Reach for the Sky

-Everfree Labs Lift Shaft-

The earth pony winced as the lift fell into the darkness with a deafening screech. She hadn’t expected the tracks to fail quite so easily.

One of the unicorns had managed to jump to safety. The light blue ranger stared at the wreckage for a long moment before turning and running back down the tracks. The earth pony let her go. She had other things to worry about.

She jumped from the back of the cyclops war genic and turned to face it. The cyclops was a terrifying creature, all ropey limbs and misshapen muscles with a single eye dominating its face, but they were perfect for traversing the weblike shafts and tunnels connecting the sectors.

“Get down there and see if you can find the wreckage,” she ordered it. “Bring back the cargo at all costs.”

The genic grabbed the edge of the tracks below them and swung down, leaping to a wooden brace and shuffling down. “And don’t damage it, ya hear? We need her in one piece!” The genic climbed lower until it disappeared into the darkness below. “Aw, Granny’s gonna have my hide this time.”

-Endsector-

“I think she’s waking up,” somepony said in a hushed whisper. The noise drove through Twilight’s brain like raging genic and she clenched her teeth against the pain.

“Give her some air,” an elderly pony said.

Twilight groaned and opened her eyes, wincing at the sudden light. Her vision was blurred at first, but once it cleared up she saw a family of earth ponies standing over her.

“Welcome back,” an older stallion said. “We were starting to worry you’d never come to.”

“Where am I?” Twilight asked.

“Endsector. We’re near the edge of town. My kids found you near the scrap heap. What were you doing out there?”

“I...” Twilight took a breath and collected her thoughts. “I fell, I think. From the Everfree Lift.”

The stallion chuckled. “The tracks are four hundred feet up. Nopony could survive a fall like that.”

“I think... It’s all a bit fuzzy, but I think I reflexively decreased the velocity of the wreckage to nonlethal speeds. Magical exhaustion would explain the headache, and that kind of energy usage would explain why I passed out.”

“Uh-huh. In Equestrian?”

“Oh, sorry. I used magic to slow the lift’s fall.”

The stallion arched an eyebrow and whistled. “You stopped that big thing? All on your own.”

Twilight blushed at the looks of disbelief and shrugged. “Was it near where you found me? Can you show me where it is?”

“Uh, sure, but maybe you should lie back down. You still don’t look good.”

Twilight tried to argue, but the room was starting to spin. She fell back onto her haunches. “Maybe. A few minutes isn’t going to hurt anything.”

-Ranger HQ-

“That’s when Trinity attacked,” Trixie said. “An earth pony on a war genic shot at us and blew up the tracks. Twilight and the lift fell.”

“I see,” Captain Steel said, pressing her hooves together and looking over them at Trixie. “And the cargo?”

“Excuse me, ma’am?”

“Did you secure the cargo before returning?”

“Trinity was still there. I barely got out alive,” Trixie said. “The cargo was destroyed. It couldn’t have survived that fall.”

“As likely as that seems,” Steel said, “we do not take chances. Find the cargo, and secure it. Failing that, make sure it’s thoroughly destroyed at least. No matter what it looks like.”

Trixie shivered at the words. “Yes, Captain.”

-Junkyard-

“That’s where we found ya,” the stallion said as they rounded a corner. “Over by the- ah horse apples! What the hay is that thing?” He jumped back behind the wall and Twilight followed.

The lift was sitting haphazardly on a pile of scrap metal, dented and scratched, but in tact. It had fallen over one of the junkyards lower secor ponies often scavenged. Standing over the lift’s main cargo tank was the war genic that had attacked Twilight earlier.

“We oughta get out of here,” the stallion said. “I’ve never seen a genic like that, but it can’t be friendly.”

“It’s not,” Twilight confirmed. “You’re right, get out of here.”

“What about you?”

“I need to secure whatever’s in that lift. Go on, I’ll be fine.”

“Well, uh, if you say so,” the stallion said, moving nervously away. “So, uh, don’t die.”

“Thanks for helping me,” Twilight said as he turned to gallop away. Her attentioned turned back to the war genic. It had clambered up to the top hatch of the tank. After studying it, the cyclops raised a massive fist and brought it down on the tank with a massive boom.

Twilight winced, trying not to imagine what those fists would feel like if the genic caught her. After a moment, the echo of the blow faded into silence.

Twilight could hear another sound. It was too faint to make out, but it sounded like it was coming from the tank.

The genic slammed the top of the tank again. A sharp hiss indicated the blow had cracked the seal. With a final blow, the genic tore the hatch away from the tank and reached it’s massive hand inside.

Twilight held her breath and waited. What could be so important that Trinity would attack the rangers? She quickly started brainstorming several plans to recover the cargo, each one different depending on it’s size and weight. If it was small enough, she could teleport it away without even revealing herself.

The genic straightened up, pulling it’s hand out of the tank, and all of Twilight’s planning fell apart.

The genic was holding a pony.

Twilight stared dumbfounded as the Cyclops lifted a pale yellow pony out of the tank and climbed down to the ground. The pony seemed to be unconscious. Its eyes were closed and it hung limply from the genic’s grasp.

It didn’t have a horn, which made it an earth pony, but it had an extra set of appendages growing from its side. They reminded Twilight of the bats that nested in the higher nooks and crannies of Lowsector borough, but who’d ever heard of a pony with wings?

The genic flipped the winged pony over its shoulder, and she let out a small, pained squeak. Her eyes fluttered open for a second, darting around before closing again, and Twilight realized she wasn’t actually unconscious. Either she was playing dead in the hope the genic would leave her alone, or she was waiting for a chance to make an escape.

The genic moved toward the nearest wall and started to climb. Twilight started forward, desperately searching for a plan. If the yellow pony was the cargo, she couldn’t let Trinity have it. Even if she wasn’t, nopony deserved to be taken away by something like the cyclops.

When no other plans came to mind, she took a deep breath, lowered her head, and blasted the cyclops in the back. Its head jerked back as its body shuddered. After a moment it lost its grip and fell, landing in a crouch. It turned toward her, seemingly unharmed.

“Oh,” Twilight said. “Um, hi?”

The cyclops threw its head back as if to roar. Its body shivered with rage, but with no mouth it couldn’t make a sound. It’s head swung down, its single eye locking onto Twilight. It surged forward, long legs carrying it forward with an uneven stride.

Twilight held her ground, legs trembling as the beast bore down on her. Her horn flared with power and purple energy lanced forward at the genic’s face. It ducked its head, closing it’s eye and took the blast without slowing.

Twilight through herself to the side as the genic’s fist came down where she’d been standing. Before it could stop or turn, she charged toward it. As it slowed, she leapt onto its back and grabbed the winged pony’s front legs. The pony’s eyes flew open in surprise as she was pulled from genic’s shoulder.

They fell into a jumble and quickly pushed themselves to their hooves. “Come on,” Twilight commanded, turning to run further into the junkyard.

Why do you run?

Twilight led the winged pony past piles of twisted metal and collapsed rock. The Endsector air was starting to get to her, burning in her lungs. Her exhaustion from earlier returned as the rush of adrenaline from fighting faded, and she nearly stumbled as the world spun beneath her.

Why do you run and hide like a frightened child?

A crash echoed down from above them, and Twilight barely had time to dive sideways before the Cyclopes dropped onto her. She heard a scream and looked up to see the winged pony struggling as it pulled her up by the mane.

I did not choose a weakling or a coward. Stand and fight.

Twilight’s head was beginning to clear, and the burning in her chest was fading. Her limbs shivered with a rush of energy. She stood.

This is but the first of many trials. Do not falter, do not turn away.

The winged pony whimpered as the genic held her aloft. Twilight’s horn glowed brighter than usual.

You are stronger than those that came before you, stronger than you know. You are our last hope.

The genic threw its head back in a silent scream of pain as it clutched the stump where its arm had been. Twilight landed a dozen feet away, the winged pony clutching to her mane in panic. She turned as the genic closed in on her, its eye wide with rage. Her horn flared again, illuminating the cavern with an intense light.

A moment later it was over.