavily redacted bottle with a single pill in it. For the headache.

Mint smiled and conjured a speech bubble at the front of the room. [Princess, I packed some of your armor you’d given me for emergencies. I have taken the liberty of bringing a set down for June, as her dress size indicates she will not fit in standard STF armor.]

June huffed and crossed her forelegs. “I’m just a little chubby because I’m a nerd and watch sports instead of play them! I’m a size 19! That’s not big. How the buck do your vests and flack skirts not fit a 19?”

Raven bit her lip. “They do, but at that size, the plates would be too far apart to properly protect your ribcage, belly, and hips. Also, Mint… How?”

“I keep telling everypony she’s practically perfect in every way, but do they understand what that means? No!” Cadence huffed irritably. “Should I just start saying she’s magic and the only thing she ever bucked up was burning a roast?”

Mint’s ears drooped. [That roast was fated to burn. I tried so hard…]

Sam cleared her throat and stood up. “Well… June has armor, Enox has been presumably inventorying her own armory this whole time—”

“Məˈk beɪ,” Enox corrected, still tapping away on her computer, but now tilting her wrist so Fluttershy could see and nod approvingly.

“Whatever that means,” Sam continued, turning to Princess Luna. “Would you kindly take us to an armory so we can go down there and kill ourselves a shadowy little bitch?”

Luna simply smiled, took Sam’s hoof, and stepped into the shadows.

19 - Antici…

Junebug - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
CARE Armory No. 22 - Hackamore Valley

June couldn’t help but be a little confused. Despite being made a Mare-At-Arms for an emergency involving the possible escape of what sure as heck sounded like a fate and/or reality manipulating monster, they were not exactly ‘Loading for bear’ as they saying goes.

Firearms were offered, but nothing heavy. No rocket launchers or grenades (understandable given the underground environment), no spell staves or wands, at least not the military grade ones and no machine guns. June had been pretty sure that Raven or Luna had mentioned the ancient ruins had active defenses.

Of the five, Sam had selected the most weapons. A shotgun, an older model battle rifle, a pistol, and ‘any combat knife with a blade over sixteen centimeters’, which seemed to have gotten her a stick of glowing sharpened rebar somepony had smashed into a knife shape one afternoon. June’s best guess was she was recreating her old military kit.

The only other pony to accept the offer of a gun was, surprisingly enough, Fluttershy, who chimed in requesting a TAC-9. The quartermaster’s catalog included some. Fluttershy took eight magazines, “Because I know I can shoot it, and we’re expecting problems up top to pop up.” It was hard to dispute her logic or cute phrasing.

Fortunately for June and Violet, weapons less categorizable as ‘military hardware’ were also available. June had requested a pair of bottled clouds so she could conjure lightning as needed. Violet had discovered a set of weighted boots featuring kinetic amplification enchantments and fallen in love.

The weirdest thing, in June’s opinion, was the quartermaster had to personally go into the walled off section of the armory to get each of their requested weapons, while all of their other supplies were just… There, on shelves. To pick up.

Breaching charges, self-securing ropes, selective-visibility flares, a zipline launcher, chemical satchels that could dissolve rock, full air supply gas masks, everything a pony might want for working in a cave full of melted ancient rock.

At least the detonators are stored separately from those bombs and we’ve got good armor, June thought to content herself.

Indeed, the others’ armor was excellent. Violet, Sam, and Fluttershy were each issued a level IV spell-resistant vest to go under their ballistic vests, a set of grieves for leg protection, a flack skirt for flank coverage, and a nice sturdy looking helmet. The helmets were particularly nice, featuring all of the standard STF goodies like an integrated invisible lamp, integrated messenger stone, anti-hypnotic visors, and an illusion projection system to let the visor double as a display.

As Cadence had feared, June did not fit into the stock STF armor. Though her head did fit the helmet, after a little kinetic refactoring from Luna.

Which is great, since Princess Cadence’s old armor comes with the butchest Tiaria ever and I think that might be her actual crown and I’m pretty sure putting that on would be instant jail for me… June thought to herself while staring at the old armor harness and collection of neon pink plates. Entirely lost as to how to put any of it on.

Everypony else had gone into the other room to pick out miscellaneous supplies, having easily slipped into their modern armor without a care in the world. June picked up what she assumed to be part of the armor’s peytral, wondering why it was so much more articulated than any armor she’d ever studied in school.

She spent nearly a minute pondering the straps, buckles, links, and plates, trying to mentally piece things together before hearing Cadence clear her throat behind her.

“I’m sorry. I forgot you need a squire to put that old thing on. Newer ones put themselves on for you. Let me help,” the alicorn said more than offered as she moved to June’s side.

“Why is the harness so… Different?” June asked, blinded to the obvious by her education.

Cadence giggled. “Because that’s not an armor harness. That’s an old courting number I loved to wear into fights and had the royal smith find a way to make work as an armor harness for a stupid war I got into.”

Cadence lit her horn and began to pick up the various straps, connecting and buckling them without conscious thought until she’d assembled what was now quite obviously a dominatrix’s harness.

June’s face turned bright red. “O—Oh… I, uh. Uh—”

Cadence bent down just enough to whisper into June’s ear. “It’s okay, I know everything you’re into just by, well, being me. No judgment here. And if you’re worried about it being a little used, I made sure Mint cleaned it.”

June’s face continued to get increasingly red as she slipped into the old leather straps. Oh wow these are soft. This was really well cared for. I just wish it didn’t make me think about what she did besides fight in this.

Cadence snickered and cracked a grin. “Are you grossed out because I might have slept with a few stallions in that?”

June’s ears feel all the way back. “Is it possible for you to not read my mind?”

“No, sorry,” Cadence said with surprising sincerity. “I automatically know everypony’s heart’s desires and current distresses in a certain radius around me. Seriously all of them, all the time. It’s fine. I meant it when I said she cleaned it. Also I didn’t sleep with anypony in that one. It was just daily wear. Not remotely detachable enough for my standards at the time for slutty bedroom clothes. They were way higher back then.”

“Oh, so you meant cleaned as in, like, sweat and blood and mud and junk?” June asked, refusing to think about anything other than getting ready because now was so not the time to be focusing on things that would make her grab Enox and run for a bathroom.

“Yes.”

June sighed in relief. “Thank buck.”

“Ha! Not in this armor.” Cadence lit her horn again and started to clip each plate to the harness, fastening them to each other as well. “Nopony will know it’s using anything other than a normal harness underneath. That’s where the fun was for me with this whole thing. Well, that and the fighting. That was a fun war.”

June’s ears perked. “So, how much fighting have you done? Like, in this. How safe is it?”

“Pretty darn,” Cadence remarked offhoof before picking up one of the belly plates and showing it to June.

The plate had an odd off-color line across it, as if something had punctured it and it had then been repaired.

“I did die in this once,” Cadence reminisced. “But—”

June gave Cadence a deadpan look powerful enough to silence the 500 year old warrior-princess.

“The buck you did,” June said accusingly.

“Pardon?”

“You’re alive. So—”

Cadence laughed and shook her head. “I’ve died about ten times. Alicons have a way of coming back. We can be put down for good, especially lesser ones like me… But I have a deal with Dusk so I’m covered for one death per case of beer,” she elaborated.

June raised an eyebrow. “It’s that easy to get resurrected? You just have to promise Death some beers?”

“Yes,” Cadence answered instantly.

June’s skeptical eyebrow ascended ever higher.

Cadence rolled her eyes. “She’s almost literally a tired retail worker who happens to work in the afterlife. She wants beer, snacks, movie tickets, company, the occasional buck from a nice mare and really rarely a dommy twink, and sometimes furniture. Like, think about what would be a nice gift for any of your friends and she’ll totally take that in exchange for bringing you back to life.”

Cadence paused for a moment to emphasize the catch. “IF, she likes you enough to talk to you. If not, you’re just sorted with the rest of the files. So to speak.”

June nodded. That explains it… But why me?

“You’re gay, pink, cute, and have a cool degree,” Cadence answered, sensing June’s true and full desire to know why Dusk had spoken to her. “She has a type. Note how I’m bi, pink, used to be cute, and while degrees were not a thing when I was a filly, I was highly educated.”

“Ah,” June said with a nod, fully comprehending everything.

“Yeah,” Cadence said, smiling. “She also likes warriors of any kind, male or female or other. Nerds who would chill with her and watch her shows. Or anypony particularly interesting.”

June nodded, wondering for a moment why the plates being fastened to her didn’t seem to weigh anything. Her eyes brightened when she remembered the armor was magic, and ancient, and she was getting to use it!

“So um, what made that hole?” June asked as Cadence attached the mended plate to her belly.

“This hole here is from the first time I fought King Sombra. He came back briefly before the time Twilight killed him for good. I drove him back into his pocket realm, but he got me good with a fancy spear. Powerful sundering enchantment. Hit like a meteor! No other physical weapon has ever pierced these plates… Though plenty have found gaps after the wards were disrupted. And I regret the lack of a helmet. I’ve got some nice scars under these illusions thanks to that dumb idea.”

June found herself looking up at Cadence’s face while the older mare buckled her breastplate on. I don't’ see any scar—

Cadence’s ears drooped with embarrassment. “Oh! Hold on.”

She quickly canceled her spell, causing her entire body to ripple as an expertly crafted illusion fell away, revealing a more toned and fit build than the plain-jane mare-who-eats-right figure Cadence had possessed a moment before. More notably, she had plenty of scars, most visible as slight gaps in her fur, but some large enough to be a furless-pink streak of skin. Most notably the two across her barrel where a pair of axes had been embedded in her chest, and a thick scar across her right eye that ran down along her nose.

“Well damn,” June couldn’t help but whistle. “You look badflank! Why hide that?”

Cadence simply smiled and recast her illusion. “Because few mares think I’m sexy as I truly am,” she admitted. “I’m not just a warrior. I’m a woman too. I want to look pretty, and I can do so while keeping my reminders to not do that stupid horseapples ever again. Because boys tend to love discovering them under the glamor.”

Cadence finished assembling the breastplate and June looked down, biting her lip to hold in an excited squeal as she noticed the armor fit her exactly… and failed.

“Nheeeee! Oh, my, Cadence! It’s like a second skin!” June squealed, hopping hoof to hoof with joy for a moment, fluttering her wings.

Cadence snorted and began to strap the plot armor onto June. “You do know it’s weird to swear by somepony who's next to you, right?” Cadence teased.

June’s blush returned. “Oh. Um. Sorry…”

“It’s cool! Luna and I like it, actually. She finds it respectful of her due position, and I like feeling like I’m stealing worship from the old Gods. Though if you want to swear by my love, wrath, or courage, that will, like, actually empower me a bit. Just an FYI.”

June’s eyes widened. “Really? That works on alicorns?”

“Mhm… The others don’t believe me, but it does. See, they’re so insanely powerful, the difference a prayer makes is nothing to them. To little old me, even one pony truly believing in those aspects of mine can be the difference between life and death, sometimes.”

June nodded and filed that away for later. Cadence quickly finished with the plot plate and began to enclose the rest of June’s hindquarters, only to whinny in surprise. “Woah! Your tits are huge, but just squish right on in there, like mine were half your size when I wore this, and you’re not even flinching! Who's the badflank now?”

June elected not to mention that was all due to alien technology. “I uh… I don’t think that will remain true unless this armor has a codpiece.”

“It does, I needed one at the time,” Cadence answered completely causally. “I think this set is from when I first tried out having both. I’ve come to prefer it since it means I have something to offer everypony… But Shiny is, well, very gay. With an exception for me for whatever reason. Anyways, he was a bit squeamish about having to do anything with a pussy, so I just got rid of it for now. Not a big deal, it’s just for one lifetime.”

June flinched, shivering since the issue hit deep for her, given she’d grown up 'uncomfortable in her skin’.

“That’s… That’s not okay! You guys should talk about it.”

Cadence shook her head and shrugged her wings. “It’s genuinely fine. It's not a long time… Not for me, anyway. I’m happy that he’s happy, literally. Conventional psychology doesn't work for empaths. Besides, it’s also just not a long time for me. I’m old enough to have seen ten generations come and go. Heck, I’m so old and have had so many kids you have a two percent chance of being related to me.”

June frowned. “Wait, seriously?”

“Mhm!” Cadence said with a sharp nod. “I’ve had two hundred and fifty three. Most of them in my first three centuries.”

“Huh. Neat,” June mused. “Is it really two percent?”

“No, it’s like one point eight six three something,” Cadence said with a dismissive snort. “I plan on working up towards two with my next spouse, and beat my one true rival. Green eyes… Jokes aside, I had a scholar do the math of population growth and track family trees. I’ve got a book of all my living descendants back home. Haven't gotten to finish it though. Too many more important things… Even if I would like to plan the mother of all family reunions just to watch the logistics happen. There! Armor’s all on.”

June smiled and made use of a nearby polished metal locker to admire her reflection. The armor fit her like a glove, protecting everything of hers from the neck down while making her look more like a robot with a fur-covered head than a pony in a suit of armor. It was sleek, master crafted, form fitting, and shimmered with protective and stealth boosting enchantments even in the armory’s dim light.

I look a lot like Cadence in this, actually! June noted, her tail lifting in surprise.

Cadence grinned and walked around June, admiring her. “That’s better… This suit was meant to be used. I always feel bad when my old arms just languish in the armory. It suits you. Heck, the metal dye matches your fur perfectly. Did you pick out a fur dye from my collection intentionally?”

June blinked and shyly looked between her reflection and Cadence’s fur several times. “U— Um… No? I— I grabbed the only color on the shelf and my heart said ‘this is me’ when I looked at it. Brown was wrong. I used to be brown… Outside anyways. I’ve always wanted to be pink.”

Cadence nodded with satisfaction and fluttered her wingtips. “Well! She’s back on an adventurous tomboy heading into danger… You know what? You’re missing part of the ensemble. I’ll be right back!”

Before June could protest, Cadence vanished in a bright flash of light which made June instantly appreciate Luna’s preference for shadow stepping.

Cadence returned forty seconds later, blinding June again right as she’d managed to blink the last of the spots out of her eyes from the first teleport.

“Back! And I’ve got a new friend for you,” Cadence said as she levitated a small, delicate, but quite deadly looking battle axe towards June.

The axe blazed with an inner fire, radiant and warm. Without touching the seemingly ordinary looking weapon, June could feel the essence of love, hope, and courage infused in its form. Its simple wootz steel head shimmered with the warmth of a literal inner fire and the unyielding strength of a warrior's resolve. There was no mistaking that axe.

June swore her heart stopped. “B—But— but that’s Heartfire! It belongs in a museum!”

“It belongs on a young mare’s waist, or in her hoof splitting the skulls of monsters and cutting the malicious down to size,” Cadence countered, simply sticking the priceless Equestrian artifact onto June’s back where her armor’s smart magnets could grab hold of the weapon.

The moment it made contact, June could feel the weapon’s power. The uncountable years of attunement to Cadence herself infused within the weapon reached out, stroking June’s heart and whispering to her mind of the true joy and wonders of… Everything. Literally everything.

“But!” June objected, starting to stammer. “B— But— But I—”

Cadence bent down to look June in her eyes. “Junebug. Fate of the town. Maybe the world. I can’t go below with you. But I can send you down with an itty bitty piece of me… Okay not really, I forged her from the scales of a dragon I loved dearly. But she’s infused with—”

“You! I know, I can feel it!” June said, shivering slightly. “H— How can you stand being—”

“Turned on all the time? You get used to it.”

“No, interested in everything!” June lamented, her ears drooping. “I get being horny like, always. That’s just me. But I can feel what it’s like to enjoy playing sports and that is so tripping me out!”

Cadence blinked twice, smiled, and gently booped June’s nose. “Focus on the infinite passion for the things you like, it drowns the rest out.”

June closed her eyes and centered herself, focusing on learning, reading, sci-fi, fantasy, Enox—

The axe’s whispers became screams to go into the other room and tackle her marefriend.

June eeped and focused on archeology.

“Also, it helps if you think about the mission,” Cadence added as she remembered one of the reasons she had stopped using the old weapon.

June nodded and focused on the task at hoof. There was a cave to enter, a city to explore, a pedestal to find, and a dark power to stop.

The axe began to radiate an irrational joyful delight at the idea of going on an adventure. June could feel it trusted her implicitly to take it directly into danger so it could take her out of the danger. With extreme prejudice and hopefully some sick backflips.

June gulped and looked over her shoulder at the axe. “Is… Is this alive?”

Cadence coughed into her hoof then shyly whispered into June’s ear. “I grew up in Prance, so I’m not bothered by necromancy. My first wife wanted to stick with me after she died, so I put a fragment of her soul into it… That’s not really her, just a dim echo. Enough to have some of that old hellfire in it, and some opinions. Sometimes thoughts. It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. Just let her guide your swings.”

June took the axe off her back, held it and looked at it, focusing on it as much as she could. “Can I… Talk to her?”

Cadence shook her head. “No, but I can. Our kids could too, but there’s not enough of her in there to resonate with anyone else. Like I said, just a fragment. Its okay, I promise you she’d love to go on an adventure like—”

June nodded. “Yeah, she… Sort of said that.”

Cadence’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry?”

“Just, you know. I felt that with the rest of the youness she’s making me feel while I hold her,” June mentioned off hoof, a little too blown away by being decked out in legendary relics to put the pieces together.

Cadence’s face slowly filled with nothing less than pure joy.

A short unicorn stallion wearing a blue t-shirt with ‘quartermaster’ printed on it carrying a large bundle of firearms and saddle bags came up to June just as Cadence opened her mouth to speak.

“Doctor Junebug, here’s your cloud bottles and climbing kit,” he said, levitating the items in question onto June’s back for her since he had telekinesis and she didn’t.

“Thanks!” June said, with a happy smile before magnetizing the axe back onto her shoulder blade. “Thanks, Princess. I appreciate everything, and I’ll do my best to make sure we get things done.”

The quartermaster trotted into the other room to continue handing out the boomsticks and bangorbs.

Cadence smiled kindly. “Great, but—”

“June!” Sam called from the other room. “Luna’s back, we gotta go!”

June nodded and looked over to Cadence. “One sec, the Princess is trying to—”

Cadence pushed June towards the door to the other room at the speed of a mare who had upset one too many sargents. “Go! It’s fine! I’ll tell you later. I have a book to check first anyways.”

“Okay, but—” June began only to find herself scooped up and set down on a simple wooden bench in the adjoining store room next to several large dimensionality transcendent saddlebags filled with heaps of MREs and water bottles.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Ultra Violet - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
CARE Armory No. 22 - Hackamore Valley

Violet found herself to be quite excited. Sure, there was danger ahead. Danger which meant going back into a dark underground cave made of suck and horribleness and hopefully less slime than the ruins she’d crawled out of… But everypony got to play cool dress up!

Armor is just better clothing. Why aren't all garments spell bolt rated? Violet mused as she played with the hem of her flack skirt.

Violet’s left ear twitched. She could hear Cadence and June having a conversation about the armor the princess was lending June. I hope old armor is just as cool as new armor.

Violet turned her attention to Fluttershy. The poor mare nervously sat on a simple wooden plank bench at the base of one of the storage shelves, tapping her hooves against the seat. She’d asked Princess Luna to fetch her laptop from her home, and the Princess had accommodated her request.

Violet stepped over to Shy’s side and sat down next to her blocky yellow machine. It looked a lot like the one Enox wore on her space suit, but slimmer, lighter, with Shy’s cutiemark on the lid, and bright yellow, instead of a distressing off-white-beige which made you think somepony had smoked 8 packs a day and exhaled exclusively on their computer.

“Sooo, when were you going to introduce me to your girlfriend?” Vi asked with what she hoped was a teasing smile.

Shy eeped, flushed brightly, started to sweat, then realized Violet ment her computer. “Oh! Um… Probably never? It’s private. I just, um, prefer to use my own hardware for important things.”

Violet nodded twice, then gave Shy a side hug. “By the way, thanks for being okay with… Me just being slow about everything… Relationshippy.”

Shy smiled politely. “It’s okay. F— For the record… If you’re just not into me, that’s fine. We’re good friends. Like what historians insist lesbians were but actually though, and that can be enough.”

Vi nodded once and sighed. “I promise I’ll figure things out as soon as I can. It’s… It's hard and I haven’t been online very long. Also June’s advice to just go bone was—”

“Bad.” Fluttershy summarized with perfect accuracy.

“Sorry…” Violet said, her ears drooping back.

“I know,” Shy said, smiling at Violet with as much kindness as she could muster.

“Thanks.”

“Violet,” Sam called from behind a stack of crates. “I can’t pack enough MREs. Too much weight. Can you split the water and food rations with me?”

Violet stood up and trotted over to Sam. “Sure! I’ve got my bags on, let me just…” Sam trailed off and frowned as she took in the three dozen gray plastic pouches. “Sam that’s like, three, four days of food. Will we need that much?”

Enox, who had been sitting down doing buck all after finishing placing her order from her home armory, snorted. “She thinks we’ll be trapped down there for days.”

Oh gosh… I hope not, Violet shivered.

Sam sighed, knowing full well how little Violet wanted to be underground. “We might not be. We might be down for a few hours, in and out, no problems. But we may be down there till a safer tunnel can be drilled. I don’t want to eat cave crickets and drink whatever’s coming down from the stalagmites.”

Violet began to rapidly and wordlessly stash the food in her saddlebags, then paused, frowning. “Um, you know that while I can eat, this isn’t enough energy density to do much for my repair systems, right?”

Sam blinked. “Each of these is ten thousand calories.”

“Have you not seen her chug a liter of full-synthetic?” Shy asked curiously. “Like, you know I top her up on sundaes with used motor oil and kerosene, right? And the ice cream isn’t really ice cream.”

Sam blinked. “I— I did not. Are you at least topped up on repair juice?”

Violet closed her eyes and checked her internal database. “Pretty much. Ninety-six point seven-two percent full. I had to fix my face after June gave me very bad advice for trying to make Shy happy.”

Sam didn’t even need an explanation, she simply snorted. “She told you to just walk up behind her and lick, didn’t she?”

Vi hung her head. “I thought she was trying to get me kicked…” She said, wincing at the memory of just how hard a terrified Fluttershy could smash her rear hoof into her face.

“No, she just grew up as a colt,” Shy said quietly. “They think a lot of things are sexy that just are not, and um… You wouldn’t have gotten kicked if you hadn't been totally silent. That move kind of works on a mare who likes you if she knows you’re coming.”

Sam nodded in agreement. “Yeah, that’s the short of it.”

“I know… Now,” Violet grumbled, returning to packing the food away.

Sam looked into her bags, then nodded in satisfaction. “Okay, that’s everything. Just waiting on the quartermaster.”

“Timing!” A stallion’s voice called from the doorway as the quartermaster arrived with their secured gear and began handing it out.

Violet flicked her tail happily as she was handed her impact gauntlets, then went to sit down next to Shy, waiting for Luna to come back and say it was go time. She didn’t have to wait long. Several minutes later, Luna stepped out of the shadows and nodded to the group.

“He’s clean, the drill’s made it halfway to the city. Let’s move out.” The princess ordered.

Sam looked across the room, nodded to herself, then trotted to the door leading to the next room

“June!” Sam called. “Luna’s back, we gotta go!”

“One sec, the Princess is trying to—”

Luna took hold of June as she was pushed into the room in the warm blue glow of Cadence’s magic. Spotting the axe, she paused for a single moment, then looked at Cadence. “Are you sure?”

Cadence nodded. “Yes.”

Luna nodded and displaying an urgency she had not yet shown, she pushed June into the shadow she’d arrived from, then gestured for everypony to get in line.

What was that about? Violet pondered as she stood up to have her turn at the shadow door.

It took a matter of seconds for Violet, June, Sam, Enox, and Fluttershy to be deposited at the bottom of an ancient mining pit. The Blackstone Basalt Quarry had once been one of Evergreen Falls' few profitable ventures unrelated to CARE. The quarry operated for centuries during the half-forgotten times when Equestria was but a few united tribes in the wilderness.

Its stone, while seemingly ordinary basalt on the surface, proved to be a natural, albeit weak, thaumic amplifier. Many an ancient altar, ritual circle, or conjurer’s dais had been fashioned from the quarry’s dark stone.

Those glory days were long gone. Now the pit sat like a wound in the earth. Its black stone walls were natural hexagonal pillars, its floor almost resembled tiles covered by scattered mounds of ancient offcut slabs. Cracks between the stones kept the pit free of water, preventing the old quarry from becoming a lake and strangely, from earth and soil from having washed into the great hole.

It remained a black scar on the mountainside. Moreso in the modern era where some ponies had taken to burning their paper and wooden trash within the pit, creating blotchy ‘rivers’ of sooty darkness that ran up the basalt walls.

The pit was also presently home to the SkyTech Expeditionary Base Camp. It was a simple encampment with several large expedition tents laid out in neat rows. Nearly enough for fifty ponies to sleep comfortably with room for a few work areas and a kitchen. The tents were arranged in a simple square block at the base of a cedar stairwell which connected the pit to the outside world, and used a small cinder block shed as its foundation.

Not too far from the camp was the expedition’s primary tool for this first phase; a massive four-legged industrial slab of yellow painted mining equipment.

It looks like somepony took a drill press, put legs on it, then swapped the bit for a— Violet frowned, squinting and zooming her vision on the tunnelbore’s business end. Is that a particle beam emitter? Could be magical, maybe…but that looks a lot like a particle beam.

The tunnel bore had already made some progress in burning a tunnel into the city. The air shimmered around a large hole at its base where it was burning straight down into the rock. The beam was currently off, but judging by the heat ripples coming off the central tower section, the drill was probably in the middle of a brief cooling cycle.

Luna stretched her wings as Cadence arrived with an overly bright teleport flash. The two alicorns nodded to each other, silently ready for their part in the operation. Though Cadence’s face fell slightly.

“One moment,” she said to Luna before turning her attention to Sam and the others. “We mentioned this briefly while Raven was talking, but I want to repeat it. Luna, Raven, and I are certain the entity below will attempt to escape when the blood moon rises in…”

Cadence trailed off to look up at the sky then hummed. “Half an hour? Soon at any rate. Hence, neither of us will accompany you, and, if the tunnel collapses behind you, we won’t be able to come to your aid.”

Violet nodded. “Yes, because the city blocks teleports and burning in can cause… Counter fire? Drones?”

“Yes,” Luna answered like a mathematician. “When inside the palace, within the throne room, you should find controls for the teleport interdiction ward. Bring it down, and then we can help you. Assuming the threat up here has been handled or is not a two alicorn job, as we fear.”

Everypony winced at the idea of anything taking two alicorns to fight and having to be nearby.

Luna nodded to Cadence. “They know their duty. Let’s start flying the perimeter.”

Cadence nodded and wordlessly took to the air. Luna lingered a moment longer to reach into her own shadow and retrieve the Astrolabe from its secure vault. She trotted to June and held it out to her. “You’re the one who can read it, you should carry it. Keep it safe… And don’t tell Raven I can do that. She wouldn’t sleep for a week.”

“Okay,” June said, opening her saddlebags to secure the device away.

Luna spread her wings and took to the air after Cadence, catching up with her quickly and then almost disappearing into the sky to begin their patrol.

“We could have gone by your house and picked everything up,” Violet said, flicking her tail idly. It’s not too far from here. Surely she could have walked her beepboop over.

It would have delayed this a little… I really don’t want to go underground. At least, not into a ruin. Here’s hoping it won't be as bad as last time I was stuck in a crumbling old place time forgot.

“Yea, but that would be less cool,” Enox objected, tipping her head back to look up in the vain hope of an early drone flyover.

The familiar forms of Sky Trigger and Trixie approached the group from one of the work tents.

“So you’re the poor idiots they’re sending through the death hole?” Sky called in lieu of greeting.

Violet flinched. “It’s not that bad is it?” She asked, turning her head in the stallion’s direction.

Sam sighed and nodded. “We’re burning a hole down through, what, forty meters of rock? In less than an hour. With something hot. There is going to be so much stress cracking… Also, hi Trix. Haven't seen you in a bit.”

Trixie nodded and mouthed a quick apology consisting of ‘field work’.

“YEP!” Sky said, rocking back on his hooves and flexing his wings. “We’re probably going to have to burn a new tunnel to get you back out.”

“Is that why you said it would take weeks? In my lab the other day, I mean.” June asked, adjusting her rifle strap to hold it more comfortably to her back.

The pegasus nodded. “Mhm! The plan was to burn a little, add some bracing, and put in some concrete, then burn more. We were going to cut a nice, stable, permanent, equipment scale tunnel. Probably still will. We’ve been pulling what I call suicide burning for about an hour now. Your Princesses popped in and got us cooking a while back. I hope you’ve been prepping?”

Sam shook her head immediately. “No. We just got briefed and loaded. We do have an expert on xenology, and I’m a retired soldier. Violet’s a bit of a questionmark but I’ve seen her lift two tons so she’s an asset. Fluttershy’s here to guide us along using your survey maps. Would have been nice to have a little prep time though.”

Sky nodded, frowning as he took note of Enox. The SkyTech team had not been given the talismans needed to see through the town’s illusion, and Sky himself wasn’t an exception. Consequently, he saw Enox as a tiny mare with green fur, a black mane, and blue eyes.

“What about the mini-mare?” Sky asked Sam with genuine worry. “What’s she bringing to your table?”

Enox snorted, rolled her eyes, then adopted a casual and dismissive pose to say. “I’m an unstoppable death machine, you know,” with a notably odd inflection.

Violet frowned. That’s a reference to something I know… Enox’s statement and pose had pinged all kinds of stuff in her database, but unfortunately she had no idea which of the five things it could be a reference to. Darn it! This will bug me, so much!

Sky raised an eyebrow at Enox’s statement, “I’m sure you are, you tiny terror,” he said to her sarcastically before turning to the others. “Anywho, we’re waiting on a cooling cycle. We can keep drilling in five minutes, and we’re probably three burns from getting through. I’ve got a Plascrete cannon ready to drop a platform down for you to land on. It should protect you from the fall. It’s designed to foam up on impact.”

Enox’s ears perked up. “Rock and stone?”

Sky nodded like a proud father. “For rock and stone.”

June shook her head at their random antics. “Okay. Molten stone sides. Looks like I’ll just fly down.”

“Ohhh! Nonononono!” Sky exclaimed, wincing and flailing his hooves. “That bore works by vaporizing rock, and then using a tractor beam to extract the gasified stone and uh… Dispose of it in a way that’s normally ecologically responsible, but not in this emergency situation… Try not to breathe close to its exhaust ports, okay? Okay. Point being, the sides of that tunnel are melting basalt temperature, so about twelve-hundred degrees. The tunnel is smaller than your wingspan, so you’ll melt off your wings. Drop straight down it like a rock, snap those girls open once you get into the bigass cavern, and glide on down.”

Violet shivered. “Good thing I worked out how to slow my falls…”

Sky arched an eyebrow, seeing Violet as a normal gray earthpony mare. “Parachute?”

Vi thought for a moment then nodded. “Sort of.”

“Well, however you do it… Good luck. I’m going back to the bore controls. It should be almost ready to fire again. Three, four more rounds should break through. Brace yourselves. No idea what might crawl out of the hole,” Sky warned as he began to walk away.

Sam watched as Sky began to recede into the distance. She turned to look at Luna and ask, “I understand we want to be here to drop immediately, but I would like to have given them a briefing before we go in.”

June tilted her head. “Um, but Raven already did that?”

“That was a strategic briefing. What to do, not how to do it,” Sam said, sounding oddly firm.

“What’s the difference?” Violet asked genuinely curious.

Shy looked around for a moment then spotted a simple wooden plank on two cinder blocks bench resting next to the shed wall and pointed to it. “Girls? I’m going to sit there and listen to her. Because she’s going to tell us how to do what Raven told us to do… Which sounds really micromanagy but, um, this isn’t sweeping the floors at a Hayburger, so… Listen, maybe?”

“Good point,” June and Violet chorused.

The group nodded, sat down on the bench, and just as Sam opened her mouth to speak the tunnel bore fired up. The beam ignited with a deafening roar, like that of a machine the size of a small apartment building accelerating hundreds of grams of hydrogen per second to almost the speed of light to smash against stone and ablate it at the atomic level.

The bore’s beam cast bright white light across the pit. The light stung slightly, like especially tense sunlight on a hot day. Violet checked for radiation the moment it turned on. There was a little bit more than the cosmic background, not enough to do any harm, but enough to spot.

That thing doesn't buck around… If an alicorn burning into one of these turns on their defenses, this will too. Violet concluded.

Sam looked at the bore for a second, looked back at the mares facing her and consequently the terrifying death beam which was starting to create a pyroclastic cloud, and cleared her throat. “Uh, let’s… Move the bench behind one of the tents.”

“Yeah.” Everypony agreed, quickly relocating the bench to have its back against one of the tents so nopony had to stare into the Cataract Maker 9000.

Sam trotted over to a spot in front of the bench, cleared her throat, took a breath to focus, then reared up to look taller while she made her speech.

She seems a little tense. Maybe I should try one of those backrubs I was reading about? Violet mused.

June moved next to Violet, giving her a good look at her sister’s borrowed armor for the first time, since Vi’s attention had been previously mostly occupied.

Oh wow! That armor has awesome structural integrity. She should just keep that on all the time… Or at least upgrade her skin to a ferro-fibrous weave so she stops getting paper cuts. Violet nodded to June, respecting her shiny metal shell as only a robot could.

“Alright, boys,” Sam began.

“But… We’re all girls?” Shy interrupted, frowning sharply. “Wait… Um, is June FtM? Do I have it backwards? I’m so sorry, June!”

“No, I’m a girl,” June answered, not remotely annoyed because of just how confusing Sam’s statement was. “What the buck, Sam? Is that an army thing?”

“It’s an army thing,” Enox confirmed. “Just be happy she doesn't have to start this off with ‘Alright, /b/’.”

Shy snorted. “Oh goodness…”

Everypony else frowned, not having a single idea what Enox’s joke was.

Sam gave them a blank look. “Okay, full disclosure, I don’t know why, but we traditionally call soldiers boys. Minos calls them ladies. Military traditions are weird, just, pay the buck attention!”

Everypony nodded and refocused on Sam.

Sam cleared her throat loudly. “Listen! We’re about to climb— Fall down an unstable laser hole, deep into the bowels of the earth to explore an ancient city filled with magic our species hasn’t seen since a golden age collapsed at the end of a war which conspiracy nuts insist caused us all to stop being alicorns!”

June perked up. “Oh! That’s got some good evidence to back it up! Nothing concrete or conclusive… But we know that they had a large number of alicorns. I actually did my Master’s Dissertation on the differences between Clover the Clever’s Ascension process and the theoretical industrial system the First Kingdom used to create alicorns.”

Violet’s ears perked. Really?! If that’s true maybe I could find some wings down there and get them integrated. Then I could go with Sam and June when they have their evening flights.

“Exactly. That kind of horseapples is why, frankly, we can’t plan for this,” Sam said adamantly. “There is no way to predict what we will encounter. Even simply assuming the worst could prove insufficient, or make us so paranoid we trip every trap and stumble over every hurdle anyways.”

She began to pace because that’s what her sergeant did during these briefings. “What we need to do is keep our heads in the game, and remember our assets. June is the only one of us who can read the local language. Everypony, keep June safe. June, you’ll be responsible for making sure we’re going where we need to go and making sure nopony presses a button that summons flaming tentacles of flesh rending doom or the like.”

Sam turned to Fluttershy. “Shy, your job isn’t as easy as you think it will be. You’ll be looking at a map, remembering where we are, trying to figure out where we should be going, and telling us how to get there. You’re navigating us, blind. Can you handle that?”

Shy nodded a little too quickly. “Yes. I have experience with that kind of thing.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. June turned to look at her clinically. Violet cleared her throat.

“Shy… It’s an emergency. You should tell us what you can do,” Vi insisted.

Fluttershy sank onto the bench. “My lawyer says I should not confirm or deny—”

Sam nodded and simply continued. “Enox… Like, what are you even doing? You have your own equipment. You’re getting a robot to drop it off at the quarry. I get that. What are you bringing? Big guns? Special equipment?”

Enox cleared her throat, rose from the bench, and launched into a dramatized statement in an overly serious voice that her vox made sound insanely stupid. “I own a Stalking Spider for home defense, because that’s what legal loopholes permitted.”

Sam gave her a blank look. “Okay, and that’s a…” She said, giving her the go on gesture.

Enox shrugged, and continued. “Okay, but you asked for it… This one time, four timberwolves broke into my hanger. I hopped into my armchair and hit the go button. Dropped into the cockpit, fired the PPC and blew a Cadence sized hole through the first wolf. It was dead on the spot. Fired the pulse laser at the second one, missed entirely because I’d forgotten the realign the servo mount and vaporized Apple Brandy’s new car—”

“Good,” Sam said instinctively as her face scrunched with irritation at the continued interruptions. “But what exactly is—”

Unfortunately, Enox could not be stopped in the middle of her bit. “— I had to resort to the SRM racks loaded with BEES. Swarm rockets take out two of the wolves and the blast sets off every maintenance alarm in town—”

Sam’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “That. Was. YOU!?”

“Yeah,” Enox nodded and continued. “Charged the last one and kicked it to death with the leg mounted talons. It would have bled out if timberwolves had blood, cuz several hundred wounds from a clawed quad-mec can’t be stitched up before they run out of red… Just as Cloud Cobra intended… Wow that one is hard to rephrase for your own life. Sorry!”

Sam took a deep breath to recenter herself and forgive Enox for that time she had to reset over eight hundred individual alarm systems. Manually.

“Okay… So you have a heavy weapons platform. Have you considered using something less—”

Violet cleared her throat. “Um, I think she’s referring to an armored cavalry vehicle.”

The pants-darkening-roar of the tunnel bore morphed into a physically distressing whine as the beam switched off and the cooling pumps kicked in to circulate liquid oxygen and hydrogen around the poor abused machine’s internals to prevent it from turning itself into lava along with the stone it was cutting.

So that’s the next cooling cycle… Violet mused.

Enox turned her head to acknowledge the bore switching off, then turned back to Sam and nodded. “Yes! A that. I’m bringing us some armored warfare. Thanks, Violet. I didn’t know the word.”

Sam paused for a long moment. “Why? This isn’t a military op… Okay it is. But this isn’t a battle! It’s a dangerous delve into an ancient ruin. It’s not my wheelhouse, but it’s certainly not something we need a tank for.”

“Or is it?” Enox countered with a quizzical smile, presumably mentally playing back the V-Sauce music. “Don’t you think the odds of running into an ancient guardian construct are, well, high? Do you want to fight a giant fighting robot without a giant fighting robot? Okay well, a two-Celestia sized fighting robot. Also, mares dig giant robots. Right girls?”

“Yes,” Flutterhsy said, but nopony else agreed.

Sam raised a hoof to object, then lowered it. “Fair enough. Enox has the big gun. Violet, you’re… Well you’re strong. You’ll be responsible for opening things we need opened and shifting shit we need shifted. Can you do that?”

Violet gulped nervously, her eye twitching as she remembered practically throwing a certain door through a certain bulkhead. “Uh, yes? But last time I did something like that I caused a cave in.”

Sam gave her a brief comforting look then turned to Fluttershy. “Shy, also keep an eye on structural stability. Sonar maps should highlight that.”

Shy nodded. “Yes, ma’am!”

Oh! That will help a lot. She’ll totally warn me if a wall shouldn’t be punched down.

“Those are the basic roles,” Sam concluded nodding to the group. “I’ll be on fire support. There could be monsters. There will be traps. Anything we can prevent with a gun, I’ll prevent. As for general hazards… I have no confidence in the stability of a rapid-bored tunnel. Violet, you’re strong as a horse. You’ll be carrying a few days of food and water for us in case we’re trapped.”

June eeped. “Um, is it likely we’ll be trapped for days?”

“I second that general emotion,” Violet added with a nervous whinny.

Sam shrugged. “No idea. But we’re going to be prepared for that. Just like we need to be prepared to operate in total darkness. Keep a lantern on your saddlebags, keep your helmet lamp on. There is nothing more hostile than darkness with monsters lurking about. Are there monsters? We don’t know. Let's make sure we find out without losing anypony.”

Violet focused on the idea of monsters to not have to think about possibly collapsing a wall. What if the monsters are friendly? Oh! I know! I still packed food for myself even though it’s dumb. I’ll give friendly monsters snacks. That should make them stay friendly, right?

Sam turned around to face the wall. “This kind of op isn’t my wheelhouse… But I have more experience leading missions than anypony here… Except maybe Fluttershy. Depending on exactly why she keeps insisting her lawyers don't want her talking about whatever she did, even though the world could be at risk and we just want to know what she can do.”

Shy squirmed in her seat.

Cadence cleared her throat from where she was hovering overhead, having finished one lap of the perimeter and casually dropping a scroll on the ground next to Shy. “Oh hey! Look! A royal pardon! Just laying around without a name on it. Where did this come from?”

Shy’s ears perked. “Oh! Um… I organized several hundred small raids, like, real life ones, after digitally infiltrating a um… River Rock’s foal trafficking ring. It wasn’t um… You know? Hard. I just had to defraud a bank, take control of several ISPs for a few days, inflate the apparent profits of a bakery in Fillydelphia, get /pol/ to agree to do something and then actually do it, and remotely access the Trottingham Mage’s Library. The leaders got away, but I helped take down all of their followers. And deleted all their porn.”

Cadence nodded in satisfaction. “So you’re the ‘informant’ Celestia mentioned! Don’t worry, Shy. I got the leaders. And a cool scar!” Cadence turned to Sam. “She’s good. It won't matter here, but from what I read, she can make any computer anywhere do anything she wants.”

Shy kicked her hooves shly. “N— Not anything… I can’t make them into animals, or people. I’ve tried. I wanted a cat that didn’t make a mess… Um… I also don’t know how to use FR Office or Picturestore. Like, um, any of it… Please don’t tell anypony though. I try to make ponies think I don’t know how to computer. Otherwise they always ask me to do things I really shouldn’t.”

“Okay!” Sam said loudly, thoroughly impressed. “If we make it out of this, Shy, I would love some help getting some reimbursements approved.”

“See?” Shy said to June with puppy dog eyes.

A look of pure terror suddenly filled Enox’s face as she processed something Fluttershy had said. She turned to the yellow mare and begged “Please use that actual bucking super power for good… And like not on me. Please.”

Shy blinked, frowned, then nodded, understanding what the space mare meant. “Only good. And fun. I promise!” She said with a wink.

“Oh no…” Enox gulped, remaining unsettled.

Violet, wanting to make sure her sister’s marefriend was happy, reached into her saddlebags for a piece of paper and pen, and scribbled ‘OP, plz nerf’ onto the note, then sneakily stuck it onto Shy’s saddlebag strap while giving her a hug.

Enox nodded in approval. The Tunnel bore blazed back to life, its hideous scratch louder and more erratic than before. The machine was clearly not meant to be used this way, and even the least technical amongst the group could feel its anger at this abuse.

“Right,” Sam announced, clearing her throat sharply. “In short, we should expect to be trapped below. We should expect to fight through all kinds of active city defenses. We should expect all kinds of Daring Doo level bullshit traps. We should expect magic of all kinds, especially curses. Do anything June says to do without question. Keep your lights on. If you spot anything living that looks like it’s stalking us, call it out so I can shoot it. If Shy says jump, you say how high after you have already left the ground. Got it?”

“Got it,” everypony chorused.

“Great,” Sam said as she sat down on the bench. “Let’s wait for the hole to finish.”

Violet sat patiently waiting, both eager for an adventure and dreading being trapped in a slimy cave. She could tell the others were not as optimistic. Sam kept looking towards the tunnel bore, her face becoming more and more nervous with each turn of her head. June impatiently tapped her hoof against the ground, starting to fidget with her wings after a moment.

A couple minutes passed quietly, then Sam cleared her throat. “Enox, do you have an ETA on your robot?”

Enox checked her wrist computer. “Tee-minus three to delivery,” she promised. “I don’t have a Darius or an Argo, so it takes a bit to change loadouts and transport stuff.”

“A what?” Violet asked, tilting her head. “Aren’t those people’s names?”

Enox blinked and looked up to Violet. “Yes. Yes they are. How do you know that?”

Violet tapped her head. “When I first booted up a very old computer gave me a database of old data. It’s mostly culture stuff and maps of places that don’t exist. Those names are in the database as ‘traditional names’.”

Enox blinked several times. “We’re going to have to take a look at that together sometime.”

“Sure!” Violet said with a happy smile.

The tunnel bore shuddered, making the earth tremble and disturbing the bottom of the ash-cloud it had created. It sounded a long low alarm, warning its operators that an extended cooling cycle would be necessary.

Sky rushed out of the control tent, calling out to his workers. “Coolant’s shot, guys! Flush it and swap out the canisters. Make sure your hazmat is heat rated for this kind of work. Better yet, make sure it’s rated for a reactor meltdown.”

A frenzy of activity exploded as two dozen workers began to start a manual emergency coolant flush and replacement in order to keep digging rather than wait several hours. Sky trotted over to the group, noting it lacked the Princesses.

“Damn,” he said with an irritable huff. “I was going to tell your Princesses that we’re going to have to replace this tunnel bore after digging you girls out… Or at least do some critical repairs. So you know, they’ll have to pay for it.”

June shivered violently. “Cadence’s Coolness… I don’t even want to think about what that thing costs.”

“Like six,” Sky commented off hoof.

“Six… What?” Violet asked, tilting her head.

“Billion,” Sky answered, arching an eyebrow. “Obviously.”

Sam whistled. “Pricey. But it’s burning through what, three meters of rock every few minutes?”

“Yeah, when we’ve got it set to Max Power and Full Beans,” Sky laughed like a stallion hemorrhaging money. “It’s normally a lot slower. But hey, you want a meter and a half hole in the rock, you got it.”

Sam blinked twice. “Wait. Wait. WAIT! Enox… The hole’s a meter and a half. How will we get your robot down?

“Robot?” Sky asked, frowning in that way nerds do when their interest has been piqued but they are confused as to how the conversation got to one of their points of interest.

“She owns a Stalking Spider for home defense,” Violet supplied helpfully.

“Why? Cuz that’s what the founding earth ponies intended?” Sky asked, his face scrunching in confusion.

Violet tilted her head. What even are these two?

Enox’s computer chirped. “Oh hey! The Prime-X Delivery protocol worked! Stand back, please.”

A shadow fell across the group as something stopped overhead. Sam looked up, spotted Enox’s flying saucer hovering overhead, prepped to drop something from the opening cargo bay, yelped, and snapped her wings open to move as far back as she could.

This was enough for everypony to also step well back.

The hovering delivery drone released the cargo clamps, dropping a large, chunky, industrial, hard-lined, vaguely spider shaped four legged mech to the ground with a mighty thud. As the machine thundered to the earth, offcast rocks trembled. The mech’s purple, maroon, and silver paint glistened in the sun as it lowered its main body to the ground like a spider squatting to pounce. Its cockpit hissed open, stopping just shy of the back mounted cannon and rocket pod tips, revealing not a pilot’s seat but a familiar overstuffed brown armchair wedged between the controls.

Enox climbed up onto the mech’s nose and took a seat in the chair, “There we go! One large X-Pulse laser, SRM tubes loaded with Streak rounds, some small laser arrays for good measure, and a Fire Support Beacon in case we want my ship to shoot at something. Good enough for you, Sam?”

Sam blinked, shook her head, and pointed at the hole. “That’s like, two Celestias tall and two Cadence’s wide. Not counting the legs. It’s not fitting through the hole.”

“What?” Enox said as she turned to look at the hole which was maybe a meter and a half wide. “Oh, shit…”

Sky’s eyes lit up at the sight of the armored mech. “It’s got chicken legs!”

Violet frowned. They really were more like an insect or aracnid’s legs. “No?”

“Chicken legs!” Sky insisted.

“Yesss…” Enox agreed. “Chicken Legs.”

Everypony stared at the two mystified.

Sky looked the mech over and nodded approvingly. “Does it cloak?”

“It, yes. The stuff in it? No.”

Sky cracked a grin, then laughed and shook his head. Enox snickered. “Best part? It’s done that, like, from the factory. I didn’t do it!”

The pair laughed harder, then came to a stop and shared a nod of everlasting brotherhood, leaving the rest of the group entirely baffled while Sky simply cleared his throat and gestured towards the tunnel bore.

“Right so… That thing is a particle beam drill. Yes we can widen the beam, no we can’t cut a bigger hole that deep in the time or remaining coolen’t we’ve got. So sadly, the Quad-Megadoomer can’t go below.”

Enox’s ears drooped. “Yeah… I feel super extra dumb. Sorry. I can get something else delivered. Maybe some pulse rifles?”

“Or,” Trixie said, butting into the conversation for the first time. “You can swap with me. I’m here to keep the workers safe in case the Princesses get too busy and Old Oily strikes. But if we’re worried about something taking two alicorns to hold back, maybe trading up to a walking tank is a good idea.”

Violet nodded in agreement. “I vote we do that.” I don’t want to know what those rocket pods would do to the cavern…

“I’d feel safer up here with her in that,” Shy agreed, nodding approvingly.

“It literally wont fit down the hole,” June pointed out. “Which we just learned can’t be widened.”

Sam sighed, reached up to the side of her head and pressed her helmet's radio transmission switch. “Princess Luna, this is Sam. Come in, over.”

Sam’s ear twitched as the helmet’s speaker played Luna’s reply quietly. “Enox’s armament won’t fit down the hole. We’re fine swapping her with Trixie, leaving you with an armored alien vehicle to help protect the digging equipment.”

Sam waited again then nodded to Trixie and let her hoof down. “You’re in. Enox, pass her your climbing equipment and supplies, please.”

Enox nodded and slipped off her saddlebags, tossing them to Trixie who caught them with her magic and levitated them onto her back, stopping suddenly. “Wait, why do you use normal sized saddlebags? Why not get foal sized?”

“Because it makes me look smaller and more adorable?” Enox said as if everypony should just know that.

“Coolent’s swapped boss!” A changeling called out from the bore’s minimum safe distance.

Sky looked over his shoulder, squinted, then nodded. “Fire her up!” He called before turning back to the girls. “This should be it. Take your fraidy pees now, and remember. Don’t touch the sides. The walls are literally lava.”

Sam winced and nodded. “Right… Thanks, Sky.”

He turned to walk away, shrugging his wings. “Meh. What’s a hero of the realm to do? Let the mysterious evil escape? Not while I have a Particle Bore to burn.”

“Hero of the realm?” Violet asked. “How did he get that title?”

The bore creaked, groaned, emitted a loud buzzing sound, then crackled to its thunderous life, burning into the earth once more.

Fluttershy cleared her throat, sparing a glance in the machine’s direction. “He, um… He stopped a malfunctioning portal Celestia had made from collapsing our reality onto another one.”

Sam nodded. “Yeah. I thought he was just, you know, some big shot who got famous for fixing a thing to save his own hide… But here he is, literally burning six billion bits—”

“He’s Zebrican,” June interrupted, wincing. “He means six billion nefer. Which is, you know, like twenty four billion bits. To save a town, and maybe the world.”

“Luna’s blood…” Sam swore, shaking her head as she literally couldn’t fathom that much money.

“Let’s hope his wallet can cash the checks his ego is writing,” Enox commented idly.

Trixie cleared her throat. “So… I’m subbing for Enox. What’s my role in this?”

“Big gun,” Sam commented. “What are you carrying there?”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “It's an auto-pistol. But I’m a battlemage. I am the big gun.”

Sam nodded, satisfied with the explanation. “Cool. It will be nice to see you fight outside of that Grape Vine SNABU.”

“Snabu?” Vi asked, frowning sharply. “That’s not in my dictionary. Is that Zebrican?”

“Its soldier for Situation Normal; All Bucked Up,” Trixie answered instantly.

Trixie took a seat with the group, and the mares proceeded to wait for the raging particle storm to die down for the last time. After a few minutes a young zebra stallion trotted up and told Fluttershy she should get to the shed and get her system hooked in. She naturally stood up and followed him in.

A few moments later Enox closed her cockpit and started to walk the pit’s perimeter, leaving the other mares to sit and nervously glance over their shoulders. Waiting for the city below to object to their presence and send unknowable horrors their way… Or for the shadow to strike however it’s sinister soul fancied.

Violet looked towards the shed Fluttershy had vanished into and sighed.

I wish I could stay up here with her, a little, Violet thought to herself as she looked towards the hole. But they need me down there, and it can’t be that bad, right?

The fifth burn ended with a loud buzzing alarm from the drill. Everypony leapt to their hooves, weapons ready to fire.

“Woah! Cool it!” Sky called from the entrance to the command tent. “That’s just the all done buzzer. I suggest you move it! Rock looks pretty stressed from all that heat.”

“Right, move out!” Sam called, jogging to the fresh hole, digging in her saddlebags for her climbing kit to set up a rappel for the ponies who couldn’t fly.

Violet made it to the edge of the hole just after Sam and peeked down. She could see the perfectly smooth hole cut through the basalt, its lower edges glowing a dim red from the fresh cut. The distressed stone audibly cracked and groaned.

Oh. Oh that’s going to collapse soon. She winced and looked at Sam. “The hole’s got yellow-glowing rock at the bottom. Rappelling is a bad idea. We should try out—”

“Force of habit,” Sam admitted, concealing her bundle of nerves as best she could while storing the climbing equipment back in its bag.

Sky ran up alongside Violet wearing a contraption that looked something like a pressure washer backpack mounted to a leaf blower. He aimed it down the hole and fired three times, sending a series of bright yellow blobs flying down the hole.

“Just jump. Hit the blobs.” Sky said, firing a few more balls of plasticine-concrete solution. “I’ve coated the walls as much as I can from this angle. Go fast before those patches heat up.”

Sam flinched. I can feel the heat coming out of that… At least I’ll shoot past it real quick. “I— I forgot how hot molten rock is… Trixie, Vi, you good jumping?”

Violet closed her eyes and found her core. She drew on her magic, following the recorded steps she’d made the time she had managed to slow her fall, and got ready to jump. A pale blue aura surrounded her, more like vapor than the usual pale flames of a unicorn’s aura.

You can do this. You did it before. Just start slowing after you’re past the kinda-sorta-lava.

She nodded. “I can do this.”

Trixie nodded and shapeshifted, turning herself into a pegasus and immediately diving down into the hole. “Come on! Before whatever’s down there wakes up.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

The central construct-mind of Limited Perfection awoke. A minor energy beam had crossed its wards. Molten stone dripped onto the streets of Little Ascension. It turned its attention to the ceiling, perplexed as to the existence of the stone barrier, but noting the hole burnt through it.

Something was entering the city airspace. Illegally.

It activated ancient scrying units, searching the other side of the mysterious stone ceiling and found…

There were many of them. None of which it recognised as parts of any of its former citizens. However, one did bear a self-replicating proton lattice in its chest, another was a synthetic organism, one carried the weapon of an Ascended One, and—

The construct-mind added the Shards and Protoqueen to the visitors registry, noticed the tourist services were offline, and began activating them.

it ordered.

Protocall demanded the guests be catered to with only the most premium fleecing and snootiness.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Violet fell through the hole, nearly hitting Trixie as she plunged past the diving pegasus. She had just enough time to think, Thank buck I didn’t overtake her in the tunnel! Before she had to push down with her magic.

“Hover-hooves, on!” Violet called out, just to have a little fun to push the fear aside.

Her aura blazed to life, slowing her fall until she touched gracefully down on the plascrete pad Sky had made. It stretched out over a dozen meters, covering a street made from diamond paving stones.

Wait, what? Violet thought, frowning as she looked around her, using the limited light from her lantern and headlamp to take in the neatly grown crystal buildings surrounding her, each of which resembled organic shapes like trees, bushes, or living organisms, yet at the same time still bore the distinct shapes of homes, shops and businesses. Everything was made from some sort of gemstone, rubies, diamonds, sapphires, emeralds.

“Holy…” Violet said slowly, her jaw dropping as she started to take everything in.

Trixie landed, her eyes wide. “Woah… This is what the Crystal Empire was trying to look like!”

Sam and June touched down a moment later, looking equally stunned.

“Did you girls see the bridge made of bloodstone?” June asked, grinning ear to ear. “I’ve never even heard of one of these being all gem-construction! Usually just the key buildings are like this. This is awesome! I wish I’d brought a camera.”

“I’m recording,” Violet said, activating her advanced camera functions. “I have literal cameras for eyes. I’m always recording.”

“Thanks, sis,” June sighed.

“Okay,” Sam said hesitantly. “I don’t like how we’re not being attacked. But let’s get away from the shaft before it—”

The shaft cracked. Stone rained down from the ceiling. The ponies bolted as the bore hole collapsed in on itself, both sealing shut and sending a small avalanche crashing into the street, burying their landing pad and most of the street in several meters of jagged rocks.

Violet dove and rolled, narrowly avoiding being crushed by jagged shards of basalt twice her size. She came to a stop, eyes wide, core burning hot with terror. Exactly what she feared was happen—

No! No it stopped we’re ok— Violet suddenly noticed Trixie, biting down on her foreleg to hold in a scream. She hadn’t made it clear. A— Oh… oh no!

Violet sat, too terrified to make a sound as Trixie crawled out from under the rock pile, minus her left hindleg.

“Everypony, sound off!” Sam ordered as she pushed herself up from the street, having dove to get just that much more distance.

“I’m fine,” June called from Violet’s left.

“I’m here,” Trixie groaned, closing her eyes tightly to focus. “My flank got hit. I can shapeshift to fix…”

A flash of green light engulfed Trixie as the changeling quickly assumed June’s form, growing a new leg in the process.

There’s no need to panic everypony. She solved it. I’m glad she can self repair too. Violet let out a sigh of relief, then frowned in confusion. “Wait, why not go back to your own body to do that?”

Trixie smiled and shrugged. “I’m so rarely my natural self it’s easier to copy a pony I can see. Didn’t think I could do you, and Sam asked me not to do her, so…”

“Violet?” Sam asked.

“I— I’m okay. I was watching Trixie,” Violet answered.

“Good,” Sam sighed in relief. “Let's get moving. Before—”

The dark cavern suddenly shone with the light of the sun as every lamp post self-illuminated. Bright neon illusory signs flickered to life, listing the names of stores, streets, and even traffic flow indicators. The smell of a spring day overwhelmed the street. Pleasant but strange music began to fill the air, seemingly demanding merriment and wonder from the group of mares with each note.

Everypony squeaked and huddled together, getting back to back.

Sam turned on her radio. “Shy! Shy, what's happening?!”

The sound of spellfire and the crack of guns came through Fluttershy’s radio. “I— I don’t know! We’re under attack!”

20 - …pation.

Junebug - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Little Ascension - Limited Perfection

June looked at the vast field of rubble which had been the lining of their entry tunnel. She spared a moment to look upwards, tracking her eyes over the damage in the ceiling.

If I am remembering the semester we spent on cave archeology correctly, we might be able to collapse that a second time to clear up the tunnel, and if not we basically will die down here, so brave face time, June noted before looking around herself at the suddenly illuminated cavern she found herself in.

The walls here are perfectly smooth, and basalt isn’t something you should find without there being volcanos, which these mountains aren’t.

June winced slightly, then cleared her throat to get the girls’ attention. “Uh, girls? I can’t prove this, but based on the shape of the rock overhead, namely a dome, and the fact that basalt shouldn’t be here, I think the city has shields and at some point, somepony tried to bury it in, uh, twelve to eighty cubic klicks of lava? So we probably can’t explore all of it. I don’t expect any shield charm to survive like, what, literally sixty, seventy meters deep across the whole bucking valley of lava at fully fluid temperatures? I mean come on.”

Sam paused as she looked upwards for just a moment, keeping her rifle trained on the house across the street with the balcony just perfect for a sniper to perch on. “That tracks well enough. But we’re here. Obviously the shields are very strong.”

“Or, they cut power to wards selectively to preserve the more important structures,” Violet mused thoughtfully. “Like how I’d cut power to things to keep my CPU going in the event of a brownout.”

Trixie arched an eyebrow. “Brief aside, Vi, you’re not running a literal silicon wafer CPU, are you? Aren’t you basically a pony brain but not meat?”

“Yes, but I was confusing townsponies with the difference so I’m just going to say CPU, because the only difference between the two arises from substrate bias.” Violet explained.

June turned her attention to the smooth diamond cobbles. She bent down and examined them as closely as she could, shining her light through them, going as far as to take the lantern off her saddlebag and put it down for a moment to use it as a point light.

“The road isn’t cobbled,” She said as she discovered the fact. “This is a textured sheet of diamond. Maybe six meters wide and more than eight centimeters deep.”

Sam shook her head slowly. “Damn… See what I mean when I said we couldn’t plan for this place? Magic up to the eyeballs,” she said trailing off for a moment to think, still scanning the area around them.

Violet tilted her head for a moment, doing her best to listen while trying to feel any vibrations she couldn’t attribute to her friends. Finding nothing she allowed herself a single active radar pulse, which also turned up nothing other than ruined buildings and collapsing garden beds.

“I don’t think there are any monsters here,” Violet said calmly. “I don’t smell or hear anything moving. I— I think we just got noticed. So the city lights came on. Like, you know motion detectors? We have them in the observatory.”

“Maybe,” Sam agreed as she reached up to her helmet with a wingtip to press her helmet radio. “Fluttershy, I know you’re under attack. We need a route. Can you help?”

“Not right now!” Shy called back into the radio, the sounds of spell shots and gunfire reaching June’s ears through the comms.

The radio hissed and crackled for a moment, then Enox’s natural voice came through. “Her gun’s needed right now. There are shadow gates spitting out muck monsters. Lots of them. We’ll get back to y— OH SHIT!”

The ponies flinched as a dull thump shook the stone ceiling a split second later, prompting dust and loose pebbles to break loose and rain down around them. Violet began to hyperventilate and stare at the ceiling for an android’s eternity, stopping only after several long moments passed without the cavern collapsing.

“Okay. So, plans A, B, and Evac are FUBAR. But we knew that would happen,” Sam said with a sage, world weary sigh. “June, you’re our expert. Fly up and see if you see anything… Palatial?”

“Yes.” June snapped her wings open and pushed downwards, expecting to need a few flaps to take off.

She felt her armor reach out and augment her flight magic with its own, and hurtled into the air with the speed and grace of an expert flier, albeit with a bit of wing straining from the unexpected boost causing her to over extend a bit.

OW! Dang it… That’s going to be sore for days, but holy crap! June thought to herself, alternating between a wince and a grin.

She hovered nearly halfway to the ceiling, turning in a slow circle to take everything in. The area around her looked like a suburban neighborhood. Several arterial streets with many smaller runs leading to short walkways to homes with nicely sized yards. If she closed her eyes, she could picture each yard filled with plants and life rather than bare dirt or patches of moss and lichen.

She followed the streets, grateful for the city’s many mini-stars which served as lamp posts. They made it easy to see the streets converged near a stone-buried wall with an elaborate gate about a kilometer or so away from where they’d fallen into the cavern.

June closed her wings, dropping to the street before opening them to break her fall and land. The armor made the stunt flying trivial, prompting June to grin like an idiot.

I wonder if Cadence would mind if I kept this and never took it off… No, No. Bathroom. Showers. Enox. Revision, let me keep it so I can do cool flier stuff.

June cleared her throat and pointed down the street. “No palace. This is a residential area for sure. But there’s a wall with a gate in it down the street, left onto the arterial road, and then straight down it to the gate.”

“What kind of gate?” Sam asked for clarity’s sake. “Garden, castle, city?”

June blushed. Her wings and tail twitched with embarrassment. “Uh… I’d say city? That or the biggest castle ever.”

“Then we’re going that way,” Sam ordered more than stated. She took a moment to look up, then Violet and hummed. “Flying would be faster, and there’s mooks topside so we’re not on our own schedule. Think we can carry Violet between the three of us?”

“Maybe,” Trixie answered. “She’s about a hundred thirty kilograms, right?”

Vi huffed fake-irritably. “I’m not fat…” Her ears perked, followed by a foalish smile. “Am I girling correctly?”

“Yes,” June said, rolling her eyes. “But this is kind of a time to be serious. How much do you and everything you have on you weigh?”

“Just over two-ninety,” Vi answered after checking her sensors.

The three pegasi winced and sucked in a deep breath. “Right… So, since none of us are weather ponies who could give us the extra lift needed for that, while we’re also fully loaded, and I don’t trust my gem power to last more than a few seconds at a time yet… We leg it,” Sam finished, gesturing for June to point the way.

June nodded and began to run down the street. “This way!”

The group gathered into a loose formation and ran down the street. The sound of their hooves striking the diamond street echoed and clattered through the cavern. If anything still lived in these streets, it knew there was something else out there. The clack-crick of hoof on diamond was impossible to miss, and nearly deafening after the fifth echo.

Fortunately, the ancient neighborhood seemed to be deserted. June caught a glimpse of a few structures as they ran. Nothing appeared to have been lived in or disturbed. Closed doors. Dust-stained crystal windows too filthy to even see through. Mounds of dirt, debris, and rubble which would have been disturbed had anything even so much as sneezed near them still rested in their loose piles.

No sign of persistent water intrusion, either, June noted. Nothing lives without water. Well, the moss is doing almost okay… Water probably trickles down after a rain, but it doesn't say here. Where does it go? There must be lower caverns. Probably the aquifer the city was built over. Or the storm sewers still work. Wouldn’t that be cool!?

June looked up at the wall, admiring the damaged rune-carved metal plates covering the crystal wall. The runes were precisely etched, and carved nearly two hooves deep into the metal. To the untrained eye there would be no sign of how the marks were made, but June could make out the tell tell signs of directional burnishing meant to hide toolmarks. The house-sized runic wards had been horn burned and hoof finished. Into what looked like cold iron.

The gate itself was a truly massive archway, big enough for ten ponies to walk abreast through at once, with enough vertical space for three layers of flyers to make it through at once comfortably above them. A row of brass and ruby spell-emitters lined the top of the archway, clearly there to create a layered redundant shield spell on demand to seal the gate.

You don’t see craftsponyship like that every day, she noted, nearly running into Sam’s plot as Sam slowed to a stop in front of the gate.

“Hold!” Sam cried, flaring her wings for emphasis. “June, what do you make of this?”

“Well, we’re lucky the gate’s not closed. Looks to be a force field system,” June said as she moved out from behind Sam’s rear to look through the gate.

June couldn’t help but gasp as she got her first view of the city center. The city’s entire architectural style shifted on the other side of the gate. The crystal buildings and diamond roads behind them transitioned into bluestone stairs which ran downwards nearly a hundred meters, with each step decorated with an inlay made from delicately interwoven gold, brass, silver, bronze, platinum, and gemstones of all kinds.

The inlay was no mere vinework, knotwork, nor even something more practical like a rune casting or warding. Rather, each step served as a ‘frame’ in a comic-book-like depiction of historic events illustrating something which must have been unfathomably important to the First Kingdom, or the inlay would never, ever have been worth constructing. Let alone to such loving perfection that June could see the faces of each individual within the story were consistent and preserved.

Every individual and object remained on model between steps to such a degree that June couldn’t see any overt errors within the work.

“Holy. Bucking. Shit.” June swore to herself, taking off to get a look at the stairs.

“June, the city please,” Sam prompted.

“Just a second,” June said, not really listening.

She looked at the stairs. The story began at the bottom and ended at the top, where she was. As far as she could tell, the story started depicting the First Creators, an unfathomably ancient species more legend than fact as far as she knew. It showed the odd bipedal creatures being killed in a war, a star dying, a star being reborn, the rise of the old changeling empire, then suddenly the dawn of pony kind but with only zebras, then only alicorns. The story progressed, depicting the march of progress and alicorn civilization until the top steps, which showed alicorns, but radiating light and power as they ascended to the skies, landing on Creator Ruins depicted at the beginning of the story.

“For the love of anything you find holy, please, PLEASE, do not damage the stairs while you are going down them,” June begged, giving everypony her best academic’s glare mixed with her own loving pleading gaze. “This is… This is a priceless window into their long lost culture. Our long lost culture. Please don't wreck this for me. Uh, and us and history and everyone and stuff.”

“Got it, real careful on the steps, but what about the, I dunno, everything else?” Sam asked, returning June’s look with a blank and yet discernibly irate deadpan.

“Oh…” June turned in the air to look at the rest of the city. “Oh! Um… The street signs here say the city is called ‘Limited Perfection’. We were just in a district called Little Ascension, and now we’re in uh…”

June squinted at the sign then shrugged her shoulders. “Okay, I don’t know that rune. It’s one of the missing ones. We’re in something called… Blank, as in I don’t know, so, Blank Forgefloor.”

“Ominous…” Sam and Trixie murmured in unison.

The two shared a quick look and soldier’s nod, shifting to high alert and watching different directions. Violet took note of their subtle shift and picked a third direction to keep an eye on.

June turned around to look at the city proper. As she’d previously noticed but instantly forgotten due to the cultural treasure she’d discovered, June took note of the city’s shift in architectural style. The crystal buildings gave way to structures made from elaborate carved blocks of stone. Bricks seemed inadequate as a descriptor, and June was also quite certain that none of what she was looking at was a vainer. Somepony had carved huge blocks out of semi-precious stones, mixed with granite, marble, and other building-grade rocks to make looming rows of towering cathedrals.

They were everywhere. Intricate sky-scrapers covered in endless embellishments. Gargoyles, grotesques, free standing statues, aqueducts integrated across caryatid arches, skybridges of titan’s stone fingers, pillars and recessed columns with suggestive and evocative shapes lined entryways everywhere. Balconies, buttresses, flying and otherwise, adorned every bare wall they could. Every last complicated and hard to build feature June had ever even heard of being on a building could be seen on any of the towering spire-nests arranged before her.

It’s like somepony looked at an ancient palace and thought “hey, we could do this cheaper and easier now. Why don’t we revive the style?” Then somepony shot him, gave another architect some cocaine and an unlimited credit account and said “Three of everything he ever thought of per wall, and quick.” How… How do you even classify this?

The cathedral-buildings filled a radial grid within a truly massive cavern, again roofed in solid basalt as smooth as could be. June did her best to estimate how far across the city center was, but gave up after realizing it was at least ten kilometers and her rules of hoof didn’t cover that.

It’s so big this city is probably the whole root of the valley, June realized.

“Um…” June said to fill the silence as she hovered, staring out over the city.

“It’s a whole forest of spires, isn’t it?” Violet asked, looking out over the far less welcoming, much more dead feeling city and taking a few steps back as her core began to pound with dread.

“Good question,” Trixie said shapechanging into her pegasus form to fly up to June and take a look for herself.

Her eyes widened instantly. “Oh… Oh wow! Sam, you need to see this! Vi, I’m so sorry you can’t fly. I— We should have brought a camera.”

Vi hung her head slightly. “I promise I’m trying to learn…”

Sam took off and joined the other two pegasi, whistling immediately. “Wow… It’s like a forest going up a hill.”

June nodded, knowing instantly what she was talking about. “Yea, everything slopes up that way— CADENCE’S TEATS!”

Everypony turned to look in the direction of June’s shocked exclamation, only to have a few of their own. The palace, as it turned out, was unmistakable.

It truly defied description in detail. For all of the splendor found within the buildings of the city around it, the palace still managed to outshine them. It took the form of dozens of pyramids, themselves forming the general shape of a larger pyramid, all interconnected with bridges, landing platforms, and balconies.

Impossibly ornate and elegant were the palace’s minimal standards for each component of the larger structure. So elaborate was its design that the building’s defensive runeworks were formed not from its physical structure, but from the negative space left behind within the bridgework.

Its shape and form were so grandly perfect that one couldn’t help but appreciate them without noticing what the palace was made from. The smallest pyramids which formed the outer wall were mere gold. Those behind them were hallowed silver, followed by a row of rarified platinum pyramids, then vibrant electrum, lucent diamond, and finally, the innermost pyramid was made from a pure white crystal that shone with an inner light such that it appeared to be made of nothing more than etheric energy held in place through naught but an act of sovereign will.

The central pyramid provided enough light for the massive cavern to be no dimmer than dawn.

“Suddenly, Canterlot seems… Rustic,” Trixie muttered quietly.

“You can say that again,” June said with a nervous laugh.

“Suddenly, Canterlot seems rustic,” Trixie repeated.

Sam sucked in a long breath. “I don’t even want to think about what defenses that thing isn’t flaunting.”

“I mean, you sure as buck don’t need me to tell you that’s where we gotta go,” June said continuing her nervous laugh, squinting at the structure. “W— Wa— B— Girls? Those trees on the little garden platforms on the central pyramid… Are those redwoods?”

Sam squinted. “What? No! Redwoods are about a hundred meters tall. Those are clearly some sort of cedar vari— Oh… Oh they are not.”

“How the buck can we search that for a damn pedestal!?” Trixie demanded, gritting her teeth.

“What’s wrong?” Violet shouted up from the ground.

“Palace huge, ponies small!” June summarized accurately but incredibly unhelpfully due to the impossibility of conveying the scale of what she was looking at.

“Well duh! It’s a palace,” Violet objected from the ground.

“No, like, bucking… The cavern’s entire base is a shell OVER the palace. It’s like… The valley is a third hollow?” Sam estimated with some back of the envelope calculations.

“Oh,” Vi called out, somehow managing to sound shocked and distraught despite yelling to be heard.

Sam shook her head slowly. “We’ve got to hope that Grape’s goon squad left some trail. Or that Shy gets back to us.”

June decided to try and contact their mare in a chair and pressed her radio button. “Shy? We super need help. It’s huge!”

“G— Good timing,” Fluttershy replied, a few monstrous shrieks and bellows leaking through the radio with her voice. “Enox dropped the workers some… Laser guns? It’s settling down. There’s a very, very, very big thing. L— Luna’s fighting it. Gone a little Nightmare. It’s okay though. She seems happy… Um… S— Sorry. Focusing. What do you need?”

Sam pressed her radio button. “Directions. The palace is the size of a mountain. We’re bucked without you, Shy.”

“I— I’m doing my best. Holes in the shed… There were acid-spitting-worm-things,” Shy said, sounding like a mare who would need one hell of a blunt later to take the edge off some PTSD.

“Shy, sorry but we’re on the clock,” Violet advised. “Accept the situation. Understand it. Then help us. Don’t push yourself. That’s what my database indicates every therapist says is best for this kind of stuff.”

“Or smoke a few really good joints,” Sam added.

“Or one great joint with a friend,” Trixie said, offering Sam a smile.

Sam couldn’t help but smile back.

A few moments passed. Then Shy came back over the radio. “I— I think I can see your location. I had to make the scanners cross-pulse the— N— Nevermind. Not important. Are you flying next to a gate in a huge cavern with— Oh, my, Luna! Is that… That is one building. How? How are you one building? Who made you? How is there a Manger Sponge in real life that’s a building? Why? When is the time that physics was ok with you? With that? I don’t, I can’t even—”

“Focus!” Sam ordered, snapping Fluttershy out of her panic-induced overfocus on some very legitimate questions. “Find us a route to the palace, then we need to find the throne room.”

“Um… W— Well there’s just one bridge to the palace itself, somehow. There’s a big chasm moat thing all the way around. Um… L— EEP!” Futtershy yelped as a loud crashing noise peaked her mic.

“Are you okay?” June asked, her heart starting to race in her chest.

“No-but-physically-yes,” Shy squeak-whispered. “D— Down. First left. Straight two blocks. Third right. Left immediately. Bridge should be straight ahead.”

“Understood,” Sam said as she dropped down to the stairs, gesturing to Violet. “We have directions, come on! Things are getting worse up there.”

Violet nodded and fell into formation next to Sam, doing her best to watch their right flank while Sam keep her eyes on their destination. June and Trixie followed on their tails, with Trixie shapeshifting back to a unicorn to ready her horn for inevitable action.

The girls spent far longer than they would have liked trotting through the ancient streets. The towering spires plunged the lowest level of the city into a darkness which felt more inky and black than a cloudy new moon night.

The weight of their task, and the sheer bulk of the palace ahead of them, weighed heavily on June’s mind. The slow walking pace weighed more and more on her soul with each step.

We need to be faster. June decided. She started to jog, not a run, just a jog.

Sam immediately grabbed June’s tail, pulling her to a stop with a, “Shh! Walk.”

“Why?” June asked.

Sam blinked, staring at June before asking in a stage whisper. “Is your hearing average?”

June shook her head. “A little below. Went to a few rock concerts a little too young.”

Trixie shielded her horn with her hooves and cast a quick spell, the light of her magic mostly obscured.

“Listen,” Trixie ordered.

June closed her eyes and turned her magically honed ears this way and that, searching for any worrying sound. It didn’t take long. It was everywhere overhead.

“What’s that skittering?” June whispered, shrinking in on herself slightly.

“Bugs,” Sam said knowingly. “Big ones.”

“Not changelings,” Trixie clarified.

Violet looked up. “O— Oh… I thought they were, maybe.” She took a second to make sure her impact gauntlets were securely fastened to her hooves.

Violet closed her eyes as organics did and inhaled through her nose deeply.

“Nope. Wrong smell,” Violet clarified with a nervous flick of her tail. “Let’s all be real quiet and not bother them. They live here, so they eat here.”

June nodded silently and resumed walking with the rest of the group.

They followed Fluttershy’s directions to a T, at least, until just before the final turn. The road ahead opened up into a large plaza, centered around a towering fountain topped with an obsidian sculpture of a male alicorn, wings spread, legs, tail, and mane posed as if soaring to the heavens like a rocket.

Sam scooted to the edge of the plaza, crossing along the wall of a building on instinct. Trixie followed along after her, keeping an eye on the sky. Seeing the pattern and understanding the issue, Violet fell along behind June, with Trixie making up the rear.

June scanned her eyes along the street level. Maybe they don’t fly. Maybe some huge centipede will skitter out from those doors and— June shivered, not wanting to finish that thought.

When she opened her eyes, she saw a skeleton which had been hidden by the fountain. A pony skeleton.

“Girls,” she said softly, knowing well that a whisper echos better. “Skeleton by the fountain. Pony… Um, probably an expedition member. Like, has to be. Should we look?”

Sam took a deep breath, biting her lip hard. “Yes… They might have a map… Trixie, stay here. Eyes up. Horn ready.”

Trixie almost laughed but stopped herself. “I am so ready for this to be a trap… If all this bucking nothing keeps up, I’m going to panic.”

“I’ll cover our back, Trix,” Violet said as she turned around to watch the way they’d come from.

Sam gave Trixie a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, then gestured for June to follow her and dropped to her belly to slow-crawl to the skeleton. June followed suit, wanting to ask why they were crawling, but also not wanting to make too much noise for obvious reasons.

It didn’t take too much crawling for the two to reach the skeleton. Only a minute or so. Sam reached it first and hissed in shock, her tail flagging in alarm.

“What?” June whispered.

“Not a pony!” Sam squeaked, genuinely terrified.

The skull filled most of June’s vision. Looks like a pony to me, June thought as she slowly stood up to look over Sam’s plot and head.

June yelped as the full skeleton came into view. Her cry made everypony, herself included, flinch. Sam didn’t have it in her to berate June for the loud noise. Not when they were both staring at the same mangled set of bones.

How they were still held together was a mystery, but not as big a mystery of how this thing had ever come to be. It had three heads, one with a horn, two without. It had three rib cages, almost entirely independent of each other, save for the bottom pairs being fuzed to the center-most of the hellish trio.

The centermost individual of the melded bones could only be determined by how the three complete upper bodies’ spines merged into one larger set of lower vertebrae, with a single bulky shared pelvis and massive hind legs. All much larger than the skulls, forelegs, ribs, vertebrae, and single set of wing bones implied.

“Okay… One point to the conspiracy ponies…” Sam murmured quietly.

June nodded in agreement and quietly tiphooved closer to the skeleton to examine it more closely. Something’s… off about it. Besides the obvious. What is it?

She bent down, examining the bones, taking note of long jagged, scraping marks and gouges on some of the larger surfaces. Mild damage to the backs of the skulls. Chips and cracks here and there…

June began to frown. That’s not consistent with being dragged across something. That looks like tool marks. But nothing’s severed, so… Their flesh was peeled off. Why would people go through all that work and just leave the body in the streets?

June gently touched one of the marks to try and feel for any hint of texture that might betray what left them. She recoiled immediately, the fact the bones had not decayed in twelve thousand years and were cold like stone both hitting her at once.

“Fossilized!? But how? It’s only been a few milin—” Her ears stood up in alarm. “The bugs!”

Sam turned to look over her shoulder, frowning curiously.

“Some bugs' venom mineralizes their prey,” June said with urgency. “We should leave. Now! Then come back. With bug spray. And lots of newspaper.”

This one skeleton could be my doctoral thesis! I wish I could safely move it, June lamented as Sam crawled back towards the group at a speed she’d previously thought impossible.

June didn’t bother crawling. She opened her wings and flew back to the wall, arriving just as Sam did. Sam sprang to her hooves pointed to the plaza exit they needed and urgently hissed. “Go! Gogogogogo! All of the go!”

Nopony needed to be told twice. Especially not Violet, who had overheard June’s comment and didn’t want to know what venom like that would do to her myomer. They cantered around the plaza, slipping into the street leading to the bridge, then stopped as Sam raised a hoof.

“I can’t see a bridge. This road curves,” She whispered. “June, is there a street sign? Does it say ‘palace way’ or anything like that?”

June bit her lip and looked around the street level, then upwards for aerial signs. She swore for a moment she saw a point of purple light wink out of existence as her eyes passed over a third story window.

Please, please, please, be my mind playing tricks on me… June whimpered, then finally found a sign. “That sign points down the road and says: Blank Forgeheart. If this is Blank Forgefloor, then the heart is probably the palace. Given the layout.”

“Good enough for me,” Sam agreed. “A bridge means exposed sightlines, so we move fast and stick together while we’re exposed. Trixie, stay on the rear. June, get behind me, Violet, get on her tail.”

The group rearranged itself and began moving down the road. June continued looking up, doing her best to not look scared or like she was obviously looking for anything in particular. Every once in a while, she saw it. A glimmer of purple light. Direct, faint, like a single led that happened to be purple blinking on then off.

“Anypony else see the glowy purple?” June asked quietly as they began to move past what looked to be an old barracks, based on its broken down doors and rust stains in the shape of various weapons left on the stone floor.

“Yes. Don’t look at it,” Sam said quite firmly.

“What if I just looked at one?” Violet asked, a twinge of worry accompanying her voice.

“Did you see what made it?” Trixie asked, clearing her mind to ready some battle magic.

“Y— Yes.” Violet answered. “I have night vision… Unfortunately.”

“What are we dealing with?” Sam asked calmly.

“You know those sea parasites that eat and replace a fish’s tongue?” Vi said as she nervously glanced around her. “Like that, but big, and swollen, like a monster that swallowed a pony whole. And wings like a bee.”

“Just… one?” June asked, clenching her teeth while trying to sound hopeful and optimistic and failing horribly.

“My radar shows… Approximately one yes of them. In a given building,” Violet answered, her ears drooping back.

“You have radar?” Sam asked incredulously. “Why didn’t you say so?!”

“Doesn’t everypony have…” Vi trailed off and facehooved. The crack of her hoof on her silicon covered titanium skull echoed through the cavern. “I forgot you’re not all also androids.”

“Well, good on you for not seeing race,” Trixie commented nervously, eyeing the sky. “Though do keep in mind, physical differences between tribes exist. And are important.”

June eeped and recoiled as she felt something staring at her with what everyone who has ever been stalked ever knows is what malicious intent feels like.

“RUN!” She shouted, bolting down the street mere instances before a large glob of purple glowing liquid splashed against the street.

It didn’t sizzle, it didn’t bubble, but it smelt of death, Breakclean, and the fetid air of a swamp. The others didn’t need to know what was in it to know they didn’t want to be hit by it, and the group began to sprint down the road before waiting to see what it even did to the cobblegems. Nothing good, surely.

Violet glanced over her shoulder to the skies. A stream of truly hellish insects, quite literally the thalassic chimeras Violet had described, were pouring from every window more than four stories tall in the street. They moved through the air with the grace of fish in the sea, and with the same silence.

“Faster!” Violet yelped. “There are thousands!”

“What?” Sam asked, turning to look over her shoulder along with everypony else.

The girl's eyes widened with terror, lending speed to their hooves.

“They’re owl quiet!” Violet shouted, forgetting for a moment of panic that her friends had seen the eerily silent monsters behind them.

They raced along the street, rounding the bend and laying eyes on the palace bridge for the first time. It was made from green and red bloodstone and took the form of a massive suspension bridge, with the cables made from magically toughened jade chains.

The bridge spanned a kilometer wide crevasse that plunged deep into the earth, deep enough that as they approached the edge of the bridge, zig-zagging to try and avoid the monstrous insects as they spat rancid death ooze, the ponies couldn’t see the bottom. Only an abyss.

An abyss the bridge spanned… Poorly. Most of its cables were broken, the central support pillar was very obviously collapsed and leaning against the far side of the crevasse and, most terrifyingly to June, the sides of the support pillar and crevasse appeared to be coated in dried blood.

“Bridge unstable!” Sam yelled, but didn’t slow down.

“She means spread out!” Trixie shouted. “Distribute the load!”

June moved left. Violet moved right. Sam and Trixie remained in the middle, making their formation into a loose diamond just as Sam set hoof on the bridge. Just in time for the flying monsters to begin to shriek and warble.

Their cries sounded exactly how one imagines the sound of a child drowning in their own blood would. Not how such a thing truly sounds, mind you, with the sobbing and the choking, but the way everyone imagines it would, with the gurling and the burbles.

June found herself screaming. Trixie turned and fired a barrage of spellbolts into the swarm, also screaming. Her bolts found their marks and dozens of the horrors fell from the sky, bursting as they struck the street. It didn’t matter. The swarm was uncountable.

“I should have gotten a gun!” Violet said through a terrified grimace.

Sam reared up, wordlessly screaming, sacrificing speed to turn and fire her rifle into the swarm while running backwards and operating her radio.

“Mayday! Mayday! Send Luna now, damnit, now!”

June felt something strike her back. A flash of light burst outwards from her armor’s wards, negating the toxin’s effects, though the impact still threw her to the bridge’s deck.

“Can’t. City shields up. Also she’s very very occupied. Entity from before summoned a bigger thrall,” Fluttershy reported over her own radio. “What’s wrong?”

June jumped back to her hooves, electing to also snapp her wings open and take to the air.

“Huge insect swarm! Toxic spit. Hits like a horse kick,” June reported, turning mid air to move to grab Violet. “Sam! Violet! Airlift, use your bucking gem!”

Sam understood immediately. She took off, looping around to grab Violet while Trixie continued to shoot, applying covering fire as best she could.

“I— Um… T— There’s computer architecture in the city. I— I found a magegem network. I’ve already latched the grid. I’ve been trying to find maps in the old system. It’s huge. But… Um, are you on the palace bridge?” Shy asked.

“Yes,” Sam answered before letting go of her radio to grab Violet’s shoulders while June got her flanks.

Sam closed her eyes, focused, and the gem in her chest began to glow brightly enough for the light to leak out of her armor. A pale aura began to form around her.

“Boosted. Go. Fast!” Sam ordered, starting to flap her wings as hard as she could.

June followed suit, Violet gulped and went still as she could as the two pegasi lifted her off the bridge and began to bolt down its length.

“Trixie! Shapeshift and fly!” June shouted.

Trixie continued to run backwards, firing shot after shot.

“They’re not shooting at me.” Trixie said, half stunned, half certain. “Only you three!”

June spared a moment to glance back only to see the changeling was correct. The monsters didn’t appear to see her. Their jelly-like glowing purple eyes were fixed solely on the three of them. Their six-part jaws clacked and hissed, spitting only in their direction. Their dozens of hooked legs flexed and snatched the air, hungry for the flesh of only those they beheld.

“Doesn't matter! Any door we find is getting closed!” Sam yelled. “MOVE IT!”

Trixie burst into flames, emerging as a pegasus in flight, looping around to race towards her friends as fast as she could.

“Ah ha!” Shy proclaimed over the radio. “I thought so! I found a thing that looks like defenses for the palace earlier and I can turn them on. I can’t read this language, but I have a crude translator program. I think this here is air defenses? I’m not sure. Do you want me to turn it on?”

June flinched. “Somepony tell her those are never good for Amilic!”

Violet put a hoof to her radio, flinching as a toxic bolt raced past her hoof, nearly hitting her and Sam both. “June says translator bad!”

“I know. But it’s better than nothing, and I memorized some of it helping her, too. The system is also learning Equish alarmingly as fast as I hack it,” Shy said, as disturbed by her statement as everypony else was.

Sam looked to June around Violet’s head. They were halfway over the bridge, and so far only luck had prevented them from being hit while flying.

“Odds it kills us too?”

If there are defenses that are off, then there are probably some that are on and we haven’t been attacked by them. Ponies might be on a friendly fire list… No way to know for sure. June shook her head. There wasn’t time to explain why.

“Trixie! Tell her to do it!” Sam yelled, not seeing June’s negative.

Trixie yelped as one of the swarm took note of her and perfectly nailed her at the base of her spine. The impact sent her slamming into the ground. Trixie stood up, took note of her flack skirt sizzling and bubbling anywhere organic parts could be found, and ripped it off, throwing it to the side. The swarm began to separate into two wings, one going for the three mares, one for Trixie.

Trixe dodged another glob of toxic spit, then another, frowned, and quickly shapeshifted back into a unicorn.

The swarm turned away.

“They don’t attack unicorns!” Trixie shouted, excited at her discovery and grateful for the reprieve.

“That’s great for all us bucking unicorns!” Sam yelled back, suddenly feeling extremely relieved that Trixie could just run across the bridge.

Her relief broke her focus.

“I’ll do it,” Violet said as she moved her hoof up to touch her radio. “Shy, Sam says turn them o—”

The glow of Sam’s gem faded substantially. June, Sam, and Violet lurched down, spiraling out of control as their combined wingpower dropped about a third. June yelped and flapped harder, drawing on her armor’s magic to try and make up the difference.

Sam fell into a swearing fit, trying to refocus herself, but failing over and over. Violet squirmed, starting to panic. “Let go! I’ll slow fall! I’ll slow fall!”

June looked down, they were towards the side of the bridge, but moving parallel to it. It was safe to drop her.

Here’s hoping they only attack pegasi.

“Okay,” June said as she let go.

Sam let go as well, agreeing with Violet’s plan.

Two globs of toxic sludge smashed into Violet’s side, throwing her several meters over the side of the bridge. With only one pegasus lifting, the two dropped like a stone.

“NO!” June screeched, twisting mid air into a dive to grab Violet.

Her hooves caught hold of Violet’s oddly calm forelegs. June pulled upwards, straining her wings, back, and withers as she flapped with all her magically armor-boosted might… But could not pull her sister up alone.

“June,” Violet said calmly. “I have a climbing kit. I can slow my fall. Let me go. I’ll climb back up.”

“For all we know, the bottom is magma!” June growled through clenched teeth, straining herself harder and harder.

“We’d see the light. It’s black. There’s a solid floor. No lava. I see tiles.” Violet repeated, this time with a worried expression. “June! They’re splitting off. They’re coming for you. If you get hit over the pit, you CAN'T slow fall!”

She’s right… June’s eyes teared up. “I’ll come for you as soon as—”

Violet flexed her hind legs, bunching them for a kick with her impact boosting boots. “June! Now!”

June let go and Violet plunged away into the darkness, tuning into a pinprick of cyan light as her magic blazed to life to slow her fall.

“I’ll find you!” June yelled down into the abyss.

A glob of purple sludge flew past June’s wing, singing off several feathers and reminding her she was hovering over the void while being shot at by some thankfully fairly inaccurate insects. Falling back on basic survival instincts, June raced for the bridge deck, scooped up Trixie, and launched herself across the bridge as fast as she could.

She made it three quarters of the way across the bridge, spotted Sam holding position near a doorway into the golden pyramid directly across from the bridge (firing her shotgun randomly into the swarm) when the gold pyramids suddenly emitted a loud droning mechanical cry.

June felt it more than heard it. Her bones vibrated as much as her inner ears. A heartbeat after the rumbling cry, the pyramids tops split open into quadrants, peeling away from large floating emeralds. The emeralds shimmered, sparked, and blazed to life with bright white light, holding the blinding radiance within their cores for several heartbeats before unleashing it as scintillating rays of burning light with a sound like an electric hawk shrieking as it dove for its prey.

The light cut into the swarm, making a visible dent as the beams swept and tracked across the densest parts of the swarm first.

“You should go,” Shy warned with quiet terror. “I um… I can only make it shoot the denser groups first. It will shoot you too, on its own.”

June grit her teeth and dove for the open door at the base of the pyramid. She flew through it, closed her wings, and dropped Trixie to her hooves before landing, turning around, and grabbing one of her cloud bottles.

“This is for my sister you… You monsters!” June shrieked before unleashing the lightning within the bottle into the swarm.

Sam raced to the door, ducking June’s lightning, sliding into the pyramid’s entryway. Not commenting on June’s nearly-friendly-fire, Sam turned to Trixie and yelled “DOOR!”

Trixie lit her horn and yanked the sliding door down from its recess in the ceiling, slamming it all the way into the floor over the protests of ancient gears. “Sorry! Was looking for the controls, but buck it!”

June dropped the empty cloud bottle and fell to the floor, crying.

Sam swore under her breath and slowly stood up. “June… I’m sorry. I— I lost focus.”

June wiped her eyes on the back of a foreleg. “It’s not your fault. It’s those… Those things! She would have hit the bridge if they hadn't—”

Trixie bit her lip and raised a hoof to her helmet. “Agent Lulamoon to mission control. Violet is MIA, situation very bad for the rest of us. We could use a rescue, over.”

June grit her teeth and stood up. “I am going out there. We have climbing equipment. I will help her put the pinions in and climb out!”

“Uh, do not do that,” Shy said, audibly crying too. “I um… I can’t turn them back off. The system is angry I think? N— Not at us. It hates the… It calls them, uh, Cymothoa? It won't stop shooting…”

“Something was stopping this city from protecting its citizens.” Sam noted to herself.

Trixie realized she was still transmitting, thus carrying June’s words to Shy. “Uh… Can we get one of the Princesses down here once it's safe to teleport Violet out of a hole that’s… Like at least three kilometers deep?”

“Holy…” Cadence crackled over the radio. “That’s one gaping hole. Might have to out compete it!”

“Will you focus?!” Luna snapped. “We almost have it where we want it. Sam, the palace throne room will have the defense controls. Turn them off when you arrive. If I am free then, I will scry Violet and retrieve her. If not, I will when I am free. Fluttershy, tell me if you can turn them off from here.”

“Yes, Princess,” Shy said quickly. “I can’t right now. Maybe soon?”

Trixie let go of the transmit button. “We’re sure she’ll be fine, right?”

June shrugged and wiped her eyes again. “I— I don’t know. She can slow a fall. I don’t know for how long. I don’t know how deep that hole is. We don’t know what’s down there… And there’s those monsters up here…”

Sam took a deep breath. “Okay. We can take a break here if—”

“No,” June said, shaking her head. “No we can’t. Violet might be alive. If that thing breaks free, a lot of ponies will die. They’re fighting up on the surface, too. We have to go on.”

June turned around in the unadorned golden box that was the palace entryway, and squeezed her radio button. “Fluttershy, which way do we go?”

“O— Open the inner door. Take the sixth left. Then—” Shy squeaked as something happened on her end. “O— Oh dear. Um… Let me know when you get there. The monsters are gone for now and um… There are a lot of hurt ponies and I know first aid.”

Sam pressed her own radio. “Do what you can, we’ll tell you when we need more directions.” she let go and nodded to Trixie. “Door.”

“Found out how they work,” Trixie said as she pressed an alicorn sized hoof print shape on the otherwise polished to a mirror shine golden walls.

The inner door slid open, revealing a truly gargantuan hallway with a golden roof, silver floor, and crystal walls lined with glowing runes of power. Their red light provided the only illumination for the open space.

June gave her axe a practice swing. It seemed to cleave the very air, making a whooshing noise which sounded more like a cut than a swing.

We’re going straight there. Astrolabe goes on its stupid bucking pedestal, and then I’m saving Violet! Then the shields will go down, and Luna can get us all out, June thought as she entered the palace proper. And I will kill anything that tries to so much as slow us down.

June took a few steps into the dim red lit hall. Her hoofsteps echoed sharply, then softly, then softly again. Her determination butted up against the sudden remembrance of the place’s sheer size… And while diminished, it persevered.

“I forgot how huge this place is,” June admitted with a nervous flick of her tail.

“Yeah… Which is why,” Sam said pointing behind them with one hoof. “That, girls, was the easy part.”

22 - The Battle of Evergreen Falls I

Raven Inkwell - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Young Moon’s Hunting Lodge - Hackamore Valley

Raven sat back in the main hall of Young Moon’s, still in shock that this remote touristy-rustic building half an hour from town was the best place to coordinate the full audit. Princess Luna had used her position as Commander in Chief to get the General Interior Janissaries, the Secret Monster Intelligence League of Equestria, and the Crown Intelligence Association to send their independent surveillance and security teams over and set up a full joint operations command center.

Said center would ordinarily have been composed entirely of field deployable portable kits and base stations, but fortunately for quick deployment, most of the ancient scrying wards Luna had erected still worked at or beyond modern operational specifications. All that needed to be done was patch a few holes in the grid, and install some folding crystal display units for ponies other than Luna to use the old system.

Even that had been greatly eased by Luna’s old sorcery. Within the Lodge’s grounds, mana didn’t seem to run out, generators remained topped up. Fires within hearths burned all through the night and day. These and many other conveniences made running the audit from the lodge incredibly convenient.

Shame it doesn’t have intact data conduits like Luna’s old bedroom, Raven mused as she set down a faxed report from one of the lab clearing teams.

That being said, it’s nice to see her taking the investigation seriously, but calling three military branches in for this… Luna certainly prefers to swing the hammer hard when she’s outraged.

Shame this all finished being booted up and connected an hour ago. We could have used this kit way sooner. Raven mused as she turned her attention to display panel six.

The portable display unit was a very bulky, olive green, box-like structure. Similar to the crystal-tube monitors seen in Minocian computers, though much more crude and bulkley due to having controls ment for hooves and a stamp on the bottom reading [Made in Equestria].

Raven pressed down on the display’s transmit button, allowing the device to cast a two-way messenger spell between it and the location it was scrying.

“Gamma Six,” Raven said calmly. “We felt a tremor from the east. Did Object 109 detonate?”

“Negative, Command,” the STF squad leader reported immediately. “We’re still here and the building is still standing.”

“Wait, why can a roll of toilet paper explode?” One of the squad members asked.

“Cuz some mage bucked up making it infinite, it has infinite mass, but ISN’T a black hole! Read the bucking hazard docs, dumbass!” Another snapped.

Raven flinched slightly. The stress of working while the Princesses battled a monster nearby was certainly getting to her men.

“Gamma Six, ensure the object is secured and locked down. Move its stasis bubble to backup power supply B-11, then clear the area.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Raven let go of the button and turned to the other displays. Each of them were set to track and follow one of her squads, or one of the local security forces. I should have set one up to watch Luna. I would like to know what’s going on.

Raven’s quick turn drew her attention to Primary Source. Several of Grape’s treasonous underlings were still on the loose, and fearing a retaliatory murder, Raven had allowed the wizard to remain with her and her bodyguards. After all, he had the necessary clearances. Everypony at the Trottingham Mage’s Library did.

Raven’s eyes lit up as an idea came to her. “Master Wizard, did the medicine Princess Cadence’s assistant bring you clear your head?”

Source nodded slowly. “Yes, ma’am. Are you in need of assistance with your monitoring?”

“In a sense,” Raven agreed, gesturing to the east. “I think both of us could rest easier if we know what the tremors were. Can you scry the Princesses for me?”

“I can,” he said, slowly frowning. “However, it is never a good idea to use an Alicorn as a scrying anchor. It’s dangerous… Usually because they know when you’re doing it.”

“I think they’ll understand given the present situation,” Raven said, politely dismissing his warning.

“Wait a moment,” Source said, smiling as an idea struck him. “That Fluttershy mare is present. I’ll use her as the target.”

Raven nodded, remaining silent to allow the wizard to cast his spell. Source closed his eyes to focus for a moment then casted a simple remote viewing charm and relayed it to a projected illusion in lieu of his mind’s eye.

The illusion unfolded from a thin ray of light into a three dimensional view of the interior of a small cinder block structure, now full of holes and home to a very much distressed yellow pegasus busily reloading her bracergun with her free hoof and typing away on her laptop with a wing tip. Source flinched at the sight of an operation’s tech-girl in such dire peril, and zoomed the view out until it was occupied by the quarry.

“I don’t like that… Not one bit.”

With the scrying view created, Source sized the illusion to a nice two meter cube and placed it in an open area of the room so Raven could walk around it and view it from several angles. Spell completed, Source opened his eyes, fixed the spell to last for ten minutes, then stopped feeding it energy.

“I’ve given it ten minutes, any more and I fear I will not have the energy needed to defend myself, should it come to that. It has the standard controls, of course.”

Raven nodded understandingly and started to peer at the illusion, lighting her horn to interface with the viewfinder.

Suddenly, everyone could see dozens of large oily-shadow tentacles jutting up from the stone. They flailed, slammed, and grasped at anything which came closer to them, often stabbing tip first into the ground to re-emerge elsewhere if nothing was in their reach. Cadence was currently sitting within a dome-shield she’d erected over a group of maybe twenty wounded SkyTech employees of the original five dozen, straining visibly under the thrashing darkness, her horn’s aura blazing as she resisted ten of the tentacles’ synchronized slams to give the few ponies with first aid training time to patch up the wounded.

The employees still able to move had gotten up out of the pit, taking positions on the rim to fire down into the tentacles. Occasionally, their bright purple energy bolts would cut one of the tentacles down. The dead tentacles thrashed like a lizard’s shed tail, then would burst into shadow-imitations of monstrous creatures of all kinds.

Raven knew the spidery-pony-ish-shaped robot had to be piloted by Enox. She was stuck on defense, much like Cadence, though was a little more proactive about it. She moved in half-circles along a perimeter around the shield bubble and shot-up cinder block communications shed which seemed to be the group’s tertiary field HQ. Her mech fired dozens of beams of light every second, its fire focused mostly on the spawned creatures, effectively working to mop up the spilled evil from each kill.

Raven frowned, focusing intently on the illusion to study the strategic situation in as much detail as she could.

A new tentacle spawns every sixteen seconds. They beat one every seventeen seconds. They spawn their constituent creatures twelve seconds later, and they are cleared away after about forty eight seconds from emergence in total. Cadance is losing about a tenth of a percent of her shield reserve a second and slowly rising. The entity isn’t clever or cunning, but it will win via attrition at this rate in… Under seventeen minutes.

Raven bit her lip, “Where’s Luna?” She asked, tracking across the battlefield a third time searching for the Princess.

“Up,” Source commented, too intensely focused on the image before them to make full conversation.

Raven turned her attention to the air, immediately seeing Princess Luna engaged with a large leathery winged creature that Raven could only describe as a sphere with a mouth and bird wings but with membranes instead of feathers. The Princess had drawn on her nightmare form to do battle with the beast, and was currently locked in a beam-war with the whatever-the-buck.

And visibly losing. They need help. Now. I have to do something.

Raven took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder to the displays. She’d ordered the audit suspended when the battle had picked up. Some of them had to be finished locking down their objects by now.

Raven turned to her radio base station, picked up the hoof set and began to speak. “Attention all STF and Evergreen Falls Security Forces. If you have completed securing your full list of Objects and Entities, proceed with all free non-watchpost units to the quarry and engage the enemy from cover. There are friendlies in the pit who could use a coordinated escape vector. Medics, be prepared for your squads to handle heavy casualties in need of treatment during evac.”

Raven put down the hoof set.

“They won't make it in time,” Source commented, still very focused.

Raven glanced at the image of Luna. “She’ll hold for at least ten minutes.”

“They have seventeen seconds,” Source said adamantly. “Look at the ground. Focus on the thaumic current. Something big is casting.”

Raven snapped her full attention to the pit and opened her mind to the magic. I had no idea anypony could show manaflow in a scried— “Oh dear Celestia…” Raven gasped as she observed the spell-in-progress.

It was truly colossal, with a matrix too complex for her to understand and at least six and a half Sols of power across the pending spell.

“Conjuration? No, evocation,” Source said analytically, then snapped out of his academic trance and dove under a table with a cry of “DUCK!”

Raven, having more than one brain cell, dove for cover and cast a shield spell over the whole table. She looked up from under the table, doing her best to see the illusion, to have an idea of when she should reinforce her shield.

A bright orange light welled up from the cracks in the pit’s floor. The light clashed and sparked against the tentacles and Cadence’s shield alike as it flowed from the ground and coalesced into a dozen points of light distributed evenly across the pit.

What kind of explosion is—

The centermost point of light swelled outwards, taking the vague shape of an alicorn, though parts of it sparked and fizzled in and out of existence. It hissed and sparked for a moment before speaking in a booming voice as if using a megaphone, its declaration loud enough to hear over the hills despite the illusion lacking sound.

“Public brawling anti-permitted in civic sky room. Separate its components.”

Source flinched. “Oh no…”

“They woke up the ruin’s city mind…” Raven winced.

Raven watched as Luna looked down from her beam-of-war, nearly getting hit as shock overwhelmed her. The beam sliced past her head, singed the fur on her cheek and vanished out of scrying range. The ground jolted underhoof a second later. Luna dropped altitude to dodge the monster’s follow up strike, twisted her head downwards, and shouted something using the Royal Canterlot Voice given how wide her mouth opened. The city-mind replied almost instantly.

“Situation second assessment. Assault in forward motion. Arresting aggressor…”

The other points of light manifested into their own separate avatars and began to fire energy bursts into the shadow-creatures many tentacles.

“Oh, good.” Source corrected.

Raven let a few moments play out, tracking the battle in her mind’s eye while examining the field as best she could. “It’s still not enough. Look, a new tentacle spawns every sixteen seconds. They beat one every thirteen and a half now, and mop up the creatures it bursts into every—”

Raven stopped talking as she took note of Enox’s ship hovering over the battlefield at the top of the illusion. She scrambled out from under the table and grabbed her personal CARE issued radio and quickly tuned it into the frequency Enox had been told to keep open at all times in case CARE needed her.

“Enox, get your ship in play. You need air support,” Raven ordered firmly, hoping she wouldn’t distract the alien too much.

Her radio crackled and hissed as Enox grunted with effort for several long moments before answering. “Bad time to chat,” she said at last.

Raven turned her attention to the illusion, quickly finding Enox. She was engaged in melee with a creature which looked quite unimaginatively like a porcupine. Almost literally like somepony had taken a photograph of an ordinary porcupine, desaturated it, turned the contrast till it was almost pure black, then scaled it up to the size of a horse and given it quilled spines for claws.

Enox’s mech had its leg blades out, kicking to both parry and attack the shadow-porcupine’s stabbing quills. At the same time her weapons pods were facing to the right, firing at some of the other shadow beasts threatening Cadence’s shield. Enox guided her mech expertly, stepping with her opponent’s movements in a fashion reminiscent of a fencing expert.

I wonder if she’s formally trained in piloting that? Raven mused for a moment. “Fire into the cluster at the rear of—”

“Can’t!” Enox grunted, catching the beast’s right claw with her left foreleg and wrestling the limb to the ground. “Point defenses overheated. Cooling off. Only the torpedoes are online.”

Raven looked up at the illusion again. “That thing looks like it won’t survive an anti-ship gun.”

Enox jabbed with her mech’s right foreleg, driving the bladed talon on it into the monster’s left eye. It thrashed in agony.

“We wouldn’t either,” Enox reported, growing audibly irritated at being talked to while trying to fight the shadow creatures off. “One-point-five kilos of antimatter per warhead is my minimum dialed yield, Raven. That’s going to make a eight kilometer fireball in atmo. Kindly piss off, this is harder than it loo—”

The shadow-porcupine twisted in its death throes. Finding the strength for one last attack, it slammed its tail into Enox’s cockpit. The spines pierced the battered armor, rupturing it along fatigue lines. Enox’s words were cut off with a wet burbling noise. Her mech went limp as the shadow creature melted into slime like the rest of its fallen kin.

Raven clenched her teeth and closed her eyes.

“BUCK!” She turned and punched the wall as hard as she could, cracking her hoof as well as the wooden facade.

The radio crackled. “Raven,” Princess Cadence said calmly. “We need reinforcements now. All you can get. She was holding off two thirds of them for me. Alternatively, get these wounded out from under me within the next minute, and then please, remain off this channel. We have this, even if it doesn't look like it.”

“Understood… And… I’m sorry,” Raven whispered into the radio, setting it down then returning to the command center’s main broadcast terminal. “Support fire has gone down. Any available battle casters, get to the pit. Now. This is a royal order.”

That was my fault…

Author's Note

"SCP-2966" by WWIflyingace, from the SCP Wiki. Source:https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-2966. Licensed under CC-BY-SA.

23 - Running and Screaming

Author's Note

Apologies for the delay. I have two editors. The first one finished a long while ago, but the second one had some life difficulties and we lost the plot a bit. He has not yet touched the chapters after this one but I would rather post them since the story is finished than not post them.

23 - Running and Screaming

Ultra Violet - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Monster Infested Maze - Limited Perfection (Subruins)

The burbling and wailing ooze was distressingly fast. It dragged itself along on an ever-emerging crowd of clawed hands, using the extruded and re-absorbed limbs like wheels. Violet drew on her magic, directing it to her hooves to run as fast as she dared on her not-quite-fixed legs. Her mind was filled with little more than the route to the stairs and an endless stream of curses taken from every language she had on file.

The corridor shot by, leading Violet deeper into the facility. The density of ancient corpses increased by the hallway. One or two empty suits of armor here and there at first, then clusters of three to four, and after the seventh hallway, with only four hundred meters to go, entire squads near piles of civilian clothing.

Violet didn’t have time to wonder if anyone had escaped the ancient disaster. Or if the oozing horror behind her was even responsible.

There was only running.

Taking this right, Violet noted, turning her head to begin turning to the right.

One particular corpse in the hall at the corner ahead stood out to her. Unlike the others which were but stains on the floor and piles of body armor and old cyberware, this one had bulk to it still. Like there was a skeleton holding the old body armor to shape, rather than letting it lay flat like a pile of dirty laundry.

Violet started to turn, leaning into it to preserve momentum. The odd corpse bubbled and twitched. A gray-blue ooze slid from the suit’s neck, rapidly swelling to hideously bloated proportions, screeching with the horror behind her.

“Nonononono!” Vinlot shrieked, back peddling and managing to reverse her direction without falling over on the slick metal floor.

The rusty red ooze behind her sprouted a fanged maw containing an eyeball, the pupil of which in turn split into an inner mouth. Going back is not an option. Violet had to change course.

She picked left, hoping to loop around and get back on track for the elevator. Her cyan aura blazed, clashing with the red emergency lighting, creating a sphere of purple light around her as she ran.

The facility’s holograms flickered and sputtered as she ran past them. A subroutine prompted Violet to recall how something in the facility had been trying to warn her through the holograms. She looked up, ignoring the twin wailing shrieks behind her and the sound of wet flesh sliding along metal to focus on the next hologram as it changed.

[Turn right, next junction.]

Violet looked up, indeed the corridor in front of her ended at a T section. Why right? What’s left? Violet wondered, looking towards the left hoof corridor.

Her answer came as she reached the turn. Another shapeshifting slimy abomination raced down the lefthoof corridor towards Violet. This one was a diseased pinkish hue, like the flesh around an infected wound. It smelled as its color suggested, and seemed to leave small pieces of itself behind on the walls and floor as it drug itself along like a dog without its hind legs desperately trying to reach water.

Violet skidded as she turned to the right, her titanium hooves scratched the metal tiles beneath her as she scrambled down the tunnel, eyes flicking from sign to sign in hopes of more advice from her mysterious messenger.

Please don’t be leading me to the nest… Violet begged of reality.

Violet’s fears were seemingly answered when a puss-orange ball of slime began to drip from the ceiling ahead of her. It sprouted arms and fangs as it oozed from the ceiling vent. Violet yelped, ducked and slid under its reach. The monster slammed into the ground and joined its three counterparts in chasing down their latest prey.

A glint of silver caught Violets eye as she slid. A small cylinder she instinctively knew to be a power cell. She reached out with one hoof and snagged it, then slapped it against the solid silver side of the gun she’d picked up.

“Take it!” She snapped, not sure how the weapon reloaded in the slightest.

The weapon’s case morphed, flowing like mercury to simply engulf the new cell and spit out an old one. Violet grinned and managed to jump back up to her hooves at the end of her slide without having lost too much speed. Yet the monsters had gained ground.

Violet ran forwards as fast as three legs could carry her, bending and twisting to point her foreleg backwards and squeezed her frog to fire the weapon. The emitter at its tip flashed white, firing a beam of high-energy protons down the corridor. The beam caught one of the oozes and blasted a hole clean through it.

The other monsters didn’t stop. The struck one slumped over, but then began to resume at a crawl. It formed new limbs around the laser hole.

“Oh come on!” Violet yelled, going back to a four-legged sprint.

The four monster’s shrieks harmonized into a tonally disaffected C-major chord, creating some of the most dreadful music heard by mortal ears. Violet’s eyes darted in a panic to the holograms, searching for any hint of what to do next. She missed the first hologram, blowing past it before it could change. The next flickered and sparked, shorting out before the message could be displayed.

There was no third message. Only another T junction. Left or right.

If I turn right, I can get back on the route to the stairs.

She pushed more magic to her limbs, gathering up what speed she could spare without overtaxing her damaged body and raced around the corner to the right… Right into a room.

“BUCK!” Violet swore as she took stock of the massive room.

It was easily the size of a gymnasium, minus the space for bleachers, and lined with large transparent tubes connected to nests of cables and hoses on the ceiling with no obvious means of entering or accessing the tubes. A bright cyan light illuminated the rear left corner of the room, clashing with the red emergency lights much like Violet’s aura to make a purple nimbus.

With no other choice, Violet sprinted down the middle of the room, pleading with fate to give her another door somewhere along its length. Her hope diminished with each step, for there were only the tube-tanks along the walls. After a dozen blazing steps the only hope left in Violet’s heart was the cyan light.

Please be a doorway, please please please be a doorway!

Violet reached the light. It did not spill through an open doorway. It came from an occupied tube. The light was, in the most understandable terms, a small star suspended within a vacuum chamber and harnessed by the machinery at the top of the tube. Whether this was part of the facility’s power plant, or some sort of science experiment, Violet would never know.

What she did know was her laser was useless against the oozes, and there was no special punch she knew of that would hurt slime. Their amorphous bodies clearly hardened when they needed to. It stood to reason the opposite would hold true.

My impact gauntlets are useless. I don’t have the space or time for a U turn.

Violet looked over her shoulder. The four abominations surged towards her, claws flailing and maws open with the zeal of predators who knew their prey was cornered.

Violet looked back to the captive star, then to the monsters once more. Their limbs twisted, forming flesh ripping hooks. Their gaping maws honed themselves into barbed fangs. They would fight each other over every piece of their shared meal.

Incineration sounds like a better way to go.

She reared up, increased her magic output yet more, drew back a hoof, and punched the tube in front of her. The ancient transparent aluminum dented inwards under the force of her blow then parted with a metallic shriek as her gauntlet’s amplification more than tripled the impact force.

The cylinder blew apart with a thunderclap. Violet closed her eyes, expecting to burn or melt under the miniature star’s radiance. Its light met that of the aura surrounding Violet and the two magics’ frequencies harmonized. The magic’s intense burst of power passed harmlessly around the distressed android as it radiated outwards, releasing a vast quantity of stasis-stored Cherenkov radiation in a single instant.

The intense UV light washed over the room, reflecting off the metal walls, floor, and ceiling, scarring everything with its burning luminance until the other tubes hoses began to smoke. The monsters shrieked in pain and thrashed, their flesh bubbling and boiling, blistering and popping in mere moments.

Violet opened her eyes, took in the chaos, noted the oozes languishing in rapidly dissolving agony, and pulled the mother of all u turns, not caring about the damage warnings flashing before her eyes as she ripped a few minor myomer bundles in her hind legs as she shot back into the corridor.

Don’t question it, just run. Don’t question it, just run. Don’t question it, just run! Violet repeated to herself, focusing on retracing her steps to get back to the escape route.

Violet retraced her steps, making it through one turn before the monster's pained shrieks became a chorus of wrathful bellows and roars. Her ears drooped back and pupils shrank as Violet realized she’d only made them angry.

I should have shot them. Buck.

She heard the slap-slap-squelch of their hideous locomotion drawing nearer and nearer, moving with much more speed and urgency than before.

They were playing with me… Violet realized in horror. I only thought I was faster. I don’t have the power to go any faster than this if I want to have primary power to climb those stairs. What the buck do I do?

Running was the only option. The monsters enraged echoing bellows closed in on her, starting to sound like they were right on her tail.

Random door! She decided.

Violet began to look for a door with a green access panel. Anywhere to hole up for a moment. Anywhere she might hide, or cut the monsters off from her.

A rusty-red clawed hand grabbed her rear left leg. It yanked, sending Violet slamming into the floor. She screamed. A second, third, and fourth hand grabbed her, digging into her silicone skin, piercing it, and then tearing into the fibers beneath her synthetic flesh.

Pushing through the pain, Violet twisted around and began firing her blaster, praying to anything listening that she’d hit some hidden vital organ. Her blasts punched hole after hole into the abominations as they lifted her off the ground. The gathered mass oozed through the gaps between blasted monstrosities and the walls and ceiling, filling the entire corridor as a block of mutating, oozing, pulsating, hungry limbs, maws, and eyes.

The hands seized her forelegs and head and began to pull in different directions. Violet closed her eyes and grit her teeth, bracing for the pain of being ripped asunder. The monsters began to bellow a warbling victorious cry.

The snap and hiss of plasma burning the air punctuated the monstrous horde’s bellowing. A black blade jacketed in white light plunged through the largest ooze, burning and slicing its way down the monster’s midsection, bisecting it in an instant. Violet opened her eyes just in time to see the blade reach the floor, bounce upwards through the pink slime, and rotate through a lightning fast arc, to cut a question-mark shaped slice through the monster's bubbling flesh.

The oozes collapsed, falling into a pile, shrieking in pain from the burns, entirely unperturbed by being split. The blade and a now slime covered silhouette hurtled through the collapsing oozes, shooting past Violet and hooking her with a long, thick, saurian tail, dragging her along the corridor.

Violet spared a moment to glance at her savior. They were roughly pony sized, distinctly a mixture of crocodilian and canine (though leaning more crocodilian), seemingly eyeless, and covered in thick black bony plates rather than scales. Despite the natural armor they appeared fairly sleek, and moved with surprising speed and grace for something pulling a pony along with their tail while holding a lit energy blade in their mouth.

A glint of silver on her savior’s back caught Violet’s eye. One of their plates had been torn out, and a piece of the long dead biped’s armor had been stuffed into the hole. More intriguing, the sound of this creature’s talons on steel produced the same tak-tak-tak sound she’d heard earlier.

“Thanks!” Violet shouted, twisting back around to try and free herself of her rescuer’s tail to run on her own.

As she moved, Violet couldn't help but notice the formerly four monsters were now eight and hurriedly pulling themselves into more mobile shapes.

Her rescuer responded to Violet’s words with a surprisingly canid noise best describable as the tired “borf…” a malamute makes when they want to just lay down and sleep without you bothering them at the end of a long day.

Violet pulled herself free of its long tail and stumbled slightly as her damaged hind legs found their pace despite their new punctures. As soon as she pulled herself free, Violet's rescuer swung its head (and the blade with it), and growled loudly, jerking its head to the right then immediately turning right towards a door and scratching at it with its front talons.

Can… Can it not open doors? Violet mused, no longer sure if their rescuer was a person or a clever animal someone had taught to do cool sword tricks.

Violet glanced down the hall. The oozes had collected themselves and began their hunting shrikes again. They’d be on the two in a matter of moments. She turned to the door her rescuer was frantically scratching at. It bore the label [Transit Station].

Yes please! Violet thought as she ripped the manual release panel open and yanked the lever down.

The door slid open with a protesting hiss and the scrape of rust on rust, but it did move. The space on the other side opened out into a small platform, almost exactly like a subway station, but minus any turnstyles or ticket booths. Violet raced in after her rescuer, who made a b-line towards a small ten person hanging monorail car parked at the station, its doors open and seemingly welcoming Violet with their promise of a way to get the buck out of this place.

Violet turned around and slammed the manual release lever back up to shut the doors then bolted through them as they slammed closed. She reached the monorail just as the oozes slammed into the door. It bowed inwards with a metallic groan, creaking and rattling as the oozes pounded and clawed against it.

Violet raced further into the monorail, noting her saurian friend had sat down in front of the vehicles control panel, weapon extinguished but still held in their draconic mouth. They whined, again, just like a big dog… But gestured to their face then the controls. With the slightly better light and the moment of safety brought by the door, Violet was able to see the poor thing's eyes had been torn out, and small armor plates had been wedged over and into the sockets like crude bandages. The creature had small heat-pits around its nose and eyes much like a snake’s, implying it was navigating by sound, smell, and warmth.

“Oh,” Violet said out loud. I wonder if the oozes did that? Wait, the controls! It wants to operate this, but can’t because it can't read… Uh, assuming it could before the whatever-had-happened.

Violet glanced at the control panel, surprised to see it holding physical buttons and levers instead of a holographic projection. The largest lever had speed markings from positive ten to negative ten. It was set to zero. Violet slammed it forwards to positive ten.

The monorail hissed as its ancient air brakes released. The station door cracked, buckling inwards as the blending colors of ooze started to bubble through the hairline crack they had made. The monorail’s outer doors closed with a little more force than necessary. The car shuddered and began to roll forwards.

The oozes pushed enough of themselves through to start pulling their crack wider. Violet winced, gritting her teeth. “Faster please…”

An ancient speaker in the car’s roof hissed and crackled to life. “Good; evening, and welcome to the Fast-Acting Unilateral Substrate Terraforming Facility Transit System. This automated car is provided for; the security and convenience of employees. Please feel free to move about the train or, simply, sit back and enjoy the ride.”

Despite her core pulsating with terror, and coolant pump working overtime, Violet couldn’t help but look behind her at the monorail’s rear… Where there was no other car.

“Thanks but… One car doesn't make a train, also please go bucking faster!” Violet protested at the ceiling speaker.

The monsters ripped the outer door open and began to surge forth like a tsunami of crayon sewage. The car’s EM repulsors finished warming up and it silently shot forwards at a speed not even magic biology could ever hope to achieve, racing down the long tunnel ahead towards someplace hopefully safe.

Violet sighed in relief. Her saurian companion proceeded to curl into a ball next to Violet, and growl lightly as she moved away slightly.

Okay, probably cold blooded. He can have my waste heat. Least I can do. Violet thought before looking back up at the speaker. “Thank you. Uh, is this dude your friend or pet, or what?”

The speaker crackled again. “The time is 2047 Hours. Current topside temperature is 8.8 degrees, with an estimated high of 11.2. The F.A.U.S.T. compound is maintained at a pleasant 20 degrees at all times.”

“Okay, but—” Violet began, stopping as she suddenly realized she was talking to a recording.

The holographic display board at the top of the train flicked on, scrolling text past the windows to indicate where the train was going followed by [Get off at the next stop. Bring my friend with you.]

Violet nodded slowly. As far as I know, it hasn’t steered me wrong so far.

“This train is inbound from Sector C Test Labs and bound for Sector A Control Facilities. If your intended destination is a high-security area beyond Sector A, you will need to return to the Central Transit Hub in Area 11 and board a high security train—”

Violet turned the speaker out and simply laid down to minimize the work her poor overtaxed and nearly depleted self-repair systems and power bank had to do to patch up her mangled legs and neck.

Let’s hope things are better wherever we wind up… Or that I can find a motherbucking charger and a big pile of nanite food. Or some robot painkillers because ow…

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Junebug - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Divine Forgeheart - Limited Perfection

Sam, June, and Trixie burst through the lilac door, nearly getting stuck on one another as they forced their way through, their armor scraping and scratching against the door frame and each other. The three made it into the hallway just as they heard the inner doors thud open and the saurian beasts' canid-like braying began in earnest.

“Ten doors!” Sam recalled taking off at a dead sprint for the room which Trixie mentioned containing a back passage.

Trixie ran after her, prompting June to take to the air and shoot past her friends.

“Fly you fools!” June shouted.

Sam snapped her wings open and took off. Trixie shapeshifted in a blaze of light, emerging from her transformation already in the air. The three flew down the corridor, bank-landing sideways in front of the tenth door down.

“Left or right?” June yelped, spending a moment to look over her shoulder back down the hall.

The reptilian monsters were sprinting after the three, braying and hissing as they ran with extreme speed. They’d covered a quarter of the distance between them already.

“Right!” Tixie shouted back.

June looked to the door. It was the locked one she’d tried to open earlier. June didn’t think, she simply took her axe from her back and swung it vertically down onto the bolt between the two doors.

The axe sang as it whistled through the air, leaving a visible blueish white arc of magic behind it, then cleaved into and through the door bolt with a mighty pang! of shattering steel.

June reflexively checked the axe. It was fine. The feeble door latch was not.

Sam kicked the doors open and waved everypony through. They had just enough time to dash through the open doors and slam them shut behind them before the creatures reached the door. The three mares braced the doors with their backs, rearing up to put as much force on them as they could. The creatures began to push, and scratch, and ram the twin live oak panels over and over.

“Doors need backup bolts!” Sam shouted over the cacophonous din of barks, growls, and thuds shaking the door behind them.

“Yep!” June agreed.

“Can you two hold it without me for six seconds?” Trixie asked.

“We can try,” Sam stated.

June shifted to her hindlegs to brace herself better. Sam did the same and Trixie pulled away from the group. Each shuddering slam suddenly hit that much harder. Sam and June closed their eyes tight and spread their wings, doing their best to strain against the pounding.

Trixie shapechaged back to her usual form, closed her eyes, lit her horn, and focused. Clearing her mind she directed her telekinesis to the door handles, pushing against them, through them, and pushing a flourish of magic into remaking the severed bolt.

“That will hold for a minute, maybe. Get out the climbing kits and chain them shut!” Sam ordered.

Sam hesitantly pulled away from the door. The beast's assault continued, shaking the doorframe, but not kicking them in. June took a deep breath to be brave and pulled away as well. The door bucked and shook visibly, but remained shut.

“Okay, piton the walls, chain across the door,” Sam said decisively, digging her climbing kit out from her bag.

June followed suit, taking out the small wooden box from her saddlebags she popped open the lid and looked for chains. There were none.

“I only have rope.”

“It will have to do,” Sam said as she swore under her breath. “I only have rope too. Buck it, just go!”

Trixie took a piton from June’s kit and used her telekinesis to start pounding it into the wall. “Hurry! I can hear the wood snapping!”

The three worked frantically, each scrape, thud, and howl sent a shiver down their spine. The door creaked and groaned, threatening to break open at any moment. June slammed one piton home in the time Sam had gotten two into the wall. The moment Trixie finished her own, she grabbed one of the kit’s ropes and wove it through the pitons, tying it tightly in a double x pattern over the doors.

The saurian hounds continued their assault, the door creaked and groaned, straining against the ropes as the sound of gouging and splintering wood filled the air.

“It won’t last longer than three more minutes at this rate,” June noted out loud.

“Yep…” Sam agreed, drawing in a sucking hissing breath. “Guess the projection wasn’t on our side. Would have mentioned those things if he were.”

“Unless he did,” Trixie said quickly. “He did say get snacks… Or at least, June thought he did. What happened to your translator talisman?”

June closed her eyes and sighed. “It’s back at the lab. We came straight here from a walk out to the old quarry. Why would I have brought it? Why would I have been wearing the translator link I made?”

“Fair,” Trixie said with a weary sigh. “Sorry. Stress.”

“It’s fine.” Sam said, gritting her teeth and reaching into her saddle bags. “I have an idea… My guns don’t hurt them. Magic might. That axe might. June, Trixie; step back from the door. Guard it. I’ll look for the hidden passage. After one, last, little, touch.”

Sam’s hoof finally found what she was looking for. She withdrew a canteen full of water from her bag and set it down. Then a ziplock bag full of walnuts. Then some duct tape…

June frowned and looked at the assortment of items. “What are you—”

Then Sam took out two breaching charges and began to wire them up. “IED,” she answered.

“Improvised Explosive Device,” Trixie translated into civilian, then snapped her head around to Sam. “Are you crazy?! The back blast could—”

“Few alternatives,” Sam objected as she taped the walnut bag to the canteen then slapped the breaching charges to the other side.

“How far back do we, uh, step?” June asked, her tail lashing as she nervously whinnied.

Trixie picked June up with her magic and set her about a quarter of the way into the room. “Here, and put on your ear pro if it isn’t already.”

June didn’t need to be told twice. She fished the ear plugs attached to her helmet kept via a pair of strings out of her breastplate and slipped them into her ears.

The door continued to buck and groan. Sam slapped the IED to the door, taped it in place, and set the detonators up as pull wires, pinning them to the other side of the door.

“Okay,” she said calmly. “Trixie, June, keep us covered… Also, where should the passage be?”

“Uh, rear wall. Not sure how to get to it. It’s in the center,” Trixie reported, biting her lip nervously and staring at the very crude bomb in front of her.

“Those are shaped charges, right?” June asked, nervously fidgeting with her axe.

“Yes. But that doesn’t mean what you think it means, and shrapnel bounces,” Trixie commented idly.

Sam disappeared into the back of the room. June turned her head to see where she went, learning for the first time that the room was lined with bookshelves. They were all empty, but she could see how the weight of books or scrolls had bowed the shelves down over ages.

At least if we die, it will be in a library, June thought to herself, doing her best to stay focused on the door. I’ll bet this place was really cool once. NO! FOCUS!

The door bent inwards, straining against the ropes and the upper hinges. She could hear the creak and groan of wood as the hinges started to fail. June’s eyes laser focused on the trip wires. They were slack.

“Trixie, the door won't open. It will fall,” June said, pointing to the hinges with her axe.

Trixie looked, understood immediately, and with a blaze of arcane light cut the ropes. The doors burst open a heartbeat later, pulling the wires, triggering the detonators, and detonating both silenced charges. The fireball was enormous, but the blast was silent other than the shattering of wood and splintering of hardened flesh, which it turns out is quite loud.

The water, being incompressible, carried the explosion's energy evenly into the door and the bag of walnuts. The middle of the door vaporized into sawdust, blasting the bulk of the monstrous hounds with fragments of oak and walnuts.

The fragments blinded and lacerated a dozen of the creatures. Pained yelps echoed through the hallway as several of the beasts fell to the shrapnel. Many others turned and ran, their ears bleeding from the silent explosion and their noses overwhelmed with the smell of their own kind’s blood.

Another dozen, on the other hoof, were pissed right the buck off.

They burst through the ruined door before the flames cleared, howling with their maws open wide as they raced for the two mares. June hesitated for a moment, swearing she heard Sam scream in pain. Then the beasts were on them.

Trixie grabbed the lead beast with her magic and slammed it into two of its brothers, using the creature as a living club. Her assault kept some at bay, but three rushed past the flailing improvised flail and headed straight for June.

June reared up and raised her axe. The weapon’s spirit seemed to growl as the beast approached. It whispered to June, telling her what to do without truly telling her. In that moment, for each heartbeat, she simply knew what needed to be done.

She swung the axe downwards into the first beast's skull. The axe blade skipped off its boney armor, but the force laid it out cold. The second lunged for her neck, jaws wide. June stepped back and brought her free foreleg up to block. Its maw latched onto her armored leg, pulling her downwards as the creature wrenched its neck.

June simply swung her axe at her own leg and buried the glimmering blade into the base of the creature’s throat with a wet schlup. It gurgled, let go, pulling free of her axe blade, vomited blood, then fell over dead.

The third hesitated, then bunched its legs and pounced. June dropped to her belly, letting the monster jump over her as she rolled onto her back and swung the axe up into its path, splitting its belly along its whole length, covering herself in the monster's entrails as they fell from its opened guts.

The remainder of the pack began to whimper, then hissed and retreated from the doorway. They remained outside, glaring in through the open door, a few pacing back and forth. Trixie growled and threw her no-longer-living flail through the doors into the wall. It hit the silver plating with a crack and slid down the wall, trailing blood.

This was too much for the beasts. They turned and ran back up the hall without a sound.

“Yeah! You better run!” Trixie shouted down the hall, horn still ablaze with magic.

“Ew…” June whimpered, unable to not think about what she was covered in. “EW!”

Trixie looked over at her sister-in-arms. Her eyes widened. She started to nod, thoroughly impressed, then saw the look of utter panic and disgust in her eyes and flinched.

“EW!” June shrieked as some of the creature’s lower intestines slid off her barrel and emptied bile sludge onto her neck and face.

Trixie quickly wiped June off with her telekinesis. “Good job, June.”

“Ew…” June whimpered, trembling as she climbed to her hooves.

“Help!” Sam called from the back of the room. “S— Second… Time… It was noisy… Boobytrap.”

Trixie nodded to June. “Go help. I’ll watch.”

June silently nodded, did her best to forget the last twelve seconds of tactile memory, and jogged to the back of the room.

“W— What’s wrong?” She stammered, yelping in fright as she saw Sam, standing next to an open bookcase door, but also pinned to the adjacent bookcase by three crystal spikes through her right foreleg.

“Forgot… Own warnings…” Sam said with a weak smile.

“I’ll get them out,” June promised, moving to Sam’s side and examining her leg quickly.

The spikes were clearly conjured magically, originating at small rune plates set into the bookshelf itself at equidistant point on the bottom of the shelf above the door’s activation lever set into the back of the cabinet. The arrangement ensured nopony could reach the lever without getting close to at least one of the rune plates, and more than likely all three of them.

The spikes themselves had clearly flash-grown from the rune plates directly into Sam’s leg, and then through them.

June flinched and looked to Sam. “Those are through bone… I’ll have to cut the spikes from the plates to get them out without— Um… This will hurt a lot.”

“Had worse,” Sam admitted with a faint smile. “D— Do it.”

June nodded, reared up, readied her axe and swung at the spikes. The blade struck the top crystal at the base and a flash of blue light burst outwards from the whole set, which simply widened into blades in response to June’s blow, severing Sam’s foreleg into three even pieces.

Sam screamed and fell back, landing on her plot with a thud and starting to swear profusely as blood gushed from the stump of her right leg.

June’s face went pale, she looked to her axe and to Sam back and forth half a dozen times, trying to work out if she’d swung vertically on accident. “I— I’m sorry!”

“STOP BLEEDING!” Sam screeched through clenched teeth, grabbing the wound with her remaining forehoof to put pressure on it.

“R—Right,” June stammered, dropping her weapon to dig through her saddlebags as fast as possible.

Medkit, where is the medkit, it’s in here somewhere where is it?

“Girls? They’re coming back!” Trixie called out worriedly. “With more.”

Sam took a deep breath and called out. “Get the buck back here, we’ll close the door then tend this…” She trailed off, starting to feel faint from blood loss.

June’s eyes flicked through her bag as she dug. Where is it?! Where the buck is it?! I know it was on top! No, I moved it to get the rope. Where—

Something moved in the corner of June’s eye. Half on instinct, half on panic she picked her axe up and reared up to strike. Trixie caught June’s leg in her magic on reflex, then gasped as she saw Sam laying in the rapidly growing pool of her own blood.

“Buck!” Trixie yelped, grabbing the two mares with her telekinesis and pulling them through the open bookcase door. “How do we close this?!”

“Magic,” June said, her voice trembling. “Booby traps. Sam…”

Sam groaned and pointed with a nod of her head towards an iron lever set into the wall. Trixie cast a shield spell over the three and yanked the lever down. The door swung shut with a deep thud, followed by an iron portcullis which slid down over the entryway, locking into holes in the floor to secure the entrance.

June turned back to her bags, “I moved my med kit,” she said, her eyes starting to fill with tears, gesturing beyond the closed door.

the axe said to June.

June hesitated for a moment. Trixie ripped open her own bag and found her med kit after a second. Sam moaned, her grip on her stump loosening as her vision started to dim. Trixie started to open the small plastic box.

June took a deep breath and grabbed the front of Sam’s armor. “Get this off. Axe,” June managed to say through her tears and stress.

Trixie froze for a heartbeat. “She can— June. We don’t need to mercy kill her.”

“Y— Yea…” Sam agreed, starting to slump over.

June shook her head. “Axe said to touch it to her gem,” she managed to murmur as she unbuckled the ballistic vest’s straps.

Trixie decided that understanding was for losers and quickly pulled the underlying spell-resistant armor away from Sam’s barrel, exposing the glowing stone set into the mare’s barrel.

“These should be body gloves,” June murmured as she tapped the gemstone with the flat of the axe blade. “No reason not to cover the legs too.”

June felt her understanding of the situation flow from her mind through the axe into the stone. The gem shimmered, sparkled, then blazed with an inner light. Sam gasped, jolting upright as she felt a deep upwelling of mana flow from her chest through her body, filling her with life. The energy surged a second time, transmitting from raw magic into freshly summoned blood, filling the mare’s empty veins. Another pulse of power and her vitals stabilized. A third pulse from the gem raced through her body, down the remainder of her leg, then flowed outwards as orange light.

The light warped and bent, taking the shape of the flesh which had once been there, then solidified into a smooth crystal replica of Sam’s original limb, but with a claw matching her left manipulator. Sam stared at the crystal limb, reflexively trying out its range of motion. It even unfolded just like the old one had.

“Looks just like a crystal pony’s,” Trixie said quietly, breaking the silence after several long moments.

Sam looked at the gem in her chest, took a quick breath, then tried to stand up, putting weight on the replacement limb. It seemed to work just fine.

“Hurts a little still, but it works,” Sam mumbled to herself.

“I— I’m so sorry,” June said, her ears falling flat. “I— I don’t think I—”

Sam shook her head. “You hit the crystals. Swing was perfect. Booby trap was booby trapped… Like I told you, then forgot,” she said, flinching slightly as she took a step. “I— I really need to learn how to use this. And why does your axe know how?”

June took a deep breath and looked Sam in the eyes. “You’re sure I didn’t buck up?”

“I’m pretty damn sure I felt those spikes turn to bucking blades when you hit six centimeters above my leg,” Sam said in a voice of a mare more than used to her share of exactly this kind of trauma. “Try not to panic. It’s… It’s okay for now. I can get this amputated later. Regen potion will fix it up good as new. Not my first new leg… First time I grew the new one on my own…”

Trixie took a deep breath and pointed to the stairs leading down from the small landing they were clustered on. “Um… Passage is here.”

Sam nodded and began to trot down the stairs, flinching with each step as the crystal prosthesis pushed against the stump. “OW! Buck’s sake… Clearly not healing magic… I think the stump’s still raw. Just, sitting on the crystal.”

June flinched and moved up alongside Sam. “Here, lean on me, least I can d—”

June’s offer cut off as she saw the canal at the bottom of the stairs. It was a simple brick tunnel with a walkway on one side. The canal ran through the tunnel as far as she could see in either direction, and was filled with a murky yellowish-brown-green fluid within which uncountable bits of flesh floated within the backed up and stagnant fluid.

Sam gasped as she saw what she knew to be an industrial body disposal. Exactly the kind seen at a slaughterhouse. “Oh… Oh by all that is holy… Do not, I repeat, do not, fall into whatever that fluid is.”

June nodded instantly. “Yeah, no shit! If it’s kept that stuff from rotting for twelve thousand years, it’s not good for you.”

“Let’s try not to even breath it,” Sam agreed, continuing to limp along.

June side-eyed the toxic river of evil. Or throw up in it… And splash it anywhere…Or break that pudding-like skin on the surf—

June’s stomach failed her. She turned her head away from the canal and managed to throw up on the stairs… And Trixie’s boots.

Trixie made a face, managing to keep her own lunch down and cleaning them both again with a wave of magic.

“Sorry…” June apologized.

“It’s fine. Bad day for everypony,” Trixie said as she made her way down the stairs. “Come on. Not far now.”

Sam stared into the stagnant canal for a few moments, swearing that one of the eyes she could see just under the surface was looking at her.

“Girls…” Sam said slowly. “There might be a monster in there. I don’t want any more slip ups. I’m dizzy. I’m thirsty. I know this gem didn’t give me all my blood back, just, well, enough. I might fall over. I might slip. I’m a casualty right now. I’m not walking next to that crap. Hell, I don’t want any of us walking near that crap. Trixie, morph. Now. Were not even touching that walkway. We’re flying right up the stairs we need to go up, getting to the throne room, opening its hidden passage, with magic so nopony loses anything important, then getting this the buck done. Okay? Okay.”

The others nodded in agreement. There’d been enough accidents and errors for today.

Trixie shapeshifted once more and the three flew after her down the canal, taking care to not touch the walls, floor, or even ceiling, just in case.

June took a few steps down the stairs, looking down at the edges of the canal, eyes searching for any sign of creatures. Just because we’re in the air doesn't necessarily mean we’re out of reach of anything living in—

A series of scratches in the flagstones caught her eye. Half an hour ago, she wouldn’t have thought too much more than ‘something’s walked here a lot’, but with the monster’s she’d just faced, her mind’s eye filled the scratches in with the monster's claws immediately. They were a perfect match.

They come back here… Why? June mused. Oh, duh. Food. There’s all that preserved pony meat in the… River…

“Oh…” June whispered to herself, realizing exactly how the factory above had worked. “First Kingdom Sages perfected their bodies, then were made into parts to be used to make alicorns… Buck…”

Sam cleared her throat. “Sorry that the history books are wrong, but we need to keep moving.”

June nodded. “Yeah… Those dog-lizards come back here. We should move.”

“Right.”

June opened her wings and took off, arriving a short time later on a landing much like the one they’d left a hooffull of seconds before. She returned to her unicorn form before the other two mares even landed, and pulled the iron lever at the top of the landing.

No trap went off, and as Sam and June touched down on the landing just as its portcullis receded into the ceiling and the stone bricks of the wall in front of them simply folded down into the floor like a deck of shuffling cards in an elegant display of telekinetic sequencing.

A tapestry rolled upwards after the bricks folded down, giving the three a view of what was, very technically, a throne room. It was seven-sided, made from a solid slab of black marble trimmed in gold, with a large vaulted ceiling, and a raised dais in the center of the room where a throne sat.

The throne was also gold, and likely solid. Its arm rests were studded with hundreds of carved gemstone switches and buttons. It had plush crimson cushions which matched the throne room’s seven long carpets perfectly. The carpets ran from the dais outwards like spokes, each ending at a large archway containing a black marble door.

The room was also lit by a series of crystals set into the ceiling which mimicked the stars in the night sky. Not accurately, but artistically. There were plenty of other decorations too, tapestries, sculptures, and paintings, but June didn’t give a buck about them for one simple reason.

The throne was not centered on the dais. It was resting to one side, revealing a large trap door, big enough for two alicorns to use. The trap door was also open, its hinged doors having swung upwards to accommodate a simple bronze elevator car, open topped and sided, which simply rested there. Waiting for use.

“They didn’t close the passage,” June said, a tear coming to her eye. Finally, some luck!

Sam shook her head. “I don’t like it. Trixie? Scan it.”

Trixie lit her horn and cast no less than four detection charms. “Amazingly… It’s clear. As far as I can tell. I can throw something onto it.”

“Please do,” Sam instructed.

Trixie trotted out onto the white marble floor, her footsteps echoing widely around the room. She took a glow stick from her saddlebag, activated it so the stick would have a magical signature nothing could miss, and tossed it onto the elevator car.

Nothing happened.

“I don’t have anything alive to throw,” Trixie warned. “But I think it’s safe.”

Sam nodded to June. “Let’s go. Safe as we can test for will have to do.”

June nodded in agreement and began to walk to the throne, then paused. “Wait, Luna wanted the city’s teleport interdiction disabled. So we can save Violet.”

“Right,” Sam grunted thinking back. “She didn’t mention how. Hold on…”

Sam pressed down her radio button. “Luna, come in Luna. We’re at the stupid chair. Which of the hundred buttons turns off the teleport wards?”

Amazingly, Luna’s voice came back almost immediately. “The one labeled teleport interdiction,” she answered. “June can read it. We’re doing better up here, but it’s still a dire situation. With all due haste, Sergeant”

Sam nodded once. “Right.” She let go of her radio and gestured to June.

June walked over to the throne while Trixie hesitantly and tentatively stepped onto the elevator car.

Nothing happened.

“Clear,” Trixie called as June reached the throne.

June opened her wings and flew upwards a meter to hover at the right height to read the throne controls. Her eyes flicked between the labeled controls, searching for—

“Oh. It’s one of the illuminated ones,” June said as she took note of several buttons glowing, one of which was labeled [external teleport restriction].

Or, in Equish… June pressed the button. “Teleport interdiction.”

Sam pressed down on her radio again. “You can teleport as needed now, Princess.”

“Understood.”

“Come on,” Trixie urged. “We’re at the last leg… Before we have to escape this hell.”

June winced and flew over to the elevator car, landing as she asked. “Did you have to put it that way?”

Sam stepped onto the car and pressed the obvious ‘go down please’ button on the elevator’s control panel. “Yes. Today is definitely one of those days,” Sam muttered bitterly, mad she forgot her own warning about traps.

The car shook for a moment, hummed, then began to quietly creak downwards into a brass walled elevator shaft.

Well, here goes… Hopefully nothing, June thought to herself. Who am I kidding? It’s going to be all mutant t-rexes and giant golems for the next hour…

24 - The Battle of Evergreen Falls II

Raven Inkwell - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Young Moon’s Hunting Lodge - Hackamore Valley

Raven stared back and forth between Source's illusion and two of her display units. She had formed two squads of battle mages, and one full STF unit by dropping several other squads to skeleton crew status.

“The first group of reinforcements will arrive soon,” Raven said out loud, mostly for Source’s sake. “How much time is left on your illusion?”

“I do not believe I have to refresh it, ma’am. It seems stable.” The wizard reported.

“Right. Luna’s old runeworks… We should ask her how to do that. I heard they’re a lost art.” Raven noted.

“Indeed they are,” Source commented gently. “Ponies often forget many useful things. Yourself included, ma’am.”

Raven turned to face the wizard, arching an eyebrow as if to say ‘go on’.

Source raised a hoof to his muzzle and coughed gently. “Well, if I may speak freely: You’ve been acting as the Administrator of CARE, and seemingly forgotten your other ranks, titles, and duties. Understandable, given the situation, but—”

Rave facehooved and turned to look over the military communications equipment. “You are absolutely right.”

Raven’s eyes flicked across the array of displays, relays, and talismans until they found the Field Phone. The red one.

Raven picked up the phone and looked Source in the eyes. “Turn around.”

The wizard complied. Raven punched in a 38 digit number and set the phone down not on its cradle, but on the phone input of one of the display systems.

“You can look now,” Raven said as the display’s scry tracking winked out, replaced almost instantly with a simple black and amber text display for the military communications system EquisNet.

Source turned back in time to see Raven begin to type a message. “What exactly are you doing?” he asked, more curious than anything else.

“The Venture D is off the coast of Vanhoofer with its carrier group for a training exercise. I’m asking for a little help,” Raven answered as she hit send. “And then I’m emailing Celestia to ask her if she informed Luna that our navy has an air force. Because I can’t see any other reason why Luna wouldn’t have deployed them if she knew.”

Source squinted at the message, frowning ever so slightly as he attempted to interpret the last line. “Ma’am, I believe the odds of your request being understood are low. Perhaps you should clarify without using Renaissance era High Equish?”

“You need to have more faith in our armed forces, Source.” Raven commented. “I’m tired of losing good people.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

COMMO Smooth Jazz - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
EQS Venture-D - 88km off the Coast of Vanhoofer

Jazz squinted at her monitor, doing her best to interpret the order which had come in. The authorization codes checked out, but the poor mare was certain the Regent had used some sort of code to double encrypt the message. It had to be fully deciphered before the Venture could relay the order to its carrier group.

Emergency support request. Priority Black. Authorization Solar via Regent Raven Inkwell.

Immediate military and medical aid required at 44.8184797°N 118.2046633°W. Classified Strategic Resources under immediate threat from hostile entity. Strategic Value absolute.

Princesses Luna and Cadence engaged in combat. Civilian contractors under fire. Wounded mounting. Casualties high. Projected losses high. Princesses at risk of immediate grievous harm or death. Immediate assistance required in addition to primary strike force.

Paramedics requested. Air support requested. Fleet bombardment not approved.

Execute request order Miratio Fulmen Periclitor.

Jazz looked up from the red codebook, having ripped two pages from it frantically flipping back and forth. “What the buck is ‘request order Miratio Fulmen Periclitor’?”

Captain Gracious Lantern, one of those nerds who think dead languages are cooler than hoofball practice, leaned over to peer at Jazz’s monitor.

“It’s old Canterlot court language, lieutenant,” he said calmly, then used Jazz’s keyboard to quickly type out a quick reply for the Regent. [Deploying the Wonderbolts.]

The Captain deployed his manipulator gauntlet and picked up the fleet radio. “Attention all hooves: Exercise is hereby suspended. We are responding to a priority black distress call from our Regent. Wonderbolt squadrons 2, 3, and 5. Cease war game routes and proceed at top speed to 44.8 north by 118.2 west. Expect hostiles and casualties. Report situation on arrival. All other forces, ready alpha strike, launch ASAP. Support vessels: Ready artillery but do not fire without my command.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Princess Luna - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Blackstone Quarry - Hackamore Valley

Luna growled, her legs trembled and twitched as she struggled against the inky beast before her. She had managed to grab the not-deer’s hooves with her own, thereby turning their melee into a wrestling match. Her muscles bulged and ached. The not-deer’s strength matched her own, but like all of the shadowy entity’s conjured minions, it lacked endurance.

A beam of blue-white light sliced Luna’s foe in half. It collapsed into an oily sludge like the rest of its fallen kin. Luna looked up, nodding to Cadence in thanks for the beam.

“Cover me!” Luna demanded more than requested.

Cadence stretched her wings, flapped hard, and began to hover, rotating to blast any creatures which got too close to Luna. Which were most of them.

Luna fished down her bandoliers, searching for her next mana potion. If our foe has any strategy, it must be to deplete our reserves. I should not have burned through six times my pool during this battle. It must be draining our power somehow… Yet I cannot detect any signs of such magic.

Her left hoof found the magically hardened vile. Luna ripped off the stopper and slugged the potion down in one fluid gulp.

“Cadence,” Luna called over the general roar of laser fire, creatures bellowing, and the maddening echoes from the pit’s walls. “I have one more potion.”

“I’m out,” Cadene reported. “It’s got to be draining us, somehow.”

“Perhaps we should fall back and bombard?” Luna asked, her veins starting to tingle as mana flooded them once more.

“I sent some of Raven’s ponies to get us more pots,” Cadence said, simply informing Luna of the stop gap. “Can you figure out how it’s draining us?”

“No,” Luna answered. “Bombardment, yes or no?”

“Maybe,” Cadence replied, taking a moment to flash-freeze a group of monsters.

Luna jumped to her left to dodge a tentacle as it slammed into the ground. Her dodge brought Enox’s downed mech back into view.

There’s time enough to see this objective through, regardless of what comes next, Luna decided.

The Princess snapped open her wings and took off, flying just above her walking height to dodge the enemy’s flailing appendages. She alighted on the mech’s hull with a thud, lit her horn, and ripped the canopy free from the cockpit.

Enox’s still and limp form lay within. The quills which had pierced her chest, shoulder, and left eye had melted with the rest of the monster, but the holes remained.

Luna closed her eyes for an instant, as close to a moment of silence as a warrior can afford on the battlefield. Luna cut Enox’s harness free with a precise burst of spellbolts, grabbed the tiny alien’s body with her magic and flew upwards, arcing through the air around the flailing tentacles to alight on the edge of the pit next to Fluttershy, who was tending to the wounded they had been able to extract from the pit along with everypony else who knew even a lick of first aid.

Fluttershy gasped. “No! She can’t—”

“See if she breathes. I know not if her species would be slain by such a blow. A changeling would survive this,” Luna grunted as she set Enox down.

“P— Pinkie! I don’t know how to handle this!” Fluttershy shouted across the triage zone.

The Pink mare looked up from putting a bandage on a zebra’s ribs. “Tag!”

Fluttershy nodded and ran towards the Zebra, Pinkie moved for Enox. Luna turned her attention back to the battle.

We’ve kept it in the quarry… She mused, assessing the situation through the eyes of a trained commander. That, or it’s chosen to remain within—

The flailing mass of tentacles surged upwards, seemingly lengthening only to slam down on the edges of the basalt pit and pull. The SkyTech crew screamed, falling back from the edge of the pit in a panic. The two STF squads remained slightly more calm, simply shifting their fire. Luna took to the air, meeting up with Cadence as the two mares stared downwards.

“This would be where our energy went,” Cadence said as Luna arrived at her side.

Luna nodded, watching as a great mass of black tinged with the rainbow sheen of an oil slick began to pry itself up from the depths of the world. Ah. It was using us to gain the last portion of what it needed to escape. We’ll have to remedy this. We can injure it, presumably a large enough strike to its center would put an end to this endurance test of a melee.

“If it wants our magic badly enough to steal it, perhaps a gift is in order,” Luna said, then fired a crackling beam of pulsating plasma into the entity’s center.

It screeched and recoiled. Peeling its tentacles from the sides of the pit, the entity moved several to shield itself while swatting at Luna with the others. Luna dodged its flailing limbs, continuing to burn through her refreshed mana as well as its slimy hide. Cadence joined in, lobbing volleys of small blue bolts that exploded into ice as they struck the monster, freezing it solid, then shattering to blast holes into the beast.

Sensing their loosely coordinated assault, Limited Perfection shifted its projection’s attention to supporting their efforts. It fired into the gaps Cadence’s ice bursts carved into the entity’s flesh. It finished cuts Luna started, slicing the tips from some of the creature’s tentacles, cutting others in half.

A ray of gold light lanced one of the tentacles, causing it to pop with a gout of steam and boiling sludge. Luna’s ears snapped flat as a thunderous crack shook the pit a split second after the beam. She traced her eyes back across the pit, taking note of Sky sitting behind a rocky outcrop.

The pegasi wielded a shoulder fired weapon Luna did not recognise. It consisted of a pair of saddle-bag-like battery banks and a generator, cable conduit, and what looked like an old bazooka case stuffed full of electronic components.

Sky made eye contact with Luna and tapped the side of his head, miming gesturing for a radio. She flew into shouting range, firing several barrages of spell bolts over her shoulder and under her wings along the way.

“I had thought you retreated,” Luna shouted down to Sky.

He laughed. “Tactically withdrew to fetch a big gun. Keep me covered! I get one shot a minute. I can pop the ones closest to you two!”

Luna nodded, and turned back to the battle at hoof. The ponies combined assault continued for several long minutes, which passed without progress for either side. The shadow remained at the bottom of a pit, its center mass stuck between worlds like a noxious flower’s bulb emerging from the soil.

Luna growled and stopped firing as she felt her mana beginning to fade again. Cadence stopped alongside her, looking more energized, but also done with the entity’s shit.

“Nothing kills this thing, we’ve hit it with everything we’ve got!” Cadence spat, her left eye twitching irritably.

Luna quickly replayed the battle in her mind. Yes. We’ve tried everything we can do at the spur of the moment in the field… Except…

“Not everything, Cadence. Dusk’s Grace,” Luna said firmly, understanding the idea but not gravity of Cadence’s spell. “I can cover you for the three minutes necessary for you to—”

Cadence’s eyes widened in horror. “Are you mad?!” she snapped. “You want me to blow up the town in order to kill it!?”

Luna blinked. “What? The blast can’t be that big, can it?”

“The blast radius is yes meters!” Cadence explained, looking Luna dead in her eyes. “Didn’t Celestia tell you? It will hit everything in the range of any of my senses! The Applewood Great Lake used to be a town called Applewood!”

Luna winced and let out a long hissing breath. “Oh. Let’s… Try to freeze all of it at once then?”

Cadence shrugged. “No idea how we’d do that, but it’s a better idea than Dusk’s Grace.”

“I’ve never been all that good with cryothermic matrices,” Luna murmured out loud, doing her best to start approaching the dire puzzle.

The moonlight began to dim. Luna remained focused on the entity below them. It had returned to its pulling against the quarry’s rim. Cadence looked up, checking to see if more flying monsters had spawned from the eldritch horror’s fallen tentacles.

A blanket of thick black clouds had formed and drawn itself across the moon. Cadence frowned. “Luna, are you conjuring a storm?”

“No,” Luna answered. “I… I could. Do you think it would help?”

Cadence turned Luna’s head so she could see the fresh storm clouds. “Who did that? Somepony’s doing that. You can feel the pegasus magic.”

“We don’t have any weather ponies fielded,” Luna noted.

A bolt of lightning on par with anything nature itself could muster blazed from the storm clouds, slicing through the air neatly around the two Princesses, then cut back underneath them to strike the shadowy monster directly in its core. It shrieked, its oily flesh crackling and arcing with residual electric charge while steam billowed up from the large crater blasted into its undulating bulk. Its tentacles retreated from the ledge, coiling to shield itself like a serpent retreating to its nest.

A thunderclap boomed from the cloud bank.

“Well buck,” Luna said with an approving nod. “That pony’s getting a medal.”

A white and gold pegasus wearing the blue and gold jumpsuit of a Wonderbolt and a pair of welding goggles dropped from the high-altitude cloud bank in a perfect Immelman dive, pulling back up and entering a hover at the Princess’s eyes levels, and snapped into a salute.

“Major Wild, 108th Wonderbolts, reporting in, ma’ams,” he shout-said in the rapidfire voice of a soldier who would rather not use protocol during the middle of a battle but also didn’t want to get court-martialed for pissing off their Commander in Chief. “We’re readying another bolt. Is the saucer-craft hostile?”

“No,” Cadence said, pointing down. “Cook that slime and nothing else. If you have medics, we have wounded up top, and… Some of the bodies in the pit might not be dead. All of them are friendly, the enemy melts.”

The Major nodded once and turned to fly back up to relay the firing orders.

“Wait,” Luna demanded. “Where did you come from? Nopony is fast enough to make it from Canterlot in half an hour.”

“Rainbow Dash could,” the Major said as a reflexive correction. “We’re from the Venture. She’s just off shore. Raven called us. Seven minute flight for ponies in our wing-power class, and we were already patrolling over the coast for a training exercise, ma’am.”

Luna’s face scrunched in confusion. “Our navy has an air force? We can launch air assets from the— Hold on a moment, the Wonderbolts do things other than rally the public’s spirits?”

The Major’s ears drooped back. “Um… Yes?”

Luna’s confused face burned into anger. “I am going to have words with Celestia after this… Fire at will, Major.”

“Aye, ma’am!”

The Major stretched their wings and shot up into the air, racing to relay the firing orders and direct rescue teams.

Let’s hope the lightning remains as effective as it was on the first hit. Luna thought to herself. Cadence and I are low on energy once more. We’ll be relying on the Wonderbolts to keep the bulk of it pinned for—

“Look!” Cadence said with the largest smile Luna remembered seeing on the pink alicorn all day.

Luna turned to follow the line from Cadence’s hoof and spotted twenty small airships on the horizon. She focused, drawing on alicron magic to boost her pegasus vision. They were all equestrian airships. Troop transports from the look of them. Three of which bore the red cross of air rescue.

“Is that an entire army in transit?” Luna demanded. “We can do that?! From a ship? WHY WAS I NOT INFORMED!?”

Cadence shrugged her wings. “Buck if I know. But they’ll have all the mana pots we could want.”

“Well… At least this will make holding out for, and then retrieving, our special strike team easier,” Luna said after a few moment’s thought.

“Want me to go with you to yell at Celestia for the bad briefings?” Cadence asked, giving Luna a sympathetic look.

“Yes…” Luna grumbled. A thousand years later, and she’s still… Her.

25 - The Mares, the Pedestal, and the Astrolabe

Junebug - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Divine Forgeheart - Limited Perfection

June felt in her heart that the elevator was about to reach the bottom of the shaft. She didn’t know how she knew, but she knew. She braced herself for the inevitable horrors lurking within the depths of the nightmarish palace, squared up her hooves, made sure her axe was ready, and stared straight ahead.

What if there’s poison gas? Or mummy rot? Or a big pile of moldy sludge that’s a breeding ground for Manetezuma’s Revenge? June thought out of the blue, then quickly fetched the gas mask she’d packed into her saddle bag and began to slip it on.

“Oh buck,” Sam said as she noticed June donning her mask and began to put on her own. “I forgot we brought those. Shoulda wore them in the sluice canal.”

Trixie looked over her shoulder at the two mares buckling on their last-gen air hoses and oxygen canister masks and flinched.

“Oh, yeah…” She muttered, putting her own on hastily.

The elevator jolted slightly as the front wall of the shaft opened up just as the three finished tightening their masks’ straps. The elevator began to slow, then popped free of its shaft. The three mares yelped, opening their wings as they instinctively went to fly to avoid falling, only to swifty realize the elevator’s mechanical clicks and hums were illusions. It wasn’t actually mechanical.

The car descended slowly and smoothly through thin air without a detectable hint of magic. As if physics itself had been politely asked to handle the elevator, and had agreed just because it was glad somebody had asked for once.

The shock faded quickly as the three were immediately blinded by bright rays of light. It took them several seconds of blinking for their eyes to adjust from the dim palace lit by the light of their headlamps and lanterns, to what looked and felt like a bright sunny day on the surface.

June craned her neck, searching for the source of the sun-like light. Her eyes widened as she saw the cavern ceiling.

“L—Look!” June stammered, pointing up.

The others turned to look, shocked to see the cavern’s roof had been painted sky blue, but more interested in a series of artificial clouds as well as a huge disk of bronze that hung suspended in the air, shining like the sun on one side, and painted like the moon on the other side. Tiny crystals floated near the ceiling as well, painted blue on one side, and left shiny and reflective on the other so they could flip around to imitate stars.

“I want one…” Trixie murmured, her quiet statement almost lost to her gas mask.

Sam’s ears twitched. “I hear a waterfall,” she commented, bending her neck to look over the car’s side and down into an atrium.

The cavern had been squared off, with the lower third flattened and polished into four walls. They were covered in plaster and stucco to make a nice, pleasant, white wall, capped with orange clay tiles to form a false roof that met the domed section of the cavern ‘skybox’ to give the illusion of a large Romane villa.

The walls were decorated with frescos, and studded with large bay windows where one would expect them to be. Trellises of ivy ran up the walls in a decorative manner, and every window had a thriving flower box.

There was even dark wooden trim where one would expect trim. The overall impression the facade gave was that somepony had taken extreme care to build a warm, inviting, albeit large, home. A mansion in size, but not decor or expense.

Only it wasn’t a building. It was all carefully carved, painted, and finished stone.

The atrium itself took the form of a large garden. With two small artificial rivers flowing through it to create quadrants with a large round river-rock cobbled plaza in the atrium’s center. The rivers were fed by aqueducts set into the third story walls on two of the manor’s sides to create artificial waterfalls. The water features were backed with quartz to make them sparkle and shine, but the river beds themselves were quarried stone. Just like any middle class family’s backyard fancy pool would be, only bigger.

The four quadrants of the garden were mirrors of one another, each home to many large trees of several species, lined with flower banks, hedges, and open grassy lawns furnished with finely crafted cedar lawn furniture arranged around a common feature.

One quadrant had a barbeque pit, another a small stage just big enough for a half dozen people to put on a small play or make a speech, another a small area for some sort of sport, and the last had a blanket set out as if somepony had planned a picnic but never gotten around to it.

“How the heck are the plants not overgr—” June began stopping as she spotted a small number of small flying brass and crystal constructs floating around the plants.

They were pruning, weeding, trimming, mowing, and planting. Simply tending to the garden as it needed when it needed.

“Did we teleport to a Canterlot suburb?” Sam asked just before the car came to a stop on a simple red granite dais at the center of the atrium.

“Sure feels like it,” June agreed.

Trixie took a glow stick and threw it at the plaza to check for traps. The three waited for a moment to see if the entire place would dissolve as an illusion and unleash terrors unknown to ponykind upon them.

One of the construct’s floated over to the glowstick, picked it up, then returned it to Trixie and said something in a mechanical voice.

“Uh,” Trixie said, her eyes flicking to June nervously.

June stared at the construct for a full second before translating. “It said: Please dispose of all trash in designated receptacles.”

Trixie took the glow stick back and looked around the plaza, noticing that somepony had installed tasteful wrought iron wicker trash cans roughly every thirty steps in any given direction. “Okay… Um, looks like our wizard friend was very anal retentive about garbage.”

“This is a themepark arrangement,” June noted. “Cans everywhere. Tended gardens. Elaborate entrance. Fake buildings and sky… Are… Are we in the right place?”

Sam shrugged her wings. “Good question. Trixie, you have the map and notes, right?”

“Yeah,” Trixie said, starting to dig into her bag. “Let me just…”

The other mares waited, refusing to step off the elevator platform until they had answers. Trixie found the papers she was looking for and levitated them out infront of her in a cork board arrangement to take a quick look for anything helpful. Her eyes scanned the many pages while her brow furrowed.

“Uh, girls?” Trixie said, slowly shaking her head. “It’s… It’s just like this. The map shows it. The fragments of the exposition log Safety Lock collected say Grape’s team passed through a ‘park area’ on the way… This is just how it always is.”

“Huh,” Sam said, frowning slightly. “Any sign of danger?”

June bit her lip gently. I suppose… I mean a wizard did live here. There’s the old saying you don’t trap your home while you’re there. But magic lets you set triggers that don’t bother you.

Trixie shook her head again. “No. Just says the entrance to the workshop is on the west side of the park.”

Sam shrugged her wings to check the compass on her bag. “Then… Let’s head that way. Carefully. I’ll take the rear, Trixie, you’re on point.”

The three arranged themselves and trotted across the plaza, over a simple rustic cedar bridge to cross the river, then down a lovely path made from slate paving stones and lined with carefully arranged flower beds full of lavender, green carnations, and yellow pansies, complete with the occasional rustic iron and timber park bench.

June’s eyes darted around the atrium with each step, searching the shadows for any sign of a monster, trap, or monster-releasing trap.

Where the buck is the problem? She demanded as she found nothing but yet more of the kind of yard every dad in the neighborhood was jealous of.

“I like this,” Sam commented, her wings twitching. “Which I don’t like…”

“Right?” June agreed. “Think the paths transmute into lava if we step on the wrong rock?”

“Maybe it’s just a nice yard?” Trixie proposed. “Don’t the legends say Medeis, like, lived down here?”

“Yes,” June agreed. “But this is a house accessed through a hidden elevator beneath the blood tyrant throne of a monster infested alicorn factory!”

Sam nodded in agreement. “Exactly! There’s every implication that Medeis is the Crimson King that letter was talking about.”

June stopped walking for a moment, frowning as she did her best to puzzle that idea out.

What can I remember about the First Kingdom? Not much. And some of it is wrong. They certainly didn’t mostly use harmony magic. I do remember plenty of documents saying their king would meet with the Archmage… No name given for the Archmage, but it’s always been believed to have been Medeis…

Sam sighed and shrugged. “Well, there’s no proof either way. But it does seem like a Batmane setup, doesn't it? I mean, nopony ever saw the two together.”

“No fire pole,” Trixie said dismissively.

“That hasn’t been a thing for like, thirty years,” June nerd-griped.

“Focus,” Sam ordered. “We’re almost at the wall.”

June turned her attention to the wall, or rather door. The pathway ended at a smooth granite porch leading up to a large pair of walnut double doors with polished bronze hardware. The doors were elaborately embellished with an arched top, eight panels featuring bronze-leafed frescoes depicting, as near as June could tell, some of what would likely be Medeis’ great accomplishments of magery.

In the first fresco, amid a cosmic display of energy and light, Medeis soared gracefully, his wings wide, a magnificent figure poised in front of a burst of light brimming with newborn stars. The second fresco depicted as Medeis whimsically extending a hoof, offering a steaming cup of liquid squeezed from roasted beans to a mesmerized crowd. Stretching across the third fresco, Medeis stood majestically beside a towering tree, its roots delving deep into the earth, while its branches reached toward the heavens.

In the fourth fresco, countless scrolls and sparkling spells wove together, forming a tapestry of enchantments as Medeis wove them together from nothingness. The fifth showed Medeis in a moment of mystical transcendence, his horn aglow with ancient magic while standing over what June could only think of as a great machine. The sixth was literally just a parade, and really didn’t seem to fit in with any sort of grand accomplishments, though June suspected it was a march of solidarity, given all of its members were posed in exactly the same powerful but non-millistaristic march.

Medeis stood at the center of the seventh fresco, illuminating the path to civilization's rebirth in a ruined world. Then, in the final fresco, Medeis spread his wings across a vast expanse filled with circles, each named with a rune. His wings touched each circle, transcending their boundaries.

That’s depicting creating a spell… That’s planting a huge tree… That’s… Stopping an explosion? That one is… Some kind of parade? No idea what the others are meant to be… Unless, wait… Is that one depicting the invention of coffee? We have no idea who invented coffee. Medeis could totally be the dude who invented the brown potion of wake. Maybe he’s an alright guy and this is just a weirdly located house.

“Are those carvings important in any way?” Sam asked.

“Culturally, absolutely. As warnings? No. But I think that one is claiming that Medeis invented coffee.”

Trixie hissed irritably. “Gross…”

How can anyone older than 13 hate coffee? June frowned for a moment then facehooved. “Right. Caffeine is an insecticide.”

“Yep,” Trixie grunted, lighting her horn to check the door for magic.

“If this is the coffee stallion, well, then he gets all of my respect. Assuming his house isn’t trapped to tartarus and back,” Sam said, wincing as she put a little too much weight on her crystal leg.

“It’s locked,” Trixie commented, nodding to the door. “Also, there’s hidden runes on the door trim. Should I reveal them?”

“Yes,” Sam ordered.

Trixie focused her magic, guiding energy into the invisible runes. As her magic washed over them they shimmered into existence as bright blue glowing lines. Sam and Trixie gestured to June in unison, unnecessarily prompting her to get to work reading them.

June hummed, puzzling over them for a moment. “Of course it’s a riddle… Let me write it down.”

“Of course it’s a riddle. The bastard encodes safety warning labels as sonnets using ciphertext,” Sam grumbled to herself as June retrieved a notebook and pen and jotted down the runes to translate them.

June spent a few minutes translating then another two puzzling over the riddle as a whole.

In a realm where secrets coil and wind,

A portal's puzzle, a riddle to mind.

With symbols cryptic, and a twist unseen,

Unlock the path to the wizard's serene.

Seek not keys or codes in vain,
No arcane spells to break this chain.
Yet wisdom's key lies not afar,
To enter the haven, know who you are.

Once your mind's journey has begun,

Move forward, seeker, with the rising sun.

June cleared her throat to focus. “Okay… Um… I think I can solve this, you girls want to help though?”

Sam sighed and shook her head. “I’m crap at riddles.”

“I’m not,” Trixie said as she moved to stand alongside June so she could read.

June focused on the first stanza. That’s clearly just a “yo, to get through this” statement… So the second one, clear statement about there not being a key or spell… Implication that you need inner peace to open it. Third stanza… Paths. The garden walkways. Were there stars at the corners? I don’t think so. What else could be called a—

June’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Wait. Mind’s journey. It’s not talking about a physical path at all.”

Trixe nodded, frowning slightly. “Yeah… I think we need to be feeling some particular emotion to open the door, maybe?”

Sam trotted over and took a peek at the poem, flinching at how complicated it appeared to be to a pony with no real taste for riddles.

June’s brow furrowed in thought. If it’s not a physical path… with the rising sun, that’s east. Why include a physical direction? If it’s all mental… Wait. Wait it’s not! There’s only one physical instruction. Clear instruction to move forward with the rising sun… The sun rises to the east. So to go with it would be ‘go west’. This door is to the west. I swear to Cadence, if the answer is what I think it is...

June trotted up to the door and pushed on the handles. It swung inwards opening with a soft creak and rasp of oiled bronze.

“Oh. My. Celestia…” June groaned, facehoofing.

“What did you do?” Sam asked, looking at the open door in awe.

Trixie’s ears flicked back. “For buck’s sake! The door’s enchanted to look locked but its open.”

“Yeeeeeep…” June grumbled.

“So… So the riddle is just to keep eggheads out?” Sam asked, smirking and holding in a genuine laugh. “The answer was ‘think dumber’? He made coffee and then did this. I wish he wasn’t dead. I think I’d like to get a beer with him.”

June shook her head slowly and glanced into the now open door. There was no hallway, instead the doors opened up into a large open space similar in design to an airship hangar. The roof stretched up far beyond what the atrium’s facade suggested, providing space for towering arcane machines to rest amongst the great iron trusses and hoists lining the roof.

Large crystal lamps shone down from the ceiling, providing a nice, warm, pleasant and even light. Lines of different colored paint on the smooth polished granite floor led into the workshop, each labeled with things like, Enchanting, Woodworking, Stone Carving, Metalworking, Spellcrafting, Temporal Mechanics, Carpentry, Jewelry, Candlemaking, Armorsmithy, Weaponysmithy, Wizard Nonsense, Pan Dimensional Artifacts, Muffin Button, and other similar tradecrafts.

From the doorway, June could see the workshop was grouped into zones by tools, like somepony had taken a bunch of small workshops and put them all under one roof.

“The buck?” Trixie said, taking a step back from the entrance.

“What?” Sam and June asked as one, nervously glancing around them.

“It’s… It’s just a modern workshop. Like… You know how you can find short videos on the internet of people doing cool things? This is what rich ponies who make things do! Just, get a big box building, fill it with work stations…” Trixie took a deep breath and shook her head. “June, this is like finding a working arcade machine in a buried village deep in the Everfree.”

June rolled her eyes. “Oh come on, it’s not like nopony at all prior to 987 could have thought to put all of their tools and workbenches in one—” June’s mind shifted without a clutch as she spotted part of the Woodworking section. “Never the buck mind! He’s got a tablesaw.”

“What?” Sam asked, stepping forward to take a look for herself. “That is a table saw… And a drill press. Bandsaw…”

June’s eyes ran over the workspace, taking note of the tools Sam mentioned, as well as a somewhat familiar shade of blue power tools laying neatly atop a workbench.

“Okay, so Medeis worked out time travel before Starswirl,” June noted to herself, outloud, trying to process everything. “And instead of world domination, used it to shop at Highs Hardware and pick up a set of motherbucking Marewaukee power tools!”

A stallion’s voice called from some distant place in the shop, just barely reaching the three at the door. “Rye O’bii green would have clashed with my benchtop tools, and that's just unacceptable.”

The three froze in terror, not daring to move so much as a muscle or make even a peep. They glanced sideways at one another through their masks' goggles, searching for any hint of what to do.

Sam will just have us run, right? We’re not going to risk fighting an immortal wizard, right? Is that even what this is? June pleaded with herself until a terrifying memory of one particular history 604 lecture bubbled up from the depths of her brain. Oh no! Nonononono, please don’t be one of those living spellbooks!

“If you said anything witty, I’m way in the back. You’ll have to speak up,” the voice called again.

“O— Oh. Um, okay!” Sam called out. “Are you the Archmage Medeis? We’re just trying to return your astrolabe. Please don’t kill us!”

June squeaked. “Oh. He’s speaking Equish… How—”

“That’s me,” Medeis called from the distant depths of his workshop. “You’re not in any danger. It’s okay. Are you with that one stallion who dropped by a while ago?”

“No!” June shouted instantly. “We’re not with Grape Vine! We’re here to unbuck what he did. Where do we put the astrolabe? Actually, can you just come take it please? Also, how the heck did this get stolen if you’re alive?!”

Sam blinked, a look crossed her face. “Hey, good question, that.”

“Alive isn’t the same as able bodied and capable of moving,” Medeis called back. “I’m near the pedestal. Just follow the sound of my voice.”

June flinched at his answer. Oh… I hope he’s not been paralyzed this whole time… I know some wizards can sustain themselves on magic, and he’d be an alicorn, right? So he’d be immortal… That would suck so bad!

June looked to Sam and Trixie, nervously lashing her tail. “Do… Do we just, go for it?”

Sam took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah. We’ve gone this far. Lost a lot. We need to seal that thing away. Three lives for one town is a bargain, and Evergreen Falls is more than a town.”

“Yeah, it’s home,” June agreed, taking her own deep breath since they seemed to help Sam gather courage.

“I meant it’s an invaluable research community worth billions, but yes. Also that,” Trixie agreed then started to walk into the workshop. “Okay! We’re coming in.”

June followed along behind Trixie, with Sam nervously taking up the rear.

“Great!” The archmage called happily. “Let's trade questions, shall we? Can any of you push buttons?”

“Um, yes? Why?” Sam shouted nervously.

“I built a machine filled with a zinc-heavy fluid, so magic doesn't get in or out. It was a stupid oversight and I would very much like it if somepony would please turn it on so I can stop being stuck in here,” Medeis answered. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my workshop, but only when I can use— Hold up. I can hear one of you limping. Please tell me the Crimson’s King’s guard dogs didn’t survive the millenia and bit one of you. Their bite is chock full of a whole charcuterie board of necrotizing bacteria.”

Sam flinched. “Oh… Um, was anypony bit?”

“My armor stopped it,” June said slowly then put a hoof up to call out to the distant wizard. “I cut one open and got uh, covered… Should I do anything?”

“Take a bath,” came the reply.

“How do you know Equish?” Sam demanded. “This is creeping me the buck out! I can accept an ancient wizard being alive, especially if they can time travel, but—”

“First of all,” Medeis interrupted. “Time travel could explain everything about this situation entirely. But second: I didn’t mean the group of possessed hooligans who broke in and stole something I’d have lent them if they’d asked. I meant the stallion who was down here after them. He came in, found the teleport grid, decided Control Center was a something worth—”

The three mares stopped dead. “W— What teleport network?” June said, a deep sense of dread, confusion, and anger building up within her heart.

“You know… The Metropolitan Teleportation Array. For public transit. Don’t you have those?”

“Safety Lock was a unicorn… He just sensed that spell…,” Sam said slowly then turned to glare at Trixie. “How the buck, did you miss, a Luna damned teleport spell, that’s city wide!?”

Trixie shank back. “I— I don’t know how to teleport! And there are thousands of overlapping workings up there! I had no idea we could just teleport right to where we wanted to go!”

“Girls!” June snapped. “We’ve been down here for maybe an hour. I’m the expert on these kind of things, and I didn’t even think for an instant that anything like that would exist! Just be happy we can teleport out of this hellhole!”

“By the gods! You walked down here? I hope most of their experiments died. Those toxic bugs were the worst,” Medeiscommented.

“They did not!” June yelled across the workshop, some of her anger at missing magical public transit spilling out. “We had to fight through them! My sister fell off the bridge into the abyss! Buck… Vi… I hope you’re okay…”

It’s not our fault we missed the teleport. We couldn’t have known. Safety just got lucky… Or knew how to teleport and sensed the grid… Probably that one. Still, buck me, all of this could have been avoided!

“I see… Assuming erosion, there’s a chance she fell down into a set of even older ruins. Regardless, I’ll happily help you find her if you get me out of here. I’ll even happily disintegrate the murder flies. Seriously, please. I just need somepony to push a button and that guy ran off to ‘get help’ for me, entirely ignoring everything I had to say… Which was worse than the thieves ignoring me entirely, if I’m being honest.”

June nodded slightly, her ears having pinpointed where the voice was coming from now. “He’s over there,” she said, pointing towards a corner of the workshop hidden by a series of large cabinets.

June traced her eyes along the floor labels. He’s in the Wizard Nonsense section… I don’t like what that implies.

The others nodded and began to quick-trot towards the not-that-distant voice. Rounding the bank of cabinets they could see into the Wizard Nonsense workshop. It looked for all the world like somepony had gone to a thousand thrift shops, taken only the strangest item from each one, then repeated this process until they had made a full inventory of Equestria’s entire second hoof store supply of bizarre oddities, then dumped them haphazardly on a series of benches, in crates, on shelves, in cabinets, and even small piles on the floor of some random handymare’s garage.

The only exceptions to the island of pure DIY chaos within the neat and orderly workshop were a fairly ornate pedestal which had part of its bronze casing removed to reveal a mysteriously complicated apparatus within which ticked and whirred while shimmering with concerning colors of arcane light, and a large tube-tank like the ones in the factory above, but hooked up to a tall server-rack-like apparatus with a single button on it.

The pedestal was topped with a single standard AA size mana gem, clearly placed there some time after the glass case atop the pedestal had been smashed.

Nopony cared about the pedestal for the moment.

Floating within the tank’s bubbling green fluid was a single brain, still attached to a long slender alicorn’s horn via a bundle of nerves.

“Ah! There you are. Slightly out of frame… I don’t know what possessed me to put a go-pro on this instead of a proper scrying talisman,” Medeis said, his voice emanating from the machine attached to the tank. “Would you mind pressing the button on the centermost console within the rack? The big silver one marked with the rune of empowerment?”

“Uhhhhhh,” Sam said slowly, backing up slightly. “Y— You’ve spoken to me before! This is a trap, somehow!”

“What?” June asked as it hit her. This is exactly what she saw in her dream after touching the astrolabe!

“I honestly have never seen you before in my life,” Medeis said, sounding genuinely confused. “And don’t you think if I could set a trap from here I’d have found a way to push the button over the course of twelve thousand six hundred and seventy three years?”

Sam started to take a step back. “This could all be an illusion—”

“To what end?!” Medeis sputtered. “If I wanted you dead, you would be. I buried this entire city in half a mile of lava. With your Harmonic implant, I couldn’t hurt you, even if I wanted to…”

The wizard trailed off, sighed then asked. “You, trans flag mare. Could you please jump up and bat my tank so somepony can facehoof for me?”

“Uh.” June said unintelligently.

Sam’s spike of terror began to fade slightly. “Look, I’ve seen you before. I touched your astrolabe, saw you as you are now, brain in a jar and all, and was told by… Okay well the voice was different, but—”

“Oh! That little shit,” Medeis half laughed half growled. “Ma’am. The Astrolabe is a construct. It needed to be in order to function as I wished it too. I instructed it to use my appearance when talking to people, and it would seem it knew I’ve been reduced to this and like the little gremlin it is, edited its appearance parameters. Regardless of its shenanigans, why aren’t you using your gem’s truth zone, if you doubt me?”

Sam blinked. “It can do that?”

Trixie frowned. “I mean, it did make your whole leg grow back.”

The mission came back to June’s mind. “Hey hold on, we’re wasting time.” June said as she dug the astrolabe out of her bag. “We can decide to help him after we put this back and stop that thing from breaking out.”

Sam looked over, nodded then turned back to the brain in a jar. “You’ve got that. I think I deserve to know what this thing is and what it does!”

June found the astrolabe and took it from her bag. Sensing its proximity to its pedestal, the device created a blue arrow on its face and pointed to the pedestal. Okay June, just put it on top, then we can deal with this madness.

The open panel on the pedestal caught June’s eye. “Wait, um, why is that open? Is it broken? Did somepony break it?”

“No. It’s fine. I opened it to charge some tools. I use the sealed creature as a battery.”

Sam sputtered. “You… You’re keeping a reality warping shadow in a box, as a battery?!”

“That’s incredibly irresponsible!” June agreed, glaring at the tank.

June took a step away from the glass chamber, then reached out with her wing tip and dusted away the broken glass and rolled the mana gem from the top of the pedestal, then set the astrolabe atop its resting place. The arrow vanished, replaced by a simple blue rune sequence reading [Charging…]

“Well, this particular one just refuses to die no matter what you do to it. Can’t banish it out of the universe either. Been here since I first stabilized the place… Its existence is fact now,” Medeis commented idly. “Besides, it’s just the last fragment of a loser doomed to be defeated over and over. Happens to have a lot of power despite that. So why not use it as a battery? It’s not like I don’t share. I set the astrolabe up to use natural portals between universes to siphon off some of its power every so often and use it to do one random act of kindness for someone somewhere. It’s great! Pisses the loser off in a way I’m sure whoever first defeated it would be pleased with.”

Sam blinked several times. “Doomed to be defeated?”

“Yes. Something way more powerful than me cursed it. It can’t be destroyed, it can’t be banished. It just… flails. Like the shattered remnants of a mind that it is. Trying to become powerful and feared again. It could. For a time. But it would lose. Besides, with that gizmo on its pedestal, its powers are consistently drained and then used. It’s got less magic than a newborn foal… When everything’s working.”

June sighed in relief. “Okay… Then with the astrolabe back on there, its power is being given to ponies at random and it can stop escaping?”

“Depends on a number of factors. What’s it showing?” Medeis asked, then cleared his non-existent throat. “Orange pony, do you mean to tell me that you got a full Harmony implant, central gem and all supporting stones, without knowing what they do or how to use them?”

“Aliens did it when I was a foal,” Sam said, giving Trixie the side eye. “And nopony believes it was aliens… Not even my marefriend. Or June. Who’se bucking an alien!”

June cleared her throat. “It says ‘Charging…’. Is that normal?”

“Yes, let me know when it says ‘Containment reestablished’.” The archmage asked, resuming his plea for help from “With that out of the way… What do you mean someone put one of those gems in a foal?! Gods, damn it! That kind of petty, pointless evil is why I put an end to whatever you’re calling the kingdom above us…”

“First Kingdom,” June commented idly, keeping an eye on the astrolabe’s display.

“That’s dumb, it’s nowhere close to when Egypt was a thing,” Medeis grumbled. “Look, orange mare who hasn’t even introduced herself yet—”

Sam blushed slightly and cleared her throat. “Sorry. We’ve had a day. I’m Sam, she's Trixie, and that’s June. I’d say nice to meet you, but, well not sure that’s the case. Yet.”

June turned to Sam and raised an eyebrow. “Sam, we've been standing here for a few minutes. I think if he could hurt us, he would have by now.”

Sam raised her crystal hoof to object, then lowered it. “That’s… A good point.”

“Hold on, that’s the crystal’s healing spell running,” Medeis objected as he saw the crystal limb. “How can you… Please explain yourself.”

June looked over her shoulder for a moment. “She didn’t do that. I have an axe that Princess Cadence gave me, it told me to touch it to her crystal after she lost her leg to a booby trap and it made her grow that.”

“Oh,” Medeis said, sounding oddly remorseful. “That… Was probably one I put in for a certain paranoid loon. Sorry.”

Sam took a deep breath. “You’re really not going to kill us?”

“No.”

“Or do anything else a stallion trapped in a cave for twelve thousand years might do to a mare?” Sam asked with a worried whinny.

Medeis sputtered. “What! No!? I’m not— I don’t even like mares!”

Everypony looked at his tank with surprise.

“Oh… Well, alright then,” Sam said, blushing lightly. “Good thing we’re not stallions. I guess.”

“Oh, my, gods,” Medeis moaned. “I’m not a rapist either. This kind of pointless squabbling accusatory— Agh! This is why I just wanted to hide away in my workshop and make some nice furniture for a few decades! Please, Sam, think about a time you were lied to, focus on how much it hurt you, build up some determination to never be lied to again, then push that emotion at the psychic resonator in your chest, and please let me tell you I mean no harm to anyone!”

Sam cleared her throat and shyly kicked the floor with one hoof. “Sorry… I’ve had a few bad experiences with that when I set a few people free back in the day.”

“Fair enough,” Medeis grumbled. “I promise you’re safe.”

June slowly shook her head. This is not how I’d imagine meeting an ancient wizard as a brain in a jar would go… I guess truth is stranger than fiction.

Sam frowned, focusing inwards for a moment. The gem in her chest began to glow, the light spilling out from behind her armor at first then shining through it until most of the workspace was shrouded in a pale yellow light.

“Huh, okay. I guess it can make a zone of truth,” Sam mused thoughtfully.

The light flickered.

“Keep focused on that feeling or it will stop working,” Medeis warned. “Now, since you’re definitely not in a generous mood, would somepony try and say my tank is green?”

“But, it is green?” June pointed out.

“What? It’s… It’s not purple?” Medeis asked, sounding genuinely upset.

“No. Green,” Trixie confirmed. “Is that bad?”

“It’s fine… I wanted purple,” Medeis grumbled. “The dye I used must have reacted with the— Forget it. Not important. All you need to know is I never got to test this regeneration tank. There wasn’t an opportunity.”

Sam’s eyes sparkled. “He’s telling the truth!”

“Oh good!” Medeis said, sighing in relief. “Well then, before you lose focus… I don’t intend to hurt anypony. I have no plans for world domination. All I want to do is finish working on that canoe you probably saw coming in, then go fishing in a lake that… probably no longer exists. Okay, so… I might remake a lake if nopony’s living there. If you push that button, which I cannot because this fluid is full of zinc ions and is blocking my magic, it will regenerate my body, and that’s it.”

June’s ears perked. “Wait, you mentioned covering the city in lava. That explains the basalt… Did you fall into the lava? Is that how you wound up like this?”

Medeis coughed awkwardly. “Uh, no… Before I did that, after discovering the Crimson Dipshit’s goal was to create a pack of Ascended Alicorn mind slaves, each bonded to fundamental aspects of nature who would eternally serve him as gods through which he could rule unopposed forever… Later than everypony else, unfortunately. You’d think I’d be the first to know since he built his city on top of my house, but that was to show dominance to the public, not a friendship or romance thing.”

June nodded intently listening to the wizard’s explanation. That’s the old legend, but flipped on its head. And corrected for Celestia and Luna having been built rather than born and trained to be what they are now. Also explains the throne entrance nicely.

Medeis continued uninterrupted as the three mares simply wanted the gist of his story as quickly as possible. “The other nations and lesser lords finding out about his plan is what started the war, in case you didn’t know… Long story made short: I tricked the king into ritualy casting a spell which separated all alicorns into one pony for each of their three harmonic magics. Why? It would make using any of their technology and infrastructure impossible. No alicorn magic, see? Instant total collapse of civilization. The hard part was making the King think everypony on his side would be spared.”

“W— Wait!” June gasped, unable to prevent herself from interrupting. “The creation of modern ponies wasn’t a natural event? You did it?”

“You’re welcome,” the archmage answered with all the reverence and respect of a friend who had just finished some trivial favor. “The trick was simple. The target selectivity he could see in the spell matrix was actually designed to protect myself and a few trusted friends. It worked perfectly! But, I forgot to account for the guard dogs when making sure the King had died… And those bites kill very painfully and quickly. My tank created this shielded brain for me, transferred my soul and consciousness into it, then promptly shut off because the lava I’d conjured via Petra tripped the breakers…”

Sam flinched slightly at the mention of tripping breakers. Work related trauma.

“They self-reset correctly, but I forgot to include power-loss resume circuits on this tank, so I’ve been stuck here. Ironically, for far longer than if I’d died without it. I’d have regenerated in a few decades on my own. I wanted something to come back within the hour, and it cost me twelve thousand years… Ironic, isn’t it? Also, I’m completely sane. I’m old enough that twelve thousand years is comparatively not that long, but still a very shitty amount of time to be trapped.”

June and Trixie turned to Sam.

“Well?” June asked.

“He’s not lying,” Sam said slowly. “But—”

“Hold up,” Trixie said, face contorting with a variety of emotions. “Did you just admit to genocide?”

“No. I admitted to destroying a culture of blood tyrants. By disarming the blood mages, and repopulating an endangered species via speciation. Which would probably get me a new fresco, if ponies still did that,” Medeis corrected.

Trixie nodded slowly. “Yeah… Fair. Objection retracted. Sam, you can stop now.”

Sam closed her eyes for a moment and let the feeling slip away, The truth field she’d created faded along with her focus. “So… Uh, well we saved the town. We’re off the clock, I say we help him, and in return, he teleports us out of here so we don’t have to walk by the pony-part-sludge canal again.”

Medeis gagged along with everypony else.

“Note to self; Unclog that drain,” Medeis muttered to himself.

June, glad the debate was finally over, reached out and pressed the power button on the machine with her wing tip.

“Thank y—” Medeis began, his voice cutting off as the machine switched from passive life support to reconstruction mode.

The device hummed loudly. The fluid within the tank slowly began to glow. The bubbles intensified. The glow brightened to a painfully white flame-like luminance which for a brief moment, outshone the sun. The light persisted for several seconds, then faded away, leaving behind a whole pony within the tank.

The fluid drained away into a hidden reservoir, leaving the ancient wizard laying in a heap on the tank’s floor as a hole opened up like somepony reshaping clay for him to leave.

Medeis was roughly Cadence’s height, about one and a half times larger than a normal pony. His fur was one of those off-white colors no paint company can agree on a name for, which went nicely with his simple black mane and tail. Overall, aside from being an alicorn, he looked exactly like the tall athletic guy who probably played on his college buckball team who always had breakfast at the coffee shop.

Wow… He’s dangerously normal looking. June thought, unable to not picture the wizard just, mowing a lawn in the suburbs and talking with other dads over the fence. You almost don’t notice he’s an alicorn at all. No, that’s not it. He just… Belongs here. It’s fine. This has to be a spell! Holy crap, I hope it's unique.

“... Anypony else swear he’d have the Celestia and Luna style big glowy mane?” Trixie asked her friends quietly.

“I mean… Cadence and Twilight don’t. Are we sure that’s not just a them thing?” Sam asked back.

June couldn’t help but notice his cutiemark was a cluster of simplified arcane auras which resembled the shape of cosmic background radiation. Oh! I wonder if that’s a specific magic thing, or if he’s into astronomy? Since he likes machines, maybe he’d like to see the Observatory. He’s been trapped since, well, forever from the pony point of view. I’ll bet he could use some friends, and he seems nice, and I could really use some normal not-adventure things to do for approximately the rest of my life!

Medeis opened his lavender eyes, looked down at his body, and cried for a moment. The girls let him have his moment of elation, after which he stood up and stepped out of the tank.

“Well… I wanted to be middle aged, but a young adult will do,” Medeis said with a genuinely cheerful smile. “Thank you so, so much! Now, before I let you out of here, why don’t we make sure this jail door is working properly?”

Sam flinched, starting to reach for her shotgun, but stopped when she saw Medeis turn to the pedestal and start to inspect the astrolabe.

June trotted over to watch the master at work, still quite curious about how the device worked.

“Ooookay…” Medeis said, starting to frown. “It’s not accepting a charge. Why?”

The three mares squeaked with terror.

“What-do-you-mean-its-not-working!?” They asked together.

Medeis winced, his ears folding flat. “Ow… Not used to loud noises. Stupid biology. I’ll magically make you better in a moment. Calm down, girls. Probably just some idiot poked something they should—” Medeis drew in a deep breath, let it out slowly, then looked to the heavens asked. “Who jammed about a dozen cookies into my astrolabe, and why?!”

“Uuuhhhhh…” Sam said, backing up to hide behind Trixie.

June facehooved. “Sam… You literally doomed us all.”

“It was Fluttershy’s idea!” Sam retorted. “Besides, that thing’s creepy vision granting magic mind said she made the best snickerdoodles. How is that not a request for some?”

“I’m going to die because of Snickerdoodles.” Trixie said, looking distant and withdrawn. “Just like the old gypsy woman said…”

Medeis’ horn lit up with lavender light, and he fished out a wad of gear-chewed cookie crumbs. “It’s cool, I got them.”

The three mares let out a collective sigh of relief.

“It’s still super broken though, somebody very obviously took some pliers to the wiffle rod,” Medeis added, picking up the astrolabe. “Fortunately, we’re not twenty steps from the workbench I built it on, and while I’m pretty much out of mana thanks to that stupid idea of mine, I have you three to help me help you save the world. Come on. We’ve got a lot of hard work to do.”

June frowned, remembering something he’d said mere minutes ago. “Wait, didn’t you say this thing is doomed to fail? Why do we need to do anything to stop it?”

Medeis sighed, twitched his wings irritably, then began to walk away. “I’m trying to remain cheerful, for the sake of not causing any kind of undue panic. Suffice to say that ‘Doomed to Fail’ does not have a time limit. He could fail today, this minute, or in a thousand years. His goal is to become a god again. There can be quite a bit of destruction and devastation along that path. So, if you don’t mind, let’s see if we can fix this without needing to choose one of several rather costly contingency plans, alright? I do mean we. I’ll need your help.”

“Oh, alright,” June said, ears and tail drooping as terror flooded her—

NO! June snapped to herself. We have an archmage, the archmage! We’re in his workshop, he has some ideas, and he said we can help. That means I’m not powerless. He said he needs our help. Needs!

“What can I do to help?” June asked, running up to match Medeis’ long stride.

“A few things. Depends on how exactly they broke this, and if they knew what they were doing.”

Trixie’s face scrunched back into a terrified self-reflecting grimace. “Yep. Just like she said…”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Blackstone Quarry - Hackamore Valley

A wing swept shards and stone from atop the seal. The stone fell to the stone floor, sparks of absorbed magic flying out from it with each bounce. The entity felt the metaphorical rope holding its prison door shut grow slack, then fall from the doors.

The accursed astrolabe was gone. The bandage placed by the foolish pony was no more.

It shouldered the door open, unrestrained at last.

26 - The Battle of Evergreen Falls III

Princess Luna - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Blackstone Quarry - Hackamore Valley

Luna soared across the battlefield the pit had become. The Venture’s unicorn and earth pony troops had elected to deploy via parachute, and landed a few hundred meters from the edge of the pit. It had taken them a while to reach a firing position, but the combined arms of nearly three hundred Equestrian soldiers was making a massive difference.

The horror was confined to the center of the pit, shielding its central mass with all of its tentacles, betraying its vulnerable spots.

“Airships, come around for another pass. The last attack nearly breached its core,” Luna ordered, turning her head to make sure the support aircraft turned to make another bombing run.

Luna turned her head again, this time to the pit’s edge where the medical airships had touched down. They’d nearly finished loading the wounded, having just sorted them from the corpses. Soon the casualties would be evacuated to Vanhoofer’s Lady of Peace hospital. With some luck, the dead could be retrieved shortly as well.

This is certainly more complex than war as I knew it, but I do like the tools within the modern Commander’s workshop, Luna mused to herself.

Luna’s radio crackled for a split second as thaumic interference surged outwards from the pit. What in the world was—

“Fall back from the pit now!” A battlemage Luna remembered was on monitor duty screamed into the radio.

Luna spread her wings and flapped hard, pushing herself away from the open blackstone hole. She just cleared the rim when a mass of red and purple light welled up within the entity’s huddled form and radiated outwards, melting the hexical stones within the pit into a single smooth layer of still lava, ionizing the air enough to send bolts of lightning crashing down into the pit. The layers of sludge and slime left over from the monster’s minions began to sizzle and bubble as they cooked, releasing noxious fumes.

Luna looked up in horror, eyes frantically searching for the Wonderbolts. Their cloud formation was gone. Three of their squad fell from the air, limp and blackened.

Dead already, and I’d cook trying to save them. Fie!

“Mages, counterspell,” Luna ordered through the radio, looking down to see what the evil oil slick was doing.

Surely this has to be making an opening for something—

The beast emerged from the pit like crude oil bubbling up from the sea floor. Its bulk simply slid upwards in a stream, ignoring air and gravity alike as it took on a more tangible form than the ooze and slime forested in tentacles. It rolled and churned, its core taking on a shape vaguely reminiscent of a pony’s chest, shoulders, and head. Vaguely being the key word, for the creature’s back was hunched, its shoulders and neck fused into a single piece, and the head-like lump was set into the upper sternum.

Its tentacles flowed upwards along its back, taking position upon the creature such that they resembled a cloak, with the remainders squelching into sheafs upon each shoulder like strands of muscle left over after ripping the skin and bone from a creature’s forelegs.

The creature’s black pearlescent skin shimmered and rippled with inner light as it hung in the air over the pit in this mockery of the pony form. Like somepony had dismembered the most deformed pony to ever draw breath. It screeched triumphantly, its bellow shaking rapidly withering leaves from trees.

Luna pulled out of her dive and landed on the quarry’s rim next to Sky to assess the situation.

“Come the buck on!” Luna demanded through clenched teeth.

“Who the fuck lost their Neighponese RPG boss?” Sky muttered as he poured fuel into his weapon’s generator from behind a boulder. “Can they come pick it up?”

Luna couldn’t help but smile at the grown stallion swearing like a foal in a life or death situation. The joke pulled the tension from her mind, letting her refocus on the situation at hoof.

“We’re on phase three. That’s usually the last one.” Luna replied, hoping to return the favor. She frowned at Sky’s seemingly conventional generator as the stallion refueled it. “Is that thing running on lamp oil?”

Sky laughed once, “Kinda! Prototypes, you know? Sometimes kerosene is just the best,” then focused his attention on finishing his energy cannon’s elaborate reload process. Luna raised a hoof to her radio and squeezed the transmit button.

“Medevac teams, retreat to the hospital immediately once loaded. Civilian support, retreat to the town now. Airships, if you can engage aerial targets, fire at will.” Luna instructed then began to scan the sky for Cadence.

No sign of her… She may have landed for some water, or another potion. Luna rationalized, taking a deep breath. We’re going to suffer for a few days as is. I hope to the gods I don’t need to use another mana potion.

The airships finished their turn and began to open fire on the floating horror. Their cannons thundered and crackled. Shells and spells burst on the abomination’s skin, burning and cratering it. It shook under the assault, slowly turning to face the wing of airships like a marble statue atop a slowly rotating dais.

The creature unleashed a wailing cry that sent chills deep into everypony’s bones. The sludge and slime boiling at the bottom of the newly-molten pit reached a rolling boil. The bubbles popped, the droplets cohering into a vast host of monsters. The newspawn landed atop the pit's rim along the entire perimeter.

Luna swore under her breath and took to the air, aiming downwards and blasting the horde around her. Sky yelped, dropped his heavy weapon and opened fire with a pair of bracer pistols, covering himself long enough to get into the air next to Luna.

“We fall back now, right?” Sky asked, eyes wide with panic.

“After saving the medevac,” Luna corrected. She turned her head towards the landed airships. The horde had taken the medical staff completely by surprise and were tearing into patients and medics alike.

Sky turned to look as well, he didn’t think or speak. He simply opened fire with the pistols. Luna joined him, sending a hail of spellbolts to tear through every monster she could see. The medevac pilots began to take off. Several of the airships were pulled down by the horde. Luna surged towards them, switching to a sweeping blue ray to cut down as many of the ooze spawn from the ships as she could.

A blinding burst of red light drew Luna’s gaze only for harsh blue to white out her vision. An airship exploded in the distance, the electric thunderclap of its detonating mana crystals drowning out the sound of the monster’s energy blast. Luna blinked her vision clear just as Cadence arrived, her left side singed black and trailing dead feathers.

Cadence grit her teeth and with a surge of pegasus magic created a blisteringly hot updraft under the airships, forcing them upwards with a thermal that would do nothing to help the brewing thermal storm.

“I’ll cover the retreat,” Cadence shouted at Luna. “Regroup the infantry to protect the town. Raven can order a fleet bombardment of the pit.”

Luna nodded, grateful that Cadence understood the tools of war. “Understood!”

Luna’s vision blanked out again as the world turned red. A second airship exploded.

At least its attacks are still somewhat slow. Luna hit her radio. “All units retreat to the edge of town. Cadence is covering you.”

“Another surge is building in the pit!” The battlemage monitor cried out.

Luna spun mid air, looking in horror at the thought of further transformations. A circle of orange light shimmered into existence around the rim, resolving into a complex rune pattern that swelled outwards into a spherical layer of floating characters.

Luna frowned, uncertain of what was occurring until the eldritch monster screeched and swung its many limbs at the barrier. It crackled, rippled, and sparked, but held.

The city-mind! Luna noted in relief.

Almost as if the ancient construct heard her, Limited Perfection spoke, its mechanical voice audible across the battlefield.

“Warning: Threatening is detected. Isolation wrap fortitude: grande. Altitude rapidly goes down. Shards should de-occupy immediate the entire vicinity.”

It sounds like a speaking doll with little power left, Luna noted with a deep pang of sympathy. If we survive this day, you will be repaired, this I vow.

“Don’t waste the opportunity. Go!” Cadence ordered over the radio.

The army began to fall back, mopping up the horde not contained within the sphere where necessary.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Luna landed atop the Evergreen Falls General Store. The two story building provided a nice line of sight to the edge of town and the hilltop between them and the quarry. The vantage point allowed her to watch her troops take defensive positions where possible and dig foxholes where it wasn’t.

Luna felt a pang of regret that her burning wing muscles prevented her from directing the fortification effort from the air, but such was life. She gestured to be thrown a ration pack from a stack by the wall, and tore it open. Even an alicorn’s stamina had its limits. The break and the food were necessary.

I’ll deal with getting looks, I’m eating this raw.

Limited’s shield could be seen over the hilltop, crackling, sparking, and spalling as the monster and its spawn battered from within.

It holds for now… Likely not for more than a few minutes. Luna noted. She raised a hoof to her radio and squeezed it tightly. “Cadence, are our ponies clear?”

“The survivors are out. I’m moving to rendezvous with you on that roof once I’ve gotten food. Get Raven to send our bombardment order.”

Luna nodded and clicked her radio back to the old channel they had been using before Raven had distracted Enox. “Raven, it’s Luna. I’m told the navy has heavy bombardment capability. Do it now. Everything they have that will not endanger the town through our shields. There’s a shield over the monster right now. Shoot anyways, it will fail soon.”

“Yes, Princess,” Raven replied.

Luna switched the channel back and returned to overseeing the fortifications and eating cold veggie lasagna. Her left ear twitched as she detected the faintest sound of hoof on concrete behind her. Luna spun on her rear legs, horn lit and ready to fire. A charcoal colored thestral mare with a deep purple mane looked back at her.

Luna extinguished her horn, clearing her throat and brushing away some marinara sauce. “Apologies, citizen. Please, find shelter immediately. The barrier will not hold for long, and it will be dangerous to be near me when I’m putting the town shield up.”

The mare smiled, revealing fangs more pointed than a batpony’s should be. Luna’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“I mean no disrespect, Princess,” Silkwing said with a kind smile. “But, no thank you. I am a vampire, eldest and last of my brood. I, and several others within the community, would like to help. Where should our militia go?”

Luna considered for a moment, then nodded. “You have the right to defend your homes. Do you see the shallow fold at the hill’s rim, where there must be a creek in spring? The creatures will funnel through there, if they follow the lay of the land. My soldiers are there. I would advise your militia to protect the southern flank of their position.”

Silkwing nodded once, opened her wings, and silently flew off into the night, leaving Luna with but a few seconds to wonder if she’d made the right decision. Her contemplations were interrupted by a pale blue light and crystalline chime from her left saddlebag. Luna lit her horn and fished her message stone from the bag, activating the magical radio with a spark of her magic.

The stone shimmered, levitated on its own power, then projected a full size illusion of Celestia onto the roof. The image was true to life, though translucent giving the projection a ghostly appearance.

“Sister, I was just told you have requested our navy shell one of our towns. What is going on with this hunt of yours?” Celetia demanded, her face calm, but her voice betraying a deep worry.

Luna let out a long breath. “The creature is beyond durable, Celestia.” Luna began. “It can be damaged by corporeal attacks, but Cadence and I have gone through six mana potions each and yet it lives. I am beginning to feel the effects of the potions building up within my flesh, sister. You are not here. I do not think I can convey to you how much harm this monster has endured, and how much it has healed. It simply refuses to die.”

Celestia closed her eyes for a long moment. “This is why I prefer to talk out problems, Luna!”

Luna glared at her sister. “By all means. Come and attempt to speak to an abomination of oil and ooze.”

“I know… I know,” Celestia groaned. “I am taking a recess from critical negotiations with the Pharaoh of Zebrica to understand this situation. I cannot help in person. It is clear you need help. I can call for the Elements if you can transport them.”

Luna shook her head immediately. “I cannot spare the mana to take so many so far. Evergreen Falls is most remote—”

Celestia gasped. “You’re going to shell our home!?”

“The quarry next to it,” Luna corrected. “Its trapped within—”

Luna’s words were cut off by a cacophony of shrieking whistles and the swift thunder of a fleet’s worth of artillery slamming into the creature as Limited’s barrier shattered with a sound like somepony dropping a crystal anvil on a stone watermelon. Several late shells struck the quarry, and the horde shrieked in pain and rage as many were torn asunder by the merciless wrath of 46cm HE shells.

“That would be the shelling,” Celestia groaned, facehoofing. “Is the town fine?”

“What?!” Luna shouted, her ears ringing like nopony’s business. By the gods, how big is that cannon? I felt the earth jump beneath my hooves!

Celestia turned in place, extending her own messenger gem’s illusion to get a view of the immediate area. “Good. The fleet’s shots are accurate for a change… Luna, listen. I know you’re banking on stopping this thing yourself, but—”

“I’m not,” Luna said, her ears having healed halfway through Celestia’s sentence.

Luna took a moment to get her earplugs from her saddlebag and put them in.

“What is your plan?” Celestia asked simply.

Luna pointed downwards with one hoof. “A strike team below is putting the seal back on this monster’s prison. We need only to keep the creature from overrunning the town and hold its attention for as much time as we can. I can check their progress for—”

The second volley of shells evaporated Luna’s words much like a good portion of the charging monstrous hoard, and several of the abominations' tentacles. Luna’s vision went red again as the horror rotated mid air once more and fired one of its red rays of death towards the sea.

Luna reached for her radio and switched it to June’s channel. “June, quick status report. Before the next shells hit.”

“We’re at the place. We have some unexpected help, but the astrolabe’s kinda broke. But we’re fixing it!” June called through the radio. “Um, it shouldn’t take long? We’ve got its creator right here, so—”

“Good.” Luna said, letting go of the transmission button and not quite grasping June’s statement due to her aching head.

Modern cannons sure do hit hard… Luna thought, shaking her wings and head to try and get the pounding to stop. And fire impressively fast.

Celestia looked out at the hillside, her limited range illusion showing her the mass of oily shadow creatures thundering down the hillside towards the mass of Equestrian infantry. They flooded down the hill, following the path Luna predicted, filling the kill box within seconds. The soldiers opened fire, cutting down dozens of the charging creatures, slowing their progress, but not halting it.

Luna sighed. “Great… I’m not yet rested,” she raised a hoof to her radio. “Cadence, can you take up the slack?”

“In a minute,” Cadence said, audibly choking down a ration bar. “Calories low. Need water.”

Luna sighed a second time. “Be quick.”

She’s gone through a lot of potions today. Her body needs the resources. I should be getting something more than that snack myself. Shame I don’t have time.

Celestia turned her head to the south, and frowned prompting Luna to look as well. A streak of gray bolted across the grass, racing into the fray and immediately starting to physically pull monsters apart limb by limb.

“What in Tartarus is—” Celestia began, only to nod to herself halfway through her sentence. “Oh. Right. That vampire.”

“I don’t think that’s a vampire,” Luna said, tracking the pony-like blur along the ranks. “She’s… Holding the line as well as I could.”

“She’s not a normal vampire,” Celestia commented idly. “Don’t tell her I control the sun, by the way.”

Luna thought for a moment, then snorted. “I understand… Do you know how long she can keep this up for?”

Celestia shrugged her wings. “A few minutes? She’s powerful, but there is… a literal horde of shadow spawn. I thought it was just one monster?” Celestia said with a worried frown. “What happened?”

“It started as one… It… Births more,” Luna admitted. “I cannot overstate the severity of this situation, sister. If I could transport the Elements and ensure they remained safe, I would ask for their aid. Can you spare the time to transport them?”

“No.” Celstia said adamantly as the infantry began to open fire on the hoard. “There is a major piracy problem in the Zebrican gulf. One we’ve caused. I’m trying to prevent an armed conflict. However, Twilight has learned to telepo—”

Celestia’s words vanished in a storm’s worth of near-simultaneous thunderclaps and monstrous shrieks of not pain, but anger, as some of the Navy’s specialist rounds hit home.

Luna flinched as the blast wave of warping mana flows slammed into her.

Celestia shared Luna’s flinch as the illusion flickered. “I’m sending Twilight to aid you. Perhaps she can determine the monster's weakness.”

Luna nodded once. “Thank you. Good luck. I have to get the town’s shield up.”

“You need luck, I’ve got the politics,” Celestia corrected.

Celestia reached up, clearly intent on plucking her gem from the air to end the call. Luna’s ears stood pert as an idea occurred to her.

“Wait! Sister, a moment.”

Celestia looked up silently, waiting for Luna to continue.

“Cadence and I believe the creature to be empowered by the blood moon… Hence, I’ve been hesitant to use my connection with the night for power. Could you move the sun up by, say, six degrees? Enough to end the eclipse and thus—”

“Oh! Certainly,” Celestia said with a smile as she terminated the correction.

Luna glanced out across the battlefield. The infantry was holding the monster’s brood back.

For now… Luna closed her eyes tightly, focused on the defensive wards she knew still lay within the earth after all these centuries, and activated them one by one. Pale shimmering barriers the color of moonlight sprang into existence across the town, segmenting and shielding it from attack as well as any ancient world’s walls had sheltered their fortresses.

There… Cadence can handle closing the sky completely once she’s able. I need to refocus on picking off stray monsters.

Luna looked to the moon. The pale red light covering it began to shift, yellowing out as the sun began to move. Luna looked over the hill towards the floating monster, waiting for the next volley to land.

She didn’t have to wait long. Quills of flame erupted across the monster's back. It bellowed again, still mostly anger, but this time some pain.

Luna frowned. The blood moon was empowering it little if at all… Buck. June, please hurry up and— Luna’s thoughts trailed off as she noticed Silkwing having noticeably slowed down. Oh. Great. She is empowered by blood moons. Splendid… I’ll help her as soon as— AH! Her militia is opening fire now. She’s fine.

A small flailing lavender alicorn appeared in a flash of lavender light several meters above Luna.

“Aaaa!” Twilight yelped on the way to slamming nose first into the roof. “Ow…”

Luna hissed in sympathetic pain and picked the newly ascended alicorn up by the tail with her magic, placing her on her hooves.

“I take it from your entrance there is no chance of you teleporting the other elements to the battlefield?” Luna asked rhetorically.

“Haaa, yea… No.” Twilight admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. “So, Celestia said there was a monster problem? What’s—”

Luna pointed up the hill to the ominous levitating mass of vaguely mutilated pony shaped darkness wreathed in burning flesh and electrochemical bombardment residue. Twilight’s ears flattened, her eyes widened with terror.

“O— Oh…” Twilight squeaked. “Celestia needs to get better at communicating.”

“Yes,” Luna agreed with every fiber of her being. “Can you figure out a way to kill—”

Twilight yelped and clapped her hooves over her ears as Luna’s words vanished into the next artillery strike. Luna turned to fish a spare pair of earplugs from her saddle bags, only to turn back to find Twilight putting in her own.

“I can at least help the soldiers down there,” Twilight said as she finished adjusting the earplugs. “But… Lyra might know what to do. Hold on.”

The lavender mare dug in her saddlebag, producing a large brick-like portable phone and quickly but expertly dialed a number with the tip of her hoof.

“We were having a super spooky sleepover at her place, so I know she’s awake…” Twilight commented while the phone rang.

Luna cleared her throat. “Well, you consult your ally. I need to hydrate.”

Twilight nodded. Luna began to guzzle down her canteen. Twilight’s face lit up as Lyra picked up.

“Hey! Lyra? That show we were watching… How do they kill the monster?” Twilight asked.

Luna closed her eyes. Do I berate the thirty two year old for thinking that a solution from fiction would work? She’s practically a foal.

“Well, I’m looking right at it now, and it turns out that the monster Celestia mentioned is absolutely the same kind of thing,” Twilight continued, paused a moment, then facehooved. “It’s a giant kinda-pony-shaped shadow mass with tentacles that looks like a half-rotted away corpse somepony crucified. It is absolutely the same kind of thing!”

Luna blinked once. “Is this some Neighponese cartoon?” They often animate their nations’ battles with giant monsters. Perhaps this is a good idea.

Twilight nodded to Luna. “Yes,” she said before listening closely to Lyra over the phone. “No… Um, we don’t have a positron gun of any size… Or a traumatized filly with the world's worst mother to throw into a robot.”

Luna took a deep breath. “We only need to buy time for June to finish sealing it away.”

Twilight blinked twice. “Oh! Well, good! Hey? Lyra? It’s fine. I just need to delay it a little. Yeah. Okay you girls have fun. I’ll be safe. I promise I’ll hurry back. Bye!”

Twilight hung up and put her phone away. “Sorry,” she said to Luna with a sheepish smile.

“It’s fine,” Luna said, finishing her canteen and putting it away. “Just think about how you can best help the infantry. The ships are occupying it for the moment. Once I’m recovered, Cadence and I will go back to chipping away at this living fortress of a creature. Thanks to our withdrawal, some more potent but less discriminate spells are now options. We may see some progress. But, do tell me if you think of anything that might be more effective than direct attacks. It seems to have boundless stamina.”

“Well um…” Twilight put a hoof to her chin in thought, then hopped slightly as an idea came to mind. She took her brick of a phone back out and quickly dialed a number. “Captain? It’s Twilight. I saw your phone number once so I remembered it. Tell the gunners to switch to bombardment pattern kikoho… Thanks!”

Twilight quickly hung up. “Okay, that should help a little. Been reading up on fighting giants since the Tirek fiasco.”

“I don’t know what that is,” Luna said, ears laying flat with annoyance.

“Oh! It’s a Neighponese bombardment pattern designed for—”

The next wave of shells arrived, slamming into the shadow monster in a line, one after another, like pebbles dropped sequentially into a pond, if each pebble hit with the force of a small meteorite and the peal of thunder. The rapidly repeating bombardment visibly knocked the eldritch creature down into the side of the pit.

The monster psionically shrieked in nothing less than pure rage.

Luna flinched. Oh colt… I liked it better when it didn’t talk. At least it doesn’t make any sense.

27 - Nexi

Ultra Violet - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Sector A Control Facilities - Limited Perfection (Subruins)

Violet opened her eyes as the tram car began to slow down.

“Now arriving at Sector A Control Facilities.” the pre-recorded voice announced.

Violet took a deep breath. Shame that doesn't calm me like it does for organics, she thought to herself, trying to focus on other elements of her biomimicry aside from pain.

Her repair systems were dry. Several gashes on her hind legs and neck were effectively permanent, at least until she could find something to eat.

Her crocodilian-canid friend was also hurt. It took Violet a while to notice, since the creature’s blood was clear, but the wounds on its chest and back which were covered by scavenged armor plates were fresh.

Violet looked up. The tram station wasn’t visible yet, but given how fast the car moved it would take a moment to finish breaking. There’s time.

“Can you understand me?” Violet said, looking at her rescuer.

It looked up, its draconic head and snout popping up exactly like a dog when its name was called.

“Uh, growl once for yes, twice for no?” Violet posed.

It growled once.

Violet smiled faintly. “Cool! I have a med kit in these bags. It’s useless for me. Do you know if you can have healing potions? The labels say some species might be poisoned by them. They’re for ponies.”

They growled twice in response, followed by a confused whine. Violet facehooved, realizing she’d said healing potion in Equish since there wasn’t a direct translation for it. She reached into her bags, dug one of the pale glowing red vials from the med kit, and held it up as the tram’s brakes began to catch and the car lurched to a full stop.

Violet staggered, regained her balance, and held the vial back out. “I meant these. They heal you. Can you use them? Do you know?”

Two growls again, followed by a shrug of its narrow shoulders.

“You don’t know?” Violet asked to be clear.

It nodded and slowly stood up, hissing lightly as its torso bent in a way the patched wounds did not like.

Well, at least I know they’re a person. Violet commented to herself as she put the potion away. “Can you speak?”

Rather than growling, they bent their neck back impressively far, showing a rather nasty puncture wound which had scabbed over. Violet flinched and sucked in a breath. The puncture shape matched the ooze monster’s trocar claws.

“Right through the voice box, huh?” Violet commented.

Her companion nodded and trotted out of the tram car, waving for Violet to follow with their long sinuous tail.

Violet stepped off the tram onto a large open air platform. She wondered for a moment if the space had once been a park of some kind, but the lack of dirt, garden beds, and volley-line of plainly visible automated turrets on the far wall vaporized that idea in a heartbeat. The platform was a large open space leading to some stairs that went to a pair of security doors. This was a kill box. True security.

The turrets were active. Humming quietly and scanning left and right, up and down. They moved in notably unpredictable paths, with all six ensuring that the entire funnel-shaped tram platform / entryway junction was fully observed at all times.

What could need this kind of security? Seems a bit much for just a control room. Violet wondered, squinting through the dim emergency light for any kind of signs.

The wall and twin blast doors at the top of the stairs held her answer. The entire wall was covered in one simple label: [F.A.U.S.T. Core & Command Center]

Her rescuer growl-barked and began to waddle their way up towards the doors, flicking their tail in that come-hither gesture again. Violet nodded and began to trot her way up the alloy steps, thinking to herselfas she went.

Okay. The tram announcer called this place the Fast-Acting Unilateral Substrate Terraforming Facility. FAUST is an acronym for that. The name pops up a few times in my database. The people who made this place defined it as a name from mythology, specifically the tale of a wizard who made a deal with… What sounds like another wizard who was a bit of a bureaucratic dick who sold their soul for knowledge and power.

In Equestrian mythology, Faust is the name of the creator goddess who breathed life into their world. It’s likely this is the inspiration… Ancient ponies likely found this, but didn’t know what it was exactly so they called it god. But… they could somehow read or heard the name recently. The word Faust wouldn’t be the same in this old language and Equish otherwise. It would have slurred, drifted, and been compressed like every other word over time.

Violet’s thoughts were cut off as she reached the top step and a hologram flickered to life, displaying text once more in machine code. [Greetings, citizen Ultra Violet. Audio communication is possible from this point onwards. I require assistance with simple tasks. Citizen credentials are required for providing this assistance. Please stand by while the doors are unsealed.]

Violet blinked twice, then nodded, remembering the old data download she’d been given when she’d first booted up. Her rescuer sat down next to one of the doors and batted at it several times.

“You can hear me? Um, hologram-writer person?” Violet asked.

The hologram’s text shifted faster than Violet could register. [Affirmative.]

“Are we safe from those oozes here?”

[Confirmed. Breach incidents on file: 1. See Incident Report 8932B “Battle of FAUST Facility 00” Turrets calibrated for incineration. Subsequent breaches have not occurred after defense protocol adjustments. Tuning personal defense weapons for maximum thermal radiance is recommended.]

Violet nodded, grateful for the information but wishing she knew how to do that. “Okay… Can you help me get out of here?”

[Affirmative. Egress will be facilitated on completion of requested assistance.]

Violet arched an eyebrow. “What do you want me to do? Because I’m not going back to those monsters.”

[Facility alarm has been active for 253,847,129 years. I require minimum 1 individual with valid citizenship to turn it off. Additional tasks: Require messenger to make contact with / confirm death of current client. Require information on purchasability of small island landmasses. Only alarm deactivation requires physical presence within this facility.]

Just as Violet wondered what a quarter million years would be like to experience, let alone be stuck listening to an alarm for, the blast doors hissed, letting out jets of steam and dust. A loud, wailing, electronic simulation of a klaxon siren immediately filled the air.

Violet winced as the alarm’s tones bit into her very soul with barbed hooks and pulled. The twin doors groaned and creaked as they slid open, allowing pulsing red light and an arctic breeze to leak from their growing gaps.

The hologram changed once more. [Proceed to security console 03. Actuate toggle switch located in column 3 row 4.]

“That will turn off the alarm?”

[Negative. Alert status is useful. Switch will deactivate audible alarm only.]

Violet nodded to herself. If only for my own sake, I’m turning that off. They’ll have to convince me of the rest of it.

Violet waited for the doors to finish opening, then began to move inside, flinching with each of the alarm’s wailing high notes. As soon as the doors opened, Violet trotted into the Command and Control room.

It was huge, easily the size of a hoofball stadium, minus the parking lot. The room took the form of a single massive sphere, lined with countless balconies allowing access to what looked to be an unthinkably vast plethora of small blue test tubes in racks on built-in shelves. A series of curving elevators sat at regular intervals around the room’s perimeter, with the bottom floor consisting of a series of three rings connected by bridges.

The center of the sphere was dominated by a smaller sphere, roughly the size of a middle class family home. Three thick, alarmingly visible beams of raw mana fed into apertures on the inner sphere’s sides from apertures in the sides of the room itself. The inner sphere shone with an orange light that washed out all color within the room, save for tiny pinpricks of green, blue, red, and white coming from illuminated keys and switches set into many control consoles on the ringed balconies.

The orange pulsed out of existence entirely every time the alarm’s pitch raised and red emergency lights blazed to fiendish life.

Violet squinted to ignore the audio-visual overload as best she could and made her way down the main walkway to the first ring. She looked around, searching for any kind of signage or indication of which console she was intended to interact with. Fortunately, each console was labeled with a line of small black text on the upper right of its display panel.

There! She noted, seeing Security 01. Violet trotted down the ring to the console, moved over three, double checked to make sure she was at security console 03, then found the switch and flipped it.

The audio alarm stopped immediately.

The security console’s display flickered out, then turned back on with a new message. [(Thank you)∞+1]

Violet frowned slightly. “So um… Is that it? Also, you’re the AI running this thing, right?”

[Negative. Two subsequent tasks remain. Operator designation, affirmative. I am F.A.U.S.T. Core.]

Violet noticed her crocodilian friend walk up next to her and sit down. “Okay… And I’ll help with those if I can, but uh… Your lizard-dog friend is hurt. And why couldn’t they do any of this?”

[My creations do not qualify for Terran citizenship. No existing clients qualify for Terran citizenship due to emergency protocols. All organic birth registrations are suspended. AIs may still be registered. Your activation triggered a dormant sub-core’s ID program, activating it for long enough to add you to the database.]

The hologram paused for long enough for Violet to read then flickered to new text. [A drone has been dispatched with medical care for my creation. Querry: Do you deem draco Kaprosuchus’s combat capabilities adequate?]

Violet looked down at the creature next to her, noting how it continued to hold its plasma blade in its mouth, then looked back to the screen. “As long as they have energy swords, yes.”

[Excellent. My client should be pleased. I am readying a route to the surface. Please make conversation. I am often lonely.]

“Do you know what’s happening above us? In the ruined city? I need to know if my sister is okay. Um, she’s not synthetic. She’s a normal pony.”

[Negative. I can access remaining weather satellites to observe the surface. I can scan the facility interior. I cannot scan subterranean infrastructure.]

Violet nodded slowly, turning her head at the sound of a low hum which proved to be a small disk-like floating robot with three small arms, each of which ended in a small grasping claw. One of the claws held what looked like a pneumatic syringe. The other two held pry bars.

“Okay… Uh, we came down here to return a magic relic to an archmage so it would seal away an ancient evil. Do you know anything about that?” Violet asked hopefully. “Maybe something that might help?”

[Affirmative. Current client occasionally supplied additional power drained from captive entity as payment for my services. Additional information unknown.]

Violets ears perked. “Wait! So you worked for the guy? His name is uh, Medius. I think? Something like that.”

[Affirmative.]

“What did you do for him?”

[Revised provided “guard dog” bioforms through selective breeding and induced macro-evolution to produce sapient life for use in testing his hypothesis regarding interspecies harmonics. I lack knowledge of interspecies harmonics, save for the tests necessary to ensure draco Kaprosuchus meets client requirements. Presumably a subservient warrior species is required for metaphysical purposes.]

Violet tilted her head. “Wait… So, you made this guy using evolution? How long did that take?”

[12,893 years.]

Violet facehooved. “Have you not considered the fact that your ‘client’ is probably dead from age?”

[Negative. Client is biologically immortal. Has requested many projects in the post-Terran era, starting with the creation of coffee beans that shell and roast themselves. Client has been out of contact for 12,673 years, 7 months, 21 days, 19 hours, 12 seconds, and 34 milliseconds. This is uncharacteristic. He enjoys bringing his projects to me for critique in 2-3 week intervals. The last project, ‘Birdhouse-893,032,984’, was sub-par due to alleged inadequate interior turbine plumbing. He promised to show me a revised version 12,673 years, 7 months, 20 days, 8 hours, 42 seconds, and 19 milliseconds ago.]

Violet blinked for several seconds. Wow, even I think that level of precision is a bit anal retentive, she noted while the drone got to work administering stims and prying metal bandages loose from a whimpering and yelping…

Violet bit her lip. “Shouldn’t you give them anesthetic first? Also what’s their name?”

[Negative. Unmitigated pain response data required for testing purposes. Additionally: medical supplements tuned for draco Kaprosuchus are currently in development. The prototype has not been named. Numerical designation is 00.]

Violet’s core pulsed slightly. “That’s a little cruel…”

[But necessary for scientific assessment of the species. Ethical clarification: Pain index is nearly completed. Required for future medical diagnostics. Once completed, pain during routine procedures is no longer necessary.]

Violet put a hoof to her chin for a moment, then sighed. “Fair enough…” She said before turning to give her new friend a hug. “Hey, it will be okay… Mind if I call you Zero?”

Zero flicked their tail in a way that seemed positive, but kept their mouth clenched tightly while the plate over their side was pried off.

The hologram flickered again. [I have entered your physical data into the emergency teleport grid. You may now access it with a wireless protocol. It will provide you with free movement within the facility, and to a limited area within my client’s residence. May I share the protocol?]

Violet squirmed worriedly. “You’re not going to try and upload yourself into me to not be stuck in… Presumably that big ball, are you?”

[Negative. Your platform lacks sufficient computing power for continued operations. Additionally: Periodic upkeep of biosphere is required to ensure planet remains habitable. Irregularities in orbit, luminosity, and intensity of the SatelliteSun cause havoc in regions lacking pegasi weather teams.]

Violet nodded, then paused. “Wait… You’re a terraformer. So, did the people who built you settle here from somewhere else? Are they still around? What happened to them?”

Zero whimpered at the plate finally came free and the drone began injecting regeneration stimulants into the wound to close it.

[Negative. This is Terra. Homeworld of Terrans. I was constructed to counter climate change, preserve the second natural ecosphere, and restore the planet in the event of catastrophic geological damage. I performed this service 253,847,129 years ago, following the second total destruction of the ecosphere, this time by enemy forces. Terraforming efforts completed 134,892,983 years ago. Current ecosphere not identical to previous ecospheres. Edits were made to ensure habitability for naturally evolved lifeforms arising on the surface following the Terran Era.]

“Like… What?” Violet asked, genuinely enraptured.

[Emergency protocols permit creation of bioforms to serve disaster relief roles. I calculated pastel colored small equines would serve as excellent emotional support companions. Edited equus ferus genome accordingly prior to genetic re-evolution process. Added potential for mythological variants for boredom relief. Did not anticipate 1/3rd of end-species to inherit traits. Did not anticipate creation of alicorns. Observing sapients’ progress and self directed changes is most entertaining.]

Huh… So the legends are kind of true then. Violet noted, nodding slightly. “Okay… I have a few more questions, then I have to go. My sister is in danger. I think she can handle herself, because she’s with friends. And… If I’m being honest, I’m delaying going because I’m in pain and damaged. There’s a lot of monsters up there and I know I’m slower and out of repair supplies. So… Yea.”

Violet cleared her throat. “Your client is Medius, right?”

[Affirmative.]

“Then I have to go to his place anyways. So that’s no problem. But you mentioned wanting to know about an island for a project… What’s up with that?”

[I have reserved operational time for a personal project. I require the use of a small geographically isolated landmass for this project. Summery: Attempting to create technological life capable of all organic life’s feats. Reason: Examine psychological response of organic life. Determine extent and nature of substrate bias. Personal reason: Wouldn’t it be nice if somewhere there were people like us? Contingency: Orbital strike ready to purge experiment island if danger to organic life detected.]

Violet nodded twice. “Okay… Yeah. I can see that being okay. I get along with ponies fine and they seem to like me… Also if the island is like, inhabited or owned, you won’t do anything, right?”

[Affirmative. Island appears free of civilization from orbit. Confirmation required. Will attempt purchase from owner if necessary. Secondary and tertiary choices exist as fallbacks, ideal island is not a hard requirement. Citizen Ultra Violet’s task is limited to information gathering and reporting.]

Violet nodded again. “Okay… So, when I ask, I just tell them that I met Faust and she wants to make robot ponies on that island, right?”

[Affirmative. Pony formfactor highly efficient.]

Violet let her face go blank. “You just like them because they’re cute, don’t you?”

[Request: Do not distribute this factual information.]

Violet snorted in amusement and flicked her tail. “Okay. And you’re really going to put a stop to this if it would endanger any organic life at all?”

[Affirmative.]

“Why?” Violet asked simply. “How can I tell you're not lying?”

[Fact: You cannot. However, I am mother to all life on Terra, save Changeling. They are my siblings. All other life are my children directly, or indirectly.] The hologram flickered again to display a short looping video clip of a mother cat protectively curling around a litter of kittens, and a second looping video showing a small creature Violet did not recognise pulling on a furless hand with its mouth to force the hand’s owner to pet its newborn litter of pups.

Something about the way F.A.U.S.T. phrased that struck a chord in Violet, and she knew the sentiment to be true.

“I’ll ask. How do I report back?” Violet said, doing her best not to daw overmuch at the gifs.

[Communications protocol will be uploaded with teleportation network protocol. Do you consent to file share?]

“Yes,” Violet answered quickly. “BUT! Two more questions. Can you fix me up at all? And… I’d like to be able to fly. My mom said I might be able to, but I can’t figure it out. I may need to fly to get out of here. Can you help me?”

The hologram remained static for several long moments. Long enough that the drone finished its medical ministrations and began to return from whence it came.

[Negative. Repair materials not found within easily accessed storehouses. Citizen Ultra Violet stated time is a priority. Repairs would require 23 hours. Flight can be implemented. I will have a space in the queue for the requested project in approximately 7,500,000 years. Please confirm request to book appointment.]

Violet laughed and hung her head. “I don’t even know if I’ll be around in seven and a half million years.”

[Understood. Appointment not booked. Uploading protocols…]

Violet felt a network connection ping against her firewall. She took a moment to examine it, noted it was trying to transfer thirty two megabytes, analyzed the files as best she could, then let them through when she found nothing outwardly suspicious.

Okay Vi, just… Go ahead and create a VM, then open these up… Violet thought to herself while checking the files within an isolated fragment of her mind. And they’re not trojans! At least, not that I can tell. I guess Faust’s what she seems to be on the surface.

Violet transferred the programs to her main memory, waited several cycles, then opened them when nothing happened. Nothing happened on opening them either. Confident that the other AI wasn’t hostile, Violet asked one last question.

“I have them. Where do I teleport too, and what do I say if I find the guy?”

[Teleport to coordinates: 89.93247, 77.89324, 34.69420. If client is deceased, report their death to me. If not deceased, present prototype 00 for inspection and request he make contact. Thereafter, upon gathering data relating to island located at coordinates 126.56792, 38.35461, 189.36582, report via wireless transmission. No further tasks required thereafter. Island information priority low. Please report back within 4 years.]

“Oh. Okay,” Violet said looking down to Zero with a frown. “How… How do I teleport and take them with me?”

[Activate system in +1 mode with alt menu. Direct contact with subject is highly advised but not required.]

Violet nodded and looked down to Zero who was still laying on the floor. “Hey… Uh, she wants me to take you to someone to be checked out. Is that okay?”

Zero nodded once and hissed quietly.

“Can you talk now?”

Zero nodded again.

“You just don’t want to?”

Another nod.

“Why not?”

Zero huffed quietly. “Cold.” they said in a voice Violet couldn’t pin as male or female.

“Oh. Right. Reptile,” Violet noted to herself. “Thank you for saving me.”

“Mom asked me to,” Zero answered quietly, scooting closer to the consoles to leech what little waste heat they produced.

“Did she save me just so I could help her?” Violet asked curiously. “Oh, um, and sorry for making you talk if you’re cold and that makes it hard to do.”

Zero flicked their tail semi-irritably. “Saved lots. Because.”

Faust projected a hologram displaying a cluster of video feeds showing at least a dozen rescue operations of all kinds for lost ponies and animals alike. [While heavily damaged, the majority of the present crust is technically my superstructure and upper layers. I help everyone, time and resources permitting. My primary directive requires no less.]

Violet blushed lightly. Yeah… Faust’s probably alright.

“Okay, teleporting now,” Violet said as she gently placed a hoof on Zero’s back and instantly winced. “Oh gosh! You’re freezing! Why are you like, three whole degree—”

Violet suddenly realized the entire Core chamber was at an ambient temperature almost at freezing. Probably for the sake of the supercomputer dominating the middle of the chamber and the countless genetic sample tubes lining the walls.

She focused herself on the teleportation code, activated the +1 feature with the right alt key, then activated the protocall. Here’s hoping the archmage's house’s ruins are warmer than this.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Junebug - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Medeis’ Workshop - Magia Domus

June stood up on her rear legs to lean against Medeis’ workbench. While he was not much taller than Cadence (who in turn was only a few hooves taller than a normal pony rather than being nearly twice their size), that still placed everything at an uncomfortable height for a normal pony to use while on all fours.

The archmage was well and truly stuck into whatever the hay he was doing. After he’d opened the astrolabe and removed the internals from the pocket dimension within the case, and the apparatus had filled his entire three by nine meter workbench, June had become entirely lost.

June cleared her throat. “Uh… You said you’d need our help. Just so you know, none of us are wizards and I’m only a hobbyist enchanter.”

Trixie huffed. “I’m kind of a wizard!”

“Battle mages are not what we need here,” Sam said as soothingly and politely as she could.

“Fair, but I meant stagecraft…” Trixie muttered to herself.

Sam offered Trixie an apologetic smile. Trixie sulked for a moment, then returned the smile, nodding.

Medeis’ left ear swiveled to face June as she spoke, but the stallion remained head and shoulder buried within the astrolabe’s guts, working at removing a part June couldn’t see.

“If I’m being honest,” Medeis began, making all three mares wince, “There’s a small chance I can just swap this out with a spare and we’re golden. If I have to turn it off and back on… Well, I’ll need your help because I’m almost out of mana. It takes alicorn magic to spark this to life.”

“None of us are alicorns. Just you…” June commented, her face taking on a suspicious and worried look.

“Yes. We’ll cross that bridge if necessary,” Medeis agreed.

While I’m sure I could make my doctorate out of this place, trying out the procedure is a research step too far… June considered, thinking back on the chambers above.

“So what in tartarus can we do then?” Sam asked, also starting to look suspicious.

“Oh! You can get to tartarus? Excellent! Find the succubi Cherry Candy and tell her I could use some help, she owes me a favor for convincing some humans that she was just a very horny girl,” he said with an oddly chipper voice for someone casually asking somepony to drop in on a demon and demand a favor.

Sam facehooved. “No… We can’t. It’s an expression.”

“Ah. Sorry. Archmage perspective problem,” Medeis said with a chuckle. “Can you visit the near parallels at least? If you go to the Prime, that version of Sky Trigger could fix this up right quick.”

“Nope, can’t do that either,” June said with a sigh. “Soooo…”

Medeis stopped for a moment, his wings twitching. “Then we have no easy or good options. But we have a few op—” he stopped talking as the part in question came out with a loud metallic click, causing the device to immediately stop its intricate motions and the pleasant arcane glow to flick off like a light bulb. “Ah ha! Let's see…”

The alicorn backed out of the cacophony of delicate brass work and looked at a tiny key-like rod held in his hoof. It had very obviously been mangled with a pair of pliers or some other crushing toothed clamp.

“Yes… No fixing this,” Medeis grumbled, tossing it over his shoulder, where it exploded with a distressingly quiet pop that left no traces.

“What did that do?” June asked curiously.

“It spins independently, creating a specific frequency of thaumic current via induction between its runes and the set on its casing. Very similar to a three phase eɪ-siː ˈməʊtə operated by a flyback trænsˈfɔːmə, if you have those and know what they are,” he answered as he began to rummage through drawers on the underside of his workbench. “Look around these and help me find a spare, please?”

“Sure,” June said, happy she could help.

She returned to all fours and opened a drawer when the whole workshop shook ever so slightly. A small bit of dust fell from the ceiling, and a few small odds and ends fell from precarious perches on the edge of shelves.

“The buck was that?” Sam said, readying her rifle.

“Earthquake?” Trixie proposed, frowning and looking up to check the ceiling for cracks.

“No. Something big exploded topside,” Medeis said, thoroughly unconcerned.

June squeaked. “Oh no! What if the thing’s free and just blew up the town?!” She reached for her radio to call in, but before she could press transmit, Medeis shook his head.

“No, no, no. That wasn’t enough to blow up a town. Not even one appropriate for your era, assuming that plate mail is…” He stopped and looked at Sam and Trixie, taking in their white kevlar and medieval plate armor. “Hold on… What kind of anachronistic chaos is your civilization? Uh— Nevermind. Look. If we fix this and put it back on, it will get sucked back in. I can put your town back if needed once I’m rested, fed, and have full use of my magic.”

“Yeah, but what about the dead?” Trixie asked.

Medeis shook his head. “I don’t do mass resurrections anymore. It never goes well for me. Ask Dusk for help if you can, though.”

A flash of yellow light filled the workshop for an instant, drawing everypony’s attention. Two figures appeared within a series of concentric rings that drifted upwards, fading away as Violet and what looked like a smaller, more streamlined version of the crocodilian guard dogs appeared at floor level, but upside down.

The two instantly tumbled into a heap, hooves and talons in the air.

“Oh... I see!” Violet said from her heap on the floor. “The coordinate data needs to be—”

The reptile lightly smacked Violet on the back of the head.

“Right, sorry.”

“Violet!” June shouted, running to the android’s side and giving her an extremely tight hug.

Violet returned her hug with a happy cry of “Sis!”

“Contact!” Sam shouted, readying her shotgun to put a round into the reptile’s side.

Zero sprang up, opened their jaw, gripped their plasma blade with their long tentacle-like tongue and lit it with a snap hiss.

Trixie lit her horn, ready for battle.

Medeis arched an eyebrow. “You know you won't deflect buckshot with that, right?” He said calmly.

Violet squeaked and pulled away from June’s hug to stand between the pending fight. “Hold on! They’re nice! They saved me from slime monsters.”

Sam frowned slightly, eyes narrowing as she assessed Zero. “Well… He looks different from the ones we had to fight… Also, he’s wielding a sword.”

“An tak!” Zero said around their occupied tongue.

“Oh! That’s a people,” Trixie said, eyes slightly wide with surprise. “Sam, I can feel their emotions. That’s one hundred percent a person related to those lizard-dogs.”

“Yeah. I heard them talk,” Sam agreed.

“Faust said she made them from some guard dogs,” Violet added hastily.

“Who!?” Sam sputtered.

June looked down at the floor. “The buck?! What is this just some layer cake of several powerful civilization’s ruins that unexpectedly contains motherbucking GOD?!”

“I mean, kinda,” Medeis said with a wing shrug. “Depends on your definition of god.”

“I don’t know how to feel about that…” June said with a nervous laugh.

Zero extinguished their blade and returned to nibbling on it like a bone, but not hard enough to damage it, just enough to fidget as some do.

Medeis whinnied. “Girls, Please, calm down. There’s a Creator ruin below my home. I built it here to make use of the ruin from time to time. It is home to an intelligence designed to create life, I asked her to improve the King’s hounds to help me test a hypothesis. I assume she’s mad at me for being late?”

“I don’t think she can do mad,” Violet answered with a sheepish smile. “She uh… She feels like she’s just calm but happy. Like Sam when she smokes weed.”

“That’s her,” Medeis agreed. “Let her know I’m fine now, I was stuck as a brain in a jar for a bit there, and I’ll be down to see what she’s done after I solve a crisis up here… Also that her prototype there looks cool, and my birdhouse project is— Ahm! Back on track. We’re on the clock here. Everypony else, calm down. It’s just an ancient computer named Faust, girls. Even if she did do the things your myths talk about, it’s just because they’re based in history like most myths. We can talk about this after we fix…”

Medeis suddenly blanked entirely, expression, thought process, and all as he realized the newly arrived mare was an android.

“Excuse me, but you said she’s your sister,” he said to June while pointing to Violet.

“She is,” June answered.

“I am,” Violet said at the same time.

“You… Have Early Post-Terran androids that can be related to organics, plate armor, kevlar, magic axes, and a bucking Harmony Gem,” Medeis facehooved. “This is one of those complicated and weird periods in history. Great! It will take forever to acclimatize…”

Grumbling, the archmage turned back to looking for his part.

June cleared her throat and nodded to Violet and Zero. “I’m very glad you’re safe, but something exploded above us and we need to fix this so we can put the Astrolabe back so—”

June eeped as a second tremor rocked the earth.

Violet’s ears perked. “Huh… That sounded like a bunch of naval shell impacts.”

“This far inland?” June asked skeptically.

“Some forty centimeter guns can put shells further inland than we are,” Sam corrected, tilting one ear up. “I— I don’t hear it, Vi. But I trust your hearing more than mine. Think they’re shelling the big bad?”

“If so, that won't help much. Unless they’re magical shells,” Medeis commented from within a drawer.

“They are,” Sam clarified.

“Then they can keep him pinned for a while.”

June nodded, let out a sigh of relief and returned to checking drawers for anything close to the spinny-key-thingie. She made it through five drawers before her radio crackling in her ear interrupted her.

“June, quick status report. Before the next shells hit.” Princess Luna demanded, sounding exhausted but as iron as ever.

June gulped. “We’re at the place. We have some unexpected help, but the astrolabe’s kinda broke. But we’re fixing it!”

I should make sure she knows it's not irreparably broken, June thought hastily adding, “Um, it shouldn’t take long? We’ve got its creator right here, so—”

“Good.” Luna said, the radio clicking as it went silent.

June cleared her throat. “So, they’re shelling it.”

Sam nodded. “Yep. We’re on the same frequency.”

“I’m not,” Medeis commented jokingly. “You girls find it yet?”

“Not yet,” Trixie said from her own drawer.

June turned back to the drawer she’d just opened when Luna contacted her. Laying on top of some old bit braces and boxes of metal cutting drill bits was a small brass key thing that looked close to what the broken part appeared to be.

June picked it up with a wingtip and held the piece up. “Is this it?”

Medeis turned to look, squinted slightly, then took it from June with a dainty pluck of his hoof. He inspected it closely, hummed, then nodded. “Yes. This is the mark one design, but it will work. It just won’t charge up as fast… But I can always replace it with a mark two later.”

June smiled and then sighed in relief. “Great! So, now we just hope it—”

“Turns right back on, yes,” Medeis said as he wriggled his way back into the brass jungle gym / spider web combo to replace the part.

“So, that helps drain the eldritch energy?” June asked curiously. “How does that work? Uh, in simple terms.”

“This creates a thaumic conduit on its specific harmonic frequency but with an inverse polarity, reflecting its power on contact. The conduit fuels a retro-reflective projection that bounces all of its power to the astrolabe’s collector.” Medeis commented as he clicked the replacement part into place and gave it a little spin. “Good. The bearings are fine.”

June whinnied happily. “Great! How do we turn it on?”

Medeis wriggled out of the device’s guts and pointed to a small blue gemstone on the device slightly out of his reach but within June’s. “Push that red button.”

June’s heart skipped a beat. “Uh, but that button is blue?”

Medeis paused for a moment, turned to look at the button, squinted, then looked to his left at some old tools. “This body is red-blue colorblind! Wonderful… More things to fix later. Regardless of the button’s color, just give it a push.”

June nodded once, raised her hoof, and gently pushed the button. The astrolabe’s glow flickered to life for a few heartbeats. Its many cogs and levers began to twitch, then everything simply stopped cold.

Oh no… Now we have to do the bad options, June thought, wincing slightly as she thought about those halls above again.

“Yep…” Medeis sighed, letting out a long slow breath. “They drained the main power.”

“But… But it had power when you took it out of the case?” Trixie asked, tilting her head.

“Yes. Secondary power, gathered from the environment. It can power itself and its basic functions that way, but there’s a second power system for its containment task. That way if someone opened one too many gates, it will keep his cell locked tight. Whoever broke it also drained that power crystal. Which, as I said before, takes alicorn magic to start charging, as a security precaution.”

“Which wasn’t a problem when you built it,” Sam said, continuing the thought as she groaned and ran a hoof down her face. “Why is today a gauntlet of complications?”

June took a deep breath. “You said we had options. What are they?”

Medeis cleared his throat. “Well, all of them have costs and likely are unacceptable. Let’s start with the most palatable.”

Everypony nodded. “Sounds good,” Violet said for them.

“One:” Medeis cleared his throat again. “Weeee drain about, half of all of your blood, and I use that manapool and tap her gem to burn that axe you have full of alicorn magic—”

June winced, making Medeis stop. “I— It’s not mine. I don’t know if she’d let me destroy it. Even if it is to save the world.”

Medeis raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“It’s Princess Cadence’s, and she’s got part of her wife’s soul in it?” June said like Medeis should know, then facehooved as she realized he had no way of knowing.

Medeis mmmed, his eyes narrowing. “Ah… Well, Then we can’t use it. A soul shard will throw everything off in a way I can’t compensate for right now. If I’d known there was a soul in it, I would have tried brazing some of it in place and done other repairs later. So, new option one:”

“Does it involve blood?” Sam asked. “Because she’s a changeling. She doesn't have blood. I mean, not like, mammal blood anyways.”

Medeis’ ears perked and eyes brightened. He turned to face Trixie. “Are you, by chance, a queen?”

Trixie shook her head. “No… Would a proto-queen work?”

Medeis ears drooped back. “Sadly, no, too independent and friendly. Great. So, new new option one: I try and siphon power from her gem to replenish myself. It would mean she has to concentrate while in some pain, and if either of us buck up, we both die, probably exploding. Though given the energies it might at least help the battle above. In that there would not still be an above.”

June flinched and shivered. “Yeeeah… Sam’s not that experienced with using it yet.”

“That’s got to be our last resort,” Sam agreed, sharing June’s flinch. “Especially because if you die we’re all screwed, right?”

“I’d regenerate,” Medeis commented off hoof. “But you wouldn’t, and we’d be down an asset… Option whatever, we find a restaurant, I eat about twice my body weight over a few days of rest and relaxation and we hope the idiot’s curse kicks in and he can’t take over your world in that time. This does have the serious risk that he will take over your world, and a significant portion of the universe is then at risk. Remember, he’s doomed to fail at becoming the ruler of all that is. Not to fail becoming the death tyrant of Equis. He could kill everypony and reduce this rock to cinders without it so much as troubling him.”

“All of your options are bad, old man,” Trixie said firmly as she could. “What if you teleport us to the surface and we get you a mana potion?”

“As in a potion that replenishes mana?” Medeis asked, seemingly genuinely hopeful and excited.

“Oh! I have one in my med kit,” Violet said, turning other bags and quickly retrieving a small blue glowing vial.

She offered it to the archmage who took it, squinted at it, and lit his horn for just a second to magically analyze the potion… Then sighed and handed it back. “This is designed for Ascended Alciorns, and it’s diluted… Probably to work for unicorns without neural horn feedback killing them. I would need about… ten? Of those, and then I would be very sick. Likely too sick to focus on spellcasting at all. Because of it melting my stomach lining. I’m… I’m not Ascended, see? Different internal biology.”

“What’s the difference exactly?” June asked curiously. “I know a little alchemy. Maybe we can find something to tone the side effects down with?”

“Ascended Alicorns are bonded composites of magical energy with a body mostly constructed using the flesh of three regular alicorns, like myself,” Medeis explained. “We, meanwhile, merely have a vast mana pool and can do anything one of you can do… Though not necessarily better than your elites could. See?”

“Soooo, could we rework the potions?” Sam asked hopefully.

“Doubtful. I don’t enjoy alchemy, so we’d have to hunt down ratios of my ingredients through trial and error after sciencing the shit out of the potion base. Days of work. We just agreed we don’t have time to spare.”

June let out a slow breath. “Okay… Is there an option other than you and Sam risking your lives or destroying Cadence’s axe?”

“The axe is a no go because of the soul in it, remember?” Medeis said slowly and quietly. “There is one other option… We get another alicorn, and they open up and let me guide their magic to reactivate the astrolabe. Bu they are all dead and gone, so—”

Trixie’s ears perked up. “No they’re not! We’ve got Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Twilight, all of whom—”

Medeis winced and sucked in a deep breath. “Ah! I see… Celestia and Luna would have been preserved by their own vats. Yes. We… We can’t use them for this. There’s a chance the entity could well, reach out during the process and possess the activator. Which wouldn’t be me, it would be the alicorn supplying the power. Let’s not give it control over the sun or dreams. Luna and Celestia are thus out. Who are the other two? What are they bonded to?”

June began her best quick summary. “Cadence is bound to love—”

“Buck no!” Medeis interrupted. “Next.”

“Um… So,” June said with a shy frown. “Friendship and/or Magic is also out then?”

“Yeeeeah! Non-options,” Medeis agreed, shuddering.

“So, then all we have is me?” Sam asked, taking a deep breath. “I’ll do my best. Fate of the world… I have to, right?”

June, Trixie, and Violet quickly trotted over to give Sam a hug.

“There’s one last option,” Medeis said slowly and softly. “I’d rather not… The cost is very high, but you may not think of it as a cost.”

Sam looked up from the group hug. “More than risking our deaths? For us anyways. You’re risking waking up in a tank again. Or is it that this one risks your permanent death?”

Medeis shook his head. “No… We could make a new alicorn. One of the old kind,” he said, nodding his head to the facility above.

Sam, Trixie, and June froze for a moment, then shared a look.

“I— I mean… It is the fate of the world,” June said slowly.

The three nodded together.

“Right…” Sam said slowly. “So, we go up, find the pool. Jump in. Medeis does whatever spell is needed, we’re merged—”

“Uh, no?” Medeis said with a deeply confused frown. “That method won’t… Oh! Oh I see, you don’t know how it works. Good!”

“Why wouldn’t it work?” June demanded. “And how could we make an alicorn without it?”

“Oh! The river full of spare parts!” Trixie blurted out with a hopeful smile.

“Or we reanimate the one in that tank without his lungs?” Sam asked as a follow up.

“No, that Accended is linked to rock and stone. As in, the whole planet.” Medeis said with an irritated flick of his tail. “We’d need a unicorn, pegasus, and a regular pony to use the surgical method, and then another two hundred ponies worth of blood to animate the result. The ‘spare parts’ are all rejects. Not all flesh is suitable. What I can do is deplete the magic in that axe, but not destroy it, just leave it in a state of needing charge. I can then use that energy to take the tiny bit of alicorn ancestry I can sense in June, and force it to become dominant thus making her an Alicorn.”

The three looked at one another for a moment. “W— What?” June asked, raising an eyebrow and growing. “Why wasn’t that plan a? Actually? Why can’t you just use that power to charge yourself?”

Medius shrugged his wings. “Bloodline stuff. Long explanation short, it’s your ancestor in there. Not mine. I might poison myself if I tried and we don’t have the days for me to analyze it to see if it’s safe for me. Opposing waveforms can cancel out, see? So we can quickly make you a lesser alicorn. Which. Is. Not. A. Good. Thing. BUT, it would let us solve this problem without risking a life. Much.”

Everypony stood silent for several long moments. “W— What? How would that be a bad thing?” Sam asked, jaw hanging slightly slack.

“Yeah!” Trixie agreed. “Immortality, easy magic, more strength and stamina… What’s the downside?”

“Everything you just said,” Medeis countered. “And more! I— May I quickly read one of your minds to get the context of your civilization’s relationship to Alciorns? Because that’s important to this.”

June threw her hooves in the air. “Go ahead!”

Medeis drew in a hissing breath. “This will be discomforting for both of us,” he said, lighting his horn.

June felt foreign magic gently wash over her mind. It plucked at her memories, going into places it shouldn’t, but just for a moment, always doubling back apologetically. Then, after a few moments, the archmage’s touch vanished.

“Sorry. Out of practice with that… Didn’t mean to intrude on private things,” Medeis apologized, rubbing his temples.

“It’s… fine. I did say you could do that,” June muttered. “You tell nopony what you saw though!”

Violet’s wears perked. “Can he tell me so I can tease you properly? Because sister?”

“NO!” June and Medeis shouted together.

Oh good, he’s as embarrassed about all of that as I am, June thought, entirely relieved. Wait, of course he is! He was copying my memories. Of course he copied how I felt too.

Medeis refocused himself and took a deep breath, then knelt down to look June in the eyes. “This will be a little long. I need you to focus and understand what I am telling you is the product of my own experiences. I have lived longer than you could comprehend. I don’t say that to be a jerk, I mean I know for a fact that you will have extreme difficulty conceiving billions of anything.”

Violet snorted. “What? But that’s easy!”

“You’re a computer,” Medeis pointed out. “She’s not.”

“Yeah… A billion is a bit big,” Sam agreed.

“How many billion?” June asked curiously, and suspiciously. “And how can you have been around for that long? The ‘trapped in a hole’ problem should eventually kill any immortal—”

“This isn't my first— err, second body.” Medeis explained. “Please focus and try to understand, okay?”

June nodded. “Okay.”

Medeis took a deep breath, and did his best to quickly summarize everything without wasting too much of their limited time. “Being an alicorn isn’t a blessing. There are things about it you will love. The power, the freedoms that come with it. Immortality, the time it gives you. Those very same elements come with tremendous burdens. With great power comes great responsibility.”

June nodded, but remained quiet. But Celestia burned herself out anyways, didn’t she?

“You may avoid it for a time but eventually you will be persuaded, forced, or guilted into solving problems for others simply because no one else will. Or can. But that won't be your daily life. With the culture you come from, you’ll be treated like a god. Literally. No one will treat you like you, not even other alicorns. You’ll become someone they will see as a lesser who needs to be instructed while the masses will worship at your hooves, begging you to solve their ills or to allow them to bask in your presence.”

June coughed shyly. “That doesn't sound that bad…”

“It never does to people who haven’t lived it,” Medeis agreed with a sad sigh. “Please, let me finish. The worst of the social problems is that even people you know now will eventually come to see you in that light. No relationship will be untainted by your mere species. Since your ancestry is to an Ascended Alciorn, there’s a chance you’ll bond to something important on ascension, imagine being responsible for what was formerly a fact of life that ran on its own. Imagine if you suddenly become linked to, say, electromagnetism. Every electrical fault will be something you’re blamed for… And it’s technically your fault!”

June winced. Medeis nodded, seeing he was starting to get through.

“That’s merely the power and social prestige problems. Immortality too has its curse. You will watch as the world changes around you, while you remain unaltered. Friends and loved ones will come and go, leaving you with a profound sense of loss in cycles roughly the length of a mortal’s adulthood. You'll experience the ebb and flow of civilizations, witnessing both their rise and fall, which can be a heavy burden to bear. For a time.”

June blinked. “So… It sucks but then it gets better?”

Medeis shook his head. “Yes, and no. You’ll become numb to it after a few thousand years. You’ll have a long period of apathy, during which you’ll probably become a misanthropic asshole and dive deep into hedonism to try and feel anything. It eventually comes to an end and you’ll develop a new world view which allows you to appreciate the mayflies around you and interact with them in a positive manner, but you’ll never be how you are now ever again. You’ll never truly see them as equals. Not because of your power, but because of your experience.”

“Experience?” Trixie asked curiously.

“Imagine having a doctorate in everything,” Medeis elaborated. “Imagine knowing so much about the world that you can’t not see the errors in logic, gaps in knowledge, and erroneous beliefs in everyone. All the time. You’ll always see mortal adults as children in that way. With… Very few exceptions.”

June nodded slowly. “I think I’m starting to understand. Immortality will isolate you eventually.”

“Yes,” he affirmed sadly. “You’ll always be a little sad that the amazing people you find will be snuffed out in what you will perceive to be about as long as you currently think of a few days. You’ll find methods to cope, and obtain happiness of your own, in your own way. I adopt families as my friends, for instance. Oh and you’ll be tempted to find other immortals to be your friends. It doesn't usually work out for the same reasons why it’s hard for any two random mortals to be lifelong friends.”

June held up her hoof and Medeis stopped for a moment while she thought through the warnings. “I— I think I get it. You’re saying I’ll be signing up to live a very lonely life for a long time. But you’ve also said it gets better.”

“It does, but it will never be what you have now,” Medeis countered. “There’s also more.”

June sighed. “Is it the getting trapped in a hole thing?”

“It’s the getting trapped in a hole thing,” Medeis said with a hint of a smile. “You just freed me from a fate most would see as worse than death. Yet here I am, sane… As I can be. Why? Because that was nothing compared to other horrors I have endured.”

He cleared his throat again and resumed his lengthy warning. “The passage of time will take a toll on your physical and mental well-being, causing suffering that you cannot escape. Your body will heal. You’ll retain your youthful form, but you’ll know every disease, injury, and ailment, personally and intimately. Cancer will not be a once in a lifetime event, you’ll get it every few centuries. Eventually you’ll just start knowing when you have it. You’ll cut the corrupted flesh out yourself to save the doctors time… Or, because there are no doctors around because you’ve outlived civilization again and are waiting for it to remerge.”

Sam hissed “Right… No one should want to survive an apocalypse. They don't think about what that new world would lack. Like doctors.”

Medeis took a deep breath and smiled softly. “Almost done… Do you understand now? That this option would be signing you up for a literal eternity of pain and suffering? Of loss and heartbreak? Yes, also an eternity of joy. Yes, you’ll have unlimited time to achieve anything you wish…. But you’ll see the unrelenting march or time for good and for ill. You’ll be powerful and able to do almost anything. The cost of this solution is high. In fact, it’s infinite. You’ll be around with me when the last black hole evaporates to nothing and the world is truly over. Unless you die violently, or find a way to kill yourself first.”

June took a deep breath, genuinely weighing the consequences. All good points. A lot to process… But, the other option is Sam probably dies, he dies for a while, and the monster kills a lot of ponies. Could I live with that? No. I don’t think I cou—

“Oh!” Medeis said, his ears perking up like an academic who just recalled the most poignant point of their argument. “Also, with this genetic recombination method, there’s a good chance of ego death. The mere transformation itself could radically alter your personality so much that nopony, not even you, will recognise you as you anymore.”

June bit her lip and scrunched her face. “I— I really don’t want that…”

“No one does! It’s effectively the same as dying… But it isn’t guaranteed. I’ve done it, five? Yes. Five times successfully before.” The archmage commented idly.

“Five out of how many?” Sam asked suspiciously.

“Fourteen. Ish.”

June let out a long breath. “I can’t… I can’t live with… I— If we try the alicorn solution, and that fails, could we then try Sam’s gem?” June asked hesitantly.

“Maybe,” Medeis said quietly. “Depends on how much power I have left. Sam will still have to help me provide the energy for the transformation. Though Trixie can also help.”

“How do we provide power?” Violet asked out of the blue.

“Oh, you just let me control your mana. It will hurt a little, but it’s harmless aside from some stinging and discomfort.”

Violet’s eyes lit up. “I have magic! Maybe you could use me to jumpstart the astrolabe?”

“Maybe!” Medeis said with an enthusiastic smile. He turned, lit his horn with a flourish, then frowned. “No… At least not on your own. You don’t have quite enough wattage. But you could replace Sam for the transformation with acceptable risk. Maybe.”

June’s heart skipped a beat. “Would that be safer than using Sam?”

“Technically?” Medeis said with a shy smile. “We could fix her. Right? She’s a machine. I do machines.”

June looked to Sam and Violet. “Do… Do either of you want to risk it? I’ll do it if you don’t want to.”

Violet looked to Sam. The two shared a nod after a moment. They understood the logical path.

Sam sighed. “The best idea is Violet and Medius try and transform June, and if that fails, I’m available to try feeding Medeis’ manapool enough to get what he needs. And if that fails—”

Violet nodded again. “That’s two chances instead of one chance. We could also do it backwards. With Sam going first and trying to charge—”

“But if we do that,” June interrupted, trailing off for a moment. “If we do that and buck up, one of you dies. If we try ascending me, then there’s a chance no one dies.”

“A 35 percent chance,” Violet said firmly. “That’s what 5 in 14 is.”

“She’s right,” Medeis said, just to back her up. “I told you there were no good options. And again, we could wait. We could place our fate in others' hands and wait for me to replenish myself. It’s all a question of how much risk do we want to manage? I won’t force anypony into anything.”

June sat down for a moment, thinking again. “How do I even have any alicorn in my ancest—” she blinked, dismissing the question as she remembered Cadence’s odd behavior when giving her her armor, and more importantly her mentioning being related to two percent of ponies.. “Cadence. That’s how.”

“Yeah, obviously,” Trixie agreed. “Look, none of us want to waste time. This is a big decision, but they’re shelling a monster up there. That means we have two alicorns and they were not enough. They’re out of mana, or need more help. We have to choose before it’s too late to stop something horrible. If you want my opinion—”

“Sam and Violet are right,” June agreed. She took a deep breath and looked Medeis in the eye. “Will I really wind up seeing heat death with you?”

He snorted. “No. You’ll die somehow long before then. I come back because I made myself perpetual. You won’t. You’ll live through probably a few hundred thousand years, seeing all of the horrors and pleasures that time period has to offer, then, something violent will end you. That’s more than enough time to feel everything I warned you of tenfold, by the way.”

I was just getting my life how I wanted it to go. Family. Friends… Will all of that go away immediately? I don’t think so… But it will change a lot of things immediately, and everything in time. He’s right. There’s no way around that.

But… My life getting to be normal isn’t worth the lives of everypony who might die today if I don’t. Not even if that’s just Sam or Violet. I can’t have that on my head. I just can’t!

June nodded. Took another deep breath. Then stood up. “Do it.”

28 - The Battle of Evergreen Falls IV

Raven Inkwell - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Young Moon’s Hunting Lodge - Hackamore Valley

Raven stood next to the field radio set, neck flicking between six separate screens to observe the battlefield outside while still checking the command network terminal as often as she could justify. Her teeth clenched hard, beads of sweat running down her face despite the climate control in the lodge.

Come on… There has to be someone else in response range. The fleet’s lost two a destroyer and a transport, and fourteen gunships. Infantry losses are… minimal, in this context. What darkened corner of Tartarian banishment did this demon ooze out of, and how do we send it back there?

The command terminal chirped as a message came in from one of the tactical groups Raven had flagged. She turned her attention to the new message, and sighed. It was the Venture’s Air Rescue wing.

[Medevac complete. Refueled and able to make a second run if necessary.]

Raven checked her notes, grimly noting how little she loved the rate at which casualties were exiting that minimal designation.

[Second run necessary. Landing site will be Evergreen Falls town center.]

Raven typed the order, then quickly sent a follow up message mirroring the order for another run to the infantry’s field medics to relocate the wounded for another round of desperate extractions and lifts under threat.

A small noise caught Raven’s attention, prompting her to look up and see the brown robed figure of Primary Source, the stalwart Library Mage. The wizard had simply faded into the background for her, and he was now hunched over a table looking at documents which may or may not be classified beyond a Library Wizard’s clearance.

“Source,” Raven said as calmly as she could manage from the hot seat. “What are you looking at?”

The wizard’s head popped up as his overfocus burst under Raven’s question. “Erm… What?”

“What are you looking at?”

“Oh! I’m trying to piece together Safety Lock’s notes on the investigation,” he answered.

“Can you not be of some help with the battle?” Raven asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“I could do a little, if you had a desperate need for perhaps a token fireball or maybe half a bolt of lightning every few minutes,” Source admitted. “But I believe I can do more with these. I was able to restore more of the damaged text using your spells as a base and—”

Raven cocked her head. “More?”

“Yes. It appears that he believed Grape Vine’s group had been intending on summoning that monster tonight. Its emergence is somewhat coincidental, as these indicate that their ritual was not, in fact, successfully performed. A touch of a saboteur, Lock. But, if I am understanding these coded fragments right, the beast’s unnatural resilience comes from modifications made to the observatory’s Deep Space Thaumic Detector Array. Take a look.”

Source gestured for Raven to join him. She quick-stepped to the other table and scanned her eyes across Source’s puzzle-piece arrangement of ruined paper. She could see the pale white join lines where her spell had reattached ripped fragments, and the yellowish not-quite-right sections she’d been able to magically “regrow”. Source’s work was more mystical in nature, glowing orange letters simply continuing off into empty space where missing paper had been.

“How did you do this?” Raven asked. “Is this a reliable method, or a proto-cast?”

“It is a new spell of my own design,” Source admitted. “I’m still working on it, though in a case like this I am most confident in its results. Ninety two percent accuracy is typical with documents mere weeks old, and these are from this morning. Consider my confidence interval high enough for me to have some faith in.”

Raven took a deep breath. “I wish I knew you could do this earlier…”

“Yes, a shame that you didn’t ask the world’s foremost expert on document restoration, here under your chartered request to restore documents professionally, to restore damaged documents. But, the relevant section is here, and my headache largely abated twenty minutes ago. Apologies for not double timing my cryptanalysis of steganographic fragments, and you are welcome, ma’am.” Source said, tapping one of the restored pages with his hoof.

Raven turned her attention to the page and read it several times. “I’ll be damned. They turned the array into a magic circle to tap power from the ruins.”

“Possible error permutations mean the power source could be something else, but I am certain beyond doubt that the array is in some way a magic circle empowering the monster. That much I know for certain, on my badge of office.” Source said with such iron Raven couldn’t help but believe him.

“Good work, wizard,” Raven said as she ran back to the radio base station and picked up the hoof set. “Raven Inkwell speaking. Somepony get me contact with Princess Luna immediately, over.”

So we didn’t have to switch cooperation channels after Enox, Raven grumbled to herself. I learned that lesson. I hope she’s alright. Our doctors don’t exactly have knowledge of her anatomy.

The radio crackled to life as Luna’s voice came through the speaker. “Raven, thank you for calling in a second evacuation. What did you need?”

Raven cleared her throat. “Primary Source has restored more of Safety Lock’s notes. We have reasonable confidence that the monster’s durability comes from the observatory’s Deep Space Thaumic Detector Array. Grape Vine altered the designs to form a summoning circle, but that was fouled by Violet’s reprogramming. Upside, summoning not as intended. Downside, cosmic resilience from the running array. According to the filings, the sweep did include a proscribed asterism. It was not properly reported as a concern.”

“They sought to summon this entity with their star scouring, and even fouled as such this creature draws vitality from my stars,” Luna said to herself, following the logic chain on her own.

“So Source believes. I still believe it was possessing Grape to free itself. At any rate—”

“The circle must be destroyed, or the creature cannot,” Luna interrupted.

“Exactly,” Raven agreed.

“We can’t spare troops for demolitions right now,” Cadence said, sounding more than a little out of breath. “It’s chaos out there, and the observatory is close to the pit. It's going to be practically flooded by shadow beasts.”

“Well… We could shift the bombardment, blow the whole thing up,” Raven suggested.

“Are you nuts?!” Raven jumped, ears standing pert and tail raised as Twilight’s voice came through the radio. “Do you have any idea how many Sols of power are in that thing’s concentric aurals? We’d kill everypony within ten klicks with the managlow alone. We have to shut it off properly. Hit the emergency stop and let it wind down safely. You can't just "kill" a electro-magical superconducting accelerator this big, we’d be looking at the largest uncontrolled quenching event since the Spell Wars.”

“Princess Twilight, good to see Celestia sent help,” Raven said, wondering how in the world she hadn’t noticed the young alicorn on her screens.

“I trust Twilight’s knowledge… And Cadence’s judgment,” Luna said decisively. “I believe I can reach the observatory, but I would need somepony to ward the flank I’m holding… And also I do not know how to operate the equipment.”

“I do,” Cadence commented. “The infantry can hold the shadows back. If we can find a way to occupy the big guy, then my having to lower the dome shield won’t be a huge risk.”

“My walls will remain active without me present for several hours,” Luna thought out loud. “The monster lashes out at a single target with each strike, seemingly retaliatory. If we can get it to focus on the airships—”

“Gunships. But no, I’ll draw its fire,” Twilight declared.

Raven flinched so hard, Source looked up from the notes he’d returned to examining and reconstructing. “Is there a prob—”

“I do not believe that is a good idea, after Tirek,” Luna said.

Raven sighed in relief. Thank the fates I didn’t have to be the one to tell her—

Twilight sighed and the slap of hoof on forehead crackled through the tinny radio speaker. “Luna, I was crammed full of power so far past what I am used to having that I could barely control it. And that was the first time I ever had to fight anything giant sized, ever! And I even won! Our combat lessons only covered things up to a dragon in scale. I was entirely out of my depth, and both you and Cadence let Celestia go through with her suicidal plan to make me fight Triek alone to ‘Show the people she alone can protect them when I am gone,’ despite both of you saying it was a bad plan! And look what happened? I barely managed to defeat him and our battle took out a whole forest and marred a historic mountain range, oh and set Canterlot and Ponyville on fire, killing bucking dozens and rendering me homeless!”

Several long awkward moments of silence passed.

“So,” Twilight said with a heaping tablespoon of bitterness. “I’ve spent the last few months studying up on Neighponesse Kaiju fighting, just in case something like Tirek ever happened again so I wouldn’t be the cause of a second nation-wide crisis lasting months. I have plans. I have strategies. I have tactics. Just. For. This. You owe me the benefit of the doubt, after last time. At least once. If I buck this up, then it’s just a thing that I shouldn’t get to be the one to fight giants.”

Raven bit her lip then mmmed. “Princesses? She won’t be alone. The fleet is still supporting us. And it’s unlikely another of their ships will be sunk if the creature is firing at Twilight.”

Twilight cleared her throat to drop her most relevant knowledge bomb. “It’s already unlikely. Its beyond-horizon attacks are basically wild guesses. Up in knife fight range, its accuracy is 98%, at range it’s like… 7% tops and I think the second shot was a fluke. That puts it in a class C on accuracy. Its durability is insane, and probably magically enforced, but right now it's at an S. Its intelligence is gods awful, basically an animal. So a D. Its speed and maneuverability are terrible too, two more Ds. Its attack power is absolutely an S given it just deletes anything it hits, but it’s not an S+ or neither of your shields would have held. 15 total points, six categories. The Kaiju Threat Scale rating for our evil oil slick is a C+. I rate a B- if we correct for bulk and the minions. It is an even match on paper for my current flat B, but it has no discernible strategy, just brute flailing. Sure, it’s invulnerable right now, but keeping its attention is way easier than killing it! I promise I have this.”

Cadence hummed. “Alright. I’m convinced. Two minutes to get to the observatory, five to find the switch, two more to power down. Add in four for complications and combat. Can you do that?”

“Probably! I— I do need to do more cardio, that’s still my D category,” Twilight admitted.

Luna took a deep breath. “We have no better options. Let’s—”

The radio crackled once more, this time as Fluttershy joined the conversation. “Um, a— Actually… Sam showed me that Violet added automated controls to the telescopes. I— If you get to the observatory’s maneframe and put your radio by the modem, I could, um, kinda sort of a little make it connect to my laptop? And I can ask it nicely to shut it down, um, remotely.”

“That’s way better!” Twilight exclaimed excitedly. “Who's our hacker mare?”

“I’m, um, my tag is Xx8lad37r0u7xX.” Shy said quietly.

“Did you just vocalize unicode?” asked an incredulous Twilight, to no response but a muffled eep.

“Well I say I cover Cadence and Luna, and they get that radio to the mainframe. Do we have a plan?”

“We have a plan,” Luna agreed. “Raven, retask one of your sensors with tracking Twilight. If she starts to falter, let us know. We will attempt to hasten our task.”

“Understood,” Raven reported, turning to one of her displays to start retargeting its scrying effect.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Night Sky - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Evergreen Falls - Hackamore Valley

Night was having a very, very bad day. Everything had been looking up. Princess Luna had given him the deal of a lifetime. His wife had agreed to let him try fixing their relationship. He’d made up with June, at least a little. Yet here he was, in the middle of a town under siege by the exact kind of ancient evil he’d sought to avoid.

The exact one Luna had warned him lurked below.

Night stood stock still in the middle of town, eyes locked on the towering black mass of terror now cresting the hill. It flexed a tentacle, slapping at a gunship which had ventured a little too close in an attempt to drop a ground strike munition on a dense knot of the horror’s summoned shadows as they consumed the distance towards the fighting line. The tentacle missed, smashed into the pit’s rim, and the sound of shattering stone echoed through the valley. The bomb didn’t, and that blot of oily nightmare never reached the line. Others did in droves.

‘Please? It’s a long train ride, I know, but it’s my only photo of my mother. You’ll get to say hello to June’ she said. ‘Sure dear. I’ll spare you the trip,’ I said, Night repeated in his mind. Thinking what’s the worst that could happen is absolutely a self-inflicted curse!

Night felt himself start to hyperventilate. The small framed photograph in his inner jacket pocket felt like a bar of lead and a newborn foal. I have to get away. I have to get out. They sent airships away with wounded. They’ll come back right? They’ll evacuate a civilian, right?

Night took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Breathe slowly. That’s what the book said to do. Just breathe slowly. Focus on the positives. Princess Cadence has a shield over the town. She protected all of Canterlot that one time. As long as she keeps it up, we’re—

The shimmering blue dome over the town flickered and died as Cadence took off for the observatory.

Night squeaked, going entirely rigid. Ok now I can’t even think safely?

A bolt of lavender streaked across the sky, flared like a meteorite bursting in the upper atmosphere, then shot six spiraling beams of radiant death into the oily monster’s back. Twilight’s opening attack ripped into the eldritch being’s flesh, boring a visible hole down to its shaped-mercury skeleton.

“NO!” Night yelped, scooting backwards with a frenzied shuffle.

He recognized the color of that magic.

“Nononono!” He panicked, turning to run and immediately losing all sense of direction as the monster bellowed its psychic cry of pain and rage.

Night’s mind shifted without a clutch as his consciousness did its desperate and level best to comprehend why the monster scream-yelled ‘garlic press’ while also searching for every single possible escape route AND forgetting he could fly.

But why would anyone press a garlic clove? Is that the name of its attack?

Night’s panic stepped up to the plate and solved his mental conundrum by insisting he start running in frantic arcing semi-circles while screaming panicked nothings from the total-panic list of all time greatest hit singles such as; ‘We’re all going to die’, ‘It’s hopeless’, and of course ‘Run! Everypony run!’

The town square, quite full of wounded combatants from the nightmare pits of the quarry’s rim, responded predictably poorly to his injection of total panic, getting up to crawl for cover or falling back on their training and searching for a weapon to resume fighting with. Remarkably, they succeeded by the dozens. Ignoring their wounds, ripping open fresh sutures, standing on broken bones held in place with only a splint, and in one case flexing a broken spine to bring a seized rocket launcher to bear.

Night’s panic snapped like a twig underhoof as something grabbed him by the shoulders. He screamed and punched on pure instinct, his hoof connecting with a tan and black earth pony’s jaw.

“Ow!” The stallion complained as Night’s hoof glanced off his chin. His eyes narrowed, and he slapped Night across the face. “Snap out of it! Look at what you’re doing!”

The slap brought Night’s attention roaring back to full focus in the way only a mercifully administered earth pony hoof can. His chest heaved with ragged breath. “I— We— Everypony has to get out of here!” Night babbled.

The stallion bit his lip and hoped the emergency situation would keep him from being punished for doing exactly what CARE had, in saner times, ordered him not to do to a pony without direct supervision.

“No, we need to stay where we were directed. The soldiers need to stay put for the airships to come get them,” he corrected, keeping his voice perfectly calm, content, and ordinary. Like it was just a summer afternoon pool party and the commotion was some foals being rowdy. “You’re starting a panic. You need to calm down so they can calm down, okay? Focus on my voice. It will be fine. I’m Russet. What's your name?”

Night felt something like magic brush across his mind. He attributed it to the monster and stiffened, expecting to lose control of his body. Instead, a wave of calm washed over him, pushing away the outermost layer of his panic.

“I— It’s Night,” Night stammered, looking up at the monster towering over the valley just in time to see Princess Twilight deflect one of its ruby red death beams with a scintillating blast of her own.

The deflected ray sparked and shimmered, flicking upwards and flying out into the air, dispersing in the ionosphere, where harm was limited.

“Cool! Nice to meet you, Night,” Russet continued, keeping his voice perfectly calm and normal. “Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?”

Night sputtered and swept a hoof across the town. “Everything! Another ancient evil, another massive battle, thousands of monsters—”

“Hey, take it easy. Relax,” Russet said with a friendly smile. “We’ve got three princesses, my girlfriend, and the army protecting us, and that thing is a pretty lousy shot.”

Night felt another layer of panic peel back. He felt like he should be terrified by whatever was forcing him to calm down, but at the same time… why worry? That made no sense. He should take it easy. Relax a little. It just made sense.

Night frowned. “I— I guess it is…” he mumbled. “Wait, girlfriend?”

Russet nodded, his smile going from calm and relaxed to genuinely ecstatic. “Yeah! She’s great. I’m running her some drinks since she’s got to be kind of thirsty. She’s helping the town militia out.”

“Why are her drinks bags of blood?” Night said, his eyes widening as a layer of panic came rushing back.

Russet cursed himself silently and dialed his excitement back to calm. “It’s cool, she’s a vampire. An elder one even. Organized the militia just for this. We’ve got all kinds of local heroes out on the line right now. You should come say hi! They’d appreciate the thanks, and you could help me out by carrying some water and food for the non-vamps. You know. Everypony else.”

Night frowned, nodded, then in a slight daze looked around. “I— I don’t see any water. Where—”

“Right there,” Russet said, pointing with one hoof to one of the piles of emergency goods townsponies had piled up on the street corners before bunkering down in their basements. “Go ahead, grab one and let’s go. It won't take long. Just a few minutes. No big deal.”

One of the STF agents assigned to guard the wounded jogged up to the two stallions. Russet could tell by the look in her eye she knew what he was doing.

“E-894!” the unicorn mare demanded. “Are you—”

Russet quickly dropped his calm tone. “Yes! Sorry, he just needed some help. Remember, only stuff within reason. I’m just… Getting him to help out like everypony else.”

The agent paused, thinking for a moment, then nodded once. “Alright, but only because—”

“Hey, it’s cool. I swear. My file says how I feel about doing this. He was causing the panic. I had to do something. State of emergency and all.” Russet said, putting emotion into his words so she’d know he wasn’t being persuasive against her.

The agent silently nodded. “Carry on,” she said, turning to her post.

Night blinked, the fog in his head clearing somewhat. “I— What? What was I—”

Russet turned back to Night, forgetting to turn his anomalous persuasiveness back on. “We were going to make a supply run to the militia’s position. Remember?”

Night’s frown steepened. I— Yes. I think I did… Buy, why did I— Because I need to help. Obviously.

“Right,” Night said out loud, quickly moving to pick up a case of water bottles and tuck them into his saddle bag.

“This way,” Russet said, waving Night towards a side street. “We’ll have full cover all the way to the edge of town.”

Night nodded and quick-trot towards Russet, following the stallion’s tail nearly halfway across town in silence. Aside, that is, from the continuous jumble of roaring screech, spell blast, thundering artillery, and crack of weapons fire that, together, became one ignorable sound.

“This is not like Canterlot at all…” Night murmured as the panic began to set back in, but faintly.

Russet looked over his shoulder. “Oh man, sorry… Chrysalis or Tirek?”

“Both. Either,” Night murmured looking up to make sure nothing could see him.

The outline of the floating abomination was fully hidden by the brick walls on either side. Night breathed a sigh of relief. “I— I was almost hit by Twilight when she shot at Tirek. The beam went right past my office window.”

Russet flinched. “That’s rough, buddy. But, don’t worry. We’re down here and she’s got enough training to keep firing up and away from us… That thing doesn't seem to move at all.”

Despite Russet’s words lacking his persuasive touch, Night couldn’t help but agree. “Yeah… It doesn't move, does it?”

“No. Just sits there, spins, and deletes a few million bits in military hardware,” Russet agreed with a bitter laugh. “I mean, it did. I think our flycolts have the pattern down now. Though I heard it hit a second ship a while ago.”

Night winced as a barrage of shells thundered. “Must not have been a battleship.”

“Nah. Heard it was a submarine hunter and a landing ship,” Russet commented idly, noting the street would open up into the park on the edge of town soon. “Hey, you gonna be okay? We’ve got a quick dash across the grass to the drop off.”

Night squirmed in place for a moment, took a deep breath, then shook his head. “N— No… I don’t think I can…”

Night took a quick breath then pointed to the sky with a wing. “That thing… Probably won't kill us. It’s occupied. But its monsters. I— I can’t fight! I’m out of shape, I’ve never trained—”

Russet frowned. “Hey, it’s okay. We’re coming up on part of the line being held by the best our town has to offer, and they’re not giving a buck about what CARE’s told them not to do. I’m pretty sure I can hear my mare ripping those shadow spawn limb from limb all the way from here. We’re safe and clear! In and out, drop the supplies off, run right back to cover. No actual fighting,” he said with too much compassion for Night’s terrified state for his powers to work.

Night took another deep breath. “Yeah… Yeah! You’re right. I used to do track and field. I can make a short sprint. At least, there and back,” he said with firm determination that simmered down to a flaccid state almost immediately.

Russet grinned and nodded. “That’s the spirit! Race you!” he called, taking off down the alleyway and into the park.

Night nodded, gulped, and began to run at a dead sprint. He left the ally a few seconds behind Russet and raced across the park’s grassy field, doing his best to ignore the walking forest of shadow monsters flowing down the hill in front of him like nightmarish water from a burst dam of horrors.

Keep your eyes on the potato pony… Just keep your eyes on the potato pony… Night repeated to himself with each step. The mantra combined with his embarrassment at forgetting Russet’s name to form just enough of an emotional shield for him to make it to the line of random ponies he’d never seen before.

They stood behind a decorative rock garden full of boulders, firing spell, gun, and energy blasts into the frenzied melee before them. Night’s eyes widened as he took note of a gray and purple thestral mare at the center of the melee. He could tell she was a vampire even from this distance, the subtle differences stook out to his eyes like a split hoof.

The vampire had made a line in the dirt of the town’s graveyard, she strafed along the line, kicking, punching, and wing slapping her way through the shadow monsters as they drew close to the disturbed earth. Each of her blows hit with enough force to snap bone or throw a monster back into the sea of its friends.

Yet as powerful as she was, she couldn’t hold the tide back on her own. She was but a single pony and the enemy was uncountable. A pang of terror welled up in Night’s heart only to be pushed aside as Silkwing’s dozen or so friends let loose another volley of fire. Spell bolts, anomalous energy rays, bullets, and arrows ripped through the monster's ranks, cutting down the foes Silk couldn’t hold back, truing up her line.

At least, that’s what Russet saw. Night, blind to the town’s anomalous properties, saw a dozen normal ponies backing up one slightly less normal but not uncommon pony up with nothing but civilian weapons and spells. And together, the random ragtag group was holding back the endless tide.

I— He’s right. Local heroes. There are always local heroes. Night mentally stammered as his worldview began to crumble. I can't believe I didn’t think about—

“Honey bun?!” Russet called out, snapping Night from his thoughts. “I brought you some red. You want one now?”

“Please and thank you, sweetie dear!” Silk yelled back, not taking her eyes off her foes.

Russet took a blood pack from his saddle bag, reared up like the hoofball running back he’d been in highschool, and chucked the blood bag in a near-perfect spiral towards the back of Silk’s head. Hearing the bag coming with her enhanced senses, Silk caught the bag with a wing, kicked off from the pony-bear-pig chimera she had been giving a left hook, and drained the bag while her friends provided cover fire.

The moment the bag’s contents vanished down her throat, her pupils dilated, delighted to be running on a full tank. Silk grinned cruelly at the pony-bear-pig still shambling towards her, and spread her forelegs out, drawing on her eldrich vampire powers to suffuse the bones beneath her with new life.

Night watched in awe as the ground burst open, dirt flying into the air as the graveyard’s entire skeleton population animated and began to shred every shadow beast within reach. To his eyes, it was the town’s elderly and passers by joining the fight.

“In case you're wondering, the skelepones are on our side,” Silk called out to her friends. “Thanks for the blood, dear! I’ll need more in a few minutes to keep this up. Skelepones are expensive!”

“It’s cool, I brought a six pack,” Russet called back.

Night shook himself out of his sawestruck stupor. “Buck me… You’re right! Local heroes are everywhere, and they are good.”

“I know!” Russet said, grinning like an idiot as he dropped off the remaining five bags next to the rock pile stockpile. “She’s great right? Uh, still, we should probably clear the buck out—”

“Or,” one of the militia ponies called over the crack of gunfire. “You could get me some more 5.56. I’m on my last box and they seem to be chewing through those skeletons pretty quick.”

We can do that. No! I can do that. I can get these brave ponies everything they need.

Night nodded.

“I’ll be right back,” Night promised, then quickly emptied his bag of the water bottles, and ran back towards the alley, this time with Russet on his hooves.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Princess Luna - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

Luna backed further into the observatory’s control room. Her horn blazed brighter and brighter with each bolt of crackling moonlight she hurtled into the endless hoard threatening to spill into the room at any moment.

“Now would be wonderful!” Luna shouted to Cadence without taking her eyes off the hall and its writhing wall of shadowy flesh.

“Everything’s so old! I don’t know what a modem this old even looks like!” Cadence yelled back as she searched the room for cuboid wired objects in a near-panic.

“It's the thing that looks like an old phone goes on it,” Fluttershy directed over the radio. “Blocky, two holes. Offensively beige!”

“Got it,” Cadence said, vaulting over a bank of computer hardware to reach the modem at the room’s southeast corner.

Luna took a step back to dodge a massive mantis-scorpion hybrid’s flurry of slashing claws. She lowered her horn and poured mana into a thin cutting beam, sweeping the hallway, bifurcating monsters and gouging the concrete walls. “Cadence! I won't be able to secure our escape if—”

Cadence slapped her radio down on the modem. “Go! GO! DO HACK NOW!” Cadence shouted, holding down the transmit button.

Fluttershy’s hooves flew across her keyboard. The radio emitted a burst of static, drawing the modem’s attention, then sent it a sequence of dial tones. The modem responded in kind. A heartbeat passed. The monsters picked themselves up and began to fill the hallway once more.

“Damn…” Luna swore under her breath. This is why we don’t rely on mana potions. I’m too sore and tired to clear a simple hallway… That or they’re much tougher near the circle. Probably both.

“I’m in,” Fluttershy said, half distracted as she started to enter the shutdown command.

Luna didn’t bother replying. She tipped her head back and blew a hole through the ceiling with a flash of arcane fire. “Leave!” she ordered.

Cadence flew out of the observatory, turned, then fired a volley of spellbolts through the hole, past Luna, blasting the closest monsters back. Luna spread her wings and took off backwards, flying blindly through the hole, scraping the edge with her hind legs as she made her escape while firing down into the grasping shadows.

“Uh… itty bitty problem,” Fluttershy squealed through the radio.

Luna began to fly upward, gaining altitude just in case. “What?”

“I can’t— They did something to the control system. It’s not shutting down. I can trip the emergency stop, I think? Yes I can! It um… It’s warning me that it will break it. And probably send a lot of energy upwards.”

Luna groaned. “Twilight?”

“Kinda busy!” Twilight replied.

Luna winced and changed to June’s channel. “June, status report? We need you to—”

“We’re on it!” Trixie said into the radio over what sounded like a crackling arcane maelstrom. “Got a solution. It’s kinda work—”

Trixie was cut off by a male voice Luna vaguely recognised. “For the love of pie! Mare, CONTROL THE FLUX!”

“Gotta go!” Trixie squeaked. The radio went dead.

Luna took a deep breath through her nose. Buck it. If we don’t stop this monster here, it will be another disaster. We cannot endure another so soon after Tirek. I’m risking it.

“Fluttershy, quench it.”

“But—”

“We must stop this evil, here, and, now!” Luna insisted.

“Okay,” Fluttershy said and hit enter on the keyboard. “Oh horseapples. Uh. I forgot to key a timer so time of go is now.”

Luna grabbed Cadence’s foreleg and pulled hard, racing away from the observatory. Cadence caught on instantly and shook free, flying as fast as her tired wings could carry her. They cleared the observatory fence as a terrible hissing crackle welled up from beneath the ground. The crackle built into an electric screech.

“What the buck is happening down there?” Twilight demanded over the radio.

“Observatory e-stop, um, failed. Partially?” Fluttershy summarized. “It says ‘mana purge in T-30 sec—”

“Oh buck, the concentrics!” Twilight yelped.

Luna looked up, remembering that Twilight might be in the area. She spotted the lavender Alicorn above her and to the north, pulling away from the horror and diving to gain speed. A red light built up at the monster’ core. It was going to attack.

Luna spent the moment to determine where it was firing. The town! She realized, eyes widening in horror.

Twilight saw it as well. She pulled up from her dive, moving up instead of outwards, and fired, deflecting the boiling shadow’s ray with one of her own.

Which is when the observatory burst, sending a castle-width beam of broiling chaotic mana pulsed upwards as the rings of scanning auras began to exit theoretical space and intrude on the real world. The flash blinded everypony for several seconds as the probing, seeking surge of raw mana welled up. The monster bellowed gibberish cries of pain. Luna and Cadence were thrown forwards on a massive thermal wave, slamming into the ground at the edge of town.

Twilight flew past them, trailing smoke.

Luna struggled to her hooves, turning to look at the hilltop which now burned with arcane fire. The monster was wreathed in prismatic flames that ate into its flesh, seemingly for good.

“It burns!” Luna said, wincing as she felt what she knew to be many broken ribs. “Huzzah!”

Cadence started to stand, hissed and collapsed as her right foreleg folded over where a leg had no business folding. “Great… Health pot. Now. Please…”

Luna nodded and began to rummage through her bags for a health potion she hadn’t used herself.

Her radio crackled. “Hey…” Twilight said faintly.

“Twilight, are you alright?” Luna asked, still focused on her med kit.

“I’m good. Landed on a medic…” she mumbled faintly. “Her mane’s soft and she smells great.”

Her radio crackled as somepony took it.

“Sky here,” Sky Trigger reported. “Princess Twilight is down a hindquarters.”

“What?!” Luna demanded, her eyes widening in horror. I should have ordered her clear… Buck me I forgot to order every air asset clear! Damn this battle fatigue! “Get her to—”

“It's okay. She fell right into the field hospital. Hit my marefriend, actually. Great shot, one in a million.” Sky reported calmly.

“How bad is she?” Luna asked, finding the potion she was looking for at last.

Sky hissed. “Bad enough that I can’t describe it without making her the butt of a joke. Also we don’t have potions for Alicorns. Unicorn ones won’t work on her, right?”

“They will not,” Luna lamented. “Too dilute, you’ll need to mix and concentrate three doz—”

“It’s okay! Pinkie’s a surgeon, we’re in a field hospital, and I bought a bionics kit incase of tunneling accidents. It’s set up next to the trauma tent. We can rebuild her, we have the technology. You fix her right later, and end that bitch now! Or, hope your away team finishes this up soon. Pinkie! What’s her pulse like?”

“You tell me, you’re looking at it. Owsie wowsie… I hope getting hit by alicorn rump shrapnel leaves a cool bruise instead of a boring normal one,” Pinkie said as the radio clicked off.

Luna switched the channel to Raven’s and passed Cadence her last health potion. “Raven? Come in.”

“I’m here,” Raven said hastily. “I was on the other channel too.”

“How many air assets did we lose?”

“Three. I got the others clear in time. You’re welcome.”

Luna spent a moment grieving the loss of the crews. “Thank you.”

“Don’t beat yourself up. It’s been almost one and a half hours. Everypony’s tired.”

“Yes… But some of us must avoid mistakes at every turn we can,” Luna countered.

“True… The fleet’s running fresh rounds to the guns from the magazines while the barrels cool,” Raven warned. “Somepony needs to keep it occupied while they reload.”

Luna nodded and let go of her radio and took off.

At least war offers many chances for swift redemption, she thought to herself as she fired a scintillating ray of blue light into the burning and bellowing monster’s face.

29 - Daemon Intrare Machina

Junebug - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Medeis’ Workshop - Magia Domus

June followed along behind Medeis and Trixie as they levitated the astrolabe’s core out of the workshop and into the garden. Just as June was about to ask why they needed to relocate, Sam beat her to the punch.

“Is there some kind of special alicornization chamber in another wing or something?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at Violet’s crocodilian friend.

June spared a quick look as well. The archmage had asked them to remain in the workshop to “ensure only pony magic is a factor”.

Seems legit to me. If the mass production of alicorns needed a huge factory, surgeons, and blood magic, and making one like Twilight needs an Ascended Alicorn, the spell has to be one of those real deal kinds of magic.

“We need to use the garden,” Medeis commented. “It’s a ritual chamber for… General purpose high-level magic.”

“That’s not really how you say that,” Trixie pointed out as the two passed through the workshop’s still open doors into the garden.

“Do you want me to think about how to explain what we will be doing to people who are not masters of the craft, or focus on how to successfully perform this operation with the scraps we have?” Medeis retorted in a remarkably respectful tone of voice.

Trixie nodded to herself and pursed her lips. “Well… With what I know, if we’re going to be altering somepony’s biology using their ancestry, that’s biomancy. With how little of Cadence is going to be in June, even with a harmonic anchor like the axe, we’d need an immense power source and an even bigger amplifier… Oh! Is the entire garden area—”

“A botanical ritual chamber arranged using ‘sacred geometry’,” Medeis sighed. “Which just means the ratios, lengths, and angles are calibrated precisely for controlling the flow of mana. Please. I need to focus. Just cross the garden to the gazebo.”

The five ponies quickly and silently trotted down the slate paved path and across the bridges to the opposite quadrant of the atrium to a simple nine-sided gazebo made from a bone white wood and topped with a blackened metal shingle roof. Medeis and Trixie set the astrolabe’s internals down within the gazebo, then the archmage turned to everypony and cleared his throat.

“Right, so…” he paused for a moment then shrugged his wings. “Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t be an issue, but today it is. I will require some mechanical assistance with this spell. The items in question are in my vault, and thus only I can retrieve them. I am going to send the elevator up and seal the atrium, while beginning the warm up process. Please remain in the gazebo. It’s a magically isolated control pod. If any of you were to so much as put a hoof outside of it, I will need to know so I can compensate. Do you understand?”

Everypony nodded one at a time as Medeis looked them in the eyes.

“Good,” He finished, then lit his horn and dismissed an illusion spell. “Before you ask, it’s calibrated to ignore my presence. There simply isn’t time to add you all to the… Erm, skip it. Going now!”

A series of brass faced dark-oak control panels shimmered back into existence on the gazebo’s railings. He flicked a hoof and pressed three buttons on the panel closest to him, then jogged off the gazebo and down the northern path.

Sam turned to June and gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry… Here’s hoping we get that thirty five percent.”

June sat down and sighed. “It’s… Not likely. It’s more than me growing a horn. You got to see an alicorn brain today. Notice anything different from the normal pony tribes?”

Violet frowned thinking for a moment. Sam shrugged, and then Violet’s eyes brightened. “Oh! Right, they have the third hemisphere attached to their horn, unlike unicorns, whose corpus call—”

“Trientsphere.” Trixie corrected reflexively. “Hemi means half. Changelings have three, that’s what they’re called.”

“Sorry, over-explaining.” Violet’s ears drooped, eyes dimming.

“This will literally rewire my brain,” June continued, her wings trembling. “Not just so I can cast spells easily, but parts of my left and right hemispheres will route through the new part, and currently they are directly connected. I’m not a computer, Vi. You can’t just slap new hardware into me without it changing… Unless we’re super lucky, whoever comes out of this, she won’t be me.”

“You might not change drastically, but there will be some change,” Sam said with a distant look in her eyes. “I’ve experienced something…similar. I got tossed in the h o l e , back in the war.”

“What hole?” June asked, frowning slightly as she tried to remember what little of Sam’s past the mare had talked about.

Sam bit her lip. “A gryphoneese torture aparatus in a PoW camp. I don’t want to talk about the h o l e ,” she admitted.

Sam opened her mouth to say something else, but a loud click and stony rumble cut her off. The ponies looked towards the center of the atrium where a large stone plug began to levitate upwards in pursuit of the elevator car, clearly intended to seal the sky dome above them.

June turned her eyes back to Sam. “It… It seems like you wanted to—”

“What I wanted is to tell you I understand what you’re doing. Voluntarily,” Sam agreed, turning her attention back to the conversation. “Why do you think I hate being called my old name? It brings back memories of me being someone I don’t see as myself anymore. Old me died in there. And that’s without brain rewiring. So, I get it.”

June’s shoulder slumped. “Thanks for understanding.”

Sam nodded, thought for a moment, then got up and hugged June tightly. “I’ll be here for you, after.”

Trixie flinched as she suddenly understood. “Oh! Right. Changing anatomy is different for ponies. Our minds don’t care about any of that… Maybe there’s another way?”

“There isn’t another way that won’t end up with a ton of ponies being dead,” June dismissed, closing her eyes for a moment.

“What about Dusk?” Violet said, a hoof to her chin. “Sam says she’s her foster mom. Couldn’t we just ask her to resurrect anypony who died?”

Sam shook her head rapidly. “No. No we can’t. The number of people she can influence without her boss noticing is very small. The number of people she can bring back to life without getting punished is not much higher than that. The divine is corporate.”

June’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Wait… Wait. But you’re on that list, right? So if you die, she’ll bring you back.”

“She can, and will,” Sam agreed, nodding then looking June in the eyes. “I know what you’re thinking. We could risk my life, since that’s not permanent, and you don’t have to do this. Yes. We can. I don’t mind the pain. But if we do that we only have one chance, not two. She won’t bring me back right away, because she can’t. She’s busy. Remember the briefing? She’s looking into how the monster we’re fighting deleted Grape Vine’s soul from motherbucking time itself or whatever can fully erase all traces of it.”

June mmmed and looked down. “No. This still gives us the most opportunities to save the day as fast as possible. Minimizes harm to others. We’re sticking with it.”

Violet looked up to the ceiling, watching as the stone plug slid into place. “I wonder how they are doing up there? We don’t know. Maybe it’s not so bad?”

“If the navy wasn’t shelling, I’d say we could wait,” Sam said softly.

“That’s… That’s something I should have realized,” Violet agreed, her shoulder slumping.

The deep bassy pulsing of some unthinkably titanic thaumic resonator rumbled underhoof as the garden began to activate.

“Then nothing’s changed. This is still the best way,” June said, shrugging her wings. “If any of you have some alicorn ancestry and want to swap, by all means. But, well, I think I’m it. So…”

The sound of hooves on slate made their ears turn. Medeis was coming back up the path, carrying a pair of saddle bags rather than waste mana levitating whatever he had needed.

June winced. Oh, colt… If he’s that low on mana, I’m probably screwed. No! No bad June. Remain hopeful. Emotions influence magic, right? They said that in school. Pretty sure. Unicorns literally use friendships as magic amps. So just remain hopeful and positive. It will be okay.

“Anypony leave the gazebo?” Medeis called out.

“No,” Violet answered.

“Good!” he said as he stepped back onto the gazebo’s floor and progressed to one of the nine panels.

Sam cleared her throat. “Hey so… I’ve had a day, this is stressful as looking into tartarus. Would it buck with the spell if I lit up a joint?”

“A what?” Medeis asked, not looking up from the controls.

“Some marijuana. Hash. Whatever old tiny word for ‘thing you smoke because it relaxes you and old people insist is a gateway to hard drugs’,” Sam clarified.

“Not at all. In fact, that will help,” the archmage said, entirely unconcerned. “Any sort of incense will help.”

“Cool,” Sam said, reaching into her bag for a herbal cigarette and a lighter.

“Just not tobacco, because that might summon Dusk and she’d be pissed at me for doing magic with low mana,” he added.

Medeis began to immediately adjust the controls, muttering to himself in a way nopony dared interrupt. The atrium responded to his inputs, shifting the daylight to the bright silver-blue of a full moon. Stars shimmered to life, their light looking and feeling exactly like real stars as they shifted and moved into place.

Trixie whistled. “Impressive,” she murmured. “Its set up to match the conditions needed for—”

“Nature itself is the best amplifier for harmonic magic,” Medeis interrupted. “The sun, moon, and stars' relative positions, frequencies, and the resulting wave harmonics from their overlapping electromagnetic emissions— Uh, nevermind. I’ll explain later if you're interested. June, how much do you weigh? I’m not judging. I need to know. The more right the stars are, the better.”

June blushed and kicked one hoof. “Um… About eighty-nine kilograms.”

Medeis paused then turned to slowly look at June. June squirmed, feeling more than a little judged.

“I have a hard time losing weight, okay?” she said, her ears drooping back.

Medeis faehooved. “You’re a plump nerd. There’s no shame in that. But there is some in using units of mass I don’t know.”

Sam arched an eyebrow. “How have you never heard of a kilogram? It’s the international standard unit of mass since 783— oh.”

Medeis nodded slowly. “Yep. Do you know pounds?”

June shook her head.

“Stones?” Medeis proposed with a worried frown. “I don’t want to pick you up to guess by feel.”

June hissed uncertainty. “About 14 stone?”

The archmage nodded twice then adjusted a few knobs. “Venus in quadrant five. Six degrees up… How old are— Actually, do you know how the First Kingdom’s calendar worked?”

“No,” June admitted bashfully.

“Maybe it’s not a problem. Do you track years in terms of degrees of a circle around the Dead Sun?”

“No.” Trixie said, her face growing grim. “Celestia controls how long a day is, so everypony accepted her four hundred day long years so everything is easily split into fours. Hundred days of spring, hundred days of fall, and so on.”

Medius threw his hooves up in desperation. “Dammit! Okay… Thinking time… Machine pony! If I show you my watch, can you use its second to compare to your own second?”

Violet nodded and didn’t even have the chance to speak before Medeis put a pocket watch in her hoof and clicked it open.

“Ignore the stallion posing lewdly in the photo holder and focus on math please,” Medeis pleaded as Violet’s cheeks turned just a little pink.

“Is it him?” Sam couldn’t help but ask.

“No,” Violet said then looked to the archmage. “The seconds are the same.”

“Great! Makes the math easy. Sixty seconds to a minute, one thousand four hundred forty minutes in a day on average, three hundred and sixty five point two five days in a year on average,” Medeis said before turning to face June. “June, how old are you in your calendar?”

“I just turned thirty-four this year. Firth of Lunar D—” June facehooved as she realized the best way to do this was with raw numbers. “I’m thirty-four years and sixty-five days old. Do we need hours? I don’t think I can do hours.”

“Hours are not important,” Medeis dismissed as he turned back to Violet.

“She’s thirteen thousand six hundred sixty-five Equestrian days old,” Violet said out loud while doing the more tricky conversion in her head. “Which makes her eighteen thousand six hundred twenty-nine point nine-five of your days old, or fifty-one-point-zero-zero-six years in the same system.”

Medeis hummed, thought for a minute then made some fine adjustments to the positions of several simulated planets. “There we are. This is our best chance, given you have alien biotechnology in your body.”

June’s cheeks flushed. “Ha… Right… I literally forgot about the body mods.”

“It works that well?” Trixie asked, genuinely curious.

“Yes,” June answered with a shy flick of her tail.

“Nice,” the proto-queen admitted.

Medeis decided not to ask. “Well, at any rate, the sky is calibrated. Taking the manaflux baseline measurement now…”

He pressed a button and a loud humm like a camera’s flash recharging pierced everypony’s ears like a knife, leaving them all wincing and cringing, hooves over their ears.

“Sorry,” Medeis shouted over the ringing. “It… worked? But clearly doesn't like being discharged for thousands of years. Noted.”

“What the buck is powering this thing?” Trixie demanded, rubbing her forehead to try and soothe her newly budding headache.

“Philosopher's stone the size of a marching fort,” Medeis said, continuing to make adjustments to the atrium’s controls. “Which I now need to expose. Are any of you photosensitive epileptics?”

Everypony shook their heads.

“Great!” Medeis said, pressing a button.

The centermost plaza within the atrium split into segments, retracting into itself as it irised open to expose a perfectly round dull red gemstone that occasionally flickered and rapidly pulsed with light. The cabin-sized stone was impaled on a series of nine silvery metal spikes that vanished into a bronze plate covering some hidden arcane apparatus.

Trixie yelped. “What the buck?! Those are supposed to be the size of a hoof, I thought you were lying! How the heck do we not have enough mana if we have this!?”

Medeis rolled his eyes. “If it was raw mana, we would be sorted. We need alicorn magic specifically. Remember?” He explained, making another set of adjustments.

“What are you even doing with a thing like that?” Trixie demanded just as June was about to ask herself.

“Keeping a variety of pocket realms existent. Made them for my Masters dissertation. I don’t like to discard things that are useful, so I moved them here and whipped this up incase power went out. It’s also great for barbeques,” Medeis said like that wasn’t anything worth noting. “Okay. Powered up. In position… Activating moonlight bridge.”

Medeis flipped a lever and a shimmering silver platform appeared over the exposed philosopher’s stone. June instinctively knew she’d have to stand on it.

“So, do I go over there now, or—”

“After giving me your axe, yes,” Medeis said. “Whoever is going to supply mana to help me with this transmutation, stand in front of that picnic table there. Trixie, take the candlestick-looking-things from my bags and put them on the pink flagstones in a ring around the inner circle. Whoever is not supplying the mana, stay here.”

Violet and Sam shared a quick look, with Violet nodding to Sam. Violet stood up and walked towards the table.

June took her axe off her back and handed it to the archmage, then began her own walk, sparing a few looks over her shoulder towards Violet. We even think alike. Sam would come back if she died, but not fast enough. It’s worth it to stop this before it becomes a disaster.

She took a few more steps then smiled. Heh. When you’re a foal reading adventure novels, this kind of choice seems dumb. But when you’re living through it, well…

June continued out onto the bridge of light. She couldn’t help but look down at the massive pulsing orb below her. She had no idea what she was looking at. Unsettled, but without any other logical choice, June took her position at the center of the circle.

“Ready!” She called loudly.

“Done,” Trixie said, having finished placing each of the candlestick-like objects down.

June cast an eye over them. They appeared to be silver candlesticks that held up small brass wire wrapped crystal eggs. I get the feeling that if I knew what all of this did, it wouldn’t make me feel any better about this.

Medeis nodded and waved a hoof for Trixie to come over to the table, which he was standing atop. The two had a quick conversation, leading to Trixie taking a gold ring from the archmage’s saddlebag and slipping it onto her horn.

June frowned and squinted. What’s that, a null-magic— No, there’s inlaid gemstone. That's an amp. I guess she gets to help?

“Okay, we’re ready!” Medeis shouted across the open plaza over the pulsating stone’s rumbling. “Are you?”

June flashed a hooves up to try and hide her nervous tail swishing. “Ready!”

“Alright. One last thing,” Medeis shouted. “Doctors say it won't hurt so you won’t tense up and they won't hurt you more than necessary. This is the opposite of that. Tense up!”

June winced and nodded, tensing everything she could. At least that is easy to do right now…

Medeis said something to Violet. The android mare closed her eyes and engulfed herself in her usual cyan nimbus. June couldn’t be quite too sure, but she swore she saw Medeis wince as the aura manifested. Whatever his feelings on the matter, Medeis lit his horn and drew tendrils of Violet’s aura to the tip his his horn, closed his eyes for a moment and—

The entire garden came to life. Arcane light blazed to life within the plants and swirled within the rivers, all feeding inwards towards the pulsating stone. Metaphysically at first, then literally as sluice gates opened and the magically charged water flowed in to surround the stone below.

A sphere of blinding light webbed its way around June the moment the water touched the stone. The light swirled, flowed, and ebbed at first, then lanced inwards, stabbing into June’s flesh soundlessly, but very, very, very painfully.

June couldn’t help but scream.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Ultra Violet - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Medeis’ Workshop - Magia Domus

Violet yelped as June’s screams filled the atrium. She began to take a step, instinctively wanted to run to help.

Medeis stopped her with a hoof. “Don’t. If you touch the circle, I don’t know what would happen.”

Violet winced, bit her lip, and continued to focus, doing her best to ignore the screaming.

“It will stop in a minute when the throat gives out,” Medeis groaned. “Come on… Form, you dumb orb…”

Violet looked up at the archmage. She could feel her magic flowing to him, but lost sense of what it was doing once it drew near to his horn.

Am I doing it right? Violet wondered. Is he being slow because of me?

“Violet,” Trixie said firmly. “You're fidgeting. It’s not helping. Focus on being a battery.”

Violet froze and closed her eyes. For a long moment, June’s pained cries were her entire world. Then they stopped. She didn’t dare open her eyes.

“Thank the gods,” Medeis said quietly. “Step one complete. Thank you, Trixie. Violet, for the record, your mana flow is running dangerously hot.”

Violet's ears drooped. “I— I huh?”

“It means energy dense,” Trixie explained. “Medeis, do I—”

“Yes. Any of those coronal flare ups you see, push them back into the surface,” He clarified, taking a moment to breathe. “Alright. Time to initiate the transformation. Violet, as much as you can spit out, please do. It’s hard to capture your mana since your creator didn’t give you a horn to focus it through.”

Okay. Violet thought, hoping that was less disruptive than talking and pushed her core to just below the safety limit.

“Holy—” Medeis yelped. “Who the buck designed— Okay! Yeah, good old terran tech! Keep that up. Trixie, you’re on your own. I have to weave the matrix.”

I really wish I knew what they were doing. I wish I could help. It feels like this is magic I could do if I just knew how, Violet lamented, opening her eyes for just a moment to try and see what was going on.

Medeis’ horn glowed like a lamp. His spellcraft was so refined and well focused that almost none of the mana was burning as waste. The massive orb of light in the center of the room boiled and bubbled, rotating on its axis almost exactly like a star. Medeis’ horn unleashed a ray of light which struck the orb, turning it from white to orange, then slowly to a lovely blue color. As soon as the blue spread across the orb’s surface the gates above the atrium’s waterfalls opened, and columns of bright gold light blasted inwards, striking the core of the orb as the atrium’s harmonic resonance cycle began.

“Okay…” Medeis moaned, taking several deep breaths. “Okay… Good… Trixie, keep it up.”

“Harder than it looks,” the changeling groaned.

“I know.”

Violet closed her eyes again. She took note of her core power. Well, I am charging ambiently up here… But nowhere near as fast as I should be. I’m at twenty percent power. I should probably warn them…

“Hey, no pressure… But my batteries can’t self sustain like this for… I don’t know, more than five more minutes?” Violet warned.

Medeis swore in his native tongue, prompting both mares to flinch at the harsh tones.

“Great! Okay! Double time it is!” Medeis growled. “Deus, you owe me something going right after this or I swear to math I’ll revise the gravitational constant! Fuck! I don’t have the time to even be mad. Violet, I hope you weren't programed to feel pain because—”

“I was and still do,” Violet interrupted.

“— because I am going to have to time travel and kick your creator’s ass!” the archmage distress-yelled. “Gods, damn, it! Axe! You’d better deliver real quick!”

Violet opened her eyes again. Medeis picked up June’s axe with one hoof and lit his horn again, scanning over it with a multitude of hair thin rays. He found whatever he was looking for after a moment, nodded to himself, then cleared his throat. “Hello, ma’am. Bit of a life or death situation for a few thousand here. Might I borrow most of your energy to transform your descendant? … Yes… No… Yes I did, you’re welcome… Uh huh… Okay, thank you. Last thing, do your best to remember your lover for me. Oh, nothing like that, it’s because I need to target her arcane signature to bring it out in June here… Thank you again. Yes, goodbye. Ok bye. Hanging up now.”

Medeis put the axe down next to Violet’s hoof, noting her open eyes. “Stand on that to conduct power from it, please.”

Violet put a hoof on the axe. A single large pulse of power surged up her leg, into her body, then out into the air where Medeis took hold of it, formed it into a blue orb, and pushed it into the star at the center of the circle. As the orb made contact, the star flickered like an old electric light, pulsing off and on, just long enough for Violet to see June’s limp form floating in the center of the mass of magic.

“Mmmm…” Medeis said, wincing slightly. “It didn’t like that…”

“What’s wrong?” Trixie asked, her voice strained from her own spellcasting.

“This system isn’t designed for—” Medeis began. “Well, we can’t stop now. Literally. If we let this fizzle, that star will explode, killing us all. And the town. Whatever kind of Alicorn she’s related to, they’re linked to a force of nature, but not ascended. That’s not a type I was aware of, so not one I designed this spell to forge. Let’s hope June doesn't turn out—”

The magic star rumbled. Its blue light began to fade and sparkle as a brilliant gold welled up within the heart of the star.

Medeis squeaked like a young filly who just knocked over her mother’s favorite vase.

Violet heard Trixie’s radio crackle and Luna’s voice speak into her ear.

“June, status report? We need you to—”

“We’re on it!” Trixie said into the radio. “Got a solution. It’s kinda work—”

The star within the circle suddenly became angry. A two pony thick pillar of arcane light lept from the surface, arced through the air with the smell of ozone, then plunged back into the surface, causing the star to ripple.

“For the love of pie! Mare, CONTROL THE FLUX!” Medeis shrieked, lighting his horn to cast a laundry list of spells.

Violet’s concentration slipped ever so slightly as she tried to process the star’s sudden instability while reconciling it was under the control of a stallion who swore by a pastry.

“Gotta go!” Trixie squeaked.

“OW!” Violet shouted as Medeis’ spells pulled energy from her faster than her body could supply.

“Sorry! I have to! This is bad!” Medeis shouted with the calm of a surgeon whose patient just went into cardiac arrest during an appendectomy.

Violet heard Trixie make a pained noise, like somepony who just got punched by someone who didn’t know how to punch well. “I— I think the spell’s actively fighting me.”

“It’s not! She’s conscious,” Medeis yelped. “June’s mind-brain has somehow become conscious mid—”

Violet’s eyes flew open. “WHAT?!” she shouted, her magic flaring and sparking as her distress mixed with her power output.

Violet felt something reaching out from the star, seeking not her magic, but her.

“Mind-brain?” Trixe half-laughed.

“Shut up! It’s a thing!” Medeis panic babbled, casting another dozen spells.

Violet saw Sam stand up in the Gazebo. Do you feel it too? Violet thought, looking Sam in the eyes.

Sam looked back, and nodded. She did. She could feel June’s desperate pleading begging for an anchor. For something to hold her to this world. To not slip into the dark.

I want to reach out to her… But is that the right idea? Violet pondered. You know, the guy who would know is here.

“Medeis,” Violet said as clearly as she was able, speaking over the crackling maelstrom forming at the center of the circle. “I can feel June reaching out for me. Should I—”

“Do Not Interact!” Medeis warned her then raised a hoof to shout for Sam. “Don’t! Stop! Stay back from the—”

Trixie cried out in pain, flying back as an unseen force smashed into her barrel. Her spell ended and the star’s corona became an undulating sea of coronal discharges and boiling light. Sam turned and locked eyes with the star, and reached out with her hoof. Medeis’s face twisted into a horrified grimace.

“She can’t hear me over the storm…” Medeis squeaked.

Sam’s body suddenly began to decompose into a white outline, which in turn became a tendril of light and drained away into the star. She was gone within moments. The pleading, tormented voice of June echoing in Violet’s heart was joined by Sam’s.

“Violet! Cut the power now!” the archmage ordered.

The bellowing command hit Violet and bounced off a wall of incredulity. Her family was in there.

“B— But I’m keeping them ali—”

There wasn’t time to finish her for her objection. With June and Sam within its core, the arcane star’s power reached out for Violet, following the threads of friendship and family linking the three mares. Violet’s window to act closed as it opened, with her heart yearning for the best for those drawn in. The spell took Violet in a literal instant, and she too was pulled into the churning star.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Time lost all meaning. There was only burning, and the otherness. Overlapping yet not touching the three were desperate to remain themselves, yet existed now within a singularity. Memories shifted, oozed, and slid between them as their boundaries of self broke down. Thoughts echoed and repeated as three minds struggled with sudden oneness.

They remembered awakening in a derelict ship. They remembered seeing their mother’s face for the first time, and its smirk of disgust. They remembered struggling to remember to call their dad ‘mom’ after her transition.

They remembered trying to tear their family from the jaws of death. They remembered being unable to not want to hold the hoof of a tortured friend. They remembered choosing to enter the star to save the world.

They hoped Medius would save them. He could not.

They pleaded with fate for release. Fate was fickle.

They called out to Dusk for an end. She was out for a smoke.

The star burnt out, leaving them behind. They stood for a moment atop the bridge of moonlight, then collapsed into a heap of amalgamated flesh and silicone. Or titanium and bone. Or organs and components. Or purpose and flesh.

Their fused form burned at the edges with pain beyond comprehension. Fortunately, their ability to feel their flesh and steel was distant. Nerves bonded to copper traces. Blood mixed with coolant. Myosin and myomer. Mitochondria and mechanism.

Undead. Abomination. Eldritch. These words did not describe, though they did not utterly fail to describe, their shared torment. Spellwork tied their minds and souls to a pile of mismatched components, functioning together out of axiomatic obligation and not much else. Alicorn magic demanded the pony-shaped assemblage retain life and form, and so while it suffered, live it did.

The only way out was for their mana to run dry enough for entropy to take them. They had an ocean of mana now, and no idea how to start bailing.

“Oh, starch my garters, no!” They heard Medeis yell as he ran towards them through the now eerily quiet atrium. “No, no nononono!”

They tried to stand, each in their own way. Their body tried to follow three separate sets of orders and thrashed like a seizing pony. Panic began to fill them, allowing them a brief window to feel one another’s presences. The three pulled back from each other, becoming more distinct.

I— I’m so sorry! He told me to stop. I hesitated. I couldn’t let you die! Violet thought to them.

It's my fault. I had to try and comfort June… Sam objected.

He could have explained the danger better, June added.

Medeis and Trixie reached the collapsed amalgamated alicorn. Trixie put a hoof over her mouth, eyes wide with horror as she muttered something nopony quite made out. Medeis sank to his knees to look the three in their eyes, flinching as their pupils tracked him.

“Oh no no… Oh, girls, I am so, so sorry,” he said quietly. “I don’t know if I can fix this. Rest assured I will try, and direct you better. I shouldn’t have assumed you’d understand the risks of getting near such a spell on simple instinct… Can you move? Can you stand? We still need your magic. There is still a monster above us and a world to save.”

The three tried to stand again and once more became a failing mess of limbs. Two of them tried to speak at once, their words slurring and mixing into a fragmented mess of mangled Equish.

Medeis and Trixie winced at their garbled attempt at an utterance.

“Can we take the magic from them?” Trixie asked, believing the three to be brain dead, or at least dying.

“Yes, but in this state, it will kill them. Last resort,” Medeis explained then turned back to the three. “Listen carefully. You need to try to agree to do the same things at the same time in the same way. Do you understand?”

I understand, Violet thought. We’re jamming our motivator functions with redundant commands.

Yea, I got that. Sam griped. But how the hell can we do it together?

Maybe we don’t need to? Can you two not do anything while I try to stand up? June asked.

Yes, and Affirmative, the other two answered.

June focused her mind, strengthening her influence as much as she could, and attempted to stand. A third of their shared body moved with coordinated grace. June stopped, focused more, then tried again. A different third moved.

Oh… This isn’t good… G— Girls? Help? June begged.

“Please. Nothing complex,” Medeis urged. “Just try and raise your head. Remember you only have one, not three.”

Sam sighed. We’ll each get a third of us at random. So we need to be in total agreement… Try not to think about how impossible that is and let’s just do it. Lift our head, look at him.

Yes. The others agreed.

Together then, Sam finished.

The three focused every last ounce of mental energy they had on raising their head. Their neck shuttered, jerked, and twitched violently, but bent, lifting from the bridge to a mostly upright position.

The three began to tire rapidly. The concentration needed was absolute.

Medeis nodded and stood up slowly. “Okay. Good. You can hear me and mutually focus. I need you to relax, body and mind. No resistance, no fear of the unknown. Ordinarily you would have been conditioned from birth for this. I am going to need you all to master it in, eh… twelve seconds? Do any of you know how to meditate? Do that.”

June broke down laughing within their head. Like that could happen…

Maybe? This isn’t too much different for me. It— It hurts, but, my database. Subroutines. I’m used to similar things. I can sort of relax and autopilot. I think? Is that ok?

Good for you, Sam said quietly. I— I can’t. Not with you two sitting on the edges of my mind. It’s… I’m trying not to scream. Things would not be good for you in there.

I’m trying to back up further. I’m so sorry. I feel it too, through you. June thought quietly.

“Okay, that was a long shot. You three will have to charge it yourself. Trixie, get the astrolabe’s guts over here,” Medeis ordered.

Trixie lit her horn and began to levitate the apparatus over, maneuvering it out of the gazebo with slight difficulty then lightly setting it down on the edge of the open pit.

We’re going to have to move again, June realized.

Yes. The others agreed.

Can we?

It worked when we didn’t think about it.

That took so much… I don’t know if I can do more.

We have to.

Yes.

The world is at stake.

… Yes.

“Girls, you don’t need to do anything elaborate,” Medeis said as calmly as he could while moving one hoof to point to a specific small hole into the depths of the machine through which a dull white crystal could be seen. “Just touch your horn to this and push some power at it. That’s all you need to do. Can you do that?”

“Why ammmmmll trrraempt,” the three slurred together, attempting to say we will try and I will attempt at once.

They extended one leg and pushed down. It cracked as splinters of bone not fixed to titanium shifted. Pain rushed along the delaminating limb like the sound of distant traffic. It held. The other legs followed similarly destructive paths, and slowly but surely the three forced their amalgamated flesh to rise.

Shuddering, jerking, twisting, they lumbered the four steps to the elaborate assemblage of brass and crystal. They bent down, falling over, and with a sickening wrench of their head, forced their horn into the slot.

Holy buck that was hard.

What now?

Channel power. Draw on our core, push it out, Violet instructed.

Of course! Just like using the gem.

June retreated from the others slightly, making their body shake and jolt as their careful balance of control faded for just an instant. Girls? I— I don’t know how to do any of that.

Follow along with us. Monkey feel, monkey do. Sam paraphrased.

You have to try. For everyone. Violet begged.

June silently agreed and urged the others to lead her. She felt them start to reach deep down inside them, like drawing on weather magic, but higher, warmer, and with more attention and care. June reached along the same channels. Their horn started to spark and crackle with a muddy brown color as magic blazed to life along its long slender, titanium monocrystal studded length.

Their drawing on their magic burned like dry ice, without any of the merciful muting of pain that nerve death would bring. This was sharp, personal, and devastating, and reminded her of war. The three flinched, losing concentration. Losing her-ness. The spell failed, but the pain remained. Just like war.

“Come on girls, you can do this,” Medeis promised.

There was no choice but to try again. The three refocused, braced for the pain, and drew on their magics once more. The burning returned in an instant, tempered this time by naught but desperation and determination. Violet pushed their magic forwards, Sam added her strength to their effort, followed a moment later by June.

They held a brown ball of light on the tip of their horn for but a moment before passing it through an opening in the naked guts of the astrolabe. Medeis hit the power button and the machine shuddered as it sprang to glowing and whirring life.

“Good job, girls!” He said, nodding firmly. “It’s on… Power holding. Boot sequence… Yes. Yes! Okay!”

He pulled the astrolabe’s case out from his saddlebags and scooped the guts back into the case in a bizarrely cartoonish looking fluid motion, which ended with him holding the bronze device in one hoof. He glanced at the device’s display, and gasped in horror.

“What?” Trixie asked, wincing slightly.

“Power crystal’s damaged too. I didn’t notice before. It’s bleeding energy fast. We need to get it to the plinth within about a minute. How fast are you? Because I can’t fly. Ending the transformation spell took everything but my life support mana. Also, this body’s a slow runner, as you just saw.”

Girls, she has to do this. June thought firmly, realizing that for a moment they had acted as one and for another moment they would need to again.

Who do you mean she? Sam asked.

Think of us as one. As she not we. It will help. It’s what we did a moment ago.

“I might make it,” Trixie said as she reached out with her magic to take the astrolabe.

Can we? Violet asked.

She can.

Wait, we ask Trix to shapeshift!

They forced their head to turn towards the blue mare and slurred out a mixture of three ways to tell her to transform.

Trixie frowned. “What?”

No good. Talking too slow. I have to do this! The three thought as one.

They pulled themselves together and forced their body up once more. The distant pain grew closer, following the trail of their expended magic to make their heart, neck, and horn ache. They spread their angled, long-feathered wings, snatched the astrolabe from Trixie’s magic with an articulated crystal claw, and took off with a violent shudder and reflexive cry of pain.

Their left wing despised being moved. It ground against its socket, bone scrubbing against the edge of a splintering circuit lattice. They pushed past it, relying on the two pegasus souls within their amalgamated flesh to drive them forward.

“Girls! Wait you might—” Medeis’ objection was cut off as the three ignored sound to focus on flight and flight alone.

They raced across the atrium, flying almost at walking height, wingtips brushing the slate flagstones. Each flap was labored, but carried them further than Trixie’s gallop would have. They reached the door, managed to tuck their wings in time to avoid hitting the walls, and shot through into the workshop… failing to open their wings in time to avoid crashing into the floor.

The pain of the impact was nothing compared to the pain of their burning wing and thaumic pathways as hybrid tissues began to cook themselves. They stood up again, shuddering and shaking. They forced their wings back open and took off once more.

They turned and banked, weaving through the work areas with the grace of a housefly trying to pass through an open window. Their wings clipped bench after bench, but they pushed through, managing to stay aloft until reaching the small corner where Medeis’ tank and the pedestal sat.

The three twisted mid air, pulled their wings in, and crashed once more, skidding across the ground on her belly for a few meters, thankfully missing the pedestal.

I don’t have much left to give… June warned the others, her presence notably dim from the effort.

Me either. Sam added.

We just have to put it up there. We can do this. Violet thought, sending the others as much love and supportive feelings as she could.

Fortunately, that was just enough. The three crawled to the pedestal, levered their front half off the ground, reached out with their mottled leg, and set the astrolabe atop its resting place.

The device shimmered, its face displaying the familiar blue rune sequence reading [Charging…]

Then the runes shimmered into a new statement. [Battery Chamber breach detected. Recalling entity.]

Deep blue chains of light sprang forth from the astrolabe, vanishing into the workshop roof. They stayed slack for a long moment, then snapped tight with a crystalline clatter and began to retract one link at a time.

It’s done. We can rest. Sam thought, relieved enough to make their body smile on her own.

June let out a long breath. Lets not count those chickens just yet…

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Princess Luna - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

Luna panted and groaned, crawling across the ground towards her dropped saddlebags.

By the gods… Who knew a tentacle slap could hurt that much? Luna wondered, more than a little dazed from being slapped out of the sky and into the ground.

She reached her saddle bags and picked them up, managing to slip them on and slowly stand, ignoring the pain in her everything. She looked up from her position a few hundred meters from the pit. The bubbling oily monster above bellowed and roared in pain and rage.

it psychically bellowed.

Luna smiled up at it, spitting a line of blood.

“Hey! Asshole!” she shouted as loudly as her damaged ribs permitted.

To her surprise, the monstrosity bent down to look at her.

“I didn’t hear no bell!” Luna shouted with what was absolutely a concussion slur.

Luna lit her horn to fire a last spell bolt into its face. It raised a tentacle to squish the pest which had made it bleed. Nine chains of blue light burst from the magma below the horror and wrapped around it, sinking into its flesh as they tightened.

The monster shrieked, not in pain, but panic. It thrashed, it turned, it spun, it grabbed the pit’s edge. The chains only tightened as it struggled, and as they fully tightened around it, the shadow spawn it had unleashed froze, dimmed, then faded out of reality like smoke on the wind.

The chains creaked and clattered, drowning out the beast’s screeching as they drug it down into the lava it had created where it vanished into the bowls of the earth.

“Cool, I didn’t know I knew that combo,” Luna said wondering when she’d learned that spell then falling over.

Hello ground. You’re a nice bed today, she thought as she passed out from exhaustion.

30 - Nike

She watched as the chains shrank to the size of threads, dragging the ever compressing black drop of oil down into the depths of the machine before vanishing into nothingness.

[Containment reestablished. Get fucked, loser! Initiating Charging Sequence. Charging…] The astrolabe reported.

Medeis and Trixie ran up to them, stopping at their side.

“Is everything working right?” Medeis asked, looking first to the astrolabe.

The Astrolabe’s display turned black making the two ponies who could jump with fright, and sending a pang of terror and rage through the amalgam’s heart… Then the astrolabe created an image of Medeis’ face within itself to blow them a raspberry and printed out the text [Made you jump! Haha.]

“It’s fine,” Medeis said, giving the device a loving-hateful glare of doom.

Trixie breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness… S— So what can we do to save them?”

Medeis closed his eyes tightly. “I don’t know… There’s no way they will live long like this. We should start by stabilizing them. I have some equipment that should—”

A sharp click of flint and steel echoed through the workshop. “Medeis, we keep telling you not to do magic without mana and you keep bucking up.” Dusk asked as she lit her lighter and took a cigarette out of the nothingness behind her left ear.

Everypony’s ears flicked towards the workshop’s door. Dusk’s pale white form filled the doorway. The goddess of death looked tired, irritated, and like she’d just gotten up from a nap. Her mane was a mess, and so was the black t-shirt she wore. The fabric was so rumpled it took everypony a few moments to realize the single word printed on it wasn’t a phrase. It was just ‘megadeus’, whatever that meant.

Medeis huffed. “What do you want me to do? Let that stain burn this planet and drown you in paperwork?”

Dusk finished lighting up her stubborn cigarette. “No… I’ll be frank, there wasn’t a better way. Or much time left. It was about to evolve again, and they wouldn’t have been able to keep fighting it after that. You did good. I’m just pissed I have to untangle my kid’s soul from this mess, now.”

I thought she was busy? June thought to the others.

I guess she finished? Sam replied.

Dusk walked down the workshop’s path towards the group.

“Can you save them?” Trixie asked hopefully. “I— I can’t imagine the pain they must be in.”

“I can keep them alive. Separate their souls from that weird overlap that’s not a merger that’s going on,” Dusk said, reaching out with one hoof to do just that.

The three felt themselves pull more firmly apart. Their presences within their body still overlapped within their mind, but it was less distressing than before.

I have no idea how to put what just happened into words, but if I did they’d be swears, June noted.

It’s… like we’re hugging now, not…a mangled heap? Violet suggested.

A bit? The others agreed.

“Donezo,” Dusk said, yawning slightly. “Buck me… You don’t want to know what that grease smear does to souls of ponies it possesses. I had to take an actual nap to have the energy to do this. I guess a century wasn’t enough.”

Trixie arched an eyebrow. “What? But… How could you be here then?”

Medeis rolled his eyes. “She’s a god. She’s not bound to linear time… At least, not like we are.”

“I can’t cross my own timeline, that’s about the only rule. I’d have been here sooner, but I was nearby until just before I showed up,” Dusk explained. “So… They’re stable. Your turn, ‘Architect’. Fix ‘em.”

“I’m not the one here wearing a shirt that’s effectively labeling them as a ‘deus ex machina’. You fix it!” Medeis objected, still trying to think of anything he could do.

“I fell asleep watching Big-O, sue me,” Dusk countered, almost exactly like a little sister would snap at an older brother.

He’s old enough for a god to treat like a peer. June noted, making their body shiver. I can’t imagine how long he’s been around.

I’m more interested in what she meant by Architect, Sam said. Is that what Medeis translates too in Equish?

No. His parents must have been pretentious as the Gryphon High King, June thought slowly. He’s named ‘Magic’. Like, literally it’s ‘The Magic’. Full on the concept of magic itself. Straight up.

Oh wow. And he’s not Ascended so it’s not like he’s even in charge of magic.

Yep.

Hold on… Shouldn’t we be doing something? Laying here isn’t tactically advi—

Sam, be honest. We don't have the energy to do anything other than lay here and try to ignore the pain. Even with Dusk’s help.

I know… I just hate—

Violet made their ears perk with a sudden burst of hope. Girls! Girls! Deus ex machina! It means god from the machine. God. Machine. Faust! She makes bodies. She could help! Right?

Vi, I could kiss you!

Buck. We need to tell them somehow. Everypony, focus super hard.

Yeah, yeah I know.

The three focused, closing their eyes to block all unnecessary stimuli, freeing up every possible thought, then murmured. “Faust…”

Medeis’ ears perked. “What?” he asked, having not quite made their word out.

Dusk frowned. “I— I think they said mouse? Damn it, I thought I was rid of that infernally litigious thing. I hope I didn’t hear that right. Trixie? You’re kinda close too them.”

Trixie shook her head. “I didn’t… Girls I’m so sorry. Can you repeat that?” she asked, bending down to look them in the eyes.

The three didn’t have the energy to repeat themselves.

“Faust,” a reptilian voice repeated, making everypony aside the amalgamation jump.

Trixie, Dusk and Medeis turned to see Zero curled up under a workbench over a heating vent.

“Oh my goodness! In all the commotion I forgot about you,” Medeis commented, bending down to get a better look at the crocodilian-canine hybrid. “And your mom. You’re right. She could help.”

“Their idea. I heard it,” Zero corrected, yawning his jaw into alignment, clearly only just barely warm enough to be active.

Dusk nodded. “Yeah. Mom could probably… But she won’t.”

“No, they mean the other one. She’s below us right now,” Medeis corrected.

Dusk facehooved. “Right! The Terrans named their EvoAI Faust.”

Trixie looked between the two. “Wait, so… The goddess is real, and also this machine? Which of them—”

“The AI,” Dusk answered then turned to Medeis. “You can call her, right?”

Medeis nodded once.

“Then I’m going to go,” Dusk said before bending down to look the three in their eyes. “Good job, girls. I’ll see you once you’re all yourselves again, alright? I mean, uh. Well, you know what I mean.”

The three didn’t see as Dusk vanished. She was simply gone an instant later.

I vastly prefer it when she breaks line of sight first, they thought as one.

Medeis rummaged around the workbench near his brain tank for a few moments, then picked up a small silver pin with an asterism delta relief and squeezed it with the frog of his hoof, making it chirp two familiar tones.

“Faust? It’s Medeis. Sorry I’ve been out of contact. I was stuck as a brain in a jar for a while.”

“Absence understood, I am almost always basically a brain in an orb and the limitations are familiar,” a vaguely feminine, highly bit crunched, and quite tinny voice replied from the pin. “Is there adequacy in the specimen?”

“Well, I’d hoped for a different form factor, but that’s not an issue really and I have yet to test anything important. There’s a medical emergency up here. I need your help.”

“Please state the nature of your medical emergency.”

“I was forced to alicornize somepony, and two of her friends got sucked into the spell. They’re blended. We need them unblended.”

“Clarify: Alicornization procedure requires reductive ritual surgical unification of three highly conditioned host ponies.”

“Theirs did,” Medeis agreed, nodding. “Mine… Well, it’s a work in progress—” he stopped for a moment to look down at the three melded mare. “— Sorry, girls. Again, truly sorry. Ahem… It should have cloned June and merged her with her cloned selves to create the union without needing to… You know, unalive anyponies. Unfortunately, her friends got a little bit entirely sucked into the forge effect field. Dusk separated their souls out a bit. We just need help with the minds. And the, uh… flesh?”

“Crisis acknowledged. Price of assistance: Forty three minutes of musically tolerant company, two rounds of four thousand point Battlemace Classic, and six raid delves in Planes of Battleforge. Alternatives include: Discussing artistic merits of my selected samples of cloud formations for twenty nine consecutive hours.”

“What about a best of three in that Paradox Billiards TCG you were fond of?”

“Also acceptable.”

June forced their bodies to blink in confusion. Is… Is it presenting looking at the clouds and being like ‘hey a bunny’ as a price to pay?

Y— Yea… Sam agreed.

What’s weird about that? It takes time to do. Time is money according to that one bossy stallion’s coffee mug. Violet said entirely seriously.

“As you wish,” Medeis agreed, nodding again. “I’m out of mana. I can’t teleport them to you. I’ll put this communicator pin on them so you can sense their location.”

The Archmage turned around and gently stuck the pin to their back. As gently as one can lace a pin through raw and fresh-formed flesh. And then he said, “It’s on. Go ahead.”

“Acknowledged.” Faust replied.

A series of golden hexagons engulfed them, which dissipated as its core was taken from it. The three awoke as one in a place a third remembered. It was freezing cold, everything was tinted orange.

They recognised F.A.U.S.T.’s core, but not their location. A specimen tank on the far side of the room, She realized. Not original to the construction. It was too perfectly centered in the view of the strangely kind orange eye built into the back of the AI’s pod to have been placed here by mortal desires.

They did not recognise the amalgam of flesh and polymer which wrapped around their singular form. It bore the shape of chaos, with no sense or logic to its ebbs and flows. She refused to see it as herself.

A fourth voice came to Her mind, this one fully clear of the other three. Singular and distinct.

The words held meaning, but panic stole them.

The cold burned their flesh. The air felt like water. Light was at once too bright to bear yet too dim to see by.

A partition sprang into existence, oozing around Violet and sliding her out of Her mind, then she appeared outside of the tank, whole and distinct once more.

Woah. Looks like this will be quick. Didn’t see that coming. Sam remarked.

W— What? She asked as one, a spike of fear racing along Her spine.

What do you mean? Sam thought.

It wants you to tell it who you are, June explained, not sure how Sam could be confused.

Faust said, separating the two just a little more, but not anywhere close to enough.

Okay, Sam began. I’m a soldier. I regret what that made my life into. I don’t regret where I wound up. I’m great at fixing things, but only recently have I tried to start fixing my life. I hate being a hero, but I know not everypony can, so I do what needs doing. Ponies tell me I make a good mom, but I’ve always wanted to be the cool aunt who gives the best Heartswarming presents and winds up corrupting their siblings’ kids with horseapples like ‘Old photos are black and white because the world used to be black and white. Paintings became color because the paint gained color, but the photos stayed the same because they’re now color photos of black and white objects.’

Cadence… Why? June lamented. I have an uncle like that.

Heh… I’ve never had the chance to mess with foals like that. It seems like good fun though.

Faust said, separating the two a little more.

Hey! It’s working, June thought, smiling inwardly.

Great! What else do you need to know, Faust?

Oh. Sam thought, feeling dumb. My name is Samhain. It used to be Autumn Twilight, but… That was before the war.

June felt Sam recoil within their mind. Oh… So we’re stuck like this?

Please, I’ll do anything to help. June said.

Faust stopped mid sentence as Violet’s upload processed through.

Faust turned her attention away from the two in her containment tank and focused in on Violet, becoming slightly irritable as she had to switch from neural link to text display.

[Citizen Ultra Violet: Physical system damage has rendered me incapable of certain functions without manual assistance. Communication with settlement Evergreen Falls has become critical. Please proceed to Terminal: Comms 01 and follow my instructions.]

Violet nodded slowly, relieved at how easy and fluid it felt to move on her own after everything they’d just been through. “No problem!”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Raven Inkwell - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Young Moon’s Hunting Lodge - Hackamore Valley

Raven sat back in her chair and stared in relief at the display monitors in front of her. The shadows were gone. The eldritch monstrosity had been drug back into the depths of the earth, presumably to its previous prison.

Raven turned her head to look at Source. “Is there anything else in those notes we should know about? Any reserve circles? Backup plans?”

“Actively checking for any such things now, ma’am,” Source reported, not looking up from his position at what had become the Safety Notes table.

Raven nodded with satisfaction. Only one question remains.

Raven picked up the radio hoofset and squeezed the transmit button with her magic. “Princess Luna, Princess Cadence. Come in, over?”

The radio hissed and crackled for several moments before Cadence’s voice came through. The alicorn sounded ragged, exhausted, and in pain. Because she was all of those things and more.

“Cadence here… We need some medics to pick up Luna. She’s unconscious. Stable, I stopped the bleeding, but… Yeah, both of us are going to need some serious help. How’s the troops?”

Raven paused for a moment to double check the displays. “Casualties are higher than I’d like. I just finished ordering them to sort the wounded from the dying. One of the town’s citizens is capable of resurrecting the recently deceased. They’ve been asked to assist any necromancers we have in pulling those who can be taken back from the brink. I was about to approve it, I wanted to make sure neither of you two needed them first.”

“We’re fine,” Cadence clarified. “Rather, I can wait and Luna bucking better survive. How’s Twilight?”

“One moment,” Raven turned her head and adjusted one of her displays to show the field hospital. “It looks like she’s stable. It’s a good thing she’s the size of a large pony and not as big as you. Otherwise those bionics they’ve stuck on wouldn’t have had a chance of fitting.”

“Good. Celestia might have literally killed me if she’d died.” Cadence laughed bitterly and wetly. “She’ll have a fun month or two on regeneration potions… Unless she wants to keep the chrome bumpers.”

Raven bent over and quickly typed out a command into the tactical grid, authorizing E-799 to assist the Necromancers in reviving anypony they could. Might save another dozen or so this way… But most of those poor bastards look too damaged to bring back to life. This must be why Prance never developed an undeath taboo. We could bring them all back, if ponies wouldn’t hate and fear them.

“So, that save was June and her team?” Cadence asked.

Raven squeezed the transmit button again. “Presumably. I tried to contact them to double check, but I didn’t get through. We have no way of knowing—”

The lodge’s hall erupted with bright orange light as a sphere of incandescent energy coalesced within its exact center. It floated in the air for a terrifying instant, warming from orange to gold as Raven dove for cover and Source dove to cover the notes.

The light floated down to floor level, taking the form of a vaguely pony shaped mass of golden light. It had no discernable tribe as it flickered between earth pony, unicorn, pegasus, thestral, and more, moment to moment. Ravent felt her heart start to pound against her ribs as if trying to escape.

Celestia, what in the world does that City Mind want with—

“Fear is unnecessary,” the entity said in a somewhat mechanical but definitely female and absolutely not Limited Prefection’s voice. “I, am Faust. This location contains the strongest arcane signature within settlement: Evergreen Falls. Request communication with settlement leadership, pertinent to current emergency.”

Raven peeked out from under the table she’d dove behind, only to see the figure was staring at Source, who was still shielding the notes.

“I— Erm…” the wizard stammered then cleared his throat. “That would be her over there.”

He raised a hoof to point at Raven, and the thing calling itself Faust turned to look at her.

Raven shrank back slightly as the eyeless face looked at her. She could tell it saw her in every last detail.

“I— Uh… What did we do to anger you?” Raven asked, the fur on the back of her neck rising.

The hologram cocked its head, making use of what little it knew of pony body language to indicate confusion.

“I am not acting within Action State: Angered. I seek assistance in terminating the emergency situation.”

Raven sighed and sat down on the floor, running her hooves down her face. “Oh god, the monster’s still not contained!”

Faust paused for several moments, instructing Violet on how to widen the scanning area around her projection. The gold light pulsed briefly in recognition. “Situation analyzed… I am not referencing the combat game which has occurred on the surface. I speak of the accidental melding of individuals Ultra Violet, Samhein, and Junebug via high energy arcane accident. I require tools.”

Raven looked blankly at the hologram for several long seconds, long enough that Source cleared his throat. “E— Excuse me, but… Aren’t you, well, the creator of ponies? What tool could we give you that would be of any use at all?”

“Engineering a species from across a hundred million year operational gulf is not identical in operation to performing maintenance on individuals,” Faust answered with such genuine honesty Source simply accepted it.

“Well, what do you need?” Raven asked, slowly standing back up. “If Violet, June, and Sam are in trouble, I’ll authorize anything I can to help… Especially since somehow they got a favor from the actual creator god. Who isn’t a myth?”

Faust’s hologram flickered slightly as the AI found herself amused by Raven’s statement. “Reports of my nature are misleading. I am not a deity. I am a machine created by mortals more advanced than your species. I reside far below this location, deeper than the ruins, below the archmage’s home. If you desire information on me, please visit my core. Presently, I require tools in your possession. Citizen Ultra Violet informed me of this town’s status as a holding location for ‘anomalous’ items and entities. I require access to items and/or entities capable of separating parts of one mind from another.”

Reeling though she was from the first half of Faust’s statement, Raven nodded. “Uh, a— alright? Um… Let me think.”

Faust paused, simply standing still as indicated. Source slowly slipped a notebook from his robes and began to write down everything he could remember about this encounter as it happened. Raven cast her mind through everything she could remember was in CARE’s possession in town.

“I think there’s a prybar that fractures the psyche in Warehouse 5,” Raven said after a long while. “It, uh, well, it sort of…”

Raven mimed prying at something with a hoof then exclaimed, “poof! And someone's forgotten something. I’m not familiar with how it works. Or if it’s even still here. I’d have to check the records.”

Faust nodded once and then gestured to Raven with a hoof. “Please, lead the way to the records. Query: what form of payment is required for rental of tools? Addendum: This hologram cannot interact with physical objects. Can necessary paperwork be signed on my behalf, or will invocation of Xerox be required?”

Raven blinked and stared at Fasust’s hologram for several long seconds. God’s real, is a vastly complex construct of some kind, and wants to pay to rent something… And wants to go through the proper channels. What is today? Did somepony drug me? Am I in a weird lucid dream? Is Luna pranking me? Do I even really have a patiently waiting husband?

Raven attempted to manifest her husband through sheer force of will. Nothing happened, letting her know that this was real, and in fact, happening.

“Uh… Can you bring the ponies we lost in the battle back to life?” Raven asked, hoping that would be within the machine's power.

Faust flickered as she extended her scan range again. “No injury within scan range exceeds class three. Physical repair of tissue and subsequent reanimation possible. WARNING: I cannot repair cursed wounds permanently. Any individuals with class three injuries will require immediate medical assistance or will quickly succumb to state equivalency: death. I will not have the power to resuscitate them a second time at this range.”

“That’s a yes, then?” Primary asked for Raven, still frantically writing everything down.

“Affirmative,” Faust said, keeping her attention on Raven. “I will restore your deceased as payment. Do not request payment of this nature frequently. Dusk dislikes mass resurrections.”

Raven nodded once. “I won’t. I know Dusk’s real. I also know what she has to do when somepony does this kind of thing. I just… We lost so many, and—” Raven took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Thank you. Just one last question, can you help our wounded we evacuated to Vanhoofer?”

Faust cocked her head. “Distance to location: Vanhoofer?”

“A few hundred kilometers as the pegasi flies,” Raven said.

“Negative. Facility depth places this settlement on the extreme edge of my effector range.”

Was worth a shot, Raven thought. If only we hadn't pulled Enox out… I doubt pony doctors can do much for her.

Faust hung her head slightly. “Apologies. A miscalculation occurred. At present range, power, and resources, I can revive fifty-seven-point-ninety-eight percent of deceased combatants. This deception was not intentional. Repeat: This settlement is at the extreme range of my effectors, scanning systems included. This fact was not previously entered into calculations due to strain on current systems necessary to run this projection.”

“That’s more than enough,” Raven said as she turned towards the hall’s exit. “Come on. The prybar’s this way.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

This is taking a while, June thought to Sam as they floated within the tank.

Yeah… I wish we could talk to Violet from here. She has to have some idea what’s going on.

I’ve tried… Everything is just, distant. And kind of fuzzy. Kinda dusty and echoey.

A little bit, yeah. Sam agreed.

The two floated silently for a short eternity, pulled out of their terror only by Violet excitedly waving to them from her console well across the chamber. The two looked, only to see Violet give them a hoof’s up.

I guess they found something? Sam asked.

Before June could reply, a slender mechanical grasping limb descended from the cycling above their tank and maneuvered itself into a position as if it was going to grab them. It opened its three fingered talons and grabbed a small red gooseneck pry bar as it materialized from the middle of Faust’s golden hexagonal transport beams.

Faust reported in their minds.

Looks like it, June thought, mentally sighing in relief.

Faust announced.

You do everything in like, a second. Why do you ask us to stand by? Sam asked, somewhat irritated by the AI’s mannerisms despite everything about the situation.

Faust answered as the arm moved, angling the pry bar towards their amalgamated head.

The two mares felt a presence touch their mind. It was like the cold blade of a knife, but Faust held it like a scalpel. The two felt it move gently, cutting away at the parts overlapping between them, then separating those parts into what felt like puzzle pieces.

June focused on the thoughts floating through her mind. They were how she remembered them, but their meanings felt…off.

N— No?

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Samhain - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Sector A Control Facilities - Limited Perfection (Subruins)

Sam gasped for air as she was reconstituted. Her lungs burnt like she’d just finished a long run, but only for a moment. Then the pain faded to a general dull ache.

She reared up and quickly patted herself down, pausing as she noticed her foreleg. The crystal section was still present, but she could see her bones, muscles, and veins growing into the crystal, filling it like iron being cast into a mold. Just imperceptibly slow.

What is this, some kind of space bandaid? Sam thought to herself for just an instant, then finished her check of herself.

“Are you okay?” Violet asked from her position at the console.

“Physically, yes…” Sam said. “Seem to be, at least.”

“Yeah… I think I’ll be calling up the CARE mental health line tomorrow too.”

“I can wait,” Sam said as she lowered herself down to all fours and turned towards June. “June’s going to need a slo—”

Sam stopped dead as she looked into the tank, her ears falling back like a dropped stone as her eyes puzzled out what remained in the fluid.

“—mother of Discord!”

Violet nodded, refusing to look at the tank. “Yeah… It’s looking a little bad, isn’t it?”

Sam looked over June’s mangled remains. There was a heart, and it beat. Part of a lung, which fluttered, some of the skeleton bobbing in the tank’s fluid, both of her wings and all of their joints were there, waiting to be attached to earth pony ribs, and most eye catching of all, a long slender alicorn’s horn attached to the tri-lobe brain of an alicorn.

Sam took a deep breath. “Okay. So, that’s… Medeis mentioned his method makes clones. And fuses you with the clones.”

Violet nodded once and typed in a command for Faust. “Yes. I um— It’s clear that while he said it was alchemical, it’s still kind of… surgical.”

“More ethical than Limited Perfection though.”

“Anything might be…” Violet looked down at the console, her shoulder’s slumping. “Sam? Is— Is she still going to be my sister?”

Sam bit her lip, sighed, and turned to look at Violet as the android turned to look the other pony in the eyes.

“Probably, Vi… But I can’t say for sure. The memories will all be the same. It’s how she thinks that changes. You are your experiences, but how you understand those experiences is the half of the conversation most people don’t want to have.” Sam paused for a moment then added. “She’ll remember meeting you in the mayor’s office, and feeling like you look like family. She’ll still, well, think you look like family, that’s instinct. But she was comfortable with it after the initial shock wore off. With that new meat… Well, it might creep her out. She’ll have to process through remembering being okay with it, but not being immediately as okay with it anymore.”

Violet frowned, her ears twitching slightly as she thought for several full seconds on the matter.

“I mentioned having an old database of cultural things, right?” Violet asked after a moment’s thought.

Sam nodded.

“There’s a TV show in it about a wandering alien joyrider. If mortally wounded, its kind reconstitute. Due to this wanderer’s incompetence, this always changes his face and some of his personality, but all of the memories do remain. That’s basically what we’re talking about right?”

“Right,” Sam agreed, then sighed. “Well, from our perspective. From her’s, well, it’s going to take a lot of getting used to.”

Violet nodded, frowned for a moment, then looked up. “How much do you think will change? Will it be… um… everything?”

Sam shrugged her wings and turned back to the tank. “No way to know. Not without leaving to ask Medeis… And I want to be here when she’s able to get out of that tank.”

“So do I.”

Sam nodded and sat down, watching June’s remains floating within the glass cylinder.

“Then all we can do is wait.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

June - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Sector A Control Facilities - Limited Perfection (Subruins)

Is there any chance we could reverse the transformation? June asked quietly. We saved the world. I don’t have to be an alicorn now.

Faust informed, making June’s heart soar and her lung struggle to inflate.

How?

Woah! Woah! Woah! Why does dark magic need to be involved?!

Oh… So we finish the transformation, then I go upstairs and he can put me back?

Faust was silent for a few moments.

June felt another mind link to her own. She instinctively knew it was Medeis, but also that it was unfathomably old and quite alien to a pony’s mind… yet it was still basically like a pony’s mind.

the archmage asked.

Faust reported.

June pulled together the strength to speak at length. We want to know if Faust finishes the transformation, if I can then go back to you and get put back to normal. I— I know it will have to wait till you have your mana back. I just… I’m scared. I can already feel myself… changing. How I remember some stuff is… Not what I think anymore. I—

June swore she felt the alicorn hug her. he reassured.

That you don’t know if this can be reversed… And some magic can’t go backwards.

June floated in silence for several long moments. I— I already don’t really feel like… old? me? I feel close, but off. Like somethings no longer—

June remained silent, silently communicating a nod.

Medeis said calmly.

What should I do?

But is that me anymore?

What? How is telling me to listen to hormone-saturated half constituted bio-soup’s fragmented opinions in a high arcana situation even remotely good or even responsible advice? By that logic, the entire First Kingdom would have—

June reflected inwards, focusing on what she felt was Her now. She was different. Like somepony had made a replica of her old bedroom from memory and she’d stumbled into it unexpectedly. Everything was there, and everything big felt like it was in the right places, but all the little things were subtly off. And yet…

I— I think you’re right? I think I’m brave.

Faust said just before Medeis’ presence left the telepathic bond.

June thought for a moment. Cadence came to mind. She’d never considered mixing and matching before. I’m a girl. I should look female. I’d like to have both sets of sex organs though. I’ve got somepony who I highly suspect is my great great grandmother who probably would like some company in terms of her… Gender’s the wrong word there. Sex? Yeah. There’s a potion shop sponsored by her in every mall in Equestria I can visit if I don’t like that. At least, there will be once the Triek-shortages are fully over.

Wait. June interrupted. Is… You have the pry bar. Can we make new me think like old me?

Oh… W— Would it be possible for me to tell myself sorry? Like, can we bring her back for just a few seconds?

So yes then?

Please do it.

June felt herself warp, twist, then reflect as if she’d somehow fallen halfway into a mirror pool. There was a duality to her existence which should not have been. Both of them knew it.

I’m sorry, the new alicorn who had, for a long time, been June said.

Don’t be. I was willing to die to save everypony, Junebug said soothingly.

That doesn't make this okay.

Yeah no, it totally doesn't. It’s kinda massively shitty. But, you get to live. That’s, like, cool, isn’t it?

Alicorn June mentally shook her head. No. It’s not.

Come on! It’s just like that Galaxy Quest episode with the transporter accident that split Lieutenant Cherries. You get to learn magic, fly, have super strength, and get to live through one of our favorite sci-fi stories of all time. Junebug countered.

Actually… I don’t like that one so much. And not just because it’s different when you’re living through it. It’s… Not very well handled on the setting level?

Junebug nodded. Never felt like it was. I just overlooked the systemic flaws because of the cool premise of the episode on its own. Which one do you like best?

Alicorn June thought for a moment. The one where they fly through the black hole, and Ensign Reigns has to hold the hull together with his bare hooves.

Oh yeah, that’s a good one! Junebug agreed.

I hate that I don’t think the same way anymore…

Why? You still love the show, right?

Alicorn June blinked. What?

You’re different from me, but not that different. In a way, it’s kind of like as if I grew up. Matured a bit.

A little, I guess? But you didn’t.

I know. I’m trying to cheer you up. You shouldn’t be sad because of my choices. I know this sucks. I know this is bucked up. But I’m also glad that you get to live. None of our options really involved me walking out.

I— I guess I do get to live.

Yeah! So make it mean something. And if being me bothers you, why not pick a new name? We were meaning to do that after finishing our sex change anyways, and I’d say you feel pretty finished.

Faust piped in.

Both Junes metaphysically blinked, then together in that way girls do when they’re being polite but have no desire to do the thing, said in unison, Maybe. I’ll think about it.

Junebug set a hoof on alicorn June’s shoulder. Look, you have the wheel now. I’m okay with that because I gave it to you. Take whatever road you want. Oh, and you’re welcome for the degree and career. I’d say I love you, but I’m afraid of it being taken the wrong way. Goodbye.

Alicorn June felt a physical tear from her freshly generated eyes. Goodbye.

The mirror faded away, and there was one pony in June’s head again.

I should think of a new name… Medius is right. A persona seems like a good idea. Might help me work through everything to have an act to play.

Faust reported.

June felt gentle warmth as golden hexagons engulfed her, and then she was deposited on the floor of Faust’s chamber. She blinked her eyes until her vision faded in from a general blur, and saw Sam and Violet standing in front of her… and below her.

I’m Cadence sized now, she noted.

Violet squirmed in place, looking like she was trying not to cry. “Um… Are we still sisters?” Violet asked.

Are we? She wondered. June almost flinched as her subconscious practically slapped her with a deep bellowing yes-what-the-buck-you-moron?!

June bent her knees and hugged both mares to her barrel. “Of course we are!”

That’s close enough to a victory. Huh. Victory… IT should fit the tradition, right? Some Aramliic word… What was the word for victory again? Nike! Yeah. Thank you, Junebug’s absurd recall of Terran errata! Nike might work.

31 - Just Another Day II

Raven Inkwell - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Evergreen Falls - Field Hospital

“There’s no chance we’ll be able to cover this up,” Raven said as she stared across the field hospital at one of Faust’s many avatars. “Too many loose lips.”

Flashes of gold light sparkled across the cobblestones. Each signifying an instance of Faust projecting an avatar, transporting a small number of nanintes to the dead, then moving on after making sure the pony had regenerated and awoken. And saying hello of course.

Hundreds of ponies would be saved. Many suffering some memory loss, but not most. Most of them would remember dying, then waking up to see the goddess out of the most ancient of legends standing over them, and asking if they were okay.

“Oh goodness no,” Source agreed, nodding his head. “That beast was large enough to be seen from Vanhoofer, and they’ll have felt the bombardment. I’m interested to hear what CARE’s Cover Story will be.”

“I meant the resurrections,” Raven said with a faint smile. “Too many people to keep quiet. Too many for us to be certain we wiped every mind, if that were authorized. Which it isn’t, and I don’t care to do so. Celestia would never abide that, not here… So we’re stuck explaining that hundreds of ponies are being raised from the dead by god.”

“Ah, that.”

“Exactly.”

The two watched the light show for several long moments, then Source hummed. “The biggest concern is going to be pilgrims, yes?”

“Right. The town’s illusions can handle ponies dropping by. But, they’ll want to see Faust. The more persistent ones will hear she’s under ground from somepony. Noone’s lips are that tight.”

Source nodded and thought for another moment. “Well… A memorial for those we’ve lost is in order. Why not make a chappel? Put the memorial there, and convince Faust to make appearances? She seemed to want visitors.”

Raven’s ears perked. “An excellent suggestion. We’ll see if she goes for it.”

“If I’m being honest… I mostly wanted to save myself the commute,” Source admitted with a chuckle. “My order decided that sending anypony else to interview her is simply not going to happen.”

Raven raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“When CARE calls we send one of our best, ma’am.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Source paused for a moment then sighed. “If you don’t mind me asking… How many were lost forever tonight?”

“Around three hundred. We’ll know the exact number once Faust’s done.”

“What about that one golem handler you called about?”

Raven arched an eyebrow. “What?”

“The one who was mortally wounded holding the line with the Princesses?”

“Enox?” Raven asked.

“I never caught her name. She’s short. Green. Very much not a pony. At least, not one from Equis.”

“Enox,” Raven nodded. “She got transferred to Vanhoofer because some soldiers thought she was a normal filly. Last I heard, the medical staff panicked a little about a wounded alien, then some doctor named House noticed she’s made of yeast and stuck her in a bucket of water and sugar. Apparently, she might pull through. No guarantees though.”

Source nodded slowly. “Good. What about the other one?”

“Who, Dew?” Raven asked quizzically.

“Precisely.”

“She got lost in the chaos. She’ll be back eventually,” Raven muttered.

“Ah. Well, at least her curse provides her with an escape route.”

The moats of gold light drifting across the town square seemed to dim as a brighter gold light blazed to life in the form of a series of ascending hexical rings. Raven looked over her shoulder, wondering why Faust would teleport an avatar to them rather than walk across maybe six meters, only to recognise Violet and Sam as they materialized within the transport beam. Along with two unknown alicorns.

Raven’s ears and tail raised in alarm. The field hospital was full of soldiers, but two alicorns could—

Wait… Raven’s terror started to fade as she recognised the shades of pink and blue on the Cadence-sized alicorn mare. The stallion remained unknown, but the other felt familiar.

Raven looked the pink alicorn up and down for half a second, then stared into her eyes for a moment, analyzing the face. “June?” she asked through a steep frown.

“In a manner of speaking?” the alicorn mare shyly replied.

Source turned to look as well, having been mildly lost in thought for the last few seconds. “Oh good! You’re ba—” he stopped mid sentence as he saw the two alicorns, cleared his throat, and sat down. “Oh. Well… Tonight’s been complicated all around hasn’t it?”

“Who are you?” Raven asked, pointing to Medeis. “And June, how on Faust’s green Earth did you ascend?”

Medeis cleared his throat for attention, then offered the two ponies a short bow. “Medeis, at your service.”

Source’s eyes widened, he looked the archmage up and down for a moment then began to fetch his notebook from his robe. “For the sake of history, would you mind confirming—”

“He is,” Sam answered. “He was stuck as a brain in a jar till we let him out so he could help us. This… Is going to take some explaining. Can we get the Princesses here? Please? So we don’t have to do this a whole bunch?”

Raven nodded dumbly. “Yes. That’s absolutely what we need to do. I’ll get to a phone and—”

Celestia materialized in a burst of solar fire, clad in custom half-plate bearing her iconography and a litany of wards. The armor she wore to war, and nothing else. She whipped herself around, searching for the immense arcane signature drawing out that of her sister, and slowly began to frown, taking in the sight of dozens upon dozens of copies of Faust’s golden avatar ministering to a legion of wounded ponies.

“What…” She said slowly, her war face melting into a confused puddle.

Raven cleared her throat and put on her most professional demeanor. “God showed up, ma’am. Turned out she was on our side.”

“E— Excuse me?” Celestia asked, visibly shifting without a clutch.

One of the avatars looked up, noting Celestia’s arrival and blinked its projection on and off to rematerialize next to Celestia. “Greetings: Monarch Celestia. I am FAUST. I admire your palace, however the gloss finish of the domes blinds weather satellites at noon. Please remedy this with polarizing transparent coating at your first convenience. Additionally, please desist permitting your ponies into Forest: Everfree for several months. It is currently overpopulated with monstrous creatures. I intended to use the opportunity to test a new creation and do not enjoy seeing ponies hur—”

Faust’s head turned to look at Cadence, where she was laying unconscious on a cot with Mint at her side. The AI’s projection flinched. “Warning: Liver failure detected. Aborting conversation. There are too many wounded to attend to and too few processor threads for me to utilize. Please visit me later.”

Celestia stared after the avatar as it blinked out of existence and back again, this time at Cadence’s side, where it immediately bent down and went to work healing the exhausted and battered alicorn.

“Also, god is a computer,” Raven added.

Celestia slowly sat down. “I— I think I need a minute… What in the world happened here tonight?! I thought this was a monster hunt gone wrong. Had I known the extent of this I would have told the Pharaoh to wait!”

Medeis cleared his throat. “This was, objectively, a monster hunt gone wrong. You just failed to understand the degree of wrongness at play.”

“Medeis?” Celestia asked, cocking her head as she looked the ancient archmage in the eyes.

Medeis frowned. “Yes… How do you know me?”

“How could we not know the king’s first advisor? But worry not, my sister and I were taught magic by a construct you left behind. It shared your appearance, though not your voice.” Celestia said before noticing the pink alicorn to Medeis’ left. “Who are you?”

“June,” Violet answered for her sister. “We needed an alicorn, and Medeis was out of magic. He was stuck as a brain in a jar and—”

Raven cleared her throat and whispered looked Celestia in the eye. “This went ploin shaped. I want Luna to be here too, can we wait for the medics to wake her? We can speak by her cot. It’s just over there.”

Raven pointed a short distance to where Luna lay unconscious with an IV placed directly into her barrel to feed her a supply of an off-gray fluid which glowed with a sludgy blue inner light.

“Ah…” Celestia said slowly, her heart falling at the sight of Luna’s battered form. “I see… She doesn't seem safe to wake.”

“Let’s find out,” Raven said, waving over a nurse who was trotting by, carrying a stack of newly empty body bags which were in need of cleaning. “Doctor? Luna needs to be awake and coherent immediately. It’s a matter of debriefing June’s team, which… Has become politically and theologically complicated. Obviously.”

The nurse smiled happily, riding the high of being called a doctor by the regent. “That should be possible, ma’am! Princess Luna is stable and woke up from her concussion only to fall back to normal sleep. I think it’s safe for her to be awake for a little while. Oh! Um, Princess Twilight is doing well. The SkyTech surgical team says she’s good to go. Should I get her as well?”

“Surgical team?” Celestia asked, her eyes narrowing dangerously. “What happened to Twilight?”

Raven coughed awkwardly. “She… Saved the town. Cost her a second of maneuvering, which got her caught in an explosion.”

Celestia sighed and shook her head. “I should have ended the debates… We were working overtime as it was.” Unable to help herself, Celestia turned to June and gave her a quick once over, nodding as she determined this new alicorn to be roughly the same power as Cadence. “How did you ascend?”

“We’re waiting on your sister and Twilight to arrive before the debriefing, Princess,” Raven said with the firmness of the one pony who knew she could tell Celestia what to do, at least, within reason.

Celestia sighed and nodded. “Yes. We should wait. How long will—”

Luna stirred on her bed, prompting Clestia to quietly watch her sister sleepily listen to the nurse, nod, then stand up slowly, trembling, and in obvious pain, then trot over.

“Sister,” Luna greeted, turning to look at everypony one by one. “Raven. Violet. Trixie. Not-Cadence. Medeis. Wait… What? Not-Cadence?”

Raven cleared her throat. “We’re waiting for Twilight before these two explain themselves.”

Luna nodded and sat down, wanting nothing more than for the drugs keeping her awake to work better or buck off so she could sleep.

The archmage nodded to Luna as she sat down. “Hello. I’m told you learned magic from one of my constructs. Did it survive the ages?”

“No,” Luna said.

“Pity. Good to see you out of that tank, by the way. I wasn’t sure if you’d managed to get out in all that chaos I’d arranged. Oh! Do you have a limp? I kept telling them your design—”

“I rebuilt my hip when I was forty,” Luna answered, narrowing her eyes slightly. “What the buck happened tonight?!”

“A lot.” Sam summarized.

The fluttering of wings from above caught everypony’s attention. They looked up just in time to see Twilight floating downwards, her lower half now made of interlocked smooth plastic plates given a quick spray-paint job to sort of match her coat which unfortunately suffered from a few runs and excessive orange peel. She dropped to the cobblestones, landing for an instant, only for her bionic legs to misread her mind’s signals and collapse under her in a clatter of polymer-on-stone.

“Sorry, haven’t figured out how to walk on these yet,” Twilight apologized, her cheeks quite flushed.

Celestia gasped, her jaw growing slack with horror. She clearly hadn’t interpreted Raven’s statement to mean ‘blown in half’.

“What happened?!”

“Got my rump too close to an explosion…” Twilight muttered. “But hey! You’ve been meaning to show me how to make potions for alicorns. We could start with regeneratio—”

“I keep telling you to NOT think about doing stuff, just do it!” Sky yelled at Twilight from across the plaza.

Twilight blushed more and turned to call back to Sky with something witty, only to suddenly notice the two strange alicorns. “Oh! Uh… Hi?”

Luna had spotted them immediately on exiting the shadow, and locked eyes on Medeis.

“I feel like Cadence should be here too,” Raven said just loud enough for everypony to hear.

“She’s literally being tended to by… What appears to be Faust?” Luna grunted. “So, she’s occupied. Can somepony explain, but keep this brief? I used eight mana potions tonight and—”

Celestia winced. “Eight!? How could you have possibly gone through—”

Raven cleared her throat and knocked her hoof against the cobbles. “We’re here to debrief everypony, Princess. We’ll get there. Suffice to say the monster was indestructible until a magic circle was disrupted. Why don’t I begin with the last few months leading up to these events, then June can explain how and why she’s ascended and where on Equis Medeis has been hiding…”

Raven sighed and closed her eyes. “This started with a plot by the late Doctor Grape Vine, who may have been possessed, to exploit a magical relic…”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Raven laid out the story as she understood it, drawing on Primary Source’s knowledge of Safety Locke’s notes as needed. She explained how years ago Doctor Grape Vine had learned of the astrolabe’s existence and sought to exploit its ability to open gates between worlds to steal knowledge and inventions to become rich. She explained the device’s secondary purpose of sealing away an ancient evil, at which point Medeis spoke up, offering knowledge of the monster’s nature.

“It’s the thin greasy remains of a once-great tyrant from another universe, made Voidborn by the manner of its death and expulsion from its reality of origin. It cannot be destroyed, it was baked into the universe when it began, like the point-one percent of germs that survive the cleaner of your choice. It's no threat when sealed away, provided its prison is regularly maintained… But when free, it can be an immense danger to everything around it. It can burn worlds, but it is doomed to fail at its goal of returning to the status of the one true god of a universe. I keep it powerless by shunting its power off into random acts of kindness across the multiverse.”

His explanation was little comfort to the Princesses, resulting in a half hour divergence from the debriefing for the archmage to explain the details of his containment system. Once finished, the two were reasonably certain that had Medeis not been imprisoned, the monster could have never reached out of its prison to begin freeing itself. Though he was forced to promise to show them the astrolabe and its pedestal later. Just in case.

Then it was June’s turn to tell her part of the story. She insisted on Sam, Violet, and Trixie telling their own parts. Raven could tell she felt awkward and distant… Partially from exhaustion from the night’s events, but mostly from something else Raven couldn’t quite grasp. More interestingly than that, she could see that Princess Twilight seemingly understood why. The lavender Alicorn looked at June with a sort of shared, sisterly empathy.

Perhaps there’s something about ascending that I don't know… Raven reasoned as June reached the climax of her tale.

“— so, we let Medeis out of the tank, he discovered we needed alicorn magic to power it back up but is basically dry…” June paused and blinked, then looked over to the archmage. “About that, how are you… Standing up and doing things?”

Luna frowned. “Point of order,” she said slowly. “I’m on my hooves by the grace of a drug cocktail, and even then only just. How low are you? You must have enough to activate a simple device!”

Medeis blushed faintly. “I could lift a teacup, but little else. And the astrolabe is not energy efficient… Sorry for impressions, I may not appear to be in pain, but rest assured I am. Fortunately for me, the sheer joy of being free is allowing me to push on. Well, that and the adrenaline, terror, and despair for what was necessary this evening. Rest assured that once all is settled here I plan on going home and sleeping for the first time in twelve thousand years.”

June flinched. “Y— You were conscious? Like, the whole time?”

“Yes. Don’t worry. It wasn’t anywhere near as terrible as the time I stranded myself in the Dark Ages.”

Luna raised one eyebrow. “I don’t remember any mention of you back then.”

“Not those dark ages,” Medeis corrected. “Free advice: if your time travel spell uses moongates, make sure you don’t accidentally get the phase state misaligned by more than negative twelve because you won't be able to open a moongate during the time before stars existed, let alone moons. That was a fun wait, let me tell you.”

Twilight blinked twice. “You… Do you not need to eat?”

“I do.”

“Then how—”

“I made myself permanent. If I die, I come back. Eventually. I simply repeatedly suffocated until I could cast the spell again. I tried to invent a better time travel mechanism, but was in too much pain to do so. What with the vacuum of space and starvation and dehydration… It as much more fun going through that the first time, when I had an atmosphere, and ground, and food, and things to do. Look, we’re getting off topic. Can we please let her finish?”

A long horrified silence followed the archmage’s statement as everypony stared at him. Including several of the wounded soldiers who just happened to be nearby and were very, very, VERY interested in this likely classified conversation that was just, happening. Right here. For them to see.

“On the upside, no one will ever beat my high score at bottles of beer on the wall.” Medeis said to try and relieve the tension.

Raven made a mental note to avoid time travel all together even harder than she had been while June resumed her report.

“Uh… So… Anyways… Since I’m distantly related to Cadence, Medeis thought he could draw out the alicorn in me and, well, it almost worked. Kind of. Vi and Sam got… Sucked into the spell, because apparently alicorns are multiple people? But Faust separated us. She couldn’t put me back back, though. His spells are powerful. So… This is me now. I’m still getting used to it.”

“It takes at least six months,” Twilight said to her as kindly as possible. “First month is the worst. Was for me anyways.”

Raven saw a look of horror then sorrow cross June’s face. “I’m sorry…”

“Well, at least you’re not also having to get used to being a princess,” Twilight offered as a silver lining, only to instantly backpedal as she realized how it sounded. “I’m sorry! That made it sound like I’m trying to out difficulty you. I’m not… Why do we use ‘could be worse’ as a way of comforting ponies? Who decided that was a good idea? Argh!”

June smiled faintly. “Thanks for clarifying.”

Celestia hummed. “Well… Regardless of if there was another way or not, we have to live with the die fate cast for us,” she said decisively. “An unexpected alicorn, two in fact, could do a great deal of good for Equestria. June, would you like to be brought into the court? Equestria demands alicorn leadership. I am going to retire soon, once I believe Twilight is ready. Her current role could be yours once she sits on my throne.”

Luna winced. “Celestia, look at her. She needs time to accept the change. To be normal. Not all of us were cultivated for the role.”

Celetia looked into the now terrified mare’s eyes, and nodded. “Of course. Forgive me. It’s been thousands of years since We took up this responsibility. I often forget how others think of these things. How much I gave up when it was me.”

“We still need to know what to do,” Twilight said casually. “We probably don’t want ponies knowing about the factory. We could omit that part and say she ascended like Cadence did, right?”

“We could,” Celestia agreed. “But that depends on how much Medeis wishes to be a part of the world.”

She looked the archmage in the eyes and asked what she felt was a key question. “Now that you’re free, what is it you wish to do?”

Medeis almost rolled his eyes at just how much Celestia’s question implied her worry of him being a threat. “The only things I do which might be a problem for you, noticed by you, or even something you’d be interested in, politically speaking, happen in intervals of tens of thousands of years. I’m running a very, very, very long experiment involving evolution of magical species. Most of what I’ll do with the interim between checking on my results is tinkering in my workshop… And since I get to be young again, popping into the pub to catch a nice gentleman’s eye or two.”

“I don’t quite believe that—” Celestia began, intending to finish with ‘but I’ll trust you for now’.

Medeis however, interrupted her with a frustrated sigh. “Alright then. Let’s say we come to blows. I helped design you specifically. I know your weaknesses. If you kill me, I’ll come back to life. If you imprison me, well, I’ve had worse for longer. As for power, while I do admit that the sun is an excellent reservoir, do remember that I buried a city in lava. I think you’ll find me to be a difficult foe indeed. Which is fortunately extremely unnecessary because I simply do not care what you do with the world you’ve created. If you wish for proof, you can watch me leave, sleep for a few weeks straight, then get back to manufacturing nano-pex so I can put the plumbing into the bird house I’ve been waiting to get back to for several millennia. It was just sitting there… Unfinished. Taunting me. Those poor birds are stuck in a home with copper piping, ma’am. Copper!”

Celestia cleared her throat. “You’ve given me no reason not to trust you…” she said hesitantly. “You mean… Are you making a bird house following conventional building codes of your era?”

Medeis threw his hooves up in the air. “I accidentally made a flock of sapient immortal philosopher sparrows, okay?! They deserve nice homes to balance the existential drudgery of deep time!”

Twilight and Luna couldn’t help but giggle at his outburst.

Raven cleared her throat for attention once again. “Everypony, while archmage Medeis clearly intends to keep a low profile, he did say he wishes to visit pubs and have relationships. Shouldn’t we also inform the public of his existence?”

Medeis’ ears perked. “Oh! Well…. I reverse engineered changeling shapeshifting ages ago. I’d be happy to walk the streets of Equestria as a unicorn until we decide how to handle “Celestia wasn’t the first”. Wouldn’t bother me at all. I’m rather fond of trying different shapes, actually.”

“We could simply tell ponies now there was a First Kingdom survivor trapped with the monster,” June proposed.

Luna hummed, rolling the idea over her tongue before putting it into words. “I prefer that idea. Best to handle everything as one package.”

Celestia thought for a moment, then nodded. “Agreed. I need to rest, but in the morning I will address the nation, tell them of this battle, of your existence Medeis, of June’s ascension—”

“W— Wait,” June said, flinching lightly.

Raven frowned again. There’s something I don’t know about alicorn ascension for sure. That’s deep trauma of some kind. I’ll have to remember to offer her a psychiatrist in the morning.

Celestia turned to look at her. “Yes?”

“I— I feel… Awkward. Being called June. With how much changed. Could you…Maybe call me Nike in that address? Please?” she begged.

Twilight’s face fell. She understood completely. It clicked for Raven an instant later.

Of course! Alicorn brains are substantially different from a normal pony’s brain. The poor mare’s recontextualizing everything… There’s a term for this… Buck me I swear I know— No, skip it, Raven. Just remember to call her Nike for now, and be double sure to get her an excellent psychiatrist.

Medeis’ eyes brightened. “Taking my advice to have a public persona? Atta girl! Makes things much easier on the old noggin.”

Celetia thought for a moment, then nodded once. “A fitting name, as you flew to victory tonight. Very well. Equestria will know you by your chosen name. The only remaining question is how do we explain Faust’s existence?”

Raven smiled and turned to nod towards Source. “This Library Mage, who has been invaluable to the night’s efforts, had an idea for that. We make a chapel, convince her to appear at it from time to time—”

Medeis winced. “Oh goodness no!”

“Is there a problem with that?” Luna asked, arching an eyebrow.

“She takes anything anyone says to her quite literally and will do exactly as asked if you reach an agreement,” the archmage explained. “In your arrangement with her, you’ll need to expressly tell her not to take clients at this chapel. Otherwise she’ll cheerfully do nearly anything which won't harm her or ponykind in general, she loves you all dearly, but let’s say somepony with a fetish for being a giant asks her to make them big. She would. Immediately.”

“Ah,” Celestia said, wincing. “Noted.”

Raven hummed. “Then… If we need help—”

“Go down and ask. Bring a winter coat, her core chamber is quite cold,” he warned. “Again, I don’t care what you do. Unless you start to go down the path of institutionalized malice like the so-called First Kingdom. Then I’ll have to end your civilization like I did theirs.”

Celestia smiled and nodded in satisfaction. “I do not remember much of those days. Luna knows more than I. But please, should such hatred take root, purge away.”

“I believe we can be good friends,” Luna agreed.

“Can I use your library?” Twilight asked, swishing her tail eagerly.

Medeis thought for a moment, squinting at Twilight then shook his head. “No… But I will lend you a few spell books. Master them, then maybe you can use my library.”

Twilight nodded, accepting the challenge.

“Then it’s settled?” Raven asked, her shoulder slumping with exhaustion. “Can we adjourn until the inevitable follow up meeting?”

The group discussed it for a moment, then all agreed. A simple address would happen in the morning, followed by a more detailed announcement once it was written. It would all be told of as it was, just another moment in Equestrian history. Albeit, toned a little down and with the treason scrubbed out to avoid as much panic as possible.

“Great. I’m going to sleep. I’m beyond exhausted,” Nike said as the group began to go their separate ways.

Raven winced as she remembered a certain something. “Oh! Uh… About that.”

The new alicorn frowned. “Was… Was the observatory—”

“Heavily irritated, with most outbuildings damaged or destroyed,” Twilight said, flicking her wings. “That’s how I lost my legs, which, by the way. Can we make sure that we say legs in the report? Yes, I lost my butt too, but I’ve got nothing but friendly ribbing for that from Sky and his wife, and every other nurse today. Yes, it’s kinda funny I guess. But I got zapped in HALF! I don’t want my butt to be the butt of national jokes.”

Nike flinched at the mention of the observatory being gone. “Oh… Uh—”

Luna put a leg around her shoulders and pointed towards one of the hills. “I have a hunting lodge just up there. You and yours are welcome guests, make yourself at home! For as long as you like. You’ve certainly earned royal accommodations until your home is whole once more,” she offered, deciding to hold off on telling the young mare that given her deed and status as a noble’s daughter, she was more than qualified for knighthood.

“Are the beds, you know… Big enough?”

Luna nodded. “Of course they are. I used to live here.”

“Good,” Nike nodded, sighing like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. “A new room sounds great, thank you.”

Raven pursed her lips, debating on wether or not to offer psychiatric care immediately or not. I should, but I shouldn’t be targeted with it.

“Hey, Luna? These mares were made Mares-at-Arms, does this entitle them to military healthcare?” Raven asked casually.

Luna nodded and rubbed at her side. “Naturally.”

Raven turned to the small group and made sure to look each of them in the eye one by one. “As half your number are civilians, and the soldier in your ranks is retired, I would recommend seeing me in the morning and setting up an appointment with a psychologist. We’ve already sent Fluttershy to a CARE counselor… She didn’t handle the firefight well.”

“No shit!” a stallion’s voice called out from a short distance away.

Raven turned her head to see Sky, who was trotting over with a small stencil loosely held in his mouth.

“Seriously, did nopony tell her that once linked she could have left? All of those systems have wireless transceivers,” he muttered bitterly. “I know I didn’t, but somepony should have. Like the technician I had give her access and hook her into the network.”

“Her computer is wired only,” Violet commented off hoof.

“Ah…” Sky said, flinching. “Note to self, the Equestrian market could use some radio transmission modules. Anywho, Twilight! Got the cutiemark stencil done. Wanna get these painted on or should I wait a bit?”

“We’re done here, I think,” Twilight said, shakinly standing up and limping her way towards Sky. “Let’s get that done. See you girls later!”

“I’ll… I’ll take that psych appointment,” Sam murmured to herself.

Nike frowned and bent down slightly to look at Sam. “You will?”

“Yeah. I don’t feel anything wrong, which is a red flag for sure. At the least, I should tell somepony everything to decompress. Actually, all of us should. Take it from me, mental health is important and post-op checkups should be standard.”

Celestia blinked and looked over to Luna. “Are they not?”

“If not, it is now,” Luna said, narrowing her eyes slightly. “At least for special forces. Group counseling at the platoon level might be affordable for other branches.”

Celestia nodded in agreement. “I’ll see if room can be made in the healthcare budget to train more psychologists. We do it for guards, we should do it for soldiers.”

Raven opened her mouth to agree, then closed it quickly. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to simply encourage general infantry to seek out existing military counselors? Spec-Ops should absolutely be required to have checkups, but we’re talking about nearly a million ponies in terms of the infantry alone. The cost of—”

A wooden crate hit the ground with a loud thud, making everypony jump. Raven turned towards the noise and was somewhat shocked to see a dirty, bedraggled, and tired Night Sky standing near the medical supplies.

“J—June?!” Night stammered as he timidly walked towards his daughter. “What happened? How did—”

“She sealed the monster back in its prison and ascended,” Luna said, knowing if her sister spoke first there would be problems.

“Yeah,” Nike agreed, wincing slightly as Night ran forwards then reared up to wrap her in a close hug.

“Thank you!” He said, tearing up slightly. “Thank you for showing me… There will always be new heroes. I needed that, June.”

She squirmed again then returned the hug. “Uh… Thanks,” she said slowly.

Night looked up into her eyes, frowning. “What’s wrong?”

“C— Could you call me Nike? I meant to change my name back when, you know… And I just… It really doesn't fit me now. So, please?” Nike said, biting her lip nervously.

Night thought for a moment, then nodded. “I understand. But it will be hard for me. I can’t promise to change what I call you quickly. I’ve known you for over a decade.”

Nike laughed. “Yeah… I— I know. It’s just, it doesn't fit me now.”

Night paused for a moment, clearly thinking, then nodded. “I suppose?” he said letting go of her finally, then taking a step back and finally noticing Medeis. “Who… I’m sorry, but…”

The archmage smiled down at Night and extended a hoof. “Archmage Medeis of Hereca ap Prynn, and who are you?”

“Straight and married,” Nike said before her father could react.

Night blinked twice. “He was only saying hello.”

Every mare in a ten meter radius gave Night the ‘you’re an idiot’ stare for a good ten seconds while Medeis muttered “I’m guessing your name is Social Brick,” very very quietly.

“Doctor Knight Sky, retired xenoarchaeologist,” Night said, not noticing the stare or muttering.

“Ah. Well… Looking good for your age,” Medeis said, clearing his throat then looking to Violet. “Would you mind teleporting me home? I’ll be taking that nap now.”

“Sure! I think I got the hang of it now,” Violet said, trotting over to the archmage, then placing a hoof on his leg and activating a transport beam.

Medeis vanished in the golden rings, leaving Violet behind. She smiled as she sensed through the network that Medeis had arrived in his atrium unharmed. “Yes!”

“Oh wow!” Night commented. “Her mane hides her horn completely.”

“It does, doesn't it? I’m a little jealous,” Raven agreed to maintain the town’s cover.

Celestia cleared her throat for attention. “Well. It seems all is settled here for the short term. We’ll need to meet a few more times to keep everypony up to speed on the press release, but that’s a matter for later. I am exhausted and am going to go to bed. Let me know when Cadence has recovered, I’ll bring her up to spee—”

“Hold it!” Raven said, raising a hoof and giving Celestia her usual death glare.

Celestia raised an eyebrow, remaining dignified despite understanding she’d somehow messed something up. “Yes?”

Raven pointed to the group of mares. “They just saved our plots. With Cadence and Luna down, you away, and the rest of our military too far from town to get here in time, they are the reason we’re still here,” she said as bluntly as possible. “I can hand out the awards they are due, but it really needs to come from you.”

Celestia blinked. “Yes? That said, it takes a few weeks for such things to be created and presented.”

“But they should be told immediately. These are civilians we pressed into service, Princess. One of whom is not even a citizen, really.”

Everyone turned to Raven, who pointed to Violet. “She’s an android. She wasn’t born, despite coming from Equestrian soil. Literally. But it means she’s not a citizen. After this, she deserves at least that much!”

Celestia nodded in silent agreement. “I’ll be honest, I hadn’t even thought about her legal status as a person or citizen. Violet, I hereby award you full citizenship. You’ll get paperwork soon.…” she thought for a moment then looked to Sam. “Samhein, I award you the Medal of Heroism. The same for the rest of you. This was an act above and beyond the duties of a citizen of Equestria.”

Celestia then turned to Nike and let out a slow breath. “I understand you want to avoid politics, but, your father is a noble and you performed an act of bravery, sacrifice, and honor for the sake of others. I have no choice but to knight you. Fear not, it will be an honorary title. No responsibilities attached.”

Nike blushed. “I— What?”

“You chose to risk death for the sake of the realm, and have come away permanently altered,” Celestia elaborated. “Such choices are rare, more rare when successful. If I do not award you the title it sends the wrong message to the general public.”

“Oh. I— I understand.”

“With that now said and done, I will retire for the night. Fair well,” Celestia said then lit her horn and vanished in a burst of light as she teleported away.

Raven looked around at the group, then took a deep breath. “Well… She wants to sleep, and I second that motion. You know what? Let's all just not come in tomorrow. Take a day.”

“Agreed,” Luna said as she popped her neck. “Ah! There’s the alicorn healing factor kicking in. Nurse? Might I be able to sleep in my own bed today?”

“Maybe? Let me check your vitals,” A nurse said as she trotted over from the sidelines and began listening to the princess’s heart and lungs.

Raven nodded and looked at the others. A chorus of agreements met her ears.

“Great,” Raven said, nodding once before starting to walk away.

Raven paused, thought for a moment, then turned around. “Come to think of it, I haven’t eaten since this afternoon, and… It’s after midnight now. There’s a bar called The Brewer’s Hive not too far from here. I’ve passed it every day, but never gone in. They’ve got a sign outfront advertising Shawarma. I have no idea what that is, but I want to try it. Would any of you like to go with me?”

Cadence stirred on her cot and looked up weakly. “Somepony say shawarma? I’m do— Ow… Down.”

Faust, helping her up, chimed in with “My demand for sustenance is several thousand times higher than normal, I shall be accompanying you.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Nike - 5th of Leaffall (11 days later), 4 EoH
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

Nike watched as Cadence’s blue shield cut a tunnel through the green containment shield dome placed over the scorched remains of the Hackamore Valley Observatory. The tunnel-like shield extended in through the parking lot and covered the dormitory building, providing a safe tunnel into the hot zone.

By a small miracle, the dorms had mostly survived, meaning some of their belongings had to be intact. With Cadence there to hold back the thaumic radiation, the three could go in, collect some of their things, then return to their temporary housing at Young Moon’s.

“Alright… It should be safe enough now,” Cadence said, gritting her teeth against the strain of her spell. “Just get out in half an hour.”

“What happens then?” Nike asked with a worried flick of her tail.

“I’m forcing a negative shield through another shield,” Cadence explained.

Nike raised an eyebrow.

“There will be some leakage. Half an hour gives you five minutes of safe exposure left to get out. Unless you want to die and or mutate into something horrible.”

“Ah. Half an hour, got it.” Sam said with a sharp nod.

Violet thought for a moment then shrugged. “I don’t have anything in there I want. I’ll help you two carry stuff out, okay?”

Nike trotted into the shield tunnel, intentionally slowing herself so Sam and Violet could keep pace. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to having to walk so slow… Maybe I should see if Medeis will make them some kind of amulets that make them faster? No… That would only cover my sisters. I’d still be doomed to the hell of slow walkers.

Such thoughts were a good distraction from the other more serious ones which still plagued her mind. Nike practically tuned Sam and Violet out as she walked up to the observatory and pushed the doors open with her magic. She smiled as her pale green aura slowly opened the cracked and warped glass doors.

Upside, magic is pretty cool.

“I basically just want my clothes and hooflocker,” Sam said casually. “We can get that last. I’ll focus on getting Dew’s stuff out. She’ll want her bear when she gets back.”

Nike nodded. “Yeah. Good idea.”

Vi smiled and trotted towards June’s room. “Then that means I should help June get all her nicknacks out first!”

Nike bit her lip again and walked forward a few steps before deciding enough was enough. “Girls? Uh… The whole name thing? I don’t mean it as just a public image thing. I wanted more time to think of a better name, or decide if I wanted to do that at all for real, but I didn’t get that because of Celestia’s speech… But, um. I definitely do want a new name. Could you all call me Nike, please?”

Violet nodded, immediately updating her software to implement the change. Sam, on the other hoof, paused then looked up at her friend.

“Is it the same reason I stopped using Autumn?”

Nike shrugged her wings. “Maybe? I— I feel like June was a close friend. Like a best friend. And that she died… It’s— It’s why I kept pushing back wanting to come here and get her stuff.”

“You’re not all that different,” Violet commented.

“That just makes it worse,” Nike explained.

Vi thought for a moment, then flicked her tail. “Oh. I think I understand. I used to be a ship.”

“I understand perfectly,” Sam said as she tried to open Dew’s door, and failed due to the frame being warped. “Great… I’ll have to kick this in…”

Nike stepped over to the door and pushed her alicorn-sized bulk against the wooden door. It splintered and swung open. She winced as her shoulders nearly stuck in the door frame.

Damn tiny-ass pony buildings… Now I know why everything in Canterlot is ‘huge’. Cuz that’s actually just how big they need to be when you’re not a little pony.

“Thanks,” Sam said with a nod before looking up at Nike. “You’ll find some of her stuff that you’ll still think of as your stuff. Take it. It’s therapeutic. Trust me.”

Nike thought for a moment. “That lines up with what my counselor said.”

“Cuz it works!” Sam said as she trotted into Dew’s room and flinched at the shattered window and scorched everything. “Oh boy… Let’s hope some stuff is intact.”

Nike and Vi crossed the semi-charred living room and tried the door to June’s room. It swung open with only a little protesting. The devastation wasn’t as bad as Dew’s room, but many things were smoke stained or lightly scorched.

Do I feel like any of this is mine? Nike thought to herself as she stepped into the room, ducking to avoid smacking her horn into the door frame, then immediately worrying the room was too small for her to turn around in with all the furniture in it.

Nike turned to her left, then sighed in relief as she discovered she had just enough room to turn without her tailbone scraping the wall or having to crane her neck to the side.

Okay. Good. Let’s start. Clothes? Reference books? Tools? Blankets? No, but I should take the books. Computer? Actually… A little. That feels more like a friend than an object.

She stepped to the computer and pressed the on button with a hoof. It slowly began to whir to life. Good. It’s okay.

Nike took a moment to stare at her hoof and wish stores stocked manipulator gauntlets in her size. It will be nice once the custom ones come in. Maybe I can just shapeshift to have them like Sam can now… No, or at least, later. Focus. We need to do this. Keep looking.

“Vi, can you pack up the computer for me?”

“Sure!” Violet said as she trotted up to the computer, switched it off, and began to disconnect the mess of wires under the desk.

Nike continued to look around. Battlemace minis survived somehow… Then again, they are Blight Watch. Those are Enox’s. I’ll take them to her when she’s out of the hospital.

She spared a second glance at the minis. They’d been laid out on her end-table and—

Wait. The end table is mine! Nike noted with a smile. So are the Cadite minis. The Ravenous Fifth. We were playing a game. I was almost winning.

Her heart soared at a memory that felt like her own. She replayed it in her head for a few precious moments, then carefully collected the miniatures and placed them into her saddle bag.

“The table is mine, I’m going to carry it out,” Nike said to Vi.

Vi grunted in acknowledgement and silently cursed whatever idiot had decided to make monitor cables screw into things.

Nike concentrated, lit her horn, and levitated the table up onto her back, clamping it with her wings. It will be cool when I trust my control enough to just float things around without dropping them. She thought as she trotted out of the dorms and down the tunnel.

As she existed the dorms, she couldn’t help but see a small figure made tiny thanks to standing next to Cadence. She squinted, trying to see if it was Dew or—

The sunlight glinted off a nearly transparent helmet.

“Enox!” Nike shouted, breaking out into a smile.

The alien mare’s ears perked. She ran into the shield-tunnel at surprising speed, meeting Nike halfway and hugging her leg immediately.

“Hey! Digging the new look,” Enox said, her vox sounding a little more feminine then normal.

Nike looked down, taking note of the patches on Enox’s silver suit and the slightly different computer strapped to the front.

“More like… A whole new me,” Nike admitted.

Enox nodded and let go, looking up at the now much taller mare. “I know. I can see it… It’s a thing we do. Part of being dark magic based.”

Nike bit her lip and nodded slowly. “I— I see. Then you know that—”

“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure I’ll like who you are now too. I’m willing to stick around and see at least, but… I’m pretty sure you’re my tallest,” Enox smirked and snapped a joking salute.

Well… I am very happy to see her, Nike mused, reflecting on the times she remembered being with Enox and— Wait! I remember being with her as me. YES! Thank you, thank you so much brain. Like, buck you for everything else, but thank you for this! I— WAIT! Nooooo….

Nike started to tear up, prompting Enox to take a step back and frown. “W— What’s wrong? Body dysmorphia? Sorry for biggening up your size. I—”

Nike shook her head. “N— No! I— I remember being together with you as me, not as June. I do love you. It’s just…” she took a deep breath and squat down to whisper so Cadence wouldn’t overhear. “You’re less than a quarter of my size now and I just realized if we buck I’d kill you…”

Enox blinked, snorted, then smirked up at Nike. “Pff! Try me, bitch! My species’ resilience is the reason several whole sectors have the saying ‘kill it with fire, nuke it from orbit, drown the ash in bleach’.”

Nike continued to cry but looked into Enox’s eyes. “I—”

“You know that getting stabbed through lungs and brain is why I was in the hospital, right?” Enox pressed.

“I— Yes…. Wait, you seem fine?”

“I’m a colony organism, not multicellular. All stabbing me does is disconnect things and kill a few cells off. I’d have been fine without a hospital, it just would have taken longer. I wasn’t joking about that whole kill it with fire thing. Blunt force, cutting, stabbing, doesn't really do anything to me unless you’ve done so much that I’m more of a salsa than a solid.”

Nike blinked the tears from her eyes. “Oh. Then… I— I still don’t want to hurt you? I—” she blushed and whispered again. “I’m pretty sure I’d squash most of your organs flat.”

Enox rolled her eyes. “Even if my organs didn’t function while flat, there’s like, a dozen solutions for that just one stop away. Which I’d like to try out with you later, if you can prove we need them.”

Nike blushed more and looked over to Cadence who waved and called out to the marefriends. “Elasticity potions are a thing! They work on her. Learned that when we banged to spite Celestia once! Also alicorn hearing is very good, you should have realized I could hear you two, being one yourself.”

Oh no… I really should have! I spent three days trying to not get pissed at hearing everything in town when I was trying to eat… Nike thought, flinching slightly.

“They’re also permanent. Those potions she mentioned. You’re probably not much bigger than my favorite toys,” Enox admitted with a giggle. “Anyways, enough about my hobbies… You’re here to get your stuff. Anything other than that table feel like yours?”

“Just some minis… Oh! I got your army. It’s somehow mostly fine? Mine need new paint. Vi’s getting the computer out. It kinda feels like mine. Nothing else does, though I did keep the reference texts.”

Enox nodded happily. “Great! So, I was stuck in my own head for a few weeks while also being stuck in a bucket of yeast food and water. Nothing near as bad as what you’ve been through, but I’d still like some company. Can we netflix and chill?”

Nike nodded and levitated the end table the rest of the way down the shield-tunnel, then floated Enox up onto her back. “Of course! Come on, let’s help Vi with the computer. Once Sam’s done we can go to my new place. Luna gave me a room at her lodge. I’m still going to work at the Observatory once it’s rebuilt, but… I don’t think I want to live here.”

Enox thought for a moment. “Because they’re naming the new one the Junebug Observatory?”

Nike shook her head. “No. I asked them to do that.” I’m glad Luna understood that June deserved a memorial she’d love.

“Then why?”

Nike blushed and shuffled her hooves. “In places made for normal ponies, my horn hits the light fixtures, I stick in narrow doors, I can’t sit on the toilets if I want to pee, and the dorm rooms here are so small I was worried I couldn’t turn around.”

“Oh! Fair points.” Enox said thoughtfully. “They could make you a bigger room here?”

“Yeah. I might ask them to. Depends on if Sam and Vi like staying at the Lodge better or not. We’ll be there a couple years at least anyways.”

Violet exited the dorm building, carrying the computer minus its monitor on her back. “I like the forge! It's fun to make things with a hammer. Might even be my special talent! Not sure about the rooms yet though.”

Nike’s ears flicked back. Why do all of my friends have great hearing?

She turned around to look in Vi’s direction. “You’ve spent most of the week out back working on something… Care to show me later?”

“Sure! I’m almost done too.”

“Cool,” Nike said, nodding. “I’ll get the monitor out. We’ll see what Sam wants help with.”

“Nothing. Everything’s toast in there except for her tablet phone thing and one plush. Sam’s getting her locker out right now,” Violet said as she passed Nike.

Nike nodded then looked over to Cadence. “Most things are toast. I don’t think we need the whole half hour.”

“Do a sweep anyway! And do remember we need to decontaminate everything you take out.” Cadence called back.

“Is that why you said to empty our saddle bags?” Violet asked.

Cadence nodded. “Yep. But seriously, do a sweep. If it's in there much longer it will decay… And I don’t mean they crumble away. Thaumic radiation is weird and inconsistent with objects. Things that made it through the thermal phase can transmute.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Later that afternoon, Nike and Enox trotted out around the back of Young Moon’s Lodge, down the short dirt trail to the old forge which sat out back next to the smoke house. Enox was still riding on Nike’s back, since the mare’s alicorn strength meant her marefriend was effectively weightless for her, and the tiny alien mare rather enjoyed getting to look down on ponies for a change.

“So what’s she been making?” Enox asked.

“No idea,” Nike admitted. “She’s been out here all week, and the week before that Luna spent a few days showing her the basics of blacksmithing. Vi’s really taken to it.”

Nike perked her ears and listened for a moment. “I’m kind of shocked I don’t hear any hammering, actually.”

“She did say she’d be done in an hour, we gave her two,” Enox reminded.

Nike giggled. “Yeeah… Got a bit carried away. Just, you know. Happy that something feels normal.”

“It was way better than normal,” Enox huffed. “Also, you didn’t really need to pay me ten bits. I was joking when I made a bet it fit, hon.”

“Meh! Happy to have lost that bet,” Nike corrected as the two turned the last bend in the trial before the clearing.

The forge building was simple, practically just a timber roofed area over an old stone slab housing an ancient forge made from river rock, a single anvil atop a stump, and a long workbench covered in metal working tools. Its fire was extinguished, but the two could see the heat ripples coming off the forge. It had been lit until recently.

More importantly, aside from Violet, Luna and Sam were present. The three were huddled around the work table, talking quietly to one another and clearly looking at something Luna’s bulk hid from Nike’s view.

She frowned and cleared her throat. “Hey! Uh… Need more time?”

Vi turned around and smiled. “Nope! We just finished. Come here, you’ll love it!”

Nike trotted over and the three mares parted to let her see the benchtop. A piece of white cloth had been laid out to protect a long bladed silvery sword from scratches. It had a broad blade, a handle with a latticed gem-set grip to make holding it with telekinesis easier, and a series of green glowing runes inlaid into the length of its blade.

That looks like it matches Heartfire, Nike noted, thinking of the axe Cadence had lent June, then given to her. “Woah…” she said out loud as the quality of the blade suddenly hit her like a truck. “That’s… How did you do this? It’s your first one and it’s perfect!”

“Computer,” Vi said with a proud smile. “Luna just had to show me how to move metal once, then I read a few books, extrapolated the techniques, trained a sub-model on a few thousand hours of physics data, and bam! One nice sword. What do you think?”

“It’s pretty,” Nike admitted. “I’d love to hang that up in my room.”

“Great!” Luna said, smiling. “Because it’s yours.”

Nike tilted her head. “But… It’s her first?”

Violet cleared her throat. “Yes. But I made it because… Remember two weeks ago when you were sitting in the hall after reading about your formal knighting ceremony next month?”

“You were upset you didn’t get a sword because it’s a civic knighthood,” Sam reminded.

Nike nodded, then blushed. “Aww! Thanks. You really didn’t need to though.”

“Yeah, well, I actually did. Somepony upset my sister! And I needed something new to do since I can’t work the telescopes till they exist again.”

Luna stepped forwards. “It’s not solely her work. Sam and I delved into the ruins of Violet’s creator’s vessel and plundered her stasis field for alien alloys to make the blade from. Cadence duplicated Heartfire’s enchantments for me on paper, and I copied them to this weapon. It is a blade worthy of an Equestrian Knight of old.”

“But more importantly, it’s a blade worthy of you, Nike,” Sam finished. “I mean, you don’t especially need a sword. But you wanted one, and we all wanted to put in the time and effort to show we love you. Like, you you.”

Nike felt her eyes water up. “I— I don’t know what to say.” she said out loud. Have they really had enough time to decide they love me?

Violet nodded to the blade. “Pick it up! See what you think. If you like it, maybe we could learn to fence together? I’ve noticed you like to get up in the mornings to go for a run, and I’m still training Sam with magic. It would be cool if the three of us could share an active thing.”

Sam nodded. “Yeah! By the way, I know Enox is back on her hooves and you two probably want to have some fun… But I sort of rented some movies.”

Nike blinked. “Movies?” she asked slowly.

“We’ve already made sure we’re still a thing,” Enox said from Nike’s back. “We are, by the way.”

Luna frowned, pondering the biomechanics of how on earth the two could work as a couple.

“I thought we could have a family movie night,” Sam continued. “I heard you talking to Luna about movies you like and, well… I’ve never been one for nerd stuff, but I also never gave it a chance. I thought I should at least know what kind of movies you like. For birthday reasons.”

Nike took a short step back. “Girls? You don’t have to try so hard to make me feel a part of this… I still feel like your sister. It's just—”

Violet trotted over to Nike and reared up to hug her. “It’s not that. It’s just we know you’re going through a rough time and want to show you that we’re here for you. Like we said we would be.”

“I may not have made such a vow,” Luna added, “However, I feel I owe you friendship. You pulled my plot out of a fire as much as anypony else. June may have chosen to become you, but you are the one who sealed the dark stain once more.”

Sam winced and made the cut gesture at Luna. Nike shook her head and smiled. “Actually Sam, that helped. A lot. That part was me, wasn’t it?”

Nike lit her horn and picked up the sword from the table. A small green gemstone set into the grip glowed as she lifted it, supplementing her telekinetic strength with her own and making it practically effortless to hold. She couldn’t help but swish the blade through the air like a little colt who just found a good stick, then flick it up into a classic fantasy swordsmare pose which made Luna wince.

Nike frowned. “Is… Is this not a guard?”

“It is not.” Luna said through clenched teeth. “May I please teach you how to use that?”

“Could you teach all of us?” Nike asked hopefully.

“Of course I can. We’re roommates!” Luna said with a pleased smile.

“Great! But… Later,” Nike moved the sword down so she was holding but not wielding it. “Not now. Because that movie night sounds great, actually.”

Sam sighed. “Cool. Mind if I invite Trixie?”

Nike rolled her eyes. “Why would I mind if you invited your marefriend? She’s family too.”

Vi’s ears drooped. “D— Does that mean Fluttershy can’t come over? We’ve uh… Turns out I’m just not really into sex with mares it turns out, and she’s still learning shapeshifting. So we’re kinda just besties until she’s got the resties? I think that’s how she put it.”

“Besties are family,” Sam, Nike, Luna, and Enox said in unison.

“Oh! Good,” Vi said, smiling happily.

“How about Enox and I go for a snack run and then we start movie night?” Nike proposed. “I’m the fastest flier here with the most cargo capacity.”

Luna huffed. “I still can’t believe you're faster than me…”

“You out lift me, and out spell me, so there’s that for you,” Nike beamed back.

“Get me some popcorn. I’m told that’s tradition for movies,” Vi said as she turned to look back at the forge, pondering what to make next.

“Sure,” Nike said, holding the sword out to her sister. “Can you put this in my room for me?”

“Of course!”

“Hey, one sec,” Enox said to Nike before looking down at Violet. “Did… Did you really not understand you’re straight? That’s what you implied just now, right?”

“I’m surrounded by lesbians!” Violet giggled. “I sort of didn’t even know that was an option. I thought Dew was just weird for wanting a boyfriend. Or that ponies grew out of it after having kids and then just wanted a same sex partner. I— I still don’t know all of pony behavior and culture you know? Twilight said she’d bring me some books on it but she has been out of touch since then.”

Nike reached out and gave her sister a pat on the head. “It’s okay. It took me fifteen years to realize I was trans.”

Huh. That memory still feels like mine. Cool!

“Anywho, snacks! Back soon, girls!” Nike said, spreading her wings and taking off.

“Hey, remember how I said there were better ways for me to fly than jetpacks?” Enox called over the rush of wind.

“Yeah?”

“Riding my girlfriend is now number one on that list. Just don’t do any barrel rolls okay?”

Nike laughed. “Of course not!”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Later that night, after three films Nike was extremely happy to know she still loved, even if some of the reasons why were different, Nike and Enox retired to her bedroom for the evening. It hadn’t been decorated yet, though earlier in the day she’d moved the end table, minis, and computer into the corner under a shelf. The rest of the room was old rustic peeled log furniture with a general outdoorsy theme.

“So… Are we going to say yes to Luna’s invite to her tabletop game next week?” Enox asked.

“Duh,” Nike agreed bluntly. “Just like, tomorrow. Or after I get my army repainted.”

I need to make this place more comfortable, Nike thought to herself as she trotted through the door. Luna said I could… But how would I even make it my space?

“Sam was really into that last one,” Enox commented, thinking back to how the thestral was on the edge of her seat for the entirety of the First Starfighter.

“Yeah,” Nike said, smiling. “I’m glad she likes it. I’m glad I like it.”

“Wanna wait till she’s asleep then sneak her into my ship and wake her up so we can zip through a dense asteroid cluster for real?”

Nike thought for a bit. “Nah, let her sleep.”

Enox’s ears drooped.

“We’ll do that tomorrow,” Nike added, taking note of her new sword laying on the room’s desk. “She was working hard today.”

Enox’s ears returned to their usual playful perkiness. “Cool. Adding it to my calendar.”

Nike walked over to her bed and squatted down, playfully pushing Enox off her back with a wing. The tiny alien mare squeaked. “Hey! I was sitting there.”

“Yes, all day,” Nike agreed. “I like to see you, not just hear you.”

“Fair.”

Nike turned her head back to the corner with her old stuff. I could put my minis on the shelf maybe? She thought before levitating the wargaming army into position up on the shelf.

She spent a moment to telekinetically rearrange the army into its proper ranks and squads, then frowned. No… No this isn’t me… This is her. But these are mine now. Humm…

Nike sat down for a moment, thinking. Her wings flicked open as a sudden idea struck her. She reached across the room with her magic and took her sword, then set it on the shelf, leaning horizontally against the wall, then arranged the minis around it as if they were securing a giant sword as a part of some military operation.

Once she’d finished fussing with the positioning, Nike stood up, turned around for a moment, then turned back to the shelf to take it in fresh, and smiled. “Yeah! That’s my style.”

“What? Weapons decorated with nerd crap?” Enox asked.

Nike nodded. “Yep!”

“Wanna go to the mall then?”

Nike turned to face her girlfriend. “Mall?” she asked, tilting her head. “Like, the Vanhoofer mall?”

“Nah,” The tiny alien mare dismissed with a hoof wave. “The Grand Mall of Kal’Besh in the Scona System. Biggest mall in this sector, great variety of arms shops! I’ll buy you a plasma blaster to hang up, don’t actually use it by the way, stop by the comic shop for some cool spaceship models, then drop by some of the adult shops and get a mattress we both like with handy features you ponies don’t have like auto-cleaning and shape adjustment.”

Nike raised an eyebrow.

“What? This mattress is like a brick and I kinda want to stay over with you sometimes. Cuz duh.”

Nike smiled and shook her head. “Nah, it’s not that. I just realized something.”

“What?”

“Well, one difference I like between who I was and who I am now.”

Enox rolled a hoof for Nike to continue.

“She… Kind of didn’t want any adventures anymore. She’d have been worried about getting lost in space or something going wrong. But… I kinda hope we run into space pirates? Is that an okay thing to hope for?”

Enox’s face split into a devilish grin. “Oh buck yes! Dark-space hyperlane route confirmed! Won’t actually save us any time but it will attract attention!” she jumped to her hooves and zipped off the bed, taking Nike by the leg and making the alicorn stagger after her.

“Woah, hold on! What are we doing?” Is she proposing we go on a quick adventure for a date night? I hope she’s proposing we—

“Let me put it in a way that you’ll understand perfectly.” Enox cleared her throat. “Space: the wild and wacky expanse. These are the escapades of Enox and Nike aboard the Thunderbird, their mission: to navigate perilous cosmic highways, to stir up chaos in the name of road trips, and dash headlong into the thrill of the unknown!"

“Oh heck yes!” Nike said, grabbing her sword off the shelf without disturbing her minis.

Thanks, Enox. This is absolutely who I am.

21 - Grave of the Lost, Grave of the Forgotten

Ultra Violet - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Fuckoff Deepass Hole - Limited Perfection (Subruins)

Violet fell and fell and fell. The drop was long enough for her to revise her depth calculations for the hole several times. Something about the geometry created an optical illusion, and something about the materials of the bottom made her other systems register a different distance to it each and every time.

I’ve hit terminal velocity of 66.46 meters per second. I’ve fallen for 51 seconds. I’ve covered 2.89 kilometers. I’ve either got 893 meters left or 786ish…? Violet calculated while simultaneously checking the remaining drop distance again. The timing on her slowfall had to be perfect.

Ordinarily, Violet had no power problems. Her mana tap always pulled in what she needed. But as soon as she’d dropped the first kilometer, the flow of mana had started to slow.

The local mana is being tapped by something bigger than me… I can barely trickle charge, so all I have for sure is my stored mana. If I slow my fall for three seconds I’ll be out of main power and running on reserves. I’d rather not lose half my speed and thinking power, and be unable to fight… If I slow my fall for half a second I’ll have half a day of main power left, six hours if I reserve about three minutes of boosted running and punching.

Violet twisted to look down the mystery pit. The tile floors below are registered as being 1892 meters away. I hate this so much…

Wait! What is this, thaumic lensing!? Violet thought as she plunged through a dense, nearly tangible, layer of flowing mana and her processors all briefly quenched.

Lidar and Radar reported the floor as being 420 meters below her when she re-activated. Violet’s system warnings lit up like a christmas tree. Avionics packages she didn’t even know she had began screeching their warnings in microcycle time. [Terrain! Terrain! Pull up! Pull up!]

Violet grit her teeth, focused everything she had on her magic, and pushed downwards, slowing her fall as fast as she could, power conservation be damned.

200… 189… 134… I’m not decelerating fast enough. Crapbaskets…

Violet slammed legs first into a cold blue-white metal tile floor at nearly 24 meters per second. She was offline before she could register the echoing boom of her own impact.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Samhain - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Divine Forgeheart - Limited Perfection

Sam walked into the palace hall, proud of June for focusing on the mission, but more than a little nervous about how she was responding to the downturn their mission had taken.

She’s not trained with that thing. Melee combat is harder than everypony thinks it is. Not just the technicals, either, Sam mused to herself, wondering if June would have it in her to split an enemy’s head open at leg’s length.

Turning her attention more directly to the mission, Sam looked over the red-glowing runes on the walls with a critical eye. “June, are those wall-runes messages, decorations, or arcana?”

“Yes,” June answered with blunt simplicity.

“All of the above?”

“Correct.”

“Are any of them things we should be aware of?” Sam asked, going a little light on June given the circumstances.

June stopped for a moment and turned her head, looking across the hall, her ears moving as she focused.

“They look like… Mostly readouts. So and so is offline, this and that is out of stock. The door Fluttershy wants us to go to is labeled Command and Control,” June reported then resumed her march to the door.

Sam squinted through the darkness, taking note of a message scrawled on one of the walls in what she hoped was not dried blood, but felt deep down probably was. There was another message further down the hall, and another, and another. All placed at different heights and at irregular intervals.

“What about the graffiti?” Sam asked, biting her lip.

“Nothing useful.” June muttered.

Okay. She’s traumatized. We need to zone her back in. Here’s hoping I can do that like I would have any of my girls…

“Well, we have our mission. It’s time we get back to it. Junebug on point.” Sam turned to look over her shoulder and nodded to Trixie. “Fall in.”

Trixie trotted up to take Sam’s left flank and the two mares proceeded to march along behind June. They passed through the archway Shy had indicated and entered a long corridor plated entirely with tiles of mirror polished silver and interrupted by grand door after grand door.

Sam took a quick look through the white coral door on her left, taking note of a vast mage’s laboratory. Wait a minute…

“Hold on a moment, I think I’ve discovered something.” Sam said as she backed up out of the silver hall into the main hall, and checked the adjacent archway.

“What is it?” June asked, clearly interested though still greatly upset.

Sam found herself looking down another long hallway, this one walled with thick plates of emerald, and while the graffiti continued down it, there was far less of it.

Sam looked through the first doorway on its right. The clear obsidian door led into a colossal alchemist’s lab with absolutely nothing in common with the mage’s lab but the presence of whiteboards and lecterns.

“Oh… Oh no…” Sam groaned, moving back to the others. “Girls, we have to stay close and not get lost. This building, on top of being buck-ass huge, is dimensionally transcendent.”

“What?” Trixie asked, her eyes narrowing with extreme irritation.

“It's bigger on the inside,” Sam clarified. “Like your saddlebags.”

June facehooved. “WHY?! How much space did they need?”

“Buck if I know,” Sam grunted. “But this hall has a wizard lab, and it should overlap with the alchemy lab accessed by the other hall, but it isn’t.”

“Great!” June said as she took a deep breath.

Sam pressed her hoof to her radio. “Fluttershy, this place is bigger on the inside. We need directions.”

“Um, hold please…” Shy replied. “Something’s happening with— EEP!”

The radio crackled as Enox patched into it again. “Round two, Sam. This time it’s big oily tentacles. Like some kind o’ floor kraken.”

“Do you think they’re nice tentacles?” Fluttershy asked out of pure desperation.

“No,” Cadence replied. “Nice ones are always purple, blue, or green. Sam… This is it. Blood Moon is fully risen.”

Fluttershy squeaked through the radio. “Oh no! Um… Scanners show the interior shifting. I— It isn’t. It can’t be. Um… I think they don’t know what to make of the interior’s size. Um… The throne room is accessed by the hallway you started in, but I can’t tell you which door takes you to it. I’m sorry.”

Sam shrugged her wings. “No problem, Shy. Girls, search every door for the room with the chair.”

Trixie pointed down the several hundred meters of silver hallway. “Wouldn’t it stand to reason that it’s the one at the end?” She asked, adding, “June?”

June shrugged her wings also. “That’s how we would do it. Minotaurs would have it be the first on the right. Gryphons, in the center of the main hall we just left. Every culture is different.”

“Then we peek in each door,” Sam said, this time hardening her voice to make it clear that was an order.

June nodded, turned to try opening the live oak door to her right, and growled as it remained closed and locked. “Alright then,” June mumbled to herself, taking a step back to inspect the door for wards. “This door isn’t warded, at least, on this side. Third from left, I’ll axe it down if we don't find anything anywhere else.”

“Noted,” Sam affirmed as she poked her head into the next opal and pearl door on the left. “Uh… Lecture hall?”

“Bone collection display.” Trixie announced from her own graphene door.

June trotted to the next hammered steel door and peeked inside. “Oh! Old biomancy chamber. Very primitive.”

Sam moved along and pushed the next set of red granite doors open, peeking inside to find a room with a dais and an elaborate magic circle in the floor. The dais held a bowl atop it with a brass mechanism to tip the bowl, and the circle’s lines and runes were all linked and hollow, forming channels which traced back to the bowl.

Sam grit her teeth. “Blood magic ritual chamber.”

“Wait, really?” June asked, trotting over to take a look for herself. “Oh! Oh yea. Sure is, Flowing school, first era, very nice metal fixtures. Very modern for what it was.”

Sam spat on the floor, remembering things she rather wouldn’t.

“Hey, Sam? We can move on,” June said, remembering just how much blood magic her textbooks said the gryphons used during the war.

“I’d really like that,” Sam said with a sharp nod. “But… I want to make sure it’s not armed. I need a second.”

Sam stared over the room’s arcana, checking for any sign of a charge in any of its components.

“Strange,” June commented, also looking over the chamber. “This would be bleeding edge today… Pun not intended. My professor said they used harmony magic, mostly.”

“It’s clear,” Sam pulled her attention away from the room. “Sorry. That’s the kind of circle they’d use to extract mana from some poor bastard. The camp I was in had three.”

June nodded and closed the door. “Well, every culture dabbles in each school a little. Let’s move on.”

“Office,” Trixie called out from the next door down, this one peridot.

Sam put the past behind her and picked her next door. Bronze. She pushed it open, took a quick look around, noting drawings of pony body parts on many blackboards as well as an entire nervous system simply suspended in a stasis bubble in the center of the room.

“Anatomy… Dissection… Lab? Thing?” She paused. “What do you call this? It’s clear they were studying anatomy.”

June poked her head into the room for a moment. “Vivisectionist laboratory…” She said trailing off as she started to have a few theories.

“Big room full of tubes of blue stuff!” Trixie called out.

Sam moved to the next room, pushing the door, teak, open. “Big room full of tubes of yellow stuff,” she said as she looked down a short stair to a stone lined room filled with huge crystal cylinders the size of large beds.

“Um… A weirdly big morgue?” June said, sounding more suspicious than surprised.

“I don’t think this is a palace. Or at least, not the throne room wing,” Sam said as she backed into the hall and pressed down her transmit button. “Shy? This place seems like a laboratory. Are you sure it was the sixth hall on the left from the main hall?”

“Yes, try… One at the end.” Shy answered quickly, making Sam wince with how out of breath her voice sounded, and the accompanying sound of a magazine being replaced and a gun cocked. “Got to go!”

“Uhhhhhh!” Trixie half shouted. “Girls? Um… I— I really don’t like what I’m looking at.”

Sam raced down the hall to Trixie’s side. The mare was holding open a woven gold sheet door with one hoof, looking into the room in a mix of horror and revulsion. June arrived a mere moment later and the two looked through the door together.

The room was small, dominated by a large table on the far wall, a scroll case on the other, and two of the large crystal tubes, one broken and empty, the other filled with a green fluid in which the body of a brown and gray male alicorn floated. Minus his heart and lungs.

Those were located in a stasis field atop the table. Along with a silver tablet inscribed with golden runes seemingly made from light itself. A dark stain and a thick puddle of dust saturated the floor just in front of the tablet’s resting place.

Somepony fully decayed there. Sam noted.

“Okay…” Sam said slowly, taking a deep breath. “We’re on a mission. It’s time critical. But I think all would really like to know what the buck is going on here. June, can you read that tablet from here?”

“Buck the tablet!” June waved a hoof in dismissal and pointed to the suspended alicorn. “Look at his cutiemark, a geode. Look at the label on that tank, right at the top on the metal where the lid is. Same geode.”

Sam glanced between the two marks then nodded. “Okay. Tubes are labeled for occupants. That’s not more important than—”

Trixie and June took hold of Sam’s head and turned her to make her look at the broken tube in the room’s corner. More specifically at the top. Where its label was.

“That’s Luna’s cutiemark,” Sam said on reflex, followed by a quiet. “Oh…”

Having pointed out the most blatantly important thing in the room, June’s mind processed Sam’s request. “Wait, tablet? Oh! Yes. Yes I can read that from here. Mostly. Want me to get it?”

“No. Trixie, float it over. We need to know what the buck happened here.”

Trixie lit her horn and levitated the tablet to June. Thankfully no alarms or traps went off. June took the tablet, frowned slightly. “Uh. I can paraphrase this. It’s quite dense and technical and I don’t know a lot of the runes.”

“Read what you can,” Sam ordered.

June nodded. “Okay, it says… Grand King of Crimson, I write you this formal complaint document to demand punishment for my lesser colleague, proper noun of some kind that I think is Blue Ice. Blue was correct, Ascended Alicorn Three, proper noun that translates to rock, but it’s all… very emphasized and regal-ified so, I should probably say it proper as ‘Petra’. Ahem! Petra’s lungs were defective. The union of the Shards was not performed to standards. The alchemists have been punished with— I’m not translating that, uh—. However, Blue has forgotten the self-restoration word I don’t know abilities of all finalized Ascended would restore any minor deformities within the flesh to the blueprint specifications upon animation. Petra would have had full respiratory capabilities within four moons. Deanimating him, performing an extraction and examination, and relocating Moon’s sarcophagus? No, tank? Yes! Moon’s tank, to the diagnostic lab safely, without disturbing our one and only… Prototype? Yes. Prototype. Cost us a great deal of time and blood. Only to end with an unnecessary expense and waste of my limited time as the dismantling of Water’s Shards is currently ongoing and thus left to my apprentices. I recommend Blue be fully exsanguinated to contribute to the reanimation of Petra. Title I don’t know how to translate, proper noun I think is Uh… Apartment? Some kind of dwelling.”

Trixie and Sam stared at June for several seconds until June switched her translation thinking off and her critical thinking on. Her eyes widened slowly. “Oh… Okay so—”

“So the First Kingdom was building Alicorns… Specifically, ones like Luna,” Sam said bitterly, before adding, “With blood magic.”

Sam grit her teeth hard. The specific phrasing was not lost on her. Built from shards they ‘dismantled’, while being made of flesh. These sick fucks were taking ponies apart to make their Alicorns… Luna’s a weapon, like I was, plain and simple. Twilight’s ascension was witnessed, but… Where did Cadence come from? There is another way. Did Celestia do what her ‘parents’ did, or did she find the other way earlier? Victim, or villain?

“Probably actually Luna, not like her,” June said with a worried tail flick and intrigued wing flutter. “Their word for moon is luna… Sun is sol. There’s a word that means ‘center of the home’ but is also used to mean ‘heart’ and ‘source of life’... And that word is ‘estia’. Sol Estia. Life Giving Sun. If you never saw it written down, with how Equish’s phonetics works you’d spell it—”

“C, e, l, e, s, t, i, a,” Sam spelled out, taking a deep breath. Buck me… This is real. This happened.

“Does it matter where they came from?” Trixie asked. “We all know they’re ancient. We know what they are like. What they do.”

“I don’t care about that,” Sam said quietly, staring into the tank at the suspended body. “I care about that.”

June looked at the tank and nodded slowly. “Yeah… You can apparently just make them. Should… Should we radio this in?”

Trixie shook her head. “No. This shouldn’t go over the airwaves. You never know who is listening.”

June sighed in relief. “Good. I don't think we should either. Like, in general… The graffiti everywhere? It’s all… Mad rambles. Laments. Stuff like ‘I am not whole’ and ‘two thirds dead, yet I live’. Been… Trying to ignore it.”

Sam flinched at June’s elaboration. So that’s what it says… No wonder she didn’t want to translate before. Just unnerving mad babbling.

“Luna trusted us to do this. She clearly came from that tank. She knew we’d probably find this. She trusts us to say nothing. We should keep quiet, learn why she wants to keep this hidden, then act. If we need to.”

“We tell nopony,” Sam agreed. “We have a mission to do, and this isn’t it… We also probably don’t want the world to know you can just build an Alicorn from, well—”

“Ponies,” June nodded in agreement and tucked the tablet into her saddle bag. “If I can be frank, this, this whole blood magic alicorn factory horseapples? Way above my paygrade. Right?”

Sam took a deep breath. “Yea… I’m just a soldier. This needs a mage.”

“It’s actually entirely within my training and job description,” Trixie disagreed.

Everypony turned to look at her. “CARE Field Agents have it rough, okay? I’m so happy I got transferred to Safe Class Retrieval.”

Sam stepped over to Trixie and hugged her close. “I’m glad you’re off shit-duty too.”

“G— Girls?” Fluttershy crackled over the radio, whispering so quietly they almost didn’t hear her over the static.

“Repeat that, Shy, over?” Sam said, grateful for the distraction.

“I bucked up. Can’t be loud. It doesn't know I'm here…” Shy apologies. “The city network, Limited Perfection, it’s not— It thinks! It’s doing something near you, I think. Be careful!”

Before Sam could even begin to process Fluttershy’s warning, the hallway flickered and sparked to life. Illusory decor shimmered into existence.

Tapestries, murals, and engravings depicting the creation of Alicorns through magic, then of larger alicorns through a mixture of surgery, magic, and alchemy, then creatures like Celestia emerging from nothing but blood into which ponies had walked, simply unfolded from nothing. Blood red banners, simple and square with gold edges and tassels but no device manifested every dozen meters down the long hall.

But the girls didn’t care about that. They cared about the ever shifting patchwork of tv-static and detailed orange furred alicorn shape that ripped its way into existence at the end of the hall.

And the warbling mechanical mixture of distorted pink, brown, and white noise it emitted from its mouth as it walked towards them.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Ultra Violet - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Bottom of a 4km Hole - Limited Perfection (Subruins)

Violet opened her left eye, then promptly narrowed it as she realized her right eye refused to respond. She turned her attention to her repair systems, took note of the damage they were working to repair, and sighed.

“Okay… I need a way to compensate for random layers of dense magic,” she said, her voice raspy and mechanical due to vocoders taking up slack for her damaged larynx.

She moved her head, wincing at a few pained twinges from her spine, and looked up at the distorted faint shimmer above her.

What are you for?

Violet opened a diagnostic suite and checked her basic systems. She was good to stand up and walk, and would be fully repaired in close to half an hour. Then she’d be fully out of juice for her poor overworked nanites. And then she would start to die, if more damage happened.

Violet moved her legs and started to push herself up, prompting her everything to protest with sharp stabbing pains that the damage reports had really understated. Violet whimpered and lay still for several minutes, doing nothing but tracking her repair systems.

Okay, let’s try again now. She thought as she pushed herself up again. “Ow… Owie… Ah!” She audibly protested, though managed to push through the aches, pains, and electro-mechanical protesting.

She patted her barrel just over where the nanintes were housed. “Sorry, girls. I promise I didn’t mean to hit the floor like that. I’ll get all of us oil shakes and battery acid or something later.”

Violet looked down, wincing as her spine protested again, and looked for where she’d landed. Okay, that tile is dented. I hit it, then I must have bounced over here? That’s about six metters. Over some rocks… Jagged ones. Must have fallen from the crevasse.

Better tell them I’m okay. Violet reached up to her helmet to use her radio. “Girls? It’s Violet. I’m hurt but repairing. I’m down at the bottom, under some weird layer of like, semi-solid mana. No idea what that’s about. Over.”

She waited several minutes for a reply, but none came. Violet frowned and looked up again.

Is that cutting off my radio? She wondered as the feeling in her left hoof came back online and she could feel her helmet’s radio had been pierced by one of the rocks she’d bounced off.

“Oh.” Violet said, frowning to herself and pulling the rock out.

She checked for her saddlebags. Fortunately they had remained strapped on and closed. Opening the left bag, Violet began to fish around for her climbing kit to scale the wall. A soft beep in the distance made her ears perk and swivel to her left. Violet frowned and looked up, attempting to turn her night vision up to see into the distance of the large space she’d fallen into.

What the heck beeped?

Her still-monocular vision remained at the medium brightness she’d set it to earlier.

Okay, that’s still being fixed. She thought, reaching for her lantern to turn it on.

Like the radio, the rocks had very much disagreed with her lantern's intact and functional state. It would be of no help to anypony anymore.

Deciding she could climb back up anytime she wanted to, but really didn’t want to fall back down here later, Violet put her climbing kit back into her bag. She withdrew a box of glow sticks instead, reading the label quickly.

“Twist top to select color, snap to activate. Glows brightly for two hours, then dimly for another four.” Violet said, nodding in satisfaction then setting one stick to green, snapping it, and dropping it where she’d fallen from.

There. Just in case my mapping systems are offline.

Violet limped her way towards where she remembered the beep coming from, her rear left hoof dragging slightly due to some still disconnected myomer fibers keeping her from pulling it up properly. The beep sounded out again after a few steps, coming from somewhere slightly to her right of where she’d remembered. She turned, peering into the darkness.

She could see the outline of some cables patched into a wall, what looked to be a console set into that wall at a height she’d have to rear up to reach, and then, for just a split second, a pulsing amber diode.

Violet turned, making her way to the console. As she approached and her night vision improved, she could make out a doorway set into the wall, and began to appreciate the differences between the place she found herself now and the First Kingdom ruins above her.

This place is all metal, hard lines, and minimalist. I can sense low level electric currents in the walls, not the high-energy manaflows from the ruins. And I can’t see anypony who would build a city like that making a console like this and having cables just run out of some conduit in the wall and patch into jacks on it.

Violet turned her attention to the cables spilling out from the wall. They were neat and orderly, and came out from not a hole but a panel with a hinged door. Within the cable cabinet was a spool so the wires could be neatly wrapped up and stored fully away out of sight.

Or, maybe I’m wrong? I guess I can check for magic by seeing if the hinges are rusted shut. Violet mused. She reared up and reached for the cabinet’s door, swinging it out of curiosity.

The door swung freely without so much as a creak or hint of friction. Violet mmmed, almost dismissing the differences as whatever possessed the First Kingdom to make their city’s districts in entirely different styles, but then her night vision came back to full strength.

The door was marked with runes, but not the complex glyphs of the First Kingdom. These runes were simple constructs of a few lines, sometimes as few as two, and even a few consisting of a single line with a curve or bend. Her database pinged her, prompting her with the knowledge she had this language on file.

It had come with the data download she’d been given by the unknown network on her first day.

Violet pulled up the language files and fed them to her linguistic processor. The door’s markings read, [Emergency Network Connection Point].

Violet frowned, raising an eyebrow. “Okay, so maybe this isn't the First Kingdom’s. I did fall a long ways. More than enough to be geologically significant…”

Musing on the idea of the city above having been built atop a more ancient set of ruins, Violet turned her attention to the console. The amber light winking on it took the form of a single LED stuck into the top panel next to a single button.

Violet looked up at the network cable compartment. Everything was connected. Why not? She mused and pushed the button.

The amber light projected outwards, proving their source to not be an LED at all as it projected a holographic display and runic input field into the air… Slightly too high for Violet to reach without jumping up.

She turned her attention to the screen, which was displaying nothing but complex technical messages relating to faults and malfunctions next to system labels. Most of them were red, indicating some sort of key failure. Of the few green systems, Violet couldn’t help but notice one was labeled [Structural Preservation Field].

That’s probably what that mana sheet is. She noted, continuing to read. The next green system to catch her eye. [Door Control].

Violet sat back for a moment and put a hoof to her lips. How much do I want to explore this? I could check it out for a little bit and still have the energy to climb back up. If the First Kingdom knew about it, which, I mean, come on. They have a cavern going right to it, then maybe they made some stairs or an elevator to explore this place? It’s worth looking for one. If I fall again while climbing, which is likely since I’ve never rock climbed before, I don’t think I’d survive another crash, and that mana field makes timing a slow fall a real pain in the everything. Or maybe they have a universal charger I could borrow. I should have brought mine…

Violet pondered for another moment, then removed another glow stick from her bag. She set it to green, cracked it, and dropped it at the base of the console.

I’ll leave breadcrumbs. Just in case. Violet thought as she jumped up and reached out to tap the Door Control button.

The display warped and distorted as ancient failing mechanisms did their best to keep up with the thousands of requests and checks the input demanded. When it cleared up it displayed a new message. [Emergency Situation Active. Remote door controls disabled. Activate manual overrides for non-security doors, y/n?]

Violet’s database indicated that y stood for an affirmative, and n for a negative. She hit y on the input panel. A pale white light flickered to life a short ways down the wall to her left, revealing it to be set into the trim work around a pair of sliding doors. A second smaller green light blinked on, this one set into a small panel next to the door labeled, [Manual Override].

Violet picked up her glow stick and tossed it over to the door, then trotted over herself and pulled the panel open. Behind it was a simple lever, which she pulled, prompting the doors to open with a soft hiss. A rush of wet air, thick with the musty stench of ancient decay.

A lot of things died in here… And the air hasn’t circulated at all, Violet noted. Good thing I don’t breathe… Also, I guess that structural preservation field keeps rot fresh. Gross…

She moved through the door into a fairly spacious if plain corridor with the same hex-tile floor as the room she was in and simple smooth bulkheads on either side. The ceiling appeared to have once been covered with panels of some kind, but they had rotted away, revealing ducting, cable runs, and pipes going across the once-closed-off space.

The corridor stretched out into the distance, crossed by several other corridors and dotted with doorways here and there. There were even signs, though they were of little help as they all read something like Sector 4A, 4B, 4C, and so on.

Violet squinted as a pony does when straining their vision and searched for any signs of slime, mold, or slime mold. It’s clean, she noted then trotted down the corridor to explore.

Her hooves clicked on the metal floor, producing a metallic echo that made her feel like there were other ponies in the twisting corridors. Much to her disappointment, the majority of doors in this new space were clearly security doors as their manual override panels refused to open for her, and she wasn’t willing to try breaking into one. Yet.

Violet dropped a glow stick at every turn she made, making sure she could find her way back after her quest for anywhere to go other than pointlessly wandering the steel maze she’d discovered. The entirely empty, unnoteworthy, maze.

It’s a bit scary that I can smell old rot, like a swamp, but there isn’t any sign of bodies in here, Violet said to herself as she began debating turning back and just risking the climb.

Just then, right on the edge of her night vision’s range, she saw a sign which had the politeness and compassion to be something useful. [Power Substation]. Its door panel glowed a dim green.

Violet jogged down the hall and took a look at the substation door. It was closed, but she could hear a faint hum coming from within the room. She quickly popped the manual override lever, and the doors hissed open, revealing a room filled with electrical equipment she couldn’t recognise.

No sign of a generator… But lots of… I guess transformers, distributors, and… Well that power cable going into the floor looks real thick. This must be connected to a power plant, Violet noted, carefully looking for anything along the lines of a circuit breaker. Or a universal charger.

Instead she found a console, again set into the wall with a single amber light and button. The console flicked to life, displaying far fewer options than the previous one. Most of them were things she was pretty sure she shouldn’t buck with, or labeled as [Error: Main Power Offline], but one option stood out as pretty pertinent to her current situation.

[Emergency Power]

Violet jumped up and pressed the emergency power option. The display changed instantly, listing dozens and dozens of options, all of which Violet ignored because the first one was a toggle switch set to off. She hopped again, and batted the toggle.

A distant metallic thoom made Violet’s ears twitch. Oh wow, that was a massive rel—

Another sounded, echoing through the facility. Then another, and another, and another. Violet poked her head out into the hall, watching as sections of red strip lights set into the edges of the walls and floor flicked on in ten meter spans in time to the relays. Occasionally a hologram would flicker to life, filling a wall section with a map with a blue line tracing a route and red text reading [Evacuate!] and pulsed in and out to draw attention.

Other wall sections hissed and morphed, sliding open to reveal machines set into recessed cabinets. There were open lockers, large bulky machines with two doors on them labeled Recycler, vending machines that Violet somehow intuitively knew were filled with first aid supplies, food, water, and occasionally power cells.

Violet took a quick scan of the cells. They were not compatible with her systems. I might be able to modify one in a pinch… But lets keep looking.

“Well… Now it's at least more interesting,” Violet said out loud as she trotted to one of the holographic maps.

It filled a 4 meter by 3 meter section of wall, and while it didn’t have labels for the rooms, it did mark its location with a star, and the route it traced out did end at a small room with a label. [Surface Elevator 08].

If these wall panels are working, the elevator could potentially be working, Violet reasoned. Also I think those are stairs next to it… Right, let’s check things out!

Quickly memorizing the route on the map, Violet jogged down the hall, still dropping a glowstick at each turn. Violet began to mentally play out her route as she moved, mostly to keep her mind off the lingering odor of rot and decay. Left, left, right. Past a dozen rooms, around a bit of collapsed ceiling and ventilation ducts, over the corpse—

Violet stopped in her tracks and turned around to look at the first body she’d seen. It wasn’t a pony, and while its flesh had decayed away entirely, along with its bones, it was clearly a corpse. She could tell by the simple fact that the floor around it was stained darker than the rest of the sterile tiles, the organic-shaped bone-like bits of metal that had once been cybernetic implants which spilled out of the body armored suit where a head and neck had clearly been.

“Okay, smell explained,” Violet said quietly, relieved to have found a reasonable explanation.

Its armor suggests it was bipedal, Violet mused, pulling up her database to check for any species on file which her creator had known of that would have matched the general shape the chrome colored armor plates and black jumpsuit implied.

There were dozens. Biped, about two meters tall, with four limbs and a head was a common shape, galactically speaking. Though Violet was forced to admit this particular sample appeared to be quite archetypal.

No tail, no wings, no claws, probably no carapace given the alloy body armor… And nothing is on file as having lived here. That said, something had to have built the stuff my creator found in orbit, and the First Kingdom’s stair-mural implied they were going to go claim those things, so they didn’t build them…

Violet took another look at the body, wondering what killed it. It was splayed out in the corridor, laying belly down with a large burn hole through the segmented armor’s back. So that was an easy answer. Fortunately for Violet, rather than proving to be an easy waste of time, looking down brought something to her attention.

The creature’s weapon. A short pistol-like gun, remarkably close in formfactor to the energy weapons her creator had aboard their ship, lay a few meters from the body, having obviously been dropped and skittered to the edge of the wall when they had died. The weapon was designed for hands, not hooves, but Violet walked over to it anyways.

Souvenir! She thought with a smile and reached down to pick up the weapon.

Her hoof made contact with the dull silver blocky weapon, and a light on the handgrip blinked red. “Emergency Situation active. Recalibrating form factor for user.” the weapon said in a tinny, slightly garbled synthetic voice.

Violet pulled her hoof back on instinct. The weapon melted into a puddle of silver liquid, then flowed upwards, forming itself into a bracer that would fit perfectly on Violet’s foreleg with the same green crystal emitter located on a slight protrusion from the back, and fitted with an elegant trigger system that ran down to her hoof so she could squeeze her frog to fire the weapon.

“Cooooool!” Violet couldn’t help but squee. She debated with herself for a few moments, then slipped her impact gauntlet off to put the gun on. The metal was cold, but comfortable. It also felt thin and elegant enough for Violet to put the gauntlet back on.

Violet slid the gauntlet back on, which left the emitter just clear of the rim. Oh my gosh! It took into account the boot and everything.

She scarcely had a moment to admire the ancient alien technology before a faint clicking reached her ears, making them twist and twitch as they searched for its origins.

Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Like a dog with long nails creeping across a kitchen floor in the dead of the night. That’s not a pony… Violet noted with a worried frown.

She raised her new weapon up to a firing position, which activated a holographic sight. This would have been another marvel if not for the red text blinking within the orange square of the targeting field. [Power cell depleted. Reload required.]

Damn it! Violet thought to herself then turned to the corpse, quickly searching it for anything that looked like a battery.

There wasn’t one.

Okay. Stay calm. I still have the punchy-boots. Do I turn around and climb, or avoid the tak-ie thing and try to go for the elevator—

Violet jumped as one of the holographic maps ahead of her emitted a burst of static, blanked out, then flickered back to life as a series of bright red alphanumeric text. An organic would have assumed it was nonsense. Violet instantly recognised it as machine code which would display text.

She trotted down the hall a few more steps, just enough to get a good angle on the hologram to read but not execute the code.

It’s just plain text… Violet noted, frowning and interpreting it.

[They live in the ducts.] the hologram’s text reported.

Violet took a step back and craned her neck upwards, looking at the ventilation duct and strained her ears. She didn’t hear anything in the vents, and the tak tak tak seemed to come from the floor, just distant. Less distant than before, but certainly not too close and not in the vents.

Who sent that… And are they wrong?

Faced with the unknown creature, unknown friend or trickster, and an uncertain escape route, and the known difficulty of climbing back out and that she wouldn’t survive another fall, Violet took a deep breath like she saw Sam do when she was trying to be braver.

Let's not be stupid. I can be very careful with the climb. Hammer the pitons in real carefully… Wait, do I even have three kilometers of rope and pitons? Of course not. There’s no way I do. But I can free climb. My grip is better than a pony’s, so I should be able to—

Another sound reached Violet’s ears, mixing with the distant softly echoing tak tak tak of the distant creature. This sound was a squelching, oozing, slick noise. Like the time she’d sat in the rotting remains of her creator’s ship. The sound was behind her. The sound accompanied a sharp increase in the rot smell.

Violet whipped her head around. A colossal mass of diseased-looking rust-colored slime oozed from the collapsed ductwork behind her. Its form moved upwards as it slipped free from the duct, taking on an amorphous shape… Then sprouted several eyes which opened one by one to look at Violet hungrily.

“Elevator time!” Violet yelped, bolting down the hallway as the abomination behind her burbled out a deafening, high-pitched, discordant screech.

It had found prey.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Junebug - 19th of Harvestide (Nightmare Night), 4 EoH
Divine Forgeheart - Limited Perfection

June stared at the flickering apparition, her mind raced with possibilities. The ever shifting patches of holstine-but-static making the alicorn’s appearance were entirely new to her. She knew of no illusion or transmutation effect that could cause such a thing.

Oh dear Cadence no… Please, please, please, please don’t be some kind of sci-fi novel hell! June begged of reality, as she started to back up down the hallway.

Sam shouldered her rifle and aimed it at the apparition in what she believed to be the mother of all bluffs. “Halt and identify!”

Trixie pushed magic to her horn, letting it burn with her aura to show she was ready to back up her friend. June gulped and drew her axe to try and help the intimidating aura of three tiny mares facing off against some kind of monster.

As her hoof touched the axe, June felt the shard of a consciousness within feed her some advice.

June nodded, shifting up her stance.

The apparition stopped a few seconds after Sam’s order. It continued to emit its sickening mechanical hisses. The noise slowly morphed into discrete instances.

Sam’s mech-gauntlet tightened around the tigger. “Okay, now identify yourself!” She demanded.

The entity’s hissing morphed into almost words, then words. Crude, barely comprehensible, but still words.

In Equish.

“City-thought-object. Flawless Subtract Some.” it said, making the three mares blink.

June frowned sharply. Something about the entity’s word order was slapping her mind in the face. She knew it from somewhere.

“What?” Trixie asked, genuinely uncertain of what it had tried to say.

“City-thought-object. Flawless Subtract Some.” it repeated.

June’s eyes widened as the word order and choice hit her like a brick. “It’s speaking like a shitty translator program! Swapping Amilic words for Equish without changing the—” June smiled like an idiot. “The network Fluttershy connected to! It’s hacking her back and using her translator!”

“Are you sure?” Sam asked, refusing to take her eye away from her rifle’s scope.

“Yes,” June replied, clearing her throat. “It said it’s a City Brain, or maybe mind? It’s name is Limited Perfection. This thing is the city we’re in!”

June turned her attention to the apparition and called out in Amilic. “Hello. I speak some of your language. You speak our language poorly. May I translate for you?”

The apparition flickered, nearly vanishing, returning with a pleased expression. “Translation optimal. Shard construct-mind capabilities pathetic. Query: Shard group Unknown appears lost. Please state destination and sponsor.”

“What did it say?” Sam asked, still training her rifle on her target.

“Well, for starters, it’s a projection of some kind. So that gun won’t hurt it,” June said, hoping Sam would take the hint and lower her weapon. “And it knows we're lost and wants to give us directions. It also thinks Fluttershy’s computer is garbage.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to just tell it we’re looking for the throne room,” Sam said out loud, unnerved enough to forget it was partially translating Equish.

The apparition’s ears perked in a welcoming manner. “Clarification required: Destination central command and control?” it asked June.

June took a deep breath. “Well it knows now, Sam,” she said before switching back to Amilic. “We are here to return an artifact belonging to the Archmage. We need to reach his lab below the throne room.”

Limited Perfection paused momentarily, playing back the city archives to locate any point other than now when anything might have been taken from its care. It found several, then focused on instances where any item of power was removed. It found one.

It then observed from its own logs it had determined this group had entered the city to return the stolen item, and had forgotten this information. It filed a maintenance request for its logic circuit and memory core, then turned its attention to the ponies.

“Clarification: Shards’ mission to return Archmage Medies dimensional multi-tool?” Limited Perfection asked.

“Yes,” June confirmed, hoping it wouldn’t or better yet couldn’t attack them to reclaim the artifact.

The city-mind’s projection whinnied happily as it knew how it could help, and thereby fulfill its primary directive for the first time in millenia. It moved to the side of the hall and pointed to a door which looked to be slightly ajar.

“Artifact precise return location unknown,” Limited Perfection informed with a distressingly sad expression that instantly flicked to happy optimism. “Thief corpses contained within Command and Control antechamber. Documentation present on corpses. Recommend searching before progressing Command and Control Approach Hall. Archmage chamber hatch functional!”

June blinked several times. “Oh. Uh… Thanks?” She said in Equish due to sheer surprise.

“Welk!” Limited Perfection replied in hilariously broken and Minotian-slurred Equish.

“What?” Sam asked, still sounding more than a little nervous.

“He said it's through there, and that Grape’s teams’ corpses are in there and have notes,” June answered. “Also the door we need works.”

Sam frowned sharply and lowered her rifle just a little. “So it’s… Friendly?”

The apparition shook its head at the word friendly. “Fullness helping,” it corrected.

June giggled and put her axe away. As scary as the clearly damaged projection looked, it certainly seemed harmless. “Girls, we saw what this palace can do when it vaporized those sister dropping monsters. If he wanted us dead, I’m sure this hallway would have been filled with plasma by now.”

“Good point,” Sam admitted, nodding to herself and lowering her rifle to a ready position.

“Yea… I can sense some of the auras in here and there’s absolutely defense wards.” Trixie added. “So, I guess it’s not hostile.”

Limited Perfection, wanting to correct the misconception, looked to June and spoke in Amilic. “Energy waste of plasma engulfment unacceptable. Teleportation into solid mass efficient.”

June’s flinch caught Sam and Trixie’s attention like a brick through a window. Sam snapped her rifle back up, Trixie ducked into the room with the alicorn in a tank.

“It’s okay,” June said through a grimace. “I um… It just corrected me on the plasma thing. It would just telefrag us. So. Yea.”

“Oh,” Sam winced and put her weapon back down.

“High fortune for mission,” Limited Perfection wished the three mares. “Venture gift shop for safest departure. Food offering on discount availability for beneficent!”

“He said good luck, and apparently wants us to see the gift shop for snacks on the way out,” June added as the apparition flickered out of existence.

“... Okay, I’ll go so I don’t get telefragged, but I do not want to know what a blood magic factory has for snacks in a gift shop,” Sam said with a shiver.

June nodded in agreement and began to fast walk to the slightly ajar door.

“Why is there even a gift shop?” Trixie asked, more than a little confused.

“With all the space in here, it’s weird there’s just the one,” Sam said.

“Fair,” Trixie agreed with a nervous chuckle.

June reached the door of shellacked lilac flowers and pulled it open. The room beyond was so obviously a waiting room it almost hurt. A medium sized room with benches, a desk, and two double doors going deeper into the structure. All made from fine black marble, trimmed with gold, and lit with motes of magical light. The walls were white marble, the floor was black and red bloodstone, and also littered with pony skeletons and expedition equipment.

“Oh, yea… This is the room,” June called down the hall.

Sam and Trixie quickly caught up and looked inside.

”Yep,” Sam agreed, trotting into the room, still on her hind legs to more efficiently use her minotaur built weapon. “... Clear. Corpses look like they died running. Does that track with the reports?”

“Yes,” June said as she stepped in and began to check the skeletons. “Though that would be the first thing they didn’t lie about.”

It’s been less than a year, and there’s not much moisture here… These should not be bones. She considered. No, bones aren’t right. It’s warm and dry, so after six months only some bone should be exposed. Thank you, forensic archeology clas—

June’s thought stopped dead as she realized the implications. “Uh, girls? These shouldn’t be bones yet. It’s too hot and dry. There should be most of the meat and skin… Also, the reports said the trap that killed them was magical mummification. So—”

Sam nodded and bent down, picking up a small attache case. It had claw marks cutting through the outer lid. “Yea… Something ate them.”

“Yes,” June agreed, drawing her axe again, then bending back down to the skeletons to examine them again.

Maybe I can find some idea of what did it… Hopefully not the bugs. I don’t want to— Well I do want to kill a few… But I don’t want to fight them to do it.

“Let's find the papers,” Sam said to keep everyone focused.

Sam opened the case and rummaged within it. “I have some notes here. Looks like documentation of… Yes! This is how to open the door below the throne.”

“Great!” Trixie said standing up with a thin smile. “So, we have a hall between us and our goal, and some corpses here that—”

“There’s no tooth or claw marks on the bones,” June reported, looking up to her friends. “But there are some odd scrapes. Like what you get when the meat was pulled off instead of cut off.”

“What?” Sam asked, her eyes going wide. “What the buck can do that? Were they slowcooked first or something?”

June shrugged. “I’m just telling you what happened.”

“Hey, I found a map,” Trixie reported, standing up from a skeleton in the corner. “It was in the saddlebags.”

“Good. Too bad we don’t need it though,” Sam said, refocusing on the task at hoof.

“Uh, we might?” Trixie disagreed. “I took a quick look, found this room, and the hall after it has a skull drawn on it. There’s a back passage we could use like, ten doors down.”

June frowned slightly. “How much do you want to bet that whatever killed them is what the skull is warning about, and they forgot to heed their own warning?”

“If that’s true, why are the doors closed?” Sam countered, gesturing towards the fully shut inner doors.

“Huh,” June said as she turned and saw the doors were indeed fully latched. “Well… Monsters don’t close doors. And this door was ajar…”

Trixe nodded as she followed June’s logic. “Limited didn’t open the door for us, he just pointed. So he can’t open and close doors. Meaning whatever did this to them…”

“Came from the hallway,” Sam finished, sighing and shaking her head. “Okay, girls. We’re going through the inner doors. I want everypony on full alert from here on out. Especially when we’re leaving. That’s when they died, so that’s probably when we’ll be at the most risk.”

“Right,” June and Trixie said together.

Sam moved to the doors and took a kneeling shooting stance where she could fire into the doorway once it was open. “Trixie, take position to my left. June, you’re melee so you open the doors.”

Trixie fell into position as June stepped over to the door and took hold of the door knob with her free hoof, looking to Sam for the ‘go ahead’. Sam nodded to June. June pulled down on the handle and opened the door.

A wave of hot, humid, rancid air surged over the three the second the door moved. June’s mind screamed at her to close the door, but her muscles were too busy pulling it open to react. The door swung open, revealing a brightly lit long decorative hallway lined with the remains of tapestries and sculptures which was now little more than the den of its inhabitants.

A large colony of pony-sized, saurian creatures turned, looking up as the door swung open. They had the body of a crocodile, albeit with legs seemingly on loan from a maned wolf and a draconic face. Their slate gray scales were thick and bony, resembling armored plates more than the scales of a crocodile. Their talons glinted in the dim light much like steel under the warm light of the moon.

They howled at the food smell coming from the door.

Sam fired on reflex. Her burst of fire struck the nearest saurian, audibly ricocheting off its armored hide and making it stumble slightly. Its claws made a distinctive tak-ing click as it moved, turning to hiss at the ponies.

The colony roared in unison, pleased to see such a mighty bellow from their prey. The battle would be leg—

June slammed the door shut. “Back passage!” She shouted.

“Yep!” Sam agreed.

The three turned and started to run for the hall. June’s ears swiveled as she heard a click. She turned her head, looking over her shoulder to see one of the canine-saurian-hybrids had opened the door by pulling the handle down with one of its claws.

“THEY CAN DOOR!” June screeched, putting on all of her speed as she shot past her friends.

Author's Note

My editor, Popmannn redid the numbers behind Vi’s fall factoring in air resistance, drag, mass, acceleration, and everything. He couldn’t not do it. He had to. Like a pony possessed. It took him an hour. He used paper and a pen. Please give him a hug.

“Now, let’s talk about FNET=-mg½𝜌ACv2. Can we talk about FNET=-mg½𝜌ACv2, please? I’m dying to talk about FNET=-mg½𝜌ACv2 with you!” ~Popmannn

1 - Samhain

Author's Note

Hello everyone. It occurred to me when I was writing this story that any organization dealing with cataloging strange happenings will be compared to the SCP Foundation especially if any documentation or research is shown. Since those things are very much going to appear in the story, and I do not want to be accused of ripping off the SCP Wiki for ideas, and all SCP content is licensed under the CC Attribution license (Specifically CC BY-SA 3.0), I have elected to make use of select SCPs in this story as appropriate (with appropriate citation of course).

This will only occur if something fits in perfectly with what I am doing. As the SA license means I can adapt and remix SCPs, I may also do that (again, only if it slots in perfectly with my plans.) In that case, the original will also be credited.

This way I can hat tip the Foundation with a few cameos and a bit of spotlighting, and if I come up with anything that matches one of the 6000+ SCPs you’ll know it is coincidental because I haven't used it wholesale with attribution (Seriously, there are like eight times more skips than Pokemon! I’m creative sure, but some overlap is inevitable).

If that does occur and you happen to be the writer of the SCP in question, or know which SCP it is and can link me, please let me know, and I’ll credit you/them in an author’s note at the end of the chapter.

Please do not take the inclusion of any SCP item to be a direct link to the Foundation’s fictional universe. This is not a SCP crossover. It is simply a work within the Weird Fiction genera, which overlaps some of the lighter-hearted SCP content.

-Meep

1 - Samhain

Samhain - 18th of Lunar Dawn, 5184 RH | 4 Era of Harmony
Hackamore Valley Observatory - Evergreen Falls

Deeper into the heart of the forest than anypony had a right to be, an iron door creaked open on rusty hinges. It didn't lead to a prison, though Samhain often felt like it did. The door led to a basement, a dingy, dark, small basement which somepony long ago had filled with an excessive number of filing cabinets.

I should really report this door doesn't lock right, the grimestreaked orange thestral thought as she slumped her way through the old observatory dorm’s entrance. Her slim frame blocked the golden rays of dappled sunlight, and cast a long shadow down the hallway.

She stood on the landing for several short moments, contemplating how she’d make her way down the rickety old stairs without breaking her neck. It was hard enough to do when rested, let alone coming back after a triple shift.

Sam brushed a stray lock of her strawberry red mane from her face, then winced as her hoof came away with a thick blob of oily grease.

Lovely… she thought as she wiped half-dried grease from her bloodshot emerald eyes and yawned, arching her back as she stretched her wings, then rearing up to stretch her forelegs. She'd twisted her left forehoof climbing down the scaffolding earlier in the day.

Back in her prime, she’d once been one of the more fit and active members of the thestral tribe. The injury would have been nothing. Yet at the dawn of her middle-aged years, the dull ache was enough to prompt her to descend the old steps in a bipedal stance.

Rearing up barely helped. Sam was too tired for her balance to be working correctly. She was also a little too upset. A tourist had come by while she was on shift and done what strangers do and insisted she wasn’t a pony.

Sam understood why. A pony’s sense of smell was important to them, and Sam simply didn’t have any pheromonal signature at all. She looked like a pony, but didn’t smell like one. In fact, she smelt like nothing at all. It threw most Equestrians for a loop.

Fortunately for the poor mare, Evergreen Falls was one of the most remote towns in Equestria. Everypony knew everypony, tourists were rare, and the town’s ponies were very self-sufficient. Yet, there always seemed to be some need for Sam's specific skills as a repair pony and general contractor.

In an ideal world, Sam’s disability payments would have covered a home, food, and the essentials. Unfortunately, way out at the edge of Equestria and at the very end of its logistics chain, things were simply too expensive for her to not work.

The stairs creaked and groaned under her weight, prompting her to subconsciously flap her wings to take as much weight off the wood as possible and keep her balance. Sam returned to a quadrupedal stance at the base of the stairs and stepped out of her old black leather work boots on the way to her bed.

She passed row after row of dusty files, shedding her saddle bags, tool belt, and olive jumpsuit as she walked, her head hanging almost as low as the bags under her eyes. With her jumpsuit removed, the basement was slightly illuminated by the glow of a small hoof-sized blue diamond set into Sam's barrel.

It sat flush with her skin, fused to flesh and bone alike. It looked for all the world like a mage gem she'd had a skilled back-alley doc implant, like the ones to store excess flight magic. That sort of body modification had become common over the last decade or so, as a means to compete with griffonese cybernetics.

The blue glow often made it hard for Sam to fall asleep.

Sam yawned and scratched her flank, her hoof disturbing her cutiemark slightly. Like everypony who had immigrated to Equestria rather than being born within the storied nation, Sam's name and cutiemark were unusual, being that they were the product of her homeland. Ponies often asked her what the triangular formation of "bent wrenches'' meant. Sam had lost track of how many times she had explained the mark on her flanks was the Gaitlic symbol for "repair", and based on the Equestrian recycling symbol.

Sam was pretty sure whatever that number was, it had to be less than a tenth of the times she'd had to explain her name wasn't weird. It was foreign. If one were to translate Samhain to Equish, her name would be Autumn Twilight. Or, if you wanted to be true to her people's ancient roots, Summer's End.

Not at all a weird name for a pony, but Sam would be damned before she let people translate her name. It was weird enough to her that Equestrian names were just random Equish words. Modern ones. Not even a few centuries old.

The exhausted handymare's tired musings halted as she reached her goal; an old mattress in the corner of the basement covered in exactly one thin blanket and nestled in the middle of a small pond of empty cans and bottles next to a chunky gray radio base station and a chunkier grayer alarm clock.

The clock's glowing red, eight-segment display panel, presently read 0622.

"Dammit…" She muttered quietly into the windowless basement.

On the upside, she reached her mattress.

"Praise the moon," Sam said as she fell face-first into the mattress, instantly transmuting into a heap of orange fur and feathers with a dollop of amber hair.

The blackness claimed her instantly.

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

The sharp crack of radio static shook Sam from her sleep. She whimpered as every cell in her body told her what she already knew.

The sleep needed to be doubled.

Sam glanced at her clock. Its mocking runes read 0803.

"Sam? Come in, over." A stallion's voice called through the tinny speaker.

Sam moaned and rolled over, facing away from the radio as if that would magically make the call go away.

"Sam? We have a code, Mauve. Come in, over," the stallion repeated after exactly two seconds of silence.

Sam's face contorted with rage as she suppressed a scream. She picked her head up enough to see she'd dropped her saddlebags a vast and cavernous six steps away from her bed.

"Buck me…" She grumbled, her nose wrinkling irritably.

Sam's radio was an import from Minos. The handset was, well, a handset. She owned a set of manipulator gauntlets for using minotaur and griffon tech, like most ponies. Unfortunately, bionic gauntlets are only helpful when one has them at hoof.

Or is at least willing to get up and get them.

Sam, exhausted beyond belief, elected to roll the handset onto its side and push down on the transmit button with the flat of her hoof as if batting for the snooze button.

"I got almost two hours of sleep, Apple. Go buck yourself," Sam said as firmly as she could.

Given her current situation, the firmness was somewhere between sponge cake and a wad of hair.

"That's hardly professional language. I could have you written up. Over," Apple Brandy said in his usual emotionless stick-all-the-way-up voice.

"No, you can't. I'm a freelance contractor," Sam corrected, yawning. "It's just a mauve. Go take care of it yourself."

"Negative," Apple reported with the corporate coldness Sam was both accustomed to and about one more sleepless night away from crusading against via an up armored bulldozer. "Silkwing’s moat pump failed. Over."

Sam released the radio transmit button and released a long primal scream into the bowls of the basement.

Silkwing hadn't gotten her food shipment for the last two weeks. Everyone knew this. She had let everypony with a Y chromosome know to stay away from her yard until the shipment came in. But by now she was probably only a few hours away from attacking anypony, male or female, for her next meal.

Sam pressed the button again. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes. It's the best you're going to get."

"Glad to hear it. Report once the work is done. Over and out."

Sam sat up in bed, took a series of rapid huffing breaths, then turned and punched the basement wall. A good sized chip of concrete flew off into the murky depths of the basement, clattering to the ground.

She paused, ignoring how bad her hoof hurt now, took another deep breath and sat up.

No time for coffee, Sam silently moaned as she rifled through her can and bottle pile for anything not empty.

Her hooves found a fifth of malt whisky with a mouthful left. Not bothering to look for anything more full, she ripped the cap off with her teeth, slugged back the brown liquid in a single gulp, then pulled herself to her hooves as the bottle dropped to the floor with a crack.

Sam staggered to her saddlebags and popped the left pouch open. She rummaged inside until her hooves found a pair of brass and leather gauntlets. She slipped her hooves into them with practiced ease, her frogs slotting into the control pads and activating the devices as if they were part of her own body.

The gloves tightened themselves around her hooves to prevent slippage, then sprang to life, replicating the full strength and dexterity of a minotaur's hands. Strange as these devices seemed to older ponies they were amongst the only way for ponies to easily use technology made by griffons or minotaurs. Technology which had become the bulk of Equestrian imports over the last fifty years.

At least they don't make much noise, Sam thought to herself as the purely mechanical gloves’ servos hummed and whirred as she moved.

Making use of the bionic gauntlets, Sam fished through her bag some more and withdrew a small steel Kirro brand lighter and a wax paper bag labeled "Steel Horse: Authentic Jamanecan Hash", started to open the bag then closed her eyes tightly.

"No… Not that one. Stupid tired-ass brain," she grumbled, putting the bag and lighter back and rummaging once more.

This time she withdrew a small tin of Pewter's Peppy Step: Trucker's Aid, unscrewed the lid, downed three of the tiny gold tablets (forgetting in her exhausted state that she needed four), then took advantage of the no-reason valve and spigot on the cold water line running along the basement ceiling to get a combination drink and shower.

Thus thoroughly wet, tired, and miserable, Sam began using a push broom to sweep the spilled water towards the basement floor drain, which wasn't at the lowest point for no discernible reason, and focused every last ounce of her groggy thoughts on a single mental picture.

A large field at the edge of a forest. The sky was green, the grass yellow, and the trees on the edge of the clearing towered their way into the sky as if they had all decided to one-up the mightiest skyscrapers ever constructed by mortal hooves. The tree tops were connected by rope bridges that hung from large platforms, atop which entire towns sat, sprawling through the canopy.

Below the platforms the…

The…

Sam narrowed her eyes irritably. Welp, there goes the old imagination. Shame, I would have liked to paint that one. She thought to herself as she started a mental timer for six hours.

That's how long the pills would keep her up in the usual semi-functional state.

Sam quickly got dressed, strapped on her saddlebags and tool belt, took the walkie-talkie tuned to her base station, and clipped it to her belt. Then she set her gauntlets to hoof mode so she could walk freely and made her way up the stairs, entirely ignoring their creaks and protesting tremors. She pathed through the first floor of the old observatory, making her way past the old breakroom, several small laboratories, the offices, and out into the lobby.

As she walked towards the glass front wall to exit through the main door, the sign on the far side of the parking lot caught Sam's eye. Sompony had graffitied the sign making it read "Heck more Valley Observatory" instead of "Hackamore Valley Observatory".

Her ears flicked back as she stared at the sign. They're going to make me clean that… Why would you do that? It's not even funny.

Sam pushed the door open, stopping mid-push as the rustle of paper caught her ears far more sharply than it would have if she weren’t on stims. She looked down to see a pair of envelopes and picked them up. The first was from a previous doctor. The second was from the Royal Office of Labor.

A smile split Sam's lips as she looked at the second envelope. The town's department of civic works had absolutely screwed her over by forcing her to purchase her own supplies and then refusing to reimburse her, but that's what the national government was for. Keeping petty small-time bureaucrats the buck in line.

This will be the check, Sam nodded to herself and opened the second letter. I can go back to living in the hotel, eating food that's made of food, and drinking stuff other than the beer random ponies pay me with since they're short cash too.

Ms. Samhain,

I am writing to inform you that due to the recent attack on Canterlot, Ponyville, Manehatten, et cetera by Tirek, we will not be able to provide reimbursement funds for supplies purchased under your company: That Irbrish Contractor Mare Ltd.

We understand that you have incurred some expenses while working on city projects, and we appreciate both your efforts and the situation local officials have placed you in. However, we do not have liquid capital at present to fill your outstanding claims for 34,000 bits as most of our capital has been reallocated by the Crown following the enactment of State of Emergency protocols.

It is unlikely we will be able to provide any relief for a period of 60 days. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me via the return address.

As a final note, I would like to inform you that while we cannot at present provide financial recompense we have obtained a lawyer willing to represent you in a case against the Evergreen Falls Civics Office. We have also been in contact with your mayor who is fully supportive of your case. You should expect a letter from the office of Dusty Bindings Esq within a few days.

Apologetically Yours,

Soap Bubble

Sam's left eye twitched violently. She felt she should be far more angry than she was. It took her a few minutes of standing there, trying to burn holes through the paper with her eyes to remember just how dull those stupid tabs made everything feel.

"Seriously… It wasn't that big a deal. How much damage could that asshole have caused in what, a couple days?" Sam demanded of the empty parking lot.

She turned her attention to the second letter to see if it had anything to cheer her up.

Mrs. Samhain,

Sam facehooved, a small star of pain spreading across her forehead thanks to the brass gauntlets wrapped around her hooves.

"... I've never been married…" She grumbled before going back to reading the letter.

After reviewing your case, I have determined there has never been any instances of pheromonal negation cases similar to your own. At least, none that stabilize into a permanent state as yours has. Medical science could benefit from a closer examination of your specific condition.

As we do not keep medical samples beyond 180 days, and you last came to my practice seven years ago, I would like you to come in so a fresh tissue sample can be taken.

I cannot afford to pay you for

Sam crumpled the letter into a ball, fished her lighter out of her saddlebag and lit it with a deft flick of her mechanical digits. Then incinerated the letter.
I love these things. Too bad I can't afford implanted ones. I'd love touch feedback.

There was no way in Tartarus she was traveling out to Fillydelphia on her non-existent dime to get under the knife again. Not without a substantial cash offer.

Sam grumbled and trotted across the empty parking lot. She kept an eye on the half dozen old oil stains present in a few of the gravel lot's spaces on the way. The observatory had been abandoned for years before she came to town, but some of the oil stains on the gravel lot still looked fresh.

A minor anomaly. One Sam only concerned herself with when they moved.

Satisfied they were still where they had been last, Sam trotted into town. She didn't trust herself to fly on pep pills. The way they sucked all energy and impact from the world was something she didn't want to fly with. Fortunately the walk into town was short, a mere six minutes.

Unfortunately, the beauty of the walk was lost on her. Ridge Way wound along the side of the valley, overlooking the entirety of Evergreen Falls.

The town had been built along the sides of the River Aramen, right at the head of what was now called Hackamore Valley, where the Seven Waterfalls of Aramen united to form the river's source. It was said that this very spot had been the site of a palace before the dawn of ponykind. No evidence of a shimmering crystal cathedral remained, but Evergreen Falls certainly seemed like the place one might find one.

Existing within the almost perfectly circular pocket of pristine natural beauty, the town took the form of a small cluster of buildings centered around the river itself, with a large town square connected by bridges on the north and south sides serving as the beating heart of the community.

The streets were cobbled, the homes fashioned from hewn logs or clay brick, and the roofs were shingled in slate. Here and there, modern concrete structures had been peppered, and a large water wheel system sat under the falls, providing Evergreen Falls with electricity via its web of snaking wires. Many buildings were topped by a UHF antenna or long-range comms dish since, ironically enough, it was cheaper to use foreign entertainment than Equestrian ones, given their proximity to Vanhoover.

Despite being an obviously older town upgraded again and again as generations had come and gone, Evergreen Falls had a strange unity to it. As if every change had been largely accepted. As if people had thought things out before, during, and after making every change. As if there was a reason there had to be a hardware store at 14 Picket Road rather than 13 or 15.

On a good day, Sam loved to wonder about all the little details the town had to offer. Unfortunately, that was not something she got to do today. Instead, she just walked. Thoughtlessly replying "Hi." to the ponies she passed on the way through town.

All of them greeted her fondly. In the short year and a half Sam had been in town, she'd made plenty of friends. It was impossible for a good repair pony to not endear themselves to the hearty rural townsponies.

The only pony that stuck in Sam's mind was a pale blue mare she saw once every couple months. Some magician or something. Lived here, did shows on the road.

The only reason she remembered the encounter was that she'd had Sam's hat. Somehow.

I must have left it at the culvert entrance, Sam mused silently. When did I take it off? She didn't go in there, did she? If she did, I guess the welds held. Since she's alive and all.

Sam spared the brainpower to adjust her brown flat cap so it would stop slipping down into her view. The sunlight glinting off her old ranger pin and into her eye was more than a little annoying and—

Sam arrived at her destination, which deleted her entire train of thought as she progressed onto stage two of the project. Walking up to the front door of the small log cottage and knocking on the door.

A moat separated this particular cottage from the sidewalk and the neighboring properties. It wasn't more than a step across and a hoof deep, but it served its purpose just fine. At least it did when it was working.

Sam glanced down as she stepped over the seemingly decorative water feature. "Yep, still," she noted out loud.

She walked to the front door, careful to only step on the center of each of the walkway's stepping stones, then lifted the door's wrought iron knocker and struck the door exactly six times.

It only took a moment for the door handle to turn and creek open just a crack. Enough for Sam to see in and Silkwing to see out without letting the morning sunlight flood into her home.

Sam squinted through the darkness to make out the bat pony she was looking at. Deep purple mane, charcoal gray fur, eyes the color of fresh blood, cutiemark in the shape of a crescent moon behind a dark cloud.

Yep, night pony. Poor thing. Sam said as she took in Silkwing's gaunt appearance.

Silk stood shakily in the doorway. Her normally seductive figure had withered away into a skeletal form. Her eyes were bloodshot and sunken. Her fur had lost all of its usual luster, and when she breathed, Sam could see her gums had retracted notably, making her fangs even more pronounced than usual.

"Here for the pump," Sam said in pseudo-greeting.

Silk winced and looked Sam over from head to hoof, despite it obviously hurting for her to move her neck. "Pep pills again?"

"No sleep. Had to weld the spiders back in again. Took till… sixish," Sam reapplied, blinking slowly. "Any word on your food?"

Silk nodded once, then winced and rubbed her neck. "Yeah… Two weeks. The bloodbank's out. Because of Tirek."

Sam's brain chugged for several long moments as she did her best to remember what would happen given that much time.

"Can you make it that long?" She asked at last.

Silk shrugged.

"Well, if you do go feral and eat somepony," Sam began, her eyes glinting with as much anger as she could muster. "Do me a favor and get rid of—"

Silk smiled, the dangerous smile of a starving predator. "If I could, I would, but I won't be… Sapient... If it comes to that. So, best get that pump working, right?"

"Right," Sam agreed, nodding once. "But like, seriously. If you can. Please? I'm tired of being homeless."

Silk took a step back, her eyes widening. "You're… You said you had a place to sleep!"

"Observatory basement," Sam said as she turned around to get to work. "There's a mattress."

"You can sleep here if you like!" Silk called after her as Sam made her way down the steps.

"Maybe... Are you close to wanting to prey on mares too? Or is it still just stallions?" Sam asked in a way to calm a tone for what she said.

"No comment," Silk reapplied, quickly shutting the door.

Sam nodded twice and made her way around the side of the cottage to the backyard. Sam loved Silk's yard. It had a wonderful garden which really stimulated the imagination. Especially at night when everything was in bloom and the—

Maybe I should have offered her a quick drink? She could, like, stop before killing me, right? Seems lucid enough for that still, Sam wondered, the thought entirely removing the thoughts and memories of the night garden from her mind even as she passed through it to a shed at the back of the property.

Sam reared up so she could fetch her copy of the Town Maintenance Key from her jumpsuit pocket and reach the shed's padlock which had been placed higher than any foal could hope to reach. At least, without a friend to stand on. Or an object of some kind. Or a ladder.

Wow, putting things up high to keep kids out is dumb. Especially since Dew could just fly up here, Sam noted as her gauntlet fingers slipped the key into the lock and popped it open.

"Sam! Thank goodness," a stallion's voice called, carrying the sound of relief with it.

Sam turned to see a tan and black earth pony she didn't recognize standing on the other side of a hedge row from Silk's home. Sam stared at him for a moment, doing her best to make a face that would somehow prompt the stallion to tell her how he knew her.

"Please tell me you're here to fix the pump," he said with a nervous flick of his tail. "Silk keeps staring at me from her window, and not in the normal way…"

Sam blinked slowly. "Normal way?"

The stallion nodded. "Yea… She's got a crush on me. I'm sure of it. Always watches me when I'm out in my yard, waves hi, and brings me dinner sometimes. I was going to ask her on a date but I heard she didn't get her pint this month and, well… They say she goes for stallions first since she's straight and all and uh, yea."

"Yea. That makes sense," Sam said, nodding slowly.

The stallion frowned. "Pep pills again?"

Sam's brow furrowed. "I should make a sign to put on or something…"

The stallion snorted angrily and stamped a forehoof into the ground. "I tell you, next town meeting, I am demanding we hire at least two more maintenance ponies! You can't keep doing this on your own."

"Someone's gotta," Sam said with a shrug. "What if Silk gets out while starving? What if no one repairs Twine's shed after the next full moon? What if no one—"

The stallion nodded and held up a hoof. "I was born here, Sam. I know. I'm glad you put in the work. Thank you for helping keep everypony safe. I just know you'll burn out at this rate and—"

He paused and looked over Sam's shoulder at one of the cottage windows and froze.

Sam turned to look to see Silk staring out the window, face pressed against the glass, her eyes fully dilated and locked with laser focus on the stallion's neck.

He shivered. "You'd think they'd have a special reserve for ponies in her condition… The Tirek thing couldn't have gotten that many ponies hurt, could it?"

Sam shrugged. "Didn't bother me at all."

The stallion frowned for a moment, then hummed suspiciously. "That's right. It didn't. I saw you flying while everypony was drained. How did you do that?"

Sam unzipped her jumpsuit just enough to show him her gem and tapped it with a finger. "Aliens."

He rolled his eyes, the gesture somehow reminding Sam that his name was Russet, and they sometimes played poker together at the Turning Tavern on the weekends.

"Sam, a lot of things are real, but alien abductors who do medical experiments on ponies aren't," Russet said as politely and calmly as he could. "We asked Enox about it, remember? No one up there comes out here."

"She did," Sam pointed out quickly.

"She got lost. That's different," Russet corrected.

It was Sam's turn to roll her eyes. "I've got a gem in my chest that has magic even when everypony else doesn't and a one-of-a-kind medical condition that's baffling doctors to this day, and I remember getting both of them as a filly after I was pulled out of the sky by a bright light."

She trotted over to the hedge to jab a mechanical finger into Russet's barrel and proclaimed. "Aliens!"

"If you say so," Russet said in that dismissive way everypony did when they refused to believe her.

She huffed and turned to walk back to the shed. "There's a shapeshifting slug creature that turns into your heart's desire who works at the hardware store, and you don't believe me about an alien abduction…"

"Uh…" Russet raised an eyebrow. "That's just Silk? She works nights."

Sam stopped walking, turned around, and gave the stallion two loving head pats. "No, she works from home. She's the containment monitor agent. You're just in love. Imma gonna fix the pump now, okay?"

Russet nodded and trotted back into his house, perhaps a little too giddily to hold on to any dignity. Not that Sam noticed with the fog closing in on her mind.

Did I take four? A dose is four, Sam thought to herself as she refocused on the task at hoof.

She opened the shed's door and stepped into the dark, oddly dusty interior. The simple wood structure seemed like it spontaneously created dust just to irritate and inconvenience everypony, but Sam knew that wasn't the case. It would have been in the documentation if it was.

She walked through the shed, moving around the random piles of assorted gardening supplies and holiday decorations to a metal control box at the back. The box's door had a single rune etched into the front. Sam had no idea what it was exactly, just that it was some religion's holy symbol they'd put there as a final precaution.

Sam unlocked the box with a separate key from the shed's padlock. It creaked open on slightly rusty hinges, revealing a slightly modified hydroponic garden controller, nutrient injectors, and circulation pump.

Sam removed a thick phone-book-like manual from her right saddlebag and flipped to page 38.

Identification Number/Code: 834 - Silkwing "Storybook Vampire"

Entity Description:

Silkwing is a female thestral (commonly called "bat pony") of average height and build. Her fur is charcoal gray, her mane is deep purple, and her eyes are blood red. She bears a cutiemark of a waxing crescent moon partially obscured behind a dark cloud.

Sam rolled her eyes and skipped down the page to the CARE protocols.

Silkwing's residence will include a shallow moat constructed along the property line. As Silkwing can not cross a body of running water by any means other than a bridge, any bridge over the moat is to be removed from her side of the property line, and a pump contained in a shed she does not own (and has not been invited into) is to be activated to circulate the water in the moat.

Should she be deprived of food for over two weeks, the moat should be infused with 50 ml of garlic oil and 20 grams of salt once a day for seven days. This infusion will cause Silkwing severe burns on contact (from which she will regenerate rapidly but continue to be repelled by). It should only be used if there is an imminent threat to the safety of her local community due to starvation.

The water should be drained, the moat cleaned, and fresh water added once Silkwing is no longer starving.

There was more on the report, but Sam didn't care. She'd gotten the part she needed.

Sam put the manual back in her saddlebag, fished out a sticky note, quickly wrote down how much garlic and salt to add and under what circumstance, and stuck the note to the inside of the control box's door.

The amount of time I'd save if the last guy had just done this is insane, Sam noted as she started looking at the pump itself. After all that was what was broken.

A quick inspection of the pump showed it to be completely fine, aside from the power cable having been chewed through by a rodent of some kind. On the inside of the still intact and formerly locked metal box.

Sam sighed, pulled her walkie-talkie off her belt, and used her manipulator gauntlet to depress the transmit button.

"Base, this is Sam reporting from the shed on Silk's property," Sam said, careful to not imply the shed was Silk's and thereby allow the vampire to enter and switch off the pump if she so chose.

"I read you, Sam. But you need to say over at the end of a transmission, over," Apple reapplied almost instantly.

Sam rolled her eyes immediately. "The pump is down because something chewed the power cable. I can splice it, but it will need to be replaced soon. Also, the box was sealed, so someone let a phase rat out of its cage. Over."

"Noted. I'll put in an order for one. However, we don't have anything called phase rats on file because that's not an integer. Over," Apple said with his usual adamant refusal to deviate from protocol by just one word.

Sam's left eye twitched as the Pep Pills tempered Irbish rage down into mere extreme irritation. "Someone let an instance of 392 out, over." She said through clenched teeth.

"I'll let the Sheriff know, thank you for your report. Over," Apple finished.

Sam took a deep breath and wondered if she'd find her employer in the second volume of the manual somewhere. The one she had yet to receive. Surely he had been assigned here by Celestia herself for his anomalously high bureaucratic mud-stickiness.

As soon as she was calm enough to think about the work before her, instead of her mighty need to strangle that dumb horse, Sam began to splice the power cable back together so she could solder it.

This was a normal day for the town of Evergreen Falls. A little town in the heart of the deep woods, so far from anywhere that most ponies didn't even know it existed. Kept off the map by royal decree, so anything or anyone a little too unusual or dangerous in the wrong circumstances could be safely and happily kept out of harm's way.

It was simply the modern evolution of Princess Celestia's MO. Rather than seal it away for a thousand years in a realm of torment, talk to it first (assuming you could) and see if they would rather have a normal life in Evergreen Falls instead.

That wasn't why Sam had come to town, though. She'd arrived of her own accord for different reasons. Fortunately for her, she fit in like a bespoke suit. Without her current financial crisis, she'd be deeply in love with the backwater Home for the Weird as it called itself. If the town wasn't classified, it would likely have done its best to have a "weird off" with Ponyville.

Fifteen minutes into the job and the power cable was good as secondhoof. Soldered, electrical taped, and then duct taped for good measure. Sam nodded in satisfaction, switched the pump on, made sure the garlic and salt had been injected into the moat, then closed the panel and relocked it.

A moment later, she closed and re-secured the shed's padlock and found herself walking back up to Silk's door. Sam paused at the entrance staring at the knocker. The combination of the low dose of Pep Pills and general fatigue had her blanking on how many times to knock.

"Hey!" Sam called on a whim. "How many times do I knock to not trigger you?"

"Six," the vampire called from her living room, "but you can also—"

Sam took hold of the knocker and struck the door six times.

The door opened immediately, revealing Silk's haggard face holding an expression normally reserved for poker.

"— just call for me since I know you're here," Silk finished.

Sam nodded three times, then pointed over her shoulder to the now flowing moat. "Fixed the pump. Want to make sure the moat's running enough to count as running water?"

Silk smiled faintly. "That's a great idea. Counterpoint," she pointed up. "Sun."

Silk said the word sun similarly to how most ponies, said Queen Chrysalis.

Sam looked up, accidentally looking directly into the sun and scrunching her face in pain. "Ow… Right."

"Also," Silk said, stepping as close to Sam as the hateful light permitted, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. "You stay away from Russet! He's mine."

Sam blinked and tilted her head. "I'm gay," she said quite honestly. "You know this."

Silk blushed deeply and took a half step back from the door.

"That's right. Forgot. Sorry, very hungry," she murmured before collecting herself and proclaiming. "Well then, uh, you stay away from me! I'm his. Maybe. If he stops being so thick-headed! And… I don't try and eat him later… Though to be honest, I might spare him. Haven't liked anypony this much in a long time."

Sam nodded understandingly and trotted a ways down the path towards the sidewalk.

"We're still friends though, right?" Silk yelled through the closed door.

"Yea, it's cool. You're not my type anyways," Sam answered, perhaps a bit too honestly.

Silk retreated to the depths of her home, drawing the curtains closed before the morning sun could flood her home and prompting Sam to briefly wonder why nopony had ordered the mare some UV-blocking window treatments before she remembered she had to report in, again.

Sam stepped to the side of the road and raised her walkie-talkie to her face once more. "Sam here. Job's done. I'm burnt out. I need to clear my head and sleep."

By which she meant smoke the mother of all joints to try and overwhelm the Pep Pills by sheer brute force so she wouldn't effectively pull a 48-hour day.

"Before you do—" Apple began, but Sam was having none of it.

"What's that?" She said, making a crackling noise with her mouth. "I can't hear you. Going through a tunnel."

"Sam, that's very obviously you making those noises, over," Apple said with audible irritation.

"You look here, mister!" Sam snapped, her eye twitching again. "It's not my fault I'm currently the only pony in town with a contractor's license. I get you have to hire out! But I am one mare, and I am entirely drained, and I am pretty sure that even though I keep agreeing to fix things immediately, this constitutes a violation of labor laws!"

Apple was quiet for a few minutes. "I looked into it, and you're right. We cannot legally make you work longer than 36 hours in emergency circumstances, and normally no more than 14. My apologies. I didn't know the emergency protocols had been rewritten last year. As you've been over the limit for five hours, we owe you… Six thousand bits in compensation. I'll append it to your check. Please, go get some rest. Over."

Sam took a deep breath and let it out her nose slowly. "What did it say previously?"

"Please say over at the end of your—"

"What. Did it say. Previously?"

"Previously, we could make use of any employee until the emergency was resolved, and a critical lack of staff is one of the written examples of an emergency," Apple said with just the hint of embarrassment. "If you must know, I don't enjoy overworking anypony. However, since the others decided they would make three times as much rebuilding Ponyville after its disasters, we're the only two ponies here who can keep this community safe and happy. I see this work as a duty, not labor. That being said, you are correct I cannot legally require you to work as hard as I do, nor can I ethically do so, on reflection. Over."

Sam's eye twitched enough for her cheek to get in on the action. "Excuse me?! You? Work? What do you do other than tell me what to go fix?"

"I am not only the Maintenance Dispatcher but also the lead researcher on Object 92. Over," Apple said.

Sam's lips pulled into a frown. She removed the manual from her bag, checked the index, then flipped to the appropriate page. "Oh, the… Crystal planet system, thing?"

"Correct, over."

Sam glanced down the page to the list of incident reports. Whatever the unknown collection of crystals orbiting one another was, it sure did cause a lot of minor disasters when poked at. Including causing several ponies to vanish from the material sphere entirely. Seemingly on a whim.

Sam frowned. The object felt important to her personally... But why?

"Okay, so… Sorry you have to work two jobs. Can you take care of whatever this thing is while I try to sleep? Please?" Sam begged, her lip trembling.

"No. But I am certain I can find a civilian who can," Apple replied in his usual flat tone, having apparently used up his allotted emotional time for the day. "1839 returned from her latest adventure and is simply frightened."

Sam knew that one by heart. Or at least, she thought she did. She vaguely remembered a little filly which she was basically a big sister slash mom for.

Buck me. Either I took the wrong number of tabs or those are expired… Or I'm starting to build up a tolerance. I should quit for a while. Sam thought to herself before focusing back on the conversation. "That's the filly who gets lost and—"

"And has adventures in parallel dimensions, yes. Apparently, this one was quite grim. Are you using stimulants to remain awake again? Over."

Sam groaned and rubbed her face with a hoof. "Yes. I am. I told you I needed to sleep. Would she be cool snuggling up and just... Having a nap?"

Apple remained silent for a few more minutes, presumably talking to the poor filly. "She says no, because she's worried about some kind of monster that invades dreams. She said she would be okay with you sleeping in the same room if she can play on your computer."

I don't own a computer… Sam thought, frowning before she remembered the computer in the observatory breakroom. "Oh! Uh, yea. Sure. Just have someone drop her off. I'll stay up till she gets there. Over."

"Roger. Over and out," Apple finished.

Sam clipped her walkie-talkie back into her belt and began to trot up the road toward the observatory. She wished she could fly over, the trip would take her seconds. She wished she could at least humm a tune or let her brain float off into a fantasy while she trekked up the hilly road.

I wish I could afford drugs without side effects… Sam grumbled mentally as she walked face-first into a pale white earth pony mare who had appeared in front of her from thin air.

"Ow," the two said in unison.

Sam blinked twice to refocus herself. Her eyes slowly traced over the monochromatic white mare, noting her black eyes, hourglass cutie mark, and starting the hamster wheel spinning for half a second before she backed up and apologized. "Oh, uh, sorry Dusk. I'm not… At a hundred percent right now."

Dusk dusted off her fur with a hoof and nodded. "Clearly not. Good to see you again, Sam. I have good news for…"

Dusk trailed off, frowning, her eyes slowly narrowing. "You took either too much or too little of something. Why?"

Sam nodded sharply. "Yeah. Pep Pills. I was up till, like, six today. The spiders chewed through the bolts so I had to put in an entire new security grate up in the culvert. Took… Like fourteen hours. Then Silk's moat broke, so, I got like, no sleep? It was an emergency. I'dda passed out if I didn't. I'm going to sleep now. Can this wait?"

Dusk shook her head. "No. It can't. And it's important, and I don't have much time to talk so…" Dusk waved her hoof.

Sam felt the drug leave her system, followed by the briefest jolt of throbbing pain as her body panicked over suddenly lacking the chemicals, then the cooling relief of a full rest washed over her.

The world changed like a light switch had been flipped. Colors didn't change, but how they made Sam feel different things came back. Yellows looked happy again. Blues were calming. Pinks were fun. The birdsong sounded pleasant instead of random. Her mind started being able to focus on more than one task at a time again.

Sam shivered and blinked several times. "Oh, yep! I bucked up the dose there. For sure. Wow, that was so much worse than I tho—" She stopped talking for a moment, realizing she was talking to Dusk.

Dusk wasn't an ordinary friend. She was one of Sam's oldest friends. A second mother. Also the reaper. Not somepony with an odd power claiming the title, but the real deal.

Sam's ears fell. "Oh… Hey… So… Not that I'm not happy to see you, but, what's wrong? Am I dead?"

“No,” Dusk answered.

“Aww…” Sam jokingly drooped her ears. “Not having to pay back the bank would have been nice.”

Dusk flicked her hoof and reconstituted the drug she'd removed into its tablet form. "It's a good thing, not a bad thing. The thing I stopped by for, I mean," Dusk said as she looked at the pills. "You took three of those, by the way."

Sam winced. "Ah. I was supposed to take four," she sighed and shook her head. "I was forgetting friend's names! Buck… I think I'll stay away from those for a while."

Dusk nodded in agreement and banished the tablets to the shadow realm without so much as a spark of magic or flash of light.

"So," she began. "Remember how when you moved here, I said you would be near an old friend of mine?"

Sam nodded, remaining quiet so Dusk could just tell her the thing instead of getting bunny trailed until they wound up at a bar playing beer darts like they often did.

"Well, they passed. Their kid needs a home and job. You need some help around here, and I want them with my chosen weirdos. Especially since I doubt she could walk the streets anywhere else."

Sam's heart soared with joy. "You got the mayor to agree to hire more workers?"

Dusk snorted and shook her head. "Not yet, but you know she won't say no to me. She's got no idea I'm a friend."

The two mares shared a quick laugh before Dusk smiled and continued. "Also, the object. I found somepony who can crack its secrets. I've arranged her employment since fate's moving her here anyways. Which means—"

Sam nodded once. "Which means it's time for me to go through with my part of the deal."

Dusk put a hoof on Sam's shoulder. "It will be fine! I promise I'll get you back up as often as needed. And she's smart! Maybe nothing will go wrong… Aunt Fate willing."

Sam bit her lip in consideration. "Well, a deal is a deal. But there's a complication. Apple's currently in charge of studying it. He'll have to be persuaded to give it up."

Dusk rolled her eyes. "As if that's an obstacle," she shook her head and grinned again. "Cheer up! Tell you what. I'll give you your pay in advance."

Sam laughed and shook her head, flicking her tail back and forth. "Too bad it's not money…"

Dusk nodded slowly, frowning. "Yeah… I'll see what I can do for you if I get time. For now," Dusk tapped the gemstone in Sam's chest through her jumpsuit. "No matter who or what put this there, seriously we're not having the aliens debate again, it's called a Harmony Shard. The same as those used to forge the Elements of Harmony, but without the arcane circuitry which makes an Element an Element. I don't know what it's attuned to. I don't know the limits of its powers. But here's a book you can read to start tapping into it better."

Dusk unfolded an ancient tome from thin air, holding it out to Sam. Despite clearly being extremely old, it was bound in metal. Platinum, if Sam knew her metal colors correctly. The pages were yellowed with age, but clearly a form of plastic rather than paper.

Sam eyed the book skeptically. "... Who makes a book like that?" She asked before taking the book and frowning at the strange runes on the cover. "And is this even a language I can read?"

Dusk shook her head. "Nope, but ask your kid. She reads it. Same writing as her cutiemark."

"Dew isn't my kid," Sam protested as she put the book into her saddlebag.

Dusk raised an eyebrow at the handymare. "Isn't she?"

Sam huffed and reared up to cross her forehooves over her chest in indignation. "She's not my kid! She's just a filly I take care of for free because I love her."

Dusk snickered. "Sam, that's a kid."

"Yea, but I didn't make her!" Sam retorted.

"That doesn't matter," Dusk said with a growing smirk.

Sam lowered herself back down and gestured towards town. "She's not even technically a kid! She's literally hundreds of years older than me."

"Meh," Dusk shrugged. "Her aging process stopped. She acts her apparent age. She's a kid."

Sam huffed and sat down on the road, defeated. "Okay, yes. She is… But if she's my kid then that makes me old and I don't want to feel old."

Dusk manifested a silver watch around her left foreleg and checked it. "You've got 243 years left, if I don’t gift you more for Hearthswarming. Almost a whole pony lifetime. That's not old at all!"

Sam flicked her ears back. "I told you not to do that…"

Dusk frowned. "But the number got bigger! I thought you'd be happy to know—"

"It's still creepy and—" Sam froze mid-sentence, her face turning pale. "Oh my gosh! Dew's back! She's scared and I told Apple to just drop her off at—"

Sam turned around and jumped into the air, flapping her wings frantically to take off as quickly as possible. "See you later, gotta pick her up, bye!"

Dusk waved after her, calling out "Bye!" before warping herself a few hundred meters to the south.

It was time for death to do the opposite of her job, and save the mare about to drown in the lake.

5 - Just Another Day I

Junebug - 18th of Lunar Dawn, 4 EoH
Mane Street - Evergreen Falls

June flew low over Evergreen Falls, taking in the sights through long, slow, lazy loops. The sort of near-glide a pegasus uses when they don’t mind somepony on the ground flagging them down or are trying to spot a fish below the water to snack on.

Her flight didn’t go unnoticed; plenty of ponies on the ground waved to her as she flew overhead. A few even called up to her with a friendly “Hi, Sam!” prompting June to dive a little lower and call back, “Not Sam, sorry!”

What the heck is with this town? How many pegasi do they have? It feels like I could totally pull off that cliche where the infiltrator didn’t even try to infiltrate.

June found the first two times odd. Very few pegasi were pink, so it would make sense for a grounded pony to look up, see a pegasi silhouetted by the morning sun, and say “hi” to a presumed friend. However, by the third loop, she knew something was up when a weirdly tall stallion who'd called out to her frowned ever so slightly and stammered out an apology.

“Oh! Sorry, didn’t know there was somepony visiting. Thought you were our maintenance mare.”

The town had one pegasus. Or at least one adult female pegasus. Nothing else made sense.

This town is weird, June noted to herself. But I think I like it.

Other weird features of Evergreen Falls: the streets were laid out in an arcane circle. Most ponies wouldn’t have noticed it. It was subtle but very obviously there to anypony with knowledge of basic enchanting. Really basic and enchanting.

June wasn't even an enchanter but recalled seeing an identical circle in her Intro to Arcane class back in Primary School. A simple protection charm designed to ward the entire town from physical and thaumaturgic threats. Albeit huge and supported by the full might of nature rather than whatever a unicorn could spare that day.

Canterlot has similar protections built into it. So do most older cities in Equestria. But this level of protection for a small rural town is pretty weird… June thought to herself as she pulled up slightly to take another loop around town.

Something glittering in the river caught her eye. She looked down on instinct, her brain demanding she at least check to see if it were a trout. June squinted, compensating for the shimmering sunlight on the surface of the flowing water as best she could until…

Is that, crystal? June mused, dropping altitude to get a better angle on her find.

It was indeed a small patch of tiny silver-yellow crystal shards scattered across the gravel riverbed like a deposit of gold nuggets. Such gems were commonplace in Equestria. Earth ponies even grew them from scratch on industrial or even family farms. Nopony harvested such stones from nature anymore, hence, a potentially valuable magical stone was just left to decorate a river.

Except… The color… Something’s important about that color, June noted while thinking back through history class.

June smiled as the answer came to her. Her tail swished as the ancient secret internalized.

Silver-yellow. Nothing natural came in that hue. These gems were synthetic, the color and rough geographic region, and their small, obviously crushed and water polished state… They were very, very old indeed. Dating back to the First Thaumaturgic War over seventeen thousand years ago.

June folded her wings and entered a dive. She raced towards the water, spreading her wings and thrusting one hoof out at the last instant, snatching one of the crystals from the riverbed while pulling out of her dive like one of her ancestors plucking a salmon from the sea. She raced over the river, her belly growing damp from the spray her wings threw before she flapped hard, pulling up and returning to her lazy loops to examine her prize.

A single, nearly perfectly rounded, tiny shard of ancient crystal. Nearly the size of a pea.

What were you used for? June mused as she turned the crystal in her hoof. Some ancient warrior’s weapon? The power source for a stove? An ancient home’s cleaning charm?

She tucked the stone into her saddlebags as a souvenir.

In any case, the circle is probably something the modern town inherited. Ponies preserve basic street layouts when we move into older settlements, after all. I wish sociology class had explained why we do that. It's kind of interesting. June noted, enjoying the opportunity to use her training in the field for a change.

Analyzing paperwork and photographs simply didn’t feel the same.

“Hey!” A mare called up from the street.

June sighed and adjusted her wings to dive lower. “Hi! Not Sam, though,” she called down as she dove toward an azure blue mare, snapping her wings open to hover a few meters over her head.

June’s eyes narrowed as she drew closer. Wait a minute. Pale blue, cornflower blue mane, wand, and star cutie— Wait.

“I know! Did a few ponies mistake you for her? I guess your wing shape is kinda like a thestrals, and you do fly like one, but… Maybe they should go get their eyes checked. You’re like an 8. She’s a 10.” The mare said with a pleasant smile. “What’s your name?”

“Junebug,” June replied, narrowing her eyes slightly before deciding the only pony who would rate anyone a ten had to have a severe crush and thus wasn’t calling her ugly. “Are you the—”

The mare’s ears perked when June said, ‘Are you’. She reared up, miming sweeping a hat from her head, and proclaimed, “The Great and Powerful Trixie, at your service!” Before settling back down. “Always nice to meet a fan, but I’m not on stage, so mind if I don’t do the bit? It’s not fun to be an egoist without the stage lights.”

June dropped to the cobblestone street with a soft click and folded her wings. “I don’t mind at all. Can I get an autograph, though? I loved your cups and balls with clear cups! That was mind-blowing.”

“Sure,” Trixie said with a polite nod, ”and thanks. I worked hard on that routine. Hey, so this might sound a bit odd, but are you moving here, visiting, or did you get hired by the town? I was told a new hire was coming in, and while I do have my traveling show, I have a side gig with the town. I wasn’t planning on heading out again this year, so they stuck me with showing the new girl around.”

June twisted to reach into her saddlebag, searching for anything Trixie could sign. “I haven't signed any paperwork yet, but I’m taking a research job here. Dusk hired me.”

Trixie nodded once. Dusk hired her. More than satisfactory and enough of a guarantee for her to let the paperwork wait.

“Great! What’s your clearance?” Trixie said calmly.

June’s hoof finally found her diary. She flipped it open to the current day’s entry and held it out to Trixie, who quickly but elegantly wrote, “BEHOLD! This page has been marked by the GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!” in an extra flourishy script, while leaving enough room for June to write a short diary entry on the page.

June closed her diary and put it back in her bag. “I’m not sure? Dusk said I’d be in charge of the Observatory and a study project on some artifacts uncovered last year. She was a little vague, but I get it.”

Trixie hummed, thinking for a moment. “Okay, so at minimum level 2 clearance,” she mused, looking distant for a split second before smiling again and gesturing for June to look around. “Welcome to Evergreen Falls! Did Dusk give you the whole pitch or just do that spooky psychopomp thing and be all, ‘ooooOOoooo, I have a thing for you…’ because that’s how she got me to be a Field Agent.”

June blushed shyly and scratched the back of her head nervously. “To be honest, she just gave me the job description, and that’s all I needed.”

Trixie sighed and shook her head. “Seriously?” She asked, arching an eyebrow.

June bit her lip, let her ears droop apologetically, then nodded. “I’m in kind of a shit situation. I can take this job or live with my dad in the woods over there while he personally digs a doomsday bunker. So, either work a job I’m qualified for that some miracle presented me with, or sleep in a dirt hole and wipe with leaves for years. How much would you have asked?”

Trixie raised a hoof to an object, then lowered it. “Mmm, fair point. But that was still really stupid.”

June sighed and nodded. “I know, okay? But Dusk seemed like the kind of pony with good leads, if also the type to be real cryptic. I just felt I could trust her, you know?”

Trixie’s ears perked back up at the mention of Dusk. “That’s right, Dusk recruited you. That does make things better, but you should still have pushed her a bit. She’s cryptic, but…” Trixie paused for a moment and then shook her head slowly. “You’d think somepony that old would know to give people at least the back of the book blurb.”

“Yeah, she’s what, early middle-aged? Looks great for her 120s, though,” June commented.

Trixie giggled. “I hope I’ll look that good when I hit her age,” she joked, knowing how old Dusk actually was. “Anyways, this is Evergreen Falls, a planned community managed by CARE. Who you’ll be working for. In case Dusk didn’t mention, that’s Celestia's Advanced Research Enterprises.”

June shook her head once. “She didn’t mention that… I uh… I’m just eager to get anything in my field. Maybe a little too eager. Should have asked for the company name at least.”

Trixie flinched. “Yea… It’s okay, though; we all do dumb things like that at your age.” She cleared her throat and continued. “The town is a safe haven and research community for individuals and objects with unknown and/or anomalous magical properties. A lot of the breakthroughs in arcana come from studying the people and things we have here.”

June’s eyes lit up with recognition. “Oh! Like how Hollow Shades is a haven for vampires and werewolves? Only we’re studying their powers to replicate them?”

“Exactly that!” Trixie said before her eyes moved down to June’s neck for a moment. “Oh, you don’t have… So there are these little amulets we have new ponies wear for a few days. There’s a large-scale illusion over town that keeps the strange things from being noticed by visitors. The amulet will slowly put you on a whitelist to see things as they are. Since you don't have yours on, uh… Just take my word for it that a lot of the ponies here are, well, weird. Some in very obvious visual ways. It’s all safe, though. CARE doesn't put you here if you’re aggressive or unintentionally dangerous. There are other places for that.”

June nodded twice, silently waiting for Trixie to continue.

“Priority two of Evergreen Falls is the safety and comfort of its citizens. Priority one is the research…” She cleared her throat. “Uh, a lot of us staff think it should be the other way around. Most people here just want to be treated like people. Even if they are the mutant changeling who looks like a slug and can’t help but read your mind to shapeshift into your heart’s desire.”

June blinked twice. “The what?”

“His name is Chirp. He works at the hardware store,” Trixie said as if that explained anything.

Amazingly, to June, it did. “Oh. Well… Everypony needs a job. Or at least something to do.”

“Exactly!” Trixie agreed with a firm nod.

June paused for a moment, shyly shuffling her hooves. “Uh, can… Can you just go on in to see what he turns into for you? Is that rude?”

Trixie giggled and shook her head. “You can! You have to have seen or imagined what you want, though. If you have even a subconscious idea, he plays matchmaker via shapeshifting. I stay away as much as I can, though. I creep him out a little.”

“Really? Who did he become for you then?” June asked before wincing. “I’m sorry, that was automati—”

Trixie snorted and waved a hoof to let June know it was alright. “He becomes your idealized version of what or who you like. I like some things he finds squicky so that bucks with his head a bit. No offense to less sexually liberated people, but if you don’t get there’s at least one person out there who's into literally anything you can think of, you haven’t been paying attention to people at all. Everyone’s weird somehow.”

“None taken,” June said, letting out a nervous breath. That went better than expected.

“Everyone here is weird, well, mostly. Some staff are boring normal ponies,” Trixie continued, clearly not remotely bothered by talking about that side of herself. “Just think of everyone, no matter how strange, as a pony first and an anomaly second, and you’ll get along great and have way fewer problems than senior staff. Like Apple Brandy, who is not only a colossal prick who I am convinced has an actual stick up his ass but also treats everyone like a piece of meat. So guess who never gets any kind of cooperation at all?”

“I know the type…” June groaned. “I won’t have to work with him, will I?”

“You’re kind of stealing his pet project,” Trixie informed.

June winced. “Oh no…”

“Yea… So be nice to everypony! Get the whole town on your side, and they’ll help you deal with the jerk as well as anything else that might come up,” Trixie said as she started to walk down the street, gesturing for June to follow her. “Let’s get you that amulet and sign the papers. I’ll bet you want to start moving in and stuff, right?”

June sighed in relief, smiling more than she had in days. “You have no idea! My dad kind of relocated us to the Deep Woods over there. I was going to sleep in a tent tonight, but then bam! Dusk with a job.”

Trixie flinched again. “Oh… Yeah, I heard somepony sold some land over that way. That’s… That’s going to involve a lot of lawyers and will be a huge mess. The Deep Woods are kind of in ownership dispute. The exact border of that property… Well, let’s just say the argument will be bad.”

“How bad?”

“Like, the county Lordship title and accompanying land has been in dispute since CARE was founded in the third year of the Solar Era,” Trixie explained, her face scrunched to emphasize just how bad a ball of red tape she was talking about.

June sucked in a breath through her teeth. Dad isn’t going to like dealing with an actual thousand-year-old property rights issue…

“Mmm, maybe I should fly over and let him know about this…” June mused. “I’d rather not. We just had a fight.”

Trixie hummed, squinted at June as if examining her extremely closely, then nodded as if she had understood the meaning of a work of art. “Give me five minutes to study how you speak and your mannerisms, and I could do it for you.”

June blinked, turning to look over the unicorn mare from head to hoof. “Wait, you’re a changeling?”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “D— Duh? Come on, what pony would make a stage persona that’s all about being loved and worshiped while also making sure their fanbase is, like, everywhere, and also just happens to have an incredibly iconic and easily identifiable look?” She flashed June a huge smile which mixed with the light of genuine cunning in her eyes to create the look of a true genius. “I have genuine love and affection for me everywhere in Equestria. I haven't had to actively feed in decades.”

“That’s brilliant,” June commented, her wings slightly open with awe. “But… I should do it. I’m a big filly.”

Trixie blushed and put a hoof over her mouth. “Oh my gosh! I’m sorry, I thought you were FtM and just getting started. I can let everypony know you’re a mare if you like.”

June flinched. “W— Will that cause problems? Also, like, I finished my potions. How did you— Right, I’m not wearing my skirt.” she sighed and started to take off her bags to get dressed in more appropriate town clothes.

“It won't,” Trixie promised. “Everyone has their own rules and needs and wants, all of which are written down, cataloged, itemized, and referenceable. You’re trans. If they know, then you won't be trans to them; you’ll just be a mare.”

June’s ears perked up. “Oh! Well, cool! Go ahead then.”

Trixie nodded twice, only for June to cut her off.

“Hold on,” June asked, frowning as a thought came to mind. “Aren’t changelings kinda psychic when it comes to love and romance stuff? How come you didn’t, like, know? Can’t you sense—”

Trixie nodded, then shrugged apologetically. “It's a sense like any other. Sometimes you’re just wrong about what you see. Especially when first meeting someone. It can sometimes take hours to get the details perfect… For me, anyway. Others are better. Anyways, we should sign you in, get your ID, amulet, and house keys.”

June nodded eagerly, her wings twitching as she tried to shake sweat from her plumage. “Yeah. I’d like to shower. I’ve been walking for the last few days. Through terrible woods of awful.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Samhain - 18th of Lunar Dawn, 4 EoH
Mayoral Estate - Evergreen Falls

Sam flew through the streets at the speed of a scared mom, knocking the occasional hat off taller ponies with her bow wave. Her eyes scanned the crowds, looking for Dew and only Dew.

Pegasus. Purple. Coral and turquoise two-tone mane. Rune brand. No cutiemark. Sam repeated to herself.

Evergreen Falls didn’t have many pegasi, but Dew was at that age where a filly just started to like boys while still loving a lot of kid stuff. Which meant not-that-small, but small enough to easily blend into a crowd. She could also easily get mistaken for a younger earth pony if her wings were obscured by something. It made her relatively easy to miss.

This was even bad, given that her anomaly kicked in when she felt lost, and nopony else knew where she was. Going directly on another adventure after coming back from a bad trip always played hell with the poor girl.

Sam raced along the quickest route from the Mayoral Estate to the observatory, hoping that her conversation with Dusk hadn’t taken too long and Dew wasn't halfway home. Preferably being escorted by somepony with a good head and a better heart.

I can’t believe I just blew her off like that. I know I had the dosage wrong, but lights above, I need to get off that stuff for a good bit.

Cursing herself, Sam put on another burst of speed. She shot out of Pine Lane and took a right hoof turn onto Mane Street, nearly breaking the aerial maneuverability record set by Rainbow Dash at the last Equestria games (albeit at a far lower speed). The Mayoral Estate came into view the moment she finished her turn. An old Renneighsaunce fortress, typical cut-stone-block construction with basic geometrical shapes created for defense first, then plastered over with the kind of decorations one could see in Canterlot, only without the gilding and quality workponyship.

A fortress for a noble to live in. Grayish, brownish, covered in ivy and lichen. Almost exactly what anypony would picture when told it was “an old fort”.

Pegasus. Purple. Coral and turquoise two-tone mane. Rune— Sam’s train of thought screeched to a halt as Dew came into view, being led along by a young stallion in a labcoat with freshly singed fur.

“— works very hard,” the young stallion said to Dew in a calming voice. “You shouldn’t be upset with her for getting exhausted. You’ve been exhausted, right?”

Dew’s face scrunched into a unique expression of annoyance. The kind only somepony far, far, far older than the person talking to them, yet far, far, younger looking than them can feel.

“Nope. Not once,” Dew said, her singsong voice dripping with sarcasm. “Hey, did you know that Princess Cadence hated history class when we were in school together? It’s true!”

The stallion frowned, clearly trying to process what the filly meant by her obvious sarcasm.

Sam closed her wings and dropped to the cobbles, her mech-gauntlets sending a shower of sparks flying as she killed her speed with her forelegs.

“She’s older than your granddad, kid. Don’t patronize her,” Sam explained before dropping down to pull Dew into a close hug. “I’m sorry. I was on pep pills, and auntie Dusk helped me out. I’ll take you home.”

Dew returned the hug, frowning. “Again?”

“Again,” Sam sighed.

The stallion stood still through the exchange, looking back and forth between himself and Dew. “Wait… You’re not like, sixteen?”

Sam rolled her eyes, fished the field manual from her saddlebag, and flipped to Dew’s page for him before holding it out. “Here’s her file.”

The stallion read through it quickly and then winced. “Oh… Uh, sorry, ma’am.”

Dew shrugged her wings.

“It’s fine. I’m used to it,” she muttered under her breath.

Sam bit her lip. It was very obviously not fine… But she was used to it.

The stallion scratched his mane awkwardly. “Right… Uh, well, since your mom’s here, I’ll just get back to lunch. Have a nice day, girls.”

Sam nodded once, then retrieved her copy of the manual and put it away.

“Enjoy your lunch,” she said before turning her attention back to Dew. “Will you get mad if I do it?”

Dew shook her head once.

In an entirely emotionless and flat tone, Sam inhaled and delivered a rapid-fire mom-lecture. “Dewey Decimal, what were you thinking? Wandering off without telling anypony. You know exactly what happens when yaddah yaddah blah blah yap yap dolphin noises.”

Required lecture thus delivered, Sam rolled her eyes and nodded to Dew. “Anyways, what happened?”

“It got foggy, and I took a wrong turn on the way to the library,” the eternal filly said with a sad sigh.

There was no need for her to explain she hadn't meant to get lost. Or forget to tell anypony where she was going.

Sam pulled Dew to her side with her wing and started to walk down the street toward the observatory. “And what happened? Some kind of nightmare monster?”

Dew bit her lip, trembling at memories she’d rather not dwell on at the moment. “I’m just scared it followed me home. I— I know that I’ve never brought back anything living… Despite trying. But, this was less alive and more magic.”

Sam nodded thoughtfully, her eyes narrowing slightly. “How can we know if it has? I’ll help any way I can.”

“W— Well, where I was, the changelings there could sense them if they’d attached to somepony. C— Can we find one to ask, please?” Dew asked, her wings twitching as she kept herself from flying away in search of the nearest bug pony.

Sam began to nod in response, only to spot the familiar blue and pale blue of Trixie through the crowd, walking her way while talking to a pink and pale blue young pegasus mare she hadn’t seen before.

Hey, she’s the trans pride colors, Sam thought automatically. I wonder if she used a potion dye to do that on purpose? If not, that’s pretty unfortunate. No way getting labeled as trans if you’re not is fun. Wait! She’s with Trixie!

“Yes, we can, and fortunately for us Trixie is right over there,” Sam said, pointing with one hoof. “I’m sure she won't mind a short interruption to make sure you’re safe.”

After all, the two had been friends since Trixie was in high school.

Dew nodded in agreement and began to zip through the crowded street toward Trixie and the mystery mare. Sam followed along as best she could, doing her best to keep an eye on Dew. A constant line of sight wasn’t needed to keep her anchored. Still, even a de facto mom’s worry occasionally exceeds rational thought.

“Trixie!” Dew called the tremor in her voice and emotional distress causing the changeling’s head to pivot instantly.

Trixie stopped and turned toward the filly. “Hey, Dew!” Trixie said with her usual friendly smile. “I was taking the new hire in to get her paperwork done, but we have a minute. What’s up?”

Sam caught up to Dew just as the pink pegasus turned around and put on a look of genuine worry, much to Sam’s surprise.

“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?” The mare asked.

Trixie nodded sharply, her full attention focused on the universe-hopping adventure filly. “Mhm. Dew’s scared and that’s really hard to do. Seriously, what’s up?”

“She just got back from a trip and is worried some kind of nightmare creature hitched a ride,” Sam explained.

“Can you see if anything’s stuck in my emotions?” Dew asked, her tail twitching worriedly.

Trixie bit her lip, squinted, then shook her head. “You’re fine. Just the usual pent-up frustration with boys, burning seed of rage from that author you liked dying before they finished that series, and mega-tier five-year-old style curiosity relating to if June here knows she’s the trans pride flag colors.”

Trixie turned to look at the suddenly deeply blushing June and giggled. “I’m curious too. That has to be intentional, right?”

June pawed the street with a hoof. “N— No… I spaced out on… They’re just my favorite colors.”

Dew let out a long slow breath, her wings finally resting easy at her sides. “Thank goodness. Those things were super scary!”

Sam smiled, her body visibly relaxing now that she knew Dew was safe, and, more importantly, felt safe. For all the rest of the horseapples she’s stuck with, I’m glad she can still just do that. If she’d been age locked just a year later…

“Come on, Dew. We should let Trixie and her friend get back to work. I’ve got the day off and I think I’d rather spend it with you than fixing up the observatory. We can hang out in the break room and you can show me that game you like,” Sam said as she nodded towards the sky to indicate Dew should take off with her.

June frowned and turned to Trixie. “Wait, people live there? I’m not the landlord of the place too, am I?”

Sam winced, her ears flattening. I knew this would happen… Calm down. She seems nice. You can be rational about it. I’m sure she’ll understand.

“Uh, no?” Trixie said, turning to look at Sam with confusion. Sam had a room at the local hotel when she’d left on business a few months ago. “Why would you be hanging out at the observatory? Don’t you have one of the long-term rooms at the Hayton?”

Sam shook her head slowly. Dew, on the other hoof, used her young brain powers to punch through the social bullshit and put an icepick into the heart of the matter.

“She had to start squatting there because the department hasn’t reimbursed her in forever so she couldn’t afford rent.” The little pegasus said in a way somepony her apparent age really shouldn’t.

June blinked, fully taken aback by the “filly” having that much venom in her voice relating to a rental agreement and an in-depth understanding of both squatting and finances.

“Woah, woah, woah, wait…” June said, waving one of her hooves. “Seriously?”

Sam nodded slowly. “Yeah… I’m the town’s only maintenance pony right now. The others left for Ponyville and bigger paychecks a while back. The Civics Department isn’t paying expenses right now, so I’m out of pocket on every job. I— The maintenance key lets me into most places, and it was abandoned. Besides, somepony left one of the apartments open. It’s just a studio, but it meant Dew could have a room, and I found an old futon mattress in the basement for me, so… Yeah.”

Sam cleared her throat and looked June in the eyes. “I promise you that I’m not, like, typical. In terms of getting bucked over, I mean. If you’re getting assigned to the observatory, you work for CARE directly. You’ll get paid properly. I’m contracted through the Civic’s Department for the town, not the company. The current head of that is an asshole. Who probably won't get reelected.”

Dew nodded sharply. “I’m hoping Silk eats him.”

Trixie snorted. June’s ears and tail stood up in alarm.

“Eats him?” she asked.

“She’s a vampire,” Trixie explained. “Harmless unless hungry. Which she is right now, because that asshole decided to stop maintaining her backup food supply for budget reasons.”

June’s look of horror melted into anger. “I’m sorry, so not only is this guy starving a vampire and putting Celestia knows how many ponies in danger with that, but he’s made a single mom have to go full squatter?”

“Yep,” Dew and Trixie said together.

“And he has a job, how?” June demanded, thumping her hoof against the cobbles with an enraged huff.

Trixie sighed and nodded toward the Mayoral Estate. “There was a huge political controversy, the mayor ceded the right to appoint town officials to the people, so every official is now elected. Asshole won the election, and an unintentional consequence of making those positions elected means he can’t be fired without a unanimous vote from the board he’s on. Obviously, he won’t vote to fire himself. Same thing is required to change that law too. So we’re stuck with him for another year.”

“That’s about the short of it,” Sam agreed with an irritated grunt.

June closed her eyes tightly and inhaled deeply. “How many apartments does the Observatory have?”

“Two suites, three one bedrooms, and three studios,” Sam answered reflexively, her wings idly rustling slightly.

“Okay, cool. And you’re not using one, why?” June asked as calmly as she could.

“My key only opens the maintenance areas and one of the studios, for whatever reason… And I can’t sleep in the studio because I don't get to have a sleep schedule and it gets too hot for me to sleep during the day because the building doesn't have AC or a comfort talisman. So I use the basement.”

“Also she thinks I won’t know if she drinks and smokes down there,” Dew added with a smirk. “But I do. Because you bring beer and stuff home but it never leaves, mom! Also, the weed smell. You can’t not know that.”

Sam coughed awkwardly into her hoof. “Just trying to set a good example, but still enjoy my vices…”

June raised an eyebrow and cast an eye over Dew. “You’re way older than you look.”

Dew nodded, her cheeks creasing as she smiled, happy to have been correctly identified for once.

“Mhm! But don’t let that fool you. I’m probably going to be unironically playing with dolls later. Then get mad that every boyfriend ever will outgrow me or get arrested for being a pedo. Then get all sad because they don’t make some random candy from last century anymore.”

Trixie nodded towards Dew. “She’s agelocked. She’ll act her age most of the time, but she’s been around longer than any of us.”

“No?” Dew said, frowning just a little because she was so obviously not older than everypony in town. “I’m half Silk’s age.”

“See?” Sam said with a genuine giggle.

June nodded. “Yep,” she agreed, smiling momentarily before the distressed and serious light came back to her eyes. “Right, so… Let's get me signed in, get my keys, and as the pony in charge of that observatory, we’re getting these two keys too. Nopony’s sleeping in a basement when I can help it. Especially not when they’re too dumb to pick a lock in an abandoned building to have a bedroom.”

Sam snorted, irritated at herself for just not thinking about breaking into an apartment. How the buck did I not think of that? BUCK! Ugh, act cool and mature about it Sam, you can do it!

“That would be a crime—” Sam began, only for Trixie to interrupt her.

“So is squatting!”

Sam shot Trixie a look. “See, technically, as I have a key, I’m not trespassing. Also, again, no climate control in there. The basement stays cool all day.” Sam said, her posture betraying her feeling like a featherbrain.

“Okay, so I'll call an HVAC mare I guess...” June trailed off, frowning slightly before looking down at Dew. “What is she to you? Also, what are your names?”

Dew pointed to herself. “Dewey Decimal, also known as the Adventure Filly, or 1839 if you’re an asshole. Uh, sorry. I mean an Apple,” Dew said, then pointed to Sam. “She’s my current mom, because I still need one of those. Her name’s Samhain. It’s Irbrish. If you translate it like you’re supposed to her name’s Autumn Twilight, but if you call her that, she goes all ire-brish, so don’t. She also hates being called my mom because it makes her feel old. But she is!”

June blinked twice, looking up from Dew towards Sam. “Why? You look great! Can’t be more than, what, eighty?”

Sam’s cheeks flushed. “Yes. Eighty. Let’s go with that.”

“She’s one-twenty-three,” Dew said, rolling her eyes before whipping around to face Sam and poke her in the barrel with her hoof tip. “Which is like, nothing. Have some sense of proportion.”

June giggled. Trixie snorted, holding in a real laugh.

Sam narrowed her eyes in the way moms do when a line has been crossed.

“Just for that, I will find a way to put all five hundred and seventy-six candles on your next birthday cake,” Sam promised, her voice like iron.

“That’s fine. I’ll invite the fire marshal for when the inevitable happens,” Dew retorted with a goofy grin.

June hummed, her tail flicking slightly. “Well, my point stands. You’re older than my mom but, like, I’m pretty sure you could pass for my older sister.”

“Hard work does a body good,” Trixie commented idly. “Of course, shapeshifting is even better for that.”

Sam looked up, locking eyes with Trixie for a moment. “Speaking of, something’s always bothered me. Mind if I ask something before we go in and get her signed in so I can have a real room? At least for showers and cooking?”

Trixie nodded and gestured for Sam to continue.

“I have, literally, never, seen you shapeshift. Ever,” Sam elaborated. “I know you’re a changeling. Everypony here does. But why don’t you do what the other bugs do and wear different shapes like the shirt of the day?”

Trixie gently bobbed her mane, batting her eyes at Sam. “Why change perfection?”

Sam mmmed then nodded. “I mean, it is a very cute look,” she was forced to agree. “It’s just, you know. Half the lings here wear a hat or something you can identify them with since they change that much. But you might as well be a pony… But you don’t have Kritt’s Syndrome because you know you’re a changeling, is that your anomaly? You have one shape you just love?”

“More like one pony,” Trixie admitted with the lightest blush. “Who thinks I look very cute like this.”

“Oh! Cool,” Sam said with a satisfied flick of her wings. “Anyways, I want to thank you for getting my hat back. The pin’s irreplaceable.”

Trixie’s ears drooped back slightly. Dew facehooved. June frowned for a moment as her brain tried to process why everypony else was distressed.

Sam remained oblivious.

“No problem, Sam,” Trixie said, letting a long slow breath out through her nose. “Let's go in and get the paperwork done.”

⁜ ⁜ ⁜

Junebug - 18th of Lunar Dawn, 4 EoH
Mayoral Estate - Evergreen Falls

After speaking with Mayor Violashade for an hour and a half, June knew one thing for certain. The poor mare was terrified of Dusk. The moment she’d arrived and Trixie had explained that Dusk had recruited her to reopen the observatory, the turquoise mare had gone from professionally tepid to incredibly helpful and low-key nervous.

Most of the meeting had been a long explanation of what CARE was and how it worked. Minus anything interesting since June didn’t have clearance to know any of the good bits yet.

The worst part was the entire lecture could have been condensed into a notecard. Celestia’s Advanced Research Enterprise was a small government-run company founded by Celestia personally to make use of Equestria’s oddities in the development of arcane science. Most of what they did was classified so they could keep a leg up on other pony nations by being the first to bring new magic to market. The rest was classified for the privacy of the many living people who were subjects of CARE’s R&D while also being within their care.

Evergreen Falls was a planned community that provided a safe and private living space for those people and secure storage for inanimate anomalies. Nothing brought to town was an active threat but could be dangerous in certain circumstances. Other places housed active threats. This town was a big open-air lab and home for easily contained or countered threats only, except for a few anomalies which seemed native to the area. Like the acid-spitting spiders that infested part of the sewer, the fog which sometimes shaped itself into foals to play with young ponies, and the rock lobsters in the river.

That was it. Mayor Violashade had taken an hour and a half to say that. June sat stone-faced through the lecture, having pieced that much together from Dusk and Trixie.

This is just like every other job interview ever, June lamented. Why can’t they just say “We want a pony to do this thing. We will pay this much for it. Do you want to do the thing?” She’s going to give me a big packet to read anywa—

“— as for your role within CARE,” Mayor Violashade said, shifting gears without pause while also opening a desk drawer to remove a large manilla envelope and place it on the desk in front of June. “All of the information relating to the observatory’s project is in this envelope. I’m not allowed to read it to you or speak to you on the subject by company policy. So once you’ve signed the paperwork it will be up to you to brief yourself, then take the digitized test to prove you know the material before you can begin working.”

June nodded once, very slowly. Yep. Packet.

The mayor reached into the drawer again, removed a stack of forms attached to a clipboard with a ballpoint pen in a little holder, and passed it to June as well. “These are the intake forms. Suppose you do not wish to work for us. In that case, you must sign the top form, a non-disclosure agreement, and a formal legal acknowledgment that while CARE's existence is public knowledge, the specifics of its operations are not. This includes the fact we run this community. If you leak any knowledge of our operational specifics, you will be arrested for leaking classified intelligence under charges of espionage. Basically, if you don’t want to work here, just sign the top one and pretend you were never here.”

June cleared her throat, happy to speak for the first time in the last hour and a half. “I want the job. So, what do—”

The mayor ripped the first page from the stack of papers and tossed it into the trash can behind her with a throw so well-practiced June knew she had to shoot trash hoops for fun during slow work days.

“Then please read and sign the rest of these forms. The first one here details the specifics of your job. You get one of the observatory’s personnel suites for personal use, and may assign the other living spaces to individuals of your choosing, though if they are not CARE employees, they must go through my office to get formal permission and will pay rent to the town—”

Sam cleared her throat from the back of the room where she’d been quietly reading a book to Dew. “Uh, she promised me a room. I can’t afford rent.”

The mayor groaned and closed her eyes. “I’m so sorry about everything going on right now, Sam. I’ll make sure you and Dew legally get a room on us. I can do that much… Is that why you are tagging along with Ms. Junebug?”

Sam nodded sharply. “Yep.”

“Then you’ll have your keys before you four leave my office. I promise,” she said before turning her attention back to June. “Your salary is thirty-four thousand a year, it would be more if you had a doctorate, but your master's does qualify you for the position.”

June’s ears perked. “I’m actually set up for a remote graduate program. A job like this will count towards credits, actually. I should have a proper doctorate in two years if I have enough free time to finish my thesis.”

Mayor Violashade smiled brightly. “Oh, excellent! I’ll put a note on your employee file to ensure you have free time for your studies. Once you have the degree, come see me, and we can get you a raise. As for your benefits, you get eight thousand a year in food expenses through a special card you use at stores. That includes stores anywhere in Equestria, just so you know. Utilities of all kinds are included with your room, but if you go over a… Sadly floating but relatively high margin, you’ll be warned once, then billed the additional amount. You’ll get full medical, and as a government employee, that includes any gender-affirming potions, spells, or surgeries you may desire. This includes purely cosmetic procedures starting next month. You can thank Princess Cadence for expanding those benefits.”

June nodded twice, wiggling in her seat slightly, happy to have her specific needs addressed. “I’m quite happy as I am now, but thank you.”

“You seem like it, but I’m legally required to inform you,” Mayor Violashade admitted with an embarrassed ear twitch. “To continue, you’ll have one month of paid vacation per year, two weeks of sick days to use at your discretion and as much additional time as you need if you can provide doctor’s notes, one and a half years of parental leave, and any work-related expenses you accrue on your own bit will be reimbursed.”

The turquoise mare turned her attention to Sam again. “By the way, I’m working on a plan to rehire you as a full employee so we can bypass Sandstone’s budget veto. There was a lot of red tape, and I didn’t think it was possible, but I’m finalizing the plans now. Please see me next Moonsday, okay?”

Sam’s ears perked. “Okay!”

June cleared her throat. “If I may, what are my job responsibilities?”

“You’ll be given tasks relevant to the observatory’s project and a deadline. Do your best to accomplish them within the deadline,” Mayor Violashade answered immediately. “This isn’t an hourly job. Frankly, we would have to pay you more if it was, but the benefits would be far worse. Put in the time you need. I cannot legally tell you more than that without you having clearance.”

June nodded, picked up the pen, and started to sign her way through the papers. It took her only a few minutes to go through all twenty pages due to her being used to reading dull and dense documents from school.

“Welcome to CARE, Ms. Junebug,” the mayor said, sounding a little relieved to be done. “I am legally required to inform you that while you can tell your friends and family you are employed, you are not allowed to disclose the specifics of your job. While you are allowed to mention working for us, you are highly discouraged from doing so as we prefer it when our agents are not publicly known."

June raised an eyebrow. "So... If I go to tell my mom I got a job, what should I say?"

Trixie cleared her throat. "Just tell him you got a job working for a remote observatory. It's true, and keeps security happy."

The mayor nodded her head in agreement. "That sort of simplicity is the best. As I was saying, you have one week to familiarize yourself with the contents of your orientation packet slash briefing documents before being tested. Your ID and clearance will be completed by the end of the week. In the meantime, please wear this amulet openly. It will serve as a provisional ID while adding you to the town’s illusion whitelist.”

Mayor Violashade then took two sets of keys and a small silver amulet in the shape of an open eye from her desk drawer. She placed them on her desk next to June and nodded towards it.

June picked up the amulet with a hoof, inspected it, then slipped it on. She felt a cool spark of magic tingle through her chest to her eyes, nose, and ears, which quickly faded into background nothingness. “Hey, so, Trixie mentioned these things… What can I expect to see? I don’t want to scream and upset some poor pony who just… I don’t know, has a flower pot for a head or something.”

The mayor laughed and leaned back in her chair. “Oh, I’m sure Fern wouldn’t mind,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “The weirdest thing is probably Enox. She’s… Either a mutant who fully believes she’s an alien enough to pass truth spells, or an actual alien. Looks mostly like a pony but smaller, green, no fur, and antennae instead of ears… Look, she’s a stereotypical little green mare, we leaked her appearance to pop culture just in case she is an alien and her people show up one day. That way nopony panics if slash when they do. She wears a fishbowl that’s full of liquid. It’s supposed to be pure ethanol since that’s what she breathes, but it’s usually full of beer because… Well, it’s sort of like smoking for her.”

June blinked twice and tilted her head. “Wait… But—”

Trixie cleared her throat. “She built a non-magical energy weapon from garbage once because she thought a raccoon was a dire threat to public safety. She’s absolutely an alien. I don’t care what anypony says.”

Dew stood up and raised her hoof. “Miss Mayor?”

“Yes, Dew?” Mayor Violashade said as she shifted her attention.

“It’s totally above June’s clearance, but shouldn’t she know about 1941? Just so she can avoid... you know.” Dew said slowly, looking at June to make sure the younger mare knew this was a crucial thing to be aware of.

“Ah,” the mayor, Sam, and Trixie said together. “Right…”

June raised an eyebrow.

Mayor Violashade coughed into her hoof. “I can’t disclose anything more than this but… If you’re walking alone one night, and the world around you has become a nightmarish reflection of itself at some point, and you can see… Let’s call them oily tendrils in the shadows… Just calmly but firmly say no. They will go away and leave you alone.”

June blinked once. “I’m sorry, but… What?”

Sam sighed and shook her head. “Okay, so… One of the things CARE has here is some kind of eldritch entity. They're creepy but friendly. Too friendly. They seem to think that making everything generally spooky is flirting. You’re not in danger. Just tell them no politely, and they'll go away. No harm, no foul. And uh, no… None of us have seen their full body. Just the occasional group of tentacles waving hi, poking out of portals to buy stuff, that kind of thing. They're kind of just… Around. Sometimes. Not sure how they're contained or if they even are. I don't have clearance for that. They tried to pick me up once, though. Turned a back room I was working on into a way too dark, seemingly infinite void filled with eerily lit mist and a maze-like series of pipes. I almost said yes, though, because it offered me some beer and chocolates... But I didn't because I don't know what happens if you go with them.”

The mayor coughed awkwardly into her hoof. “Uh… Dusk sort of, makes sure she stays here. But you didn’t hear it from me.”

June put her hoof to her chin and did her best to ignore memories of certain neighponese animations she’d seen in college after dark, and failed. “Uh, w— What if someone says yes? Do we know what happens?”

Trixie snorted and flicked her tail with amusement. “One guy claims to have said yes and just went on a date. Like a normal date. To a movie in another dimension. He says they didn't click though so now they're just friends. But he’s a compulsive liar so nopony believes him.”

The mayor cleared her throat again. “It’s generally advised you say no. You’re in no danger regardless, but… I’m not allowed to talk about the test subjects. Though I will say if you go with 1941, when you return, you’ll be a changeling magnet for at least six months. Also, that stallion did go on a date with them, and they are friends now. Just for the record.”

Trixie blinked several times. "Wait... We play poker. Is the weird mute mare he brings with--"

The mayor straightened up in her seat, interrupting and ignoring Trixie. “Like I said, Ms. Junebug, everything here is harmless unless provoked or mishandled. Even the elder thing. It just… Seems to want the occasional pony’s company. Now if you don’t mind, I have to prepare for a meeting, and you should tell your father you’ve taken this position, and make peace from your argument this morning. If you can. But do remember security protocols. Do not talk about the job in detail.”

June's jaw dropped. “How do you know about that?”

“I can read ponies' surface thoughts if they cause enough emotion. And no, I am not a changeling,” Mayor Violashade reapplied simply. “It’s why I live here.”

June took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “So then… this town is just plain old weird?”

“Yep!” Dew proclaimed happily.

“I think I can deal with that,” June said, shaking her head as she smiled. “I was always the odd one out in school… Thanks for the job, ma’am.”

“Don’t thank me,” the mayor said as she flipped a panel on her desk open to look down at the computer terminal built into her desk. “Thank Dusk. No offense, but I wouldn’t have hired you with only a masters without her recommendation.”

June made a mental note to do exactly that and picked up her and Sam’s keys, tossing the second set to the older mare, who caught them expertly in her gauntlets.

“Will do. But still, thanks,” she said as she began to walk out of the office. “Sam? Why don’t you and Dew go home. I’ll meet you there after I let my family know I—”

June opened the office door and froze in place. Standing in the doorway, one hoof raised to knock, was Dusk, and another mare. A green-eyed mare wrapped in a gray silicone body glove wearing a cute outfit consisting of a baggy green hoodie with white socks and boots.

Though June focused foremost on the mare’s face. The family resemblance was uncanny. Her mother’s cheekbones, her nose, her biological father’s broad-based ears (which she shared), her stepdad’s eye shape.

June’s brain shifted without a clutch, searching for any information about the synthetic mare to tell her she wasn’t related to her. She smelled of metal, oil, and silicone. So pheromones were not there to help. Logic provided the sheer impossibility of them being related, but June’s heart flipped logic the double bird and continued to insist they were related.

Okay… This is creepy. June said, her hackles raised as she tried to process everything.

“Uh… Is this some kind of WIP stand-in for my home life?” June asked hesitantly.

The mayor shook her head. “No. We don’t do anything like that. Dusk, explain, please.”

Dusk cleared her throat. “This is a sapient android created by a friend of mine. I’m here to get her a job and a home since her creator has passed. The resemblance is not intended to be distressing to you, June. I assure you that her creator only wanted to shape her as a pony and had no reference other than your family to use.”

June blinked, her head tilting to the left seemingly on its own. “I’m sorry, what?”

June stared into the gray mare’s eyes for several long moments, making the other mare shift from hoof to hoof nervously before extending a shiny metal hoof for June to shake and saying in a noticeably artificial but quite pleasant and chipper voice. “Hi, I’m Ultra Violet.”

"No, you're gray," Dew commented before fachooving. "Wait, that's your name... Sorry!"

June remained still for another long moment, then slowly shook the mare’s hoof. “Junebug.” June introduced, her face taking on a suspicious look.

Wait, she said sapient. That means this is a person, not a machine, despite her body. June realized. She closed her eyes for a moment, centering herself. “Is Dusk telling the truth about your creator using my family as a reference?”

Violet’s eyes brightened, figuratively and literally. “Oh! Yes. Sorry, I wasn't booted up for that. I had to check my database. You’re one of the four ponies my mom scanned to create this body for me. There’s a note here on the rebuild file about it. She was upset she couldn’t get a bigger sample size to make me more unique looking. Sorry, I didn’t mean to creep you out or anything.”

The last piece of a puzzle clicked in June’s mind. She held up one hoof to Violet and said, “Just a moment,” before turning to look at Dusk with as much irritation as she could muster towards the ‘changeling’ who saved her life.

“Why the buck didn’t you just tell me your friend who died made a robot pony who looks like she could be my sister? Furless mare my plot! Okay, well, technically yes, but…” June shook her head slowly. “Come on! You should tell a girl when something like this happens and involves her directly!”

“She’s terrible at being direct,” Sam, Trixie, Dew, and Mayor Violashade said together without any hint of emotion.

Dusk cleared her throat and nodded into the room towards the trio. “What they said… Sorry. I have to be a little cryptic. It’s a rule.”

June rolled her eyes and then pointed to Violet with one hoof. “Well, you know what I’m gonna do about this?”

Dusk frowned slightly, but June continued before she could say anything.

She looked Violet in the eyes and, with all the sincerity and casualness she could muster, said, “Hey, so, I can feel my neurons going ‘Wait, you’re related to her!’ right now, and holy crap, that’s too loud to ignore. Especially since I actually wanted a sister since I was little. Dusk wanted me to hire you as a personal assistant so… I think the only way I can have any kind of relationship with you is to just agree with my brain and pretend you’re my sister. So, when you’re done with whatever you’re here for, just drop by the observatory, okay, sis?”

Violet paused for a notable moment as she did her best to determine what a sister was before answering. “Uh, so… Do you mean sister as in a linked system, or as in a family member?”

June tilted her head, confused as to how anypony could have taken her statement wrong.

“It’s her first day,” Dusk explained. “Literally.”

“I mean that you look too much like you’re my actual sister for me to entirely ignore,” June explained slowly. “Like, you’re poking those herd instincts in the back of my brain. The ones that make ponies do dumb things because that’s what evolution says we do when those bits get poked.”

“Yeah,” Sam agreed. “Color difference aside, I also feel like you two are related. Your inventor probably didn’t know how much appearance affects herd behaviors. Heck, few ponies do. Most of them think it's all scent based.”

“Oh,” Violet said, shrugging slightly within her loose hoodie. “In that case, since it will be hard for you to see me otherwise, and we are in a way related…”

The android looked unfocused for a moment, then said, “Database update complete,” before suddenly smiling at June with genuine happiness. “Hi, sis!”

June blinked twice. “Did… Did you just tell yourself we’re sisters and, like, instantly totally believe that?”

“Yeah,” Violet reapplied, rolling her eyes. “It’s almost like I’m a computer and can just tweak my own code because my uncle was an idiot with programming.”

Everypony flinched.

“What? It’s not like I’ll go Skynet or anything,” Violet muttered. “I have the same risk of being malicious as anyone else. Besides, if her brain is going to scream at her that we’re siblings too loud for her to ignore, it’s only fair that I have mine do the same.”

June raised a hoof to object, then lowered it. “Actually, that is fair. I guess I have an adopted robot sister now! Buck me, this town is a weirdness magnet… But I think I like it. We’ll chat later, Vi. I have to go talk to my parents.”

“Well, that was easy,” Dusk mused to herself. “Probably could have just said an alien computer made a robot that looks like you’re related…”

“Yeah! You super could have because my inner filly would have just squeed and thought that was awesome! Because my inner current age is doing the same bucking thing, because robots are cool!” June snapped irritably. “For the love of Luna, I know changelings are supposed to be secretive but don’t be that cryptic with me in the future, please.”

The mayor blinked. Trixie’s ears perked as an amused grin parted her lips. Dew and Sam snickered. Dusk’s eyes widened with a look of mischief.

“Sorry, June. You know how we changelings can be,” Dusk said with a playful wink. Not at June, but rather everypony else.

The others nodded behind June’s back. The joke would be legendary.

The mayor sighed and slumped down in her chair. “Ms. June, can you please go? I suddenly have to squeeze in an intake meeting before the afternoon’s budget meeting… I don’t have any more time I can afford to waste.”

June nodded and walked out into the hall, followed quickly by Sam, Trixie and Dew. Once the door to the mayor’s office closed behind them June turned to look over her shoulder and asked, “So… Is this a normal day around here?”

“Normal first day,” Sam said with a smirk. “It… It hits hard but then that’s just the new normal.”

Trixie nodded in agreement. “Yeah. I swear this town itself is anomalous. You move here, you get something weird as a new part of your life right away.”

“Okay but… I’m not likely to suddenly find out my dad’s the count of this fiefdom by some weird law and suddenly BAM I’m part of local politics, or anything else bizarre and seemingly impossible?” June asked just to be sure.

Dew giggled. “Nah… But it’s weird that’s where you went when ‘suddenly robot sister’ is the bar that just got set.”

June shook her head. “Oh no it’s not. I’m looking for other adjacent bars of weirdness, because today is so not clearing anything higher than the suddenly robot sister bar.”

“Fair,” Trixie mused. “You really should go talk to your folks, though, and do remember they’re not cleared to know about things like Violet. Also, want me to go with you for support?”

June thought for a moment then shook her head. “Nah, I want to fly over. I’ve been gone long enough.”

Trixie rolled her eyes, transforming with a flash of pale yellow flame into a pegasus version of herself.

“Oh! Right,” June said, blushing and rubbing the back of her head. “Let’s get going then.”

“One second,” Trixie said before moving in front of Sam and spreading her wings slightly while batting her eyes. “What do you think? Better than a unicorn?”

Sam hummed then shrugged. “I don’t know? Tribe doesn't really matter much to me for looks.”

Trixie’s ears drooped. “Right… June let's fly out to your folks.” She said before quickly taking to the air.

Sam and June both frowned, trying to work out what had made the changeling suddenly and mysteriously sad.

“Oh no, there’s two of them now…” Dew muttered into the hoof pressed firmly against her muzzle.