THE MAGIX: PROLOGUE

The two ponies met on a dark street. One was hidden in a pitch-black alley, perched on a fire escape. Her black attire blended almost seamlessly with her surroundings. A thousand thoughts raced across this pony's mind as she waited for the other in painful anticipation. At last the second pony appeared, slinking silently through the fog of darkness, his black trench coat trailing in the night mist behind him. He stopped, looked to either side of himself, and slipped unseen into the alley's shadows.

"I've been waiting for you, Horus." The mysterious, musical voice came out of nowhere. The stallion simply smiled and shook his head.

"I knew, Amber. I knew."

A split second later, the other pony landed before the first. Though she was no pegasus, her landing was as silent as if she had drifted down on wings. She stood in front of the stallion, an unmistakable look of relief on her face. After all, this pony was her friend, mentor, and captain. "How has our subject been faring?" he asked.

"She's been doing well," the other pony, a unicorn mare, replied. "No problems have come up just yet. I'm not sure if the agents have located her, but I wasn't going to take any chances. As for her, she hasn't made any attempt to contact us. I don't think she knows about us at all. In fact, she seems suspiciously...average."

"Amber, my friend," the other pony said, "This is still only your first shift watching the subject. You haven't seen her completely. Remember what I told you. She lives a double life. This is only one side of her. She changes, trust me."

Amber sighed, crestfallen. "But Horus, I can't now. I've been here for too long. If I stay here any longer, my real body will start wasting away."

Horus nodded. "You've been jacked in for nearly two days, Amber. It's about time you returned home."

"Thank you so much. You're the best." Another thought rose up in Amber's head. "Wait," she said. "If I'm not here, who will contact the subject?"

Horus thought for a moment. "Neon is the only one who hasn't seen her yet," he reasoned. "He's been waiting long enough. He'll do it."

"Will he know how to handle the subject? She's a bit feisty, to say the least."

"I'm sure you'll fill him in. After you've recovered, of course." Amber smiled at Horus. She always knew she could trust him. Even when they'd met, seven years earlier, she'd never doubted him.

Suddenly voices sounded from somewhere down the darkened street, startling both ponies. They quickly hid back in the shadows. A group of seven ponies stumbled drunkenly down the street, no doubt returning from a night of extreme partying. They arrived at a small house to the left of the alley where the two rouge ponies hid. After what seemed like hours of drunken laughter and slurred conversation on the house's front steps, the group said their goodbyes. Two entered the house, the others went on their way. The hidden ponies in the alley finally let their guard down.

"We can't stay here much longer,"Horus whispered. He pulled a black cell phone out of one of his trench coat's many pockets. He dialed one of his contacts. "Spiro, I found her," he said into the microphone. "Take us home."

A few feet away, a pay phone sat, still and quiet. As if by some fluke in the system, it began to ring. The rogues took notice of the malfunctioning phone and moved over next to it.

"You first," Horus told Amber.

Using her telekinetic magic, she carefully lifted the phone off of its cradle and held it to her ear. In seconds her form began to pixelate and glow. With a flash of icy blue light, she was gone. The phone dangled limply at the end of its cord. Horus carefully replaced it. The phone immediately began to ring again. He did the same as Amber had and soon, he too disappeared. Then the streets were silent.

THE MAGIX:CHAPTER 1: The Angels Will Guide You

Rainbow Dash sat, lethargic, at the desk in her room. She was staring blankly at the screen of her laptop. The screen was dormant, save for a few changes she managed to pull together the energy to make, which, obviously, was not very often. She was surrounded by infinite empty Dragonfire Energy cans, the result of yet another attempted all-nighter. The fact that she'd had flight practice early that morning didn't help much. Her addiction to staying up into the early morning made things even worse. Not that it mattered. She was far too tired to regret her habits now, anyway. The digital clock on a nearby wall read 12:52 am, way past midnight. Rainbow Dash's head bobbed, the only sign of activity for a long time. Her magenta eyes could hardly stay open even a slit, if at all. She could just barely hear the muted bleeps of her laptop, which busied itself with downloading and burning some pirated songs from Pmusic, the music shopping site she had hacked into some hours ago.
Rainbow's eyes fluttered. The tiredness was becoming too much to overcome. Then her head dropped and her eyes shut. This time, they stayed that way. Her laptop continued working as she drifted off. Suddenly, the download stopped and the screen flickered. Then it all went black.
"Wha-?" Rainbow Dash jolted awake. It took a minute for the sky-blue pegasus to come to her senses. She stretched her wings, yawned, and looked at her laptop to check her progress. She saw the black screen and screamed.
"What the hay?!" She yelled. "Come on!" She mashed the keyboard and dragged a hoof across the mousepad, agitated. Nothing happened. "Come on!" she repeated. "Are you kidding? I was working 6 freaking hours on that and... NOW? Seriously?" She dropped her head and growled. "Stupid computer." She stared at the darkened screen. How am I going to get all that back? she thought. I can't make Pinkie Pie wait any longer for her Partymix 23. I was supposed to get it to her three days ago. She'll hate me so much for this...
"I'll never procrastinate again," Dash groaned. "Well, that was a total waste of 6 hours." She reached out a hoof to shut her laptop down. But before she could, she noticed a bright green cursor blink on the otherwise solid black background. Rainbow Dash stared at it. Realization hit her. Her computer wasn't malfunctioning. Someone had hacked her!
I should have expected that, she thought. That was the risk of the life she lived, anyway. Everyone in Ponyville knew about her everyday athletic activities. But there was much more to her than that. Rainbow Dash was a hardcore computer hacker.
She wasn't exactly sure why she did it. If anything, it was only a hobby, save for the occasional song-heist or other undercover hacking job. After having been a hacker from the time she was 12, she had become a master. Dash was always careful to stay anonymous during her rounds of hacking. But sometimes, she wasn't sure how, the victim finds out who'd wronged them and hacked her back.
This just so happened to be one of those times. She was still deciding between anger, panic, or just plain annoyance when the cursor moved and her alias appeared in bright green on the blank background.
Rain.
Rainbow Dash stopped breathing. Whoever this was, they knew more about her than she would ever want them to. Only she knew her that alias belonged to her. It was the false name she had made for herself to hide her identity in the hacking world, and she had never used it. It was untraceable. Nopony was should have known it was her. This was not good. When she finally caught her breath, the cursor continued typing.
The Magix has you.
Magix? She felt as if she had heard that word somewhere before. Maybe it was just magics, but misspelled. The Magics has you? No, that didn't sound right. Meanwhile, the glowing green text disappeared and the cursor continued writing.
Answer the door. The angels will guide you. Goodbye.
The text lingered for a few seconds, then disappeared and the screen blinked back to life. The Pmusic page reloaded. It was not only restored to when Rainbow Dash was last using it. The download was complete. "Yes!" she said to herself. She pulled the CD out of her laptop's side and quickly closed the page and shut her computer down before she was caught. If anyone found out where she was getting Pinkie's music, she was dead.
Suddenly a loud, incessant knock sounded at the door. Dash put her laptop away and raced downstairs to open it. Before she could see outside, a pink, curly-maned, blue-eyed head shoved itself in her face. "Dashiiiiie!" it squealed.
Rainbow Dash laughed at her friend's antics. "Pinkie Pie, you are SO random!" she giggled, pushing her friend out of the doorway. Dash swung the door the rest of the way open. Twilight Sparkle's hot air balloon floated out front, just off her porch. All five of her friends stood outside the door, all dressed in partying outfits in a rainbow of blindingly bright colors.
"It's, like, 1 in the morning," Rainbow Dash said in a tired, gravelly voice. "What is this, New Year's? It's the middle of September."
Twilight Sparkle stepped forward in a dark silver dress that made her look like a sleek, charming storm cloud. "It's the fall Equinox tonight," she said, studying Rainbow's rumpled appearance. "Not only that, but it's also a full moon. This is an incredibly rare occurrence. It only happens about every 20 years, so-"
"It's really special!" Pinkie shouted, cutting Twilight off. Her frilly neon-orange party dress bounced around her as she jumped in place, overflowing with excitement. "And not only is it the Equinox and a full moon, but it's also FRIDAY!" Pinkie followed up with one of her classic overly-dramatic gasps. "You didn't forget our plans, did you, Dashie?"
"Plans?" Rainbow Dash mumbled, still collecting her thoughts. She didn't remember making any plans. She was drawing a complete blank as to what her overexcited friend was talking about.
"We were going midnight raving at Glitterati," Twilight explained. "Well, it was supposed to be midnight, but you didn't meet us at Sugarcube Corner to load up on coffee like we agreed. You weren't answering your phone, and we spent half an hour trying to call you. It was getting late and we'd thought maybe you'd forgotten, so we decided to come pick you up."
"Oh, yeah! Those plans. Of course I didn't forget," Rainbow said, though she had no idea when she'd agreed to all this. She simply decided to play along. Rarity pranced up to the doorway wearing an elegant purple minidress and practically dripping with sequins. She stopped and wrinkled her nose, taking notice of Rainbow Dash's messiness.
"Well, if you are coming, then you'd better freshen up. I wouldn't be caught dead looking like that in public."
"Yeah. Just a minute." Dash slipped back inside.
As Rainbow Dash hurriedly combed her tangled, unruly mane, she wondered about the mysterious message she had received. The angels will guide you? What could it possibly mean? Nothing made any sense anymore. She pulled on her favorite burnout tee and a few cheap plastic bangles before rushing back downstairs.
"What took ya so long, sugarcube? We was beginnin' to think you weren't comin'!" Applejack drawled as Rainbow Dash reappeared in the doorway. The orange farm-mare's ruby apple earrings glittered under her black-and-gold cowboy hat. She was wearing a classy modern-cowgirl ensemble, complete with her fancy western boots.
Rainbow shut and locked the door behind her. "No you weren't!" she joked. "Why would I ever back out on my- Fluttershy, seriously?"
"Um.. seriously what?" The shy, yellow pegasus had her long, melon-pink mane tied fashionably back and wore an uncharacteristically edgy blue tube dress. She must have been saving that for a while. Beside the fact that it didn't fit her timid personality, she looked good.
"Are you sure it was a good idea to bring Angel along?" Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash looked down at Fluttershy's little white rabbit. Angel. Dash's face stayed blank, but she had a mental gasp of shock. Is this what the mystery hacker meant? How did they know? All this was starting to scare her.
"I just thought he might like to go into town for a little while," Fluttershy answered, nodding toward Angel, who was fighting with his leash. "Besides, he's been asleep all day and didn't want to go to bed when I had to leave. I'll keep him outside so he won't get scared by the noise. Even if he wants to go in, he'll have me with him. He loves dancing, anyway!" The group of friends laughed. All except Rainbow Dash. She followed along with the others as they piled into Twilight's balloon and floated away from her cloud castle. The mysterious hacker's words still echoed in her mind. The angels will guide you.
As the mane 6 walked the darkened streets of Ponyville, Glitterati's neon signs and flashing strobe lights appeared in the distance. They could hear the club's earth-shaking techno music from a few blocks away. Pinkie pie bounced alongside Rainbow Dash, practically beside herself with excitement. "I don't know if I've ever been more excited in my entire LIFE!" she squealed, repeating the line she always said before big parties. "I mean, sure I've been to Glitterati at least a HUNDRED times, but still! EQUINOX! FULL MOON! FRIDAY! All in one night! It just feels so special. And you know for a fact that I've been to TONS of parties, but Glimmer Glitz, you know, Glitterati's owner, NOPONY, throws parties like her, not even me!" Rainbow Dash pretended to listen to her best friend's raving, but she just couldn't get that message out of her head. She felt so confused, maybe even a little... scared.
Scared? Dash thought, angry with herself for being so immature. That's stupid! It's probably just some nerd trying to get revenge for me hacking them. It could be anything. The message was probably nothing. Even though she was comfortable leaving it at that, something tugged at a corner of her mind, telling her she was wrong. This wasn't just a coincidence or a prank. Someone was out there, trying to tell her something, trying to warn her...
"Stop it!" Dash accidentally said out loud. Pinkie Pie immediately silenced and stopped dead in her tracks.
"W-what did I do wrong, Dashie?" She looked up at her friend with puppy dog eyes.
"I'm sorry, Pink," she apologized quickly, her cheeks blushing with embarrassment. "Just... worried about my... training! Yeah my training. I have to get up early tomorrow, and I was just thinking about how I really shouldn't be staying up like this. It wasn't you."
"Oh. Okay!" As usual, the hyper pink pony jumped directly back into her craze. "It's just SO amazing! I've never seen this happen before. Then again, the last time it happened I was three months old, so..."

Glitterati's flashing lights and loud, blasting music were two things that could make somepony forget almost anything. With such upbeat surroundings and an atmosphere of pure enjoyment, it was almost impossible to think about anything but having fun. Glowing rainbows of light spun and flashed in time to the trance music pouring from the dozens of large speakers positioned all around the club. Everypony there was having the time of their lives. But not Rainbow Dash. While her friends were dancing, talking, laughing, having a great time and not giving a care in the world, she was leaning against the wall, alone and silent. Since receiving that strange, unexplainable message, it had been all she could think about. She knew the message was probably nothing important, but she just couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong. She just couldn't figure out what. While she was contemplating this mystery, Rainbow didn't notice the young black stallion walking towards her.
"Hello, Rain."
Rainbow Dash whirled around to see a pegasus stallion had approached and was watching her intently. He was around her age, maybe a year or two older. His coat and wings were a velvety black and his messy, spiky mane was a mix of vibrant neon colors. A small white circle with multi colored bolts of electricity striking toward a thin white line encircling them embellished his flank. A plasma-ball cutie mark. He had the brightest green eyes she had ever seen. They practically glowed with a light of their own.
She eyed him suspiciously. "You know my alias," she responded.
"I know a lot of things about you. Maybe even more than your friends."
Dash gasped.
"You!" she shouted. "You sent me that creepy message!"
The stallion laughed. "Did I scare you?"
"What the hay was that for, you pervert?" she growled at him. "What are you, a stalker?"
He smiled. "No, I'm not a stalker. You're just kind of... famous where I'm from."
Dash sneered at the stallion, annoyed. "And where is that, exactly?"
"Does it really matter? When you think about it, nothing does."
"What are you talking about? You don't make any sense."
The stallion wasn't laughing anymore. His sly smile was gone, his face serious. "Enough small talk, Rain," he said. "That's not why I'm here. I've come to warn you. You are in serious danger."
Dash was shocked, but she still refused to trust this stranger. "Danger? Why?"
"I can't tell you. I've been sworn to secrecy," he told her. "This is all you need to know: They are watching you, Rain. They are hunting you. They want you dead."
Rainbow Dash was getting scared. "Hunting me? Who is?"
The stallion continued. "I can't say. You'll know them when you see them. They are impossibly fast, strong, and almost never alone. If you ever see even one of them, RUN. Understand?" Rainbow Dash nodded, too shocked and scared to respond. The stallion didn't speak, either. He simply stared into Rainbow's eyes. Suddenly there was a flicker in them, some emotion that she didn't quite catch, gone as soon as it had appeared.
"Why won't you say something?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I still don't understand. There has to be something else."
The stallion looked at her knowingly and gave a small smile. "Because you're going to wake up any second now."
Then, ever so slowly, the images around her began to blur and the throbbing music was replaced by the buzzing of an alarm clock.

THE MAGIX:CHAPTER 2: Bugged

Rainbow Dash slapped a hoof onto her alarm clock, which she had conveniently forgotten to turn off. She stretched and yawned in her plush cloud bed. "I had the weirdest dream last night," she said to herself. "They are watching you... hm, I wonder who that guy was." Lazily she went through her morning routine, preparing herself for a day at the Ponyville mall with her friends, thinking about her dream all the while. Her mornings had been this way for a long time. She always woke up from an impossibly realistic dream, dazed and confused, feeling as if she hadn't gotten any sleep. This happened to her all the time, but she felt there was something exceptional about this dream, something that she couldn't quite figure out. Who knows what it is? she thought. She thought nothing of it as she flew out the door.

"Is this real turquoise?" Rarity telekinetically sifted through a rack of gemstone bracelets, horn glowing. She held up the bracelet to Twilight Sparkle, who looked at the price tag and shook her head.
"Obviously not," she said. "If the gems were real, these would be too valuable to be sold at these prices."
Rarity nodded. "Good! Another thing is that if you look very closely at how it catches the light, you'll notice that..."
In the nearby clothing racks, Rainbow Dash watched the glamorous unicorn giving another "lesson" to her geeky friend. "Rarity thinks she's so smart," she said sarcastically. Applejack looked at her from behind a graphic tee she was reading.
"'Cuz of all her gem 'n fashion know-how?" She tossed her hastily tied mop of unruly blond hair. "Honestly, the girl has a heart o' gold in the right place, but all that prissin' gets on mah nerves. She's gotta learn bein' pretty ain't the most important thing in the world."
Pinkie Pie bounced over, wearing a ridiculous, oversized, feather-covered hat. "Does this color suit me?" she asked.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack burst out laughing. "Where in tarnation did ya get that thing?"
Pinkie looked confused. "You don't like it?"
Dash grinned. "No, Pinks. It's perfect for you!"
Pinkie Pie looked at herself in a mirror. She made a few faces, posed, then said, "Okey-dokey-lokey then! I love it!" She zoomed over next to Rainbow Dash. "So did you have fun last night?"
"Last night?"
Pinkie cocked her head. "Yeah. At Glitterati, remember? Wow, you forget everything these days. You're such a Forgetty McForgetterson!"
Rainbow Dash remembered the plans she'd made weeks ago. She and her friends were going midnight raving for the Equinox. Had she missed it? Then she remembered her dream.
"Oh, yeah! That... yeah I had a great time." What is she talking about? she wondered. I could have sworn that party wasn't real. Before she could think about it any further, Rarity and Twilight trotted up to them. Twilight was putting her cell phone back into her saddlebag.
"Fluttershy just called," she said. "She can't come shopping today. Angel is a little cranky from being up too late last night, so she has to stay home and make sure he gets some sleep."
Rainbow's heart froze. Oh no. Not you too! It was all a dream. How is this possible?
Luckily nopony noticed her distress. "I simply had the most wonderful time," Rarity fantasized. "The outfit I picked was coordinated perfectly. I fit in perfectly with the rest of the ravers, yet still stood out. Classic combination. And normally normally I'm not much for club music, but last night, the song choice was fantastic! And the BOYS! Oh, the stallions just wouldn't let me out of their sight!" She eyed Rainbow and a coy look crossed her flawless face. "Speaking if stallions, who was that simply de-licious young thing you were talking to, Rainbow Dash?"
The pegasus was even more baffled. "Who, me? I wasn't talking..."
"Oh yes y'all were!" Applejack elbowed her, grinning.
Pinkie hopped forward. "You know, tall, dark, handsome, totally awesome-tastic-looking and almost as colorful as you?"
"Ummm..."
"Come now, Rainbow Dash, you have to know his name. What's he like? What did you two talk about? Did you get-*gasp*- digits? Come on, spill, spill, spill!"
I'd like to spill you right about now, Rarity, Dash thought. It seemed everypony had gone crazy. The party was just a dream, she knew it was! Calm down, Rainbow Dash. Just tell them what you dreamed. She took a deep breath. "Actually, I don't know his name."
All the ponies joined in one collective "Awwwwwwww!" of disappointment.
"Oh, well," Twilight sighed. "You never were the flirtatious type. But there was this weird thing that happened on the dance floor. I had just gone up to the DJ booth to put a request in, when-"
Rainbow Dash zoned out as she usually did during conversations like this. Her eyes wandered aimlessly around the store, from the dresses, to the jewelry, to the other shoppers. Then she noticed the strangest thing. Dash blinked. Was her mind playing tricks on her? No. There he was, clear as daylight, standing so still she almost mistook him for a mannequin. He was a tall, basic brown stallion. Why was he just standing there? Was he a security guard? He was dressed in a black suit and mirror sunglasses, nothing that any mall cop she had seen would wear. He almost appeared to be waiting for someone... No, searching for someone.
Suddenly his head turned toward Rainbow, sending shock waves through her. She quickly looked away. What just happened? It was as if he'd known she was staring! Rainbow Dash's heart began to pound. Something about that stallion made her uneasy. She looked back up to study him better- And he was gone. What the... She hadn't heard hooves moving across the hard tiles of the floor, and it had been only a few seconds since she'd seen him last. Her eyes began to drift again, to the other side of the store-
And there he was again, watching her, even closer this time. Something like a warning echoed in her brain.
He's dangerous. Get out of there. NOW.
Rainbow Dash's mind raced. She needed a distraction, fast.
"Dammit!" she blurted out.
"She was so strange. It looked like her fur used to be pink, but she'd dyed it, and- what is it, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight said, interrupting her story.
"I- um- I...,"Dash stuttered, groping for an excuse to leave. "I have to... practice! Yeah, I scheduled a flying practice for today, and I just completely forgot. I have a race coming up, and-" She flexed her muscular sky-blue wings. " I've got to keep these babies in shape! Gotta dash! Bye!" She galloped off without another word.
Once out of her friends' sight, Rainbow Dash broke into a full-on sprint. She didn't dare look back to see if the strange stallion was following her. All she could do was run away as fast as she could. Once outside, she could fly all the way back to her house. There was no way that creep could keep up with her. Even if he did have wings, which he obviously didn't, he would never even come close to catching the world's fastest pegasus. She was almost out. The exit was right in front of her.
Suddenly somepony stepped directly in front of her. Rainbow Dash slammed into them, too panicked to see where she was going. She peeled herself off the ground and pushed herself forward. She was almost out the door, her hooves just inches from the metal handle, when somepony jumped her, knocking her helplessly to the ground.
Next thing she knew she was fighting against a pair of incredibly strong forelegs, which dragged her, kicking and screaming, into a dark corner. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to scream for help when a hoof clamped over her face. She felt hot breath on her neck, then heard somepony speaking directly into her ear in a harsh, angry whisper.
"Keep quiet and cooperate, and we'll both get out of this alive."

Rainbow Dash sat quietly in the empty office. She drummed her hooves on the desk in front of her as she waited for the suited pony to return. All she remembered after being jumped was being blindfolded, hoof-cuffed, and forced into a car. At least she thought it was a car, judging from the vibrations she felt and all the engine noise. It had taken several minutes to get where she currently was. Where, she had no idea. Her blindfold wasn't removed until she was already in the building. By then, it was too late to figure anything out. She wanted to leave as soon as she could, but she wouldn't know where to go. She didn't know where that stallion had taken her. All Rainbow knew was that she had been kidnapped, or arrested, or something of the like, and she wasn't safe where she was. She heard hoofsteps outside the office's single locked door. Rainbow stayed silent as the suited pony entered, followed by two other stallions in suits and shades who looked almost exactly alike, as if cut from the same chestnut-brown fabric. One carried a very thick file folder, which he promptly dropped on the desk before going to stand guard at the door with the other. The main pony sat in front of Rainbow Dash on the desk's other side. He opened the file folder. "Dash, Rainbow D, I presume?"
"Yes," Dash answered uneasily. "My name is Rainbow Darcy Dash."
"I am Agent Steel," he introduced himself. He had a deep, intimidating voice, with a sharp, steely edge that matched his name.
Rainbow began to ask him a question. "Why am I here? I haven't done anything wrong."
"Your record says otherwise," Agent Steel calmly stated. "Apparently you have been living, for quite some time, what most would call a double life."
Dash started up again. "Double life? What is that supposed to-"
"In one life, you live as Rainbow Darcy Dash, an average pegasus mare, age 21, athletic, cares about her social life. The other, I must say, is very different."
She once again tried to put a word in. "I don't live a double life. What are you-"
Agent Steel proceeded to cut her off again. "In your second life, you live under the hacker's alias Rain. You're a rule-breaker, a risk-taker. We have records of you hacking music browsing sites and pirating songs as opposed to purchasing them legally. We have also caught you breaking into online accounts, hacking public online browsing sites for your own exploitation, hacking city records and changing events, even one incident where you hacked your high-school principal's school website account and added several- how to say it ?- unmentionable sites to his list of favorites, causing him to lose his job. In this file alone, you have committed nearly every computer crime Equestria has a law for. It also seems you have used your computer knack to earn yourself money. We have files containing evidence that you have sold pirated music to unsuspecting clientele and also have been paid to hack others as a sport of revenge. As of now, you should have a Royal Guard criminal record."
Rainbow Dash tried to speak again. "That's not me! I'd never-"
"Miss Dash," Agent Steel continued, completely ignoring her, "You can deny it all you want. You may not believe me, but all the evidence you need is right here. We know the truth. Now you do as well. One of your lives is stable. You'll finish college, get a job, possibly even join the Wonderbolts or raise a family, just like every common young pony dreams of doing. In the other, you're likely to get caught or die young. We need you to make a decision, Miss Dash." He removed his sunglasses, revealing icy blue eyes. "Are you Rainbow Dash or Rain? Take your pick."
By now, Rainbow Dash was done with this pony's rudeness. She had never cared much about manners, but the way he constantly interrupted her was really pissing her off. He was so cocky, so self-important, so... Oh, he was going to get it now.
"I have a few questions of my own," she hissed. "Like, why won't you let me talk?"
Steel responded, irritatingly calm. "This is an interrogation. Your input isn't needed unless asked for."
This only got Dash angrier. "Why? Why are you being such a freaking snob about this? What are you going to do, torture me for answers? I'm telling you now, cutting me off won't stop me from screaming!"
Agent Steel smiled. "Miss Dash, what use is screaming when no one can hear you?"
He seemed to be trying to get her mad. "What the hay is that supposed to mean? That doesn't make any sense. Of course somepony would hea-"
Silence. Suddenly Rainbow Dash's voice cut off, becoming a dry, bat-like squeal, then disappeared completely. She clutched at her throat. "What is this?" she mouthed. "What did you do to me?" No matter how hard she tried to speak, no sound came out of her mouth. Agent Steel replaced his sunglasses. "Grab her."
Before she could react, the two guards at the door took Rainbow Dash by the forelegs and pinned her against the pristine plaster wall of the office. "What are you doing?" she mouthed frantically, struggling in the guards' grip. "Let go! Put me down!" Steel opened a drawer on the desk and removed a small metal ball. A single green light blinked on its surface. He pressed it, and the light turned red and stopped flashing. "I'm sorry I have to do this, Miss Dash," he said, approaching her, watching her squirm. "But with crime comes punishment. And yours is long overdue."
Slowly, the ball in his hoof began to twitch, then its surface seemed to shift and peel back, morphing into something horrible. The smooth metal surface cracked open and split apart, some sections sinking toward its core, others pressing forward and spreading out or telescoping into long, thin extensions. Rainbow Dash watched in horror and the simple metal ball became something completely unearthly. When its disturbing transformation was complete, the end result resembled a robotic parasprite, with tiny, stubby legs and huge black camera-lens eyes. The only difference was the wings. It didn't have any. Instead, six long, whip-like tendrils extended from its back where its wings should have been.
Rainbow Dash automatically began to panic. Whatever her was planning to do with that parasprite, it couldn't be good. The guards' grip on her tightened. "Now hold still," Steel said, coming towards her with the parasprite. "This won't hurt... much."
Without warning, he grabbed her face, forced her mouth open, and jammed the parasprite inside. Dash silently screamed. The thing rolled itself further back into her mouth. She writhed, kicking the wall, trying desperately to twist out of the guards' grasp. Rainbow Dash silently shrieked in pain as the robot's sharp tendrils spun to life, scratching at the back of her throat, pulling itself in deeper. She gagged and tried to cough it up, but it didn't move. It continued dragging itself down her throat, scratching at her flesh, choking her. In her panic, she realized she couldn't breathe. The parasprite was in deep enough to suffocate her. She coughed and gagged, trying to breathe, trying to scream, but Agent Steel was right. No one could hear her. The lack of air was making her dizzy. Her struggling slowed. She was about to pass out. I can't breathe, she thought, I'm going to die...
She could still feel the parasprite pulling itself deeper and deeper inside her. It hurt. Oh, Celestia, it hurt. Dash couldn't take it anymore. Then everything went black.

THE MAGIX: CHAPTER 3: Waking Up

Rainbow Dash woke up screaming. She kicked her blankets onto the floor with a panicked thrash. She sat bolt upright, breathing heavily. After a few seconds she began to calm down. Her bedroom came into focus. She took a deep breath. The horrible experience was just a nightmare. Dash fell back down onto her pillow, relieved. Just a dream, nothing more.
Rainbow knew for a fact that none of what had just happened to her was real, but the vividness of her dream made her shudder. It had all been so real. She had felt the agent attack her, being dragged across the floor, the vibrations of the blind car ride, being held against the wall, and the parasprite... Just thinking about her encounter brought up an odd, sick feeling in her stomach. Or had it been there since she woke up? Rainbow shook the thought out of her head. No, she thought, Now you're just being silly. Leaving it at that, she headed downstairs, out the front door and onto the porch.
As Rainbow Dash stretched her wings and breathed in the sweet, magical scent of early fall, she finally felt at peace. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Her life felt the same as always. There were no cryptic messages, no strangers who knew everything about her, no weird android-ponies hunting her, and definitely no way that her dreams were reality. Even meeting that stallion at Glitterati on Friday... That could have been just a coincidence, right? Maybe an old friend from flight school? Whatever. Nothing was happening as long as she didn't think about it. She repeated this thought to herself as she stepped off her porch and began her morning flight.
However, when Rainbow Dash returned, so did all her suspicions, fighting their way back into her head with a vengeance. All because of one small, unmarked box sitting innocently on her doorstep. That's funny. She didn't remember ordering anything. Maybe it was just Pinkie Pie, dropping off another of her surprise presents. She did that all the time. Or maybe it was that stupid, wall-eyed mailpony, Derpy Hooves, making another postage mistake. That was a very irritating habit of hers. But what if...
"Stop it!" Dash scolded herself. "You promised that you wouldn't do this anymore. It's just a blank package. Where's the suspicion in that?"
Rainbow Dash picked up the box and shook it. It didn't sound dangerous. She took it inside without a second thought.
The small package sat on her kitchen table. At first, Rainbow simply stared at the small cardboard cube, as if unsure what to do with it. Then, without a moment's hesitation, she tore it open. Then she sat back, confused. In the box lay a simple black cell phone. Even though Pinkie's gifts were sometimes extravagant, a cell phone would be a bit much. As for the Derpy theory, it made even less sense now than it did to begin with. Why would somepony specifically order a blank package? Before Rainbow Dash could think it through any further, she heard a high, chirping noise. She looked down into the box again. The cell phone was ringing.
All she could do was stare. If this was a brand-new phone, it wouldn't be connected to a network. How had it ended up in her hooves, anyway? The phone continued to ring. Rainbow Dash hesitated for just a second, then picked up the cell phone and pressed the call button.
"Hello?" she said warily into the mouthpiece.
A low, mysterious voice answered on the other end. "Rain?"
"Who is this?" Dash demanded. "How do you know my alias?"
"That isn't important right now," the voice answered. "What is important is that something has happened to you, something you may not believe is real. But believe me when I say it was. Listen to me, Rain. You are in a very sensitive state right now. If you stay in this state for too long, it is very likely that you'll die."
Rainbow thought back to her dream from the previous night. "Are you that creepy agent from the mall?" she hissed.
"No. I am quite the opposite," the voice said. "My name is Horus. I am sorry we had to meet this way. Now, in order to stay alive, you'll need to listen to me and do exactly as I say."
"No way!" Dash snapped. "The last time that happened, I-" She cut herself off, realizing she was treating her dream like a reality.
"I know you're shocked, Rain. We all saw what happened to you," Horus explained.
"Who's we?" Rainbow Dash asked. "How do you know all this?"
Horus's voice quickened. "I can't explain now," he said hurriedly. "This connection might be tapped. Do you have a pen and paper with you?"
Dash fetched the two items off the counter. "Uh-huh."
"Write this down. You CAN'T forget, you hear me?" Horus insisted. "Be in the parking lot behind the old Ponyville Playhouse at 7:30 pm exactly. Remember, Rain: Your life depends on it."
Rainbow Dash scribbled to note onto her foreleg instead of the paper. "My life de-" she managed to get out before the other end hung up and the line went dead. "Great. Just great."

A heavy rain fell as a lone pegasus galloped towards a large Victorian building. This was the former Ponyville Playhouse, a once grand theater and center for art and culture. But times had changed, and the playhouse had long since been abandoned. In sharp contrast to its glory days, it had become a secluded hideout for runaways and vandals. It was the perfect place to hold a secret meeting.
Rainbow Dash ran towards the rundown parking lot behind the creepy old structure. There she huddled, shivering, under the weather-beaten awning over a doorway to the back entrance. She looked at the black cell phone, which she had brought with her in case this "Horus" character called again. The clock on the tiny screen on the phone's front read 7:28 pm. Now all she had to do was wait.
Sure enough, at exactly 7:30, a black car pulled into the decrepit lot. Motorized transport was a rare sight in Ponyville, as it was mainly made up of Earth ponies, who preferred walking. Seeing one gave Rainbow Dash an uncomfortable feeling. What was going on? Rainbow Dash stood up and went over to the mysterious car. The driver's side window rolled down. An midnight-blue Earth mare with a flyaway purple mane looked out at her. She wore a short black trench coat and a pair of wayfarer sunglasses.
"You're Rain, right?" she said in a matter-of-fact voice.
"Yeah, that's me," Rainbow Dash responded uneasily.
The mare removed her sunglasses, showing her fierce grey eyes. She jerked her head toward the back seat. "Hop in. My name is Misty, by the way."
Rainbow Dash thought about her alias. Rain. It seemed to be what everyone called her now. Maybe I should just change my name, she thought as she opened the back seat door. Yeah. My name is Rain now.
Waiting for her on the other side was a amber-orange unicorn with a short dark mane cut in layers and falling in a deep swoop over her left eye. A circular, pixelated black starburst pattern adorned her flank, something that looked like a dark 8-bit firework. She was dressed in a black tank top with a matching hoodie, cut short so it ended just above her waist. "Well?" she said. "Are you just gonna stand there getting soaked or are you coming in?" Rain quickly slid into the back seat and slammed the door shut.
As her shivering slowly wore off, the car took them to Ponyville's outskirts. It was a only a small part of Ponyville, once just as populated and lively as the rest of the cheery city. But that had been a long time ago. After a parasprite invasion that had taken place before Rain had even learned to talk, the entire area had been completely abandoned. It was now nothing more than a crumbling, forgotten district filled with ghost stories and urban legends.
A small, cherry-red filly in the front passenger seat with a feathery, bright blue mane who Rain had previously overlooked introduced herself as Cherrybomb. She prattled on and on, filling Rain in on all that she was confused about. They were part of a secret organization working against something called the Magix. They had been studying Rain for months, readying her for whatever lay ahead on Ponyville's dark side. The unicorn who sat next to Rain didn't say a word. She seemed one of the strong-and-silent types.
"We're almost there," Misty said from the driver's seat. "Just a few more minutes."
"Great. This suspense is killing- OW!" Rain shrieked as a sharp pain arose from somewhere inside her. She doubled over, clutching her stomach.
"Oh, sh..."The mare next to her whipped around to look at her. "What happened?"
"It feels-" Rain stuttered. "It was almost like... something bit me!"
"Misty, stop the car!" the mare shouted. The car jerked forward and screeched to a stop.
Cherrybomb looked over the back of her seat. "What's going on?" she said, sounding scared.
The unicorn, however she tried to cover it up, seemed frightened too. "She's bugged. The sprite just activated."
"Thank Celestia we came prepared," Misty said.
"What the hay," Rain said, wincing as another pain rose up inside her, "is a sprite?"
"They're modeled after parasprites," Misty explained, fishing around under her seat and pulling out a silver case. "They can be used as torture devices or to get information. If left undetected too long, they can activate without warning and kill their host. And, unfortunately, you've got one."
"When did I ever- AGH!" Rain couldn't finish her sentence.
"That's how you can tell they've activated," the unicorn next to Rain said. "They start to move."
Rain could suddenly feel a weight rolling around inside of her. Misty handed the case to the unicorn, who opened it and began removing all sorts of equipment. She slipped two grayish bands onto Rain's wrists and three small adhesive pieces, which she attached to Rain's torso. She then connected everything together with wires and plugged them into the case. She removed a large switch from the case and handed it to Cherrybomb. The last things she took out were a flexible tube-covered wire and a pair of what looked like an oversized pair of tweezers with suction cups at the end of each prong. She handed the ball and wire to Rain. "Put that in your mouth, as far back as you can get it without choking."
Rain did as she was told. Misty spoke up from the driver's seat. "Try to hold still. This is a delicate operation, and it doesn't exactly tickle."
The unicorn picked up the tweezers using her magic and put a hoof against Rain's throbbing stomach. "Keep your head tilted back, okay?" she instructed. "You're probably not going to like this. Got the switch, Cherry?"
Cherrybomb held her switch proudly, one hoof poised to throw it. "Ready!"
"Okay, on my signal. 3, 2, 1... CLEAR!"
Cherrybomb threw the switch. Rain felt a sudden jolt of electricity. She screamed as whatever was inside her thrashed for a second, then it stopped. The unicorn pushed her hoof forcefully forward, making Rain gag. She then got a horrible, disgusting feeling in her throat that could only be compared to swallowing a tangerine backwards. Rain retched uncontrollably, feeling she was about to vomit. The thing kept moving upward and stuck to the metal ball. With not a second to spare, the unicorn caught it and pulled it out, along with the metal ball. What she held in the tweezers was...
A robotic parasprite. It was the exact one from Rain's dream, only motionless and slimy. Rain screamed.
"HOLY CELESTIA! WHAT IS THAT? THAT THING WAS REAL?!"
"Didya get it? Didyadidyadiya?" Cherrybomb asked excitedly.
"Yep," the unicorn mare said. "We're safe now." She opened the window and tossed the dead sprite out into the rain.
Rain was hyperventilating. "I am freaking out. I am OFFICIALLY freaking out!"
Misty rolled her eyes and started driving again. "Oh, relax. You made it, didn't you?"
The unicorn sighed, closing the silver case. "Remember that thing I said about "other people have feelings?"
Misty let out a snort of laughter and turned the car into an alley. "Good thing we caught that sprite when we did," she said. "It looks like we're here." She shut the car down and climbed out, followed by Cherrybomb and the unicorn. Throwing aside her last hesitations, Rain followed them.

Amber ran ahead of the group. She had to fill Horus in on what had just happened and let him know that the subject was okay. She reached the makeshift lab they'd set up and swung the door open. A dust-grey unicorn with a spiky red-orange mane and a cutie mark of a flame looked up from his work as she trotted over. "Hey, Ash," she said casually.
"Amber!" he called her over. "The system's almost ready. Is Rain here?"
Amber nodded. "I can't stay and chat. Something's come up, and Horus needs to know. It's really important. Have you seen him?"
"I think he's in the main room waiting for you guys. If he's not there, then I'm sure he's roving around here somewhere."
"Thanks, Ash. You're a lifesaver."
"Happy to help," he said, turning back to his work. With a flip of her short black mane, Amber ran off to tell Horus about the sprite. She never noticed the look of sick excitement on Ash's face.

Misty and Cherrybomb led Rain through a small hallway. The building they were in looked kind of like an old apartment complex, but obviously empty. The wallpaper was torn and peeling, the paint chipped and cracked, and the rough carpet loose from the floor, folding over itself at the corners. This place is creepy, Rain thought. At least if I want to leave I know where I am.
The three mares stopped in front of a pair of double doors. "You go in here," Cherrybomb said. "Do you want us to come?"
"Ummm..." Rain considered her answer.
"Pleeeease?" Cherrybomb made her eyes huge and watery. "I never get to hear about anything until the last minute. I want to know what happens first this time. Please let me come with you? Pleeeease?"
Misty nudged the little filly. "Leave her alone. She's got enough to handle as it is."
"It's okay," Rain answered. "She can come with. Sure." Secretly, going in alone scared her. She had no idea what would be waiting for her on the other side of the doors. Knowing that even a filly wasn't afraid made her feel a just a bit better.
Cherrybomb bounced up and down. "Great! I'm so excited!" Rain pushed the doors open and entered the room. It was large, high-ceilinged and empty, save for a few chairs and a coffee table in the center. There were several doors on the opposite side of the room, each a different color leading to a different place. One opened, and in strode a tall, dark brown Earth stallion. His mane was an intense dark brown and cut close to his head, and he wore a long black trench coat and simple John Lennon sunglasses. He looked at Rain and smiled.
"Rain," he said. "You made it."
Rain recognized that voice. "Are you..." she mumbled, unable to find the words.
"Horus? Yes, I am," he said, finishing off Rain's sentence. "We've been expecting you."
Suddenly a little red-and-blue ball of energy bounded forward. "Horus! I'm glad to see you again! Is everything ready for the transition? I can't wait! I'm so excited!"
"Cherrybomb!" Horus exclaimed at the sight of her. "How did I know you'd follow Rain?"
"Well..." Cherrybomb pawed the floor with a hoof. "It's kind of a long story. Should I leave?"
Horus nodded. "This is probably a conversation best kept private. I know you want to hear it all first, but some of the things I need to talk with her about are a little... personal," he gently explained as Cherrybomb sat and listened. "I have a job for you. Why don't you go help Ash set up the transition? I think he's still doing the security and connection checks. He'd appreciate the help."
"Okay!" she agreed, and with that she scampered out of the room.
"Now, then." Horus looked back to Rain. "I'll assume you're a little confused as to why you're here."
Rain flicked a strand of rainbow mane out of her face. "Oh, you don't say? That's the understatement of the year."
"You've been brought to us because you have a gift. Though you may know none of us at all, we have been searching a long time for you. Once you were found, we followed you, studied you, protected you, even. You are in danger, Rain. Those stallions who attacked you in what you have been led to believe was a nightmare are real. They have been working against us since our mission began. We believe that discovering you has not only raised tensions between us and them, but with you as well." He removed his sunglasses and stared at Rain with the deepest, darkest brown eyes she had ever seen. "You have been taken here because we want to save you, Rain. Those agents want you dead."
Rain felt shaken. Of course she'd been scared. She had known this whole time that something was wrong. She had never realized just how serious this was. "Those ponies were going to KILL me?" she gasped.
Horus looked down at his hooves, obviously concerned. "Yes, at best," he said, a deep, solemn tone in his voice. "They are the ones who defend the Magix. They know how long we have been searching for someone like you. If we are successful, you will be our ultimate weapon in destroying them and the Magix itself."
Rain opened her mouth to respond, but coughed just as she was about to speak. She faintly tasted something like blood. "I'm sorry," she said. "This thing happened on the way here, and-"
"You were bugged and they had to remove a sprite from you. I heard. Amber told me before you showed up."
Rain straightened herself up and began again. "So this "gift" I have... what exactly is it?"
"There are no others who currently have it, and only one in the entire history of the Magix who ever has. Your mind is very strong, Rain. Strong enough, in fact, that if used correctly, you could have the power to do the impossible, see the Magix as it truly is, even manipulate it to your own will. With our help, you will be able to do this. All we ask in return is your trust."
Rain carefully considered her answer. "This all sounds like a really great chance, and if I can unlock my... power, like you said, I just might do it. But there's one last thing that I don't understand. This whole time everypony has been talking about this "Magix" thing. It seems to have a lot to do with me, but I have no idea what it actually is. What is the Magix?"
"What is the Magix?" Horus repeated her question. "Using just words, it is almost impossible to describe. All I can say is this. You are living it right now. None of what you see is real."
"None of what I see..." Rain murmured. She looked around the room. It all seemed real to her. She could smell the dusty air, feel the cracked tiles under her hooves... and none of it was real? "It all seems real, but you're saying that it's not."
"Exactly." Horus looked at her, nothing but pure honesty in his eyes. "Rain, let me ask you a question. Have you ever had a dream so vivid, so lifelike that you could have sworn it was real?"
She was surprised by his question. "Does this have anything to do with that double-life thing those agents were talking about?"
"In a way, yes," Horus replied. "What do you think would happen if you were trapped in that dream, if you were unable to wake up?"
"I guess you'd just be stuck, living in a dream for the rest of your life."
"How would you be able to tell the difference between the dreamworld and the real world?"
"You're trapped in the dream. You can't tell."
Horus nodded. Rain knew she'd answered his question correctly.
"This is what the Magix is. A dream where you never wake up."
He proceeded to ask another question. "Do you now wonder what's out there, Rain? Awake from the dream in the outside world? I'll warn you now. Horrible things go on outside the Magix, disturbing truths you may not want to see. I'll need you to make a choice for me, Rain."
He led her to the room's opposite side, between two of the doors. He motioned to the one on the left. "This door leads downstairs and to the exit. Misty will drive you home and tomorrow, you'll wake up in your average life believing whatever you want to believe and never hear from us again. This door, however," he motioned to the door on the right, "goes directly to our lab. We've set up a jackout system for you, to wake you up and free you from the dream. You will live in the real world, see what has become of Equestria, and learn the truth behind the Magix, and become the pegasus you were meant to be. We are not forcing you into anything. The choice is yours."
He backed away slightly, as if to give Rain more room to think. She stared at the two doors, focusing alternately between one and the other. "Keep my normal life..." she mumbled to herself, "...or learn the truth. Stay here, or a new life. Stay trapped... or be free." Rain made her decision. She turned to Horus. "I want to know what's out there."
Horus seemed surprised. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," Rain said with finality. "I am not scared of anything. I would rather face the truth, no matter how horrible it is, than never have taken the chance. I have never backed down from a challenge, and I'm not starting now."
"You know that once you have made your decision, you can never turn back."
"I know. That's a risk I'm willing to take. I'm not scared. I want to know what's being hidden from me. I'm ready for this."
Horus smiled. "I was hoping you would say that. Follow me."
He opened the right door and led Rain down a long, empty hallway and opened a door at the very end. "It looks like the transfer is ready to begin."
Rain was stunned by the sight. They had entered at the top of a short metal staircase leading down into the room. It was filled with hundreds of pieces of equipment and machines, so futuristic that Rain didn't even know what they were called, all alive with blinking lights, glowing screens and mechanical noise. They were all interconnected to one huge control panel set into one wall of the room. In the very center of the room was a large glass tank, big enough for a pony to lay comfortably in. Cherrybomb popped up from behind one of the machines. "Hi, guys!" she chirped cheerfully and she bounced up the stairs. "So, what happened? What did I miss?"
Horus laughed and ruffled her short blue hair. "All in good time," he put simply.
"Awww," she sighed, less energetic, but still excited. "Anyway, Ash said we can start the transition now."
Rain looked quizzically at Horus. "What's a transition?"
"It's the process of waking you up and getting you safely unplugged," he said. He turned to Cherrybomb, still sitting at the top of the stairs. "Can you get Amber and Misty? We'll need all the help we can get."
She nodded vigorously and galloped off through the doorway Rain and Horus had just come through.
"Ash! Are you down there?" Horus called into the lab.
The dusty grey unicorn emerged from behind the control panel. "Yeah," he answered. "Just finishing up the connection." He looked at Rain and gasped. "Th-that's her?" he mumbled, his voice cut by a nervous stutter.
Rain looked at Horus, who shrugged. Go ahead. Introduce yourself, he seemed to say. Wait... did he just seem to say that? Rain could have sworn she'd heard Horus's voice in her head. Shaking the thought away, she walked down the stairs and into the lab. "My name is Rain," she said to a surprisingly nervous Ash.
"I- I'm Ash," the unicorn stuttered.
"So..." Rain tried to continue the conversation. A door opened and Cherrybomb came galloping in, followed by Misty and the amber-and-black unicorn whose name Rain couldn't remember.
"She's joining us?" Misty asked.
"She's right here," Horus responded.
"Okay, then," the unicorn chimed in. "Let's get this started."
The mare worked worked quickly, attaching several wires to Rain, linking her to the monitors. Misty filled the center tank with water. Horus stood beside Ash at the controls, talking to someone on a black cell phone similar to the one Rain had received earlier. "We've got her, Spiro. She's coming your way. Start heading to waste disposal and set everything up for retrieval. Is Neon with you? Good. You'll need his help."
The unicorn mare placed one last wire on Rain's forehead. "There. Now that's finished." She led Rain to the tank and helped her step into the warm water.
"What exactly is the point of this?" she asked, reclining into the tank as the water soaked her fur all over again.
"You'll see," she said reassuringly. "Now just relax. Everything will be fine."
Rain lay silently in the water, trying to calm the buzzing thoughts in her mind. But she couldn't, not even by the time she heard Horus say, "Connections are stable. Begin the transition."
She heard a sound like an electricity generator spinning to life. Rain felt electrical pulses coming from all the monitors and spreading across her skin. For some reason, she expected all this. She listened to the faint sound of the others' voices, saying things she couldn't quite make out. Suddenly, a feeling hit her. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before. It wasn't pain. A sort of warm, tingling sensation rose up at the tips of her hooves. Wondering what it was, she opened her eyes and looked down. She screamed. Her hooves were slowly dissolving into nothing!
Rain began breathing heavily. "Ohmigosh," she gasped. "Ohmigosh!"
Horus noticed her panicked state. "Calm down," he said coolly. "It's all a part of the transition. Nothing is going to happen to you."
This did nothing to stop Rain's panic. She stared in shock at her disappearing body. "WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?" she screamed.
The golden unicorn rushed over from her place at the controls. "Cool off, alright?" she said to Rain. "It'll all be over soon."
"What do you mean? I'm gonna DIE?"
"No, you're waking up. Go underwater and try to breathe. It goes faster that way."
Rain tried as hard as she could to calm down and the unicorn pushed her head underwater. Sure enough, the feeling spread to her ears and mane as well. She tried to breathe the water, choking as bubbles rose from her mouth and she swallowed most of what she tried to breathe.
Rain felt different. Her body was going numb. She felt as if she couldn't move. Soon, the whole world began to fade out in front of her, and she was off.

THE MAGIX: CHAPTER 4: The Real World

Rain was floating. She wasn't sure what had happened, where she was, or how she'd gotten there. She felt drowsy and weak, like a small animal waking from hibernation. Rain shifted lazily. Something about the space around her felt strange. She moved again and felt that she was surrounded by a thick fluid. It was warm, a perfect temperature, like a hotel pool. She relaxed, simply floating in place, absorbing the euphoric warmth. And then a thought came to her. If I'm underwater, then how am I breathing? The back of her throat felt a little itchy. She Ran her tongue along something round, smooth, and plastic. There's a tube in my mouth, she thought. There's a tube... IN MY MOUTH?
Rain forced her eyes open. All she could see was red. Her vision cleared, and she saw where she was. She was encased in some sort of pod filled with thick pink fluid, surrounded by tubes and wires. Rain began to panic and lashed out wildly. She pushed forward with her legs, easily breaking the pod's soft casing. Rain pulled herself upright, her movement spilling sludge over the pod's sides, and dragged the tube out of her mouth. It was longer than she'd thought. Pulling it up made her throat hurt. Coughing, she looked at herself to make sure she was okay. She never expected what she saw. Her formerly shoulder-length, perfectly messy mane was now shorter than Scootaloo's and slick with the slime she was covered in. Plugs protruded from her legs, chest, and spine, all connected to a mass of different metallic wires. There was a strange, numb feeling at the back of her head. She reached behind her head, and her hooves collided with another plug. This one was huge, much bigger than the others, sticking backwards from her head and linked to a thick silver cable, which connected with the others to a metal wall behind the pod.
Rain was becoming more and more panicked and confused. She looked to her left. There was another pod, exactly like hers, with a dark, pony-like shape inside, tangled in wires, motionless, as if it were asleep. To her right was the same sight. Gulping back fear, Rain looked at her surroundings.
Her pod was one of hundreds, maybe thousands of pods, organized in a grid fashion along an endless wall. There was another identical wall directly across from her, no telling how far along it went. She looked up to see a dark, smoky sky. It was impossible to tell what time of day it was. She couldn't even see the sun!
Rain dropped back into her slimy pod, stunned. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be. It was impossible. She held her head. "Wake up," she told herself. "Wake up. You're dreaming. Wake up, dammit! Wake up!"
A mechanical beeping brought her out of her trance. She looked up from behind her hooves. A small, spherical robot was hovering in front of her. Other than the propellers that held it aloft, it seemed to be made entirely of a camera lens. It made a buzzing noise and the lens flashed red. It flew away, leaving Rain baffled. What was that thing for?
Suddenly, Rain was overcome with pain. The several wires she was connected to all began to jerk backwards and unplug themselves. The pain was intense, burning through her, making her feel as though her entire body were on fire. She flailed and screamed, spilling even more sludge over the pod's sides. The large plug in the back of her head heated up and began to work itself out of its socket. It whirred loudly and forcefully unplugged itself, frying Rain's nerves and leaving her weak with pain. A valve at the back of the pod opened, and the fluid drained out, taking Rain with it.
The next thing she knew, she was falling. Rain landed with a cold splash in frigid water. She appeared to be in some kind of giant storm drain. The air and water around her were freezing, cold to the point of pain, leaching her strength and making her muscles go numb. Her hooves couldn't find the bottom of the storm drain. There was nothing to stand on. The helpless pegasus splashed frantically, but her muscles ached and were too weak to be useful. It was over. She was sinking. The last thing Rain saw before her head went under was a blinding white light, and the shadow of a huge mechanical claw reaching down to pull her out.
Everything was a blur. Rain heard voices, felt hooves on her skin, hot water washing over her coat and mane, warm towels being wrapped around her shivering form.
"Make sure she's covered. She could freeze."
"Try to get this stuff out of her hair before it dries out."
"Look! She's opening her eyes!"
Rain finally scraped together enough strength to pry her eyes open again. Everything was so bright. All her blurry vision could see was light and shadow. Gradually, the world came into focus. The amber mare was leaning over her. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"Where am I?" Rain murmured dizzily. "Am I dead?"
The mare smiled. "No. You're awake."
Then Rain passed out and everything went black.

Images and sounds faded in and out of Rain's mind. She wasn't sure how long she was there, drifting around somewhere between sleep and consciousness. She felt that it was for a very long time, several hours, even. So this was the real world. Sad that she couldn't see it.
When she finally did wake up, someone had placed her in a bed. She felt as if she had been there for a while. The sheets were twisted around her, the soft, foamy top of the mattress had conformed to her shape. Her cheeks were cold, still exposed to the outside air. She remembered how it was so freezing outside of the safe, gooey warmth of her pod. The rest of her, buried beneath layers of blankets, felt blissfully warm. Rain pulled the blanket up around her face. She was almost asleep again when she heard voices outside the room's closed door.
A mare and stallion were joking and laughing with each other outside in the hallway. She heard the mare's voice first. "I still can't believe you, Neon!" she laughed. "Flirting with the subject? You are ridiculous!"
"Hey, quiet down." The stallion. He spoke in a hushed whisper. "She's trying to sleep, you know."
The mare's incessant giggling quieted. "Okay, okay, keep your horseshoes on. She's my roommate after all. You think I don't know she's in there?"
"I just think you should let her sleep. You know, let her stay in dreamland a little longer before she has to face the truth. She's almost at the age limit. You know we don't usually take ponies much past 18."
"I know. They spend too long in the Magix and have trouble letting go."
"Exactly. She's 21, Amber. This could be a bigger shock to her than it was to any of us."
"Alright, I'll try to keep it down while I'm in there. I just wanted to write a little."
"Okay. Sorry, I'm- I'm just worried about her. See you later."
"Worried? And why is that?"
"Goodbye, Amber!"
Rain heard the stallion walk down the hall and the mare giggle once more. The door opened. Rain opened her eyes a slit, so they would appear closed, as if she were still asleep. She watched through a narrow slit between her eyelashes as somepony entered the room. It was the unicorn mare, the first one she saw after waking up. She lifted a pen and notebook off of a small table and placed them on a bed on the opposite side of the room. The mare took a long look at Rain's sleeping form and left. She returned a few minutes later carrying a tray. She placed the tray on the small table, sat down on the bed, opened the notebook and began scribbling her thoughts away. Seeing that the mare was now distracted, Rain fully opened her magenta eyes and took a good look at the room around her. It was very plain and simple. Pale blue-gray walls, two beds, a small table, two small closets set into the wall, and a single door leading outside into the hallway. The side where Rain currently resided was completely blank. Nothing hanging on the wall, the closet open and empty, even her sheets and blankets were all the same shade of silvery unicorn's side was a bit more elaborate. A printed poster of a band Rain had never heard of hung over the headboard. A few drawings were tacked to the wall, creative and colorful. Rain guessed that the unicorn was some sort of artist. The sheets of her bed were tie-dyed purple, and her blanket was covered in a Victorian black-tie pattern.
Rain finally decided to make her presence known. She rolled onto her back, stretched herself out, and extended her forelegs over the blankets, and pulled herself upright.
The unicorn looked up to see that her roommate was awake, confused, and looking at her. She shut her notebook, jumped off the bed, and trotted excitedly over to the room's other side.
"Good, you're awake," she said, kick-starting a conversation. "Did you sleep well? I hope you did. Jacking out for the first time is always exhausting. Have any dreams? Speaking of dreams, that was one crazy transition, right? You really are a fighter. You didn't even hesitate, just WHAM! Show me the truth! Sorry if we scared you. The whole evaporating-body thing, it's all necessary. We didn't have any time to explain. But we will, I promise."
Rain stared at her, confused. "Ummm... Who are you?"
The unicorn slapped a hoof to her forehead. "Stupid! I'm sorry!" She stuck a hoof out to Rain. "I'm Amber."
Rain nervously took her hoof. "Rain," she said. "But I'm sure you already knew that."
Amber grinned. "Of course. How do you feel?"
"Okay, I guess." Rain checked herself over. She remembered before that she had several plugs embedded into her flesh. She looked at the sites where they had previously been imbedded into her flesh. Most of the places where a plug had been were covered by sterile white bandages. The only plugs that remained were two on her forelegs, two at her ankles, and two small ones on the back of her neck. She reached around to the base of her skull. Yes, there it was. Just where her mane ended and her coat began, there was a large metal plug. Rain ran the tip of her hoof along its grooves.
"Spiro can usually remove most of these," Amber informed the newcomer, reading her wonderstruck expression. "A few of them are attached to vital nerves or veins. Removing those would cause serious damage. As for this one," she lifted her dark mane up and turned her back to Rain, showing her that she too had a large socket in the back of her head, "It's a direct connection to the brain. You'll need it for missions. We'll talk about that later."
Rain ran a hoof through her short, still-wet mane. "How long was I out for?'
"Well, you arrived at around eleven this morning, and you've been asleep since then, sooo... About 10 hours?"
Rain's eyes widened. "10 hours?!"
"Hey, when I showed up, I was practically in a coma for 12. You're actually doing really well." She placed the tray she'd brought in on Rain's bed. "I bet you're hungry," she said, tossing Rain something wrapped in foil. "Just about everything there is to eat here is either frozen or reconstituted. It may not be the best thing you've ever eaten, but it'll do."
Rain unwrapped the thing. It smelled like preserved spices and was wrapped in a soft white tortilla. It appeared to be some sort of burrito. "Works for me." She shrugged. Rain bit into the soft tortilla. The taste of seasoned rice ran into her mouth, and she realized she was starving. Rain swallowed the first bite and tore into the food, half of it gone in about 30 seconds.
Amber stared. "Slow down, you're going to hurt yourself."
Rain laughed, embarrassed. "It's just... I'm starving! How do ponies even stay alive in that place? Don't they need to eat?"
"Technically, no. You get tube-fed pure energy. They get it in a pretty disgusting way."
Rain giggled. "Then I'm guessing I don't want to hear it?"
Amber grinned back at her. "No... Unless you want to lose everything you just ate."
"Hay, no!" Rain said, tearing into the rest of the burrito. It was history in less than a minute. She looked back at Amber. For a moment, they just stared blankly at each other, completely silent. Then somepony snickered, and they both burst out laughing.
"What are we even laughing at?" Rain asked, cutting through the fit of giggles.
"I don't know!" Amber squealed back, and it started all over again. Well this is going better than expected.

It was 2am. Both Rain and Amber had long been asleep. No one on board the Firestar was awake. Except for Ash, that is. The dust-gray unicorn was standing by Rain and Amber's dorm room door, his horn propping it open just a crack. He stood ominously still, so quiet he barely breathed. He was peeking stealthily into the dorm, watching Rain as she slept. It was as if her found something soothing in her stillness, the gentle rhythm of her breath. He'd known that the subject would be a girl, but he hadn't expected her to be so... so... beautiful.
From the first time he had been chosen to keep watch over her, he had been starstruck. There was something special about her. Something nopony else had. Something he wanted. He wanted it all for himself.
Ash watched the sleeping pegasus as she stirred peacefully. Maybe she was dreaming about him...
"What the heck are you doing?"
Ash whirled around to see Neon, staring suspiciously at him.
"Uh," Ash stuttered weakly in reply, "W-what are you doing?"
"I couldn't sleep, so I'm just taking a walk," he sighed. "Why are you even out here at this time of night? You usually sleep like you've been sedated."
"I- I just wanted t-to make sure Rain was okay. You know, that she's sleeping okay, not having a meltdown or anything."
Neon stretched out his velvety black wings. He pretended to believe Ash's lie. "Well, we should probably get back to bed. Before someone thinks we're stalking."
"O-okay." Ash loped down the hall, looking disappointed.
Neon stayed put, frozen in fear. It couldn't be. it just couldn't be possible. Ash had never shown this much interest in a new arrival. He was always so shy... something was wrong. Neon's mind began racing. Ash had been for almost ten years, but he'd always seemed so resilient. But then, Ash had always been so timid. He never talked to anyone. Practically quarantined. And all he'd seen and suffered in his whole life... This wasn't good. Neon knew what would happen. He knew the symptoms. First Ash would become obsessed, completely addicted, controlled entirely by what he wanted. Then he would start trailing Rain, acting like her second shadow. He would try to move in on her, bring her in, make her his forever. And if Rain rejected him... he would attack.
Neon's heart pounded. He looked into Rain's room. He had to know that she was really okay. In the gloom, he saw the spiky rainbow mane, a relaxed blue wing laid out over the blanket, Rain curled up peacefully, asleep. Completely unharmed. Neon sighed with relief. He couldn't let her get hurt. Because, no matter how much he denied it, he knew what had happened, and what would come next. The Possession Sickness had infected Ash. And he had latched onto Rain.

The next morning, Amber gave Rain the grand tour of her new home. She had made it into the real world, and was now aboard a hovercraft, a ship named the Firestar. It was fairly large, and its construction amazingly complex. Rain could barely remember half of what Amber had told her about the mechanics of it. Other than the science of its construction and systems of functioning, its architecture was fairly simple. Basically, it was made up of just two levels for living quarters and some storage space. Rain would still need help navigating for a few days. The entire ship was packed with loads of futuristic technology that Rain had never even heard of. Only the name of one has stuck in her head: Electromagnetic Pulse. Amber called it the EMP, a type of superpowered electrical shock wave. It was the ship's one defense against things called predators. Amber talked about them as if Rain already knew everything about the real world, but she had no idea what they were. She hoped she'd never have to find out.
When the tour was finally over, Amber led Rain into a room that they had passed before, but was previously empty. The dining hall. It was nothing much, just a long cafeteria table, a few cabinets set into the wall, and a door leading to the kitchen.
Seated at the long table were 6 ponies, conversing casually with each other. There was also a dragon. It was a small one, probably just a baby, like Spike. A female one, Rain guessed, judging by her high-pitched laugh and voice tinged with sass. Her face was more catlike than Spike's though, with a pair of orange, almond-shaped eyes and delicate fangs instead of rough, serrated dinosaur teeth. A fishlike, fringed golden fin ran over her head and down her back, rather than Spike's bony plates. Her small, shimmery scales shone a bright cerulean blue. Rain took a look at the ponies sitting around the table. She guessed this was the Firestar's crew. Some of them she recognized from the transition, and a few were new.
"Sorry we're late," Amber said, trotting in ahead of Rain. "I had to show her around so she wouldn't get lost."
The ponies all turned to face the two mares. "Look who's still alive," laughed one, a cream-colored unicorn stallion with long, dark brown dreadlocks.
Cherrybomb hopped up from her place and scampered over to Rain. "So you saw the whole place! What did you think?"
"It's pretty nice. Not exactly home, and it'll take some getting used to, but I think I'll learn to like it."
The dragon, who had been ignoring the happenings around her, looked up from her food. "What's up?" she said. She looked at Rain. "You're the new member, right?"
A black pegasus with a neon-rainbow mane and glowing green eyes rolled his eyes at the little dragon and sighed. "Yes, Saph McForgetterson. And her name is Rain, which you probably also forgot. Jeez, is there anything you do pay attention to?"
Rain realized she'd seen this pegasus somewhere before. She studied him. Velvet-black, neon mane, bright green eyes... Friday night came rushing back at her. She lunged at him before she knew what she was doing. "You!"
The pegasus jumped backward, looking surprised. "You remember me?"
"Hay yeah, I do!" Rain shot back at him. "You were that pervert from Glitterati! What was up with that creepy message? Why did you hack me? Who are you, anyway?"
The dreadlock unicorn looked confusedly at the two pegasi. "You two know each other?"
The black pegasus shrank back. "Um, not exactly."
Rain flared up again. "What? So now we're best friends all of a sudden?"
"You're certainly excitable today." Finally, a familiar voice broke through. Rain looked toward the source. Horus had stood up, and was walking towards her. She noticed his cutie mark, a golden hourglass, which his trench coat had hidden when they first met. She began to calm down a little.
"Well, you see, I met that guy at this place, and he was kind of being a creepy stalker pervert, and it all sort of went downhill from there."
Horus turned back towards the black pegasus, who looked slightly ashamed now. "What exactly were you trying to accomplish? I told you to notify her of our existence, not make a new enemy."
"I was just trying to blend in. I've never done this before, and I was just trying to seem unsuspicious, and then... you see."
Horus shrugged, seeming nonchalant. "Next time, try a little less." He looked back to Rain. I don't think you've met the entire crew. Welcome to the Firestar. Name of the ship, I'm captain." He walked around the room, nodding toward each pony he passed. "I'm sure you've met Amber. She's your roommate. This is Misty, my first mate." The dark blue Earth pony with frizzy purple mane, raindrop cutie mark, and piercing grey eyes. "You've definitely met Cherrybomb." He playfully ruffled the red filly's short blue mane. She giggled in response. "This is Ash, and Spiro, the tech crew." The two unicorn stallions sat side by side. Ash was the dusty grey, dark-eyed one with the scarlet mane that Rain had seen at her transfer. She hadn't seen Spiro yet. He was the creamy off-white one, with long, seal-color dreadlocks, amethyst-purple eyes and a quartz-crystal cutie mark. "And this is our dragon, Saph. Still young. She can be a bit much sometimes, but don't mind that. Her bark is worse than her bite." Rain heard the words drama queen in her head.
The indignant little dragon glared at Horus and snorted. "Implying that I actually bark. What do you take me for, a dog?" She picked up her bowl and walked out. "I'm going. I've got better things to do."
Horus looked at Rain, exasperated. "This isn't one of her better days." He now stood by the black pegasus with the bright mane and eyes that Rain had attacked earlier. "This is Neon. You seem to have already met."
Neon went silent for a second, then gave an annoyed expression. "Thanks," he mumbled sarcastically.
Rain stared. Does everypony here hear voices in their heads? she wondered.
It's telepathy. You'll get used to it. Horus's voice. Rain turned to him, shocked. He looked back at her, smiling. It's a gift. Every free pony has one.
Oh, Rain thought. She sat down with the rest of the crew.
"So," Spiro said, eating from a bowl of what looked like milk-soaked cereal, "Since you're new, you'll be starting training soon."
"Training?" Rain asked. "For what?"
"For missions," Amber answered. She took small white packet from a container on the counter, tore it open, and poured a reddish powder into her bowl of cereal. "It's essential. You'll need everything you learn." She telekinetically stirred the powder into the food, tinting it bright orange.
"How can you stand to eat it like that?" Neon said, staring.
"Acquired taste. Chili powder is the food of the gods."
Rain cut in again. "What kind of training is it?"
Misty leaned in from the other end of the table. "It's mainly fight training. Going without it is a practical death sentence. Those agents may look calm and composed, but they get pissed quickly and fight like dragons." She turned back and continued her conversation with Horus.
"Fight training. Okay. So how much am I going to need to learn?"
"Just about everything you can," Neon said.
Rain gasped. "Everything? How soon do I need to know this by? That could take months!"
"Actually," Spiro cut in, "it all gets downloaded directly into your memory. And, yes, we have technology that can do that. The entire process only takes a few minutes."
"That's only half the procedure," Neon continued. "You also need to learn how to use the skills. There are all these tutorial missions that we use for practice. Breakout is my favorite. I've finished faster than anyone on this ship." He grinned, as if he had someone to impress.
Amber laughed at him. "No way! Quit bragging."
"I will when you can prove me wrong."
"Is that a challenge?"
"You think you can beat me?"
"I know I can!"
Neon put a hoof down on the table. "Fine. You're on!"
"Challenge accepted!" Amber snipped back. She turned to Ash, who sat directly next to her. "I could totally take him, am I right, Ash?" He said nothing. She looked quizzically at the gray stallion and waved a hoof in front of his face. "Um, Ash? Hellooo?"
Up until now, nopony had noticed that Ash hadn't said a word. He'd just sat there, silent, staring longingly across the table at Rain. She noticed his wistfully blank expression. Something about it really creeped her out.
Ash suddenly realized that everypony was looking at him. His shyness finally kicked in. "Huh? Oh, um... What were we talking about?"
Spiro studied his friend suspiciously. "Where have you been this whole time?"
Ash looked nervously from pony to pony. "I- I just remembered that- uh- I have t-to go- do something. See you guys later." Without another word, he picked up his tray and left. Everypony stared after him. What was wrong with him?
About half an hour later, everypony had left the dining hall. Only Neon was left. Mopping the dining hall floor had been on his list of chores for a while. He needed to get it done sometime. He heard hoofsteps approach the doorway. "Hey," a voice said.
Neon looked up. It was Rain. "Hi," he answered back.
"I kind of got lost trying to get back to my dorm. Mind helping me out?"
"Sure. I can finish this later." Neon leaned the mop against the wall and trotted over beside Rain.
As Neon guided Rain back through the corridors, he apologetically explained himself to Rain. He hadn't meant to make a bad impression on her. He'd had to hack into her laptop to contact her at all. His message had to stay vague to keep from being caught by the agents. And he had only acted so arrogant when they had first met because he was trying too hard to blend in with the other ponies at Glitterati. He never meant to come off as a jerk.
Rain's reservations about him slowly began to melt away. Neon genuinely seemed like a nice stallion. Wait. Maybe he had a thing for her and was just trying to get on her good side. No, he seemed too honest for that.
"And here we are," Neon announced as they reached the dorm Rain shared with Amber.
"Sorry about overreacting earlier," Rain said. "I thought you really were... well, you know. But you're not. I see that now."
Neon smiled at her. "Hey, it's okay. It wasn't your fault."
"So... friends?" Rain said, putting a hoof out towards Neon.
"Friends," he said, gladly taking it. Oddly, he found it a little hard to pull his hoof back.
Leaving it at that, Rain entered the room and closed the door. Satisfied that he had cleared everything up, Neon, turned to leave. Ash was standing right in front of him.
"Ah!" Neon shouted, startled. Seeing it was only his friend, he calmed down. "Didn't see you there. What's up?"
Ash glared daggers at him. "What was that?"
Neon shuddered and tried to back away. "We were just talking-"
"It had better be just talking!" Ash stalked closer to Neon, backing him up further and further and cornering him against the wall. He leaned into the pegasus's shocked face.
"What do you mean?" Neon choked out.
The unicorn growled. "Listen up. Keep your hooves off of Rain or you'll regret it. She. Is. MINE!" He eased up, but only a little. "Got it?"
Neon nodded shakily. Ash turned and galloped off, leaving his friend slumped against the wall, alone.

THE MAGIX: CHAPTER 5: Truth

The next day was the day Rain had been waiting for. The question had been on her mind since she had been brought to the abandoned apartments in outer Ponyville. Today was the day that her question would be answered. What is the Magix?
Amber led Rain down the long hallway of the first floor and into a large circular room, one that the crew called the holodeck. Rain stopped in the doorway and stared. It was the most amazing thing she had ever seen, like stepping into the future. In this room was some of the most advanced technology Rain had ever seen. There were all types of machines Rain didn't even have a name for, all blinking and glowing with life. In the center of the room was a circle of what looked like massage chairs, each with a plug behind the headrest and several wires and machinery housed underneath. Everything was connected to a huge control panel set into the wall, taking up almost a third of the room. It was covered in hundreds of controls, buttons, and switches, and one huge touch-screen monitor stretching across the entire panel. Streams of glowing green and black flowed down the screen in a smooth, rhythmic computer waterfall. Ash and Spiro were at the controls, activating two of the chairs. Along with them were the rest of the crew. They all turned to face the doorway as soon as Amber and Rain stepped into the room.
"The entire crew is here," Rain whispered to Amber as they entered the room. "What are they all doing here?"
"Everypony is here because you'll need all the help you can get to deal with the truth. It's horrifying. I'm telling you now, nopony ever takes it well. Ever."
Ash heard voices and was momentarily distracted from his work. He looked up from the control panel to see that Rain was in the room. His heart leapt in obsessive delight. He jumped up from his place and raced over to meet her. "Good morning!" he said enthusiastically. "Hi, how are you doing? Miss me?"
Rain kept walking. "I'm fine, thanks."
Spiro got up from his place at the panel and walked over to the chairs. "This one's yours," he said to Rain. "Take a seat."
Rain stepped up and relaxed herself into the chair. "So, how does this work? What am I supposed to do?"
Horus appeared at her side. "Just relax," he instructed her. "Keep your mind clear. Spiro and Ash will take care of everything else. This is going to hurt, it always does the first time. It'll wear off afterwards. I'll be waiting for you when you come through."
Rain took a deep breath and tried to relax. "Are we going back to the Magix?"
Horus stepped up to the other activated chair, where Saph was standing behind the headrest. "No. You're not ready for that yet." He attached several monitor wires to himself and reclined into the chair. "See you on the other side," he said. Saph took hold of one of the cables behind his head and one of the wires shifted forward. Horus gave a small jolt and went limp.
Rain gasped. "Is he okay?"
Spiro was busy attaching wires to her. "He's fine," he answered. "Horus should be waiting for you in the construct now."
"The construct?"
"It's a program we created. It's designed for downloading anything that the crew needs or creating programs for the mainframe. We use it to introduce newcomers to the truth about the Magix. Never seen it for myself, though."
Rain watched Spiro as he turned his back to her to adjust the monitors. She noticed something very peculiar about him. Spiro turned back and noticed Rain studying him intently. "What?"
"You don't have a plug," she answered.
"Oh. Knew you'd notice eventually," he said, smiling. "I'm a wild pony. I was born naturally, outside of the Magix. No plugs, no wires."
He let Rain examine his smooth forelegs, no plugs at his wrists. He then returned to the control panel and nudged Ash, who was once again gazing blankly at Rain. Spiro threw a few switches. "Here goes," he said, flicking one final switch into action. The unicorn turned away from the control panel and walked over to her chair, standing behind the headrest, out of Rain's field of vision. She heard his voice. "Hold still, okay? You're being plugged in. It'll hurt, but just hold still. It'll be over before you know it."
A stinging, hot metallic pain blossomed at the back of Rain's head. It was her plug. She squealed, but just a little, and only for a second. With a sudden jolt of energy, her body convulsed once and she went comatose in her chair.

Rain opened her eyes to see nothing but white. Her eyes adjusted. She was in a blank white room. A perfect cube, no furniture, no color, white to the point where the sides and corners appeared to blend together. Rain squinted at the brightness.
"Amazing, isn't it?"
Rain whirled around at the sound of the voice. Horus had materialized out of nowhere. He once again wore the black trench coat and sunglasses from their first meeting. Rain blinked again, trying to clear her vision. "There's nothing here," she said. "What is this place?"
"We are in the construct. It is where we begin."
Horus took a remote control out of one of his trench coat's many hidden pockets and pressed a button. A hidden trapdoor opened in the spotless floor. A plain grey laptop sitting on a round white pedestal rose out of the hole. "Come and look at this," he said, leading Rain over to the laptop. Rain followed and stood next to him. Horus ran a hoof across the trackpad, and the screen blinked to life. A video menu appeared. Horus chose the first file in the lineup and opened it. Several video clips of Equestria's many cities played on the screen. Images of Ponyville, Canterlot, the friendly suburbs of Fillydelphia and the elegant skyscrapers of Manehattan, and numerous other places from Rain's memory flashed across the screen. All were beautiful and filled with life. Blooming flowers, bustling crowds, lush green fields, wild animals... it was a perfect world.
Horus began the story. "This is Equestria as we once knew it. A peaceful place, full of nature, magic, and beauty. Everypony has a good life, everything, they'd ever need, and as much freedom as they could ask for. This is the life you used to know."
He sighed as the short video ended after only a few short seconds. The screen returned to the menu.
"Sadly, all of this is an illusion."
The walls of the blank room fell down with an earsplitting crash. Rain's breath caught in her throat as she stared in shock at the horror they revealed.
They were in a city, or at least what used to be one. The scene seemed post-apocalyptic. What must have once been tall, magnificent buildings were now nothing more than towers of rusting metal, crumbling cement, and charred, rotting wood barely supported by decaying steel frames. The sky was black and smoky, no sign of a moon, sun, stars, or any other celestial body. The two lone ponies were surrounded by shrapnel, torn pieces of debris fallen from the broken buildings that surrounded them. The only thing that seemed to have had any upkeep were the pipes. The entire city was spiderwebbed with steel pipes, tubes and cables. They snaked in and out of the eroded city, possibly the only things holding the nightmarish place together. Some buildings emitted an eerie, pinkish glow from within them. Then there were the machines. Dark, spidery silhouettes moved over the city, crawling through the streets, in and out of the broken buildings. They moved with a dangerous purpose, seemingly oblivious to the Earth pony and pegasus watching their every move.
Rain's eyes darted back and forth. The entire place seemed about to collapse over their heads. She looked at her captain and opened her mouth, trying to speak. No words would come out. She didn't know where to begin. She began to shake with fear, confusion, pressure, and millions of other nameless emotions coursing through her brain. Finally, she managed to squeak out one tiny sentence. "Where- where are we?"
Horus gazed sadly at the wreckage. "This is Equestria as it is today." He chose another video from the laptop's menu. Images played across the screen again, the same ones as in the previous video. Canterlot, Ponyville, Cloudsdale, all as they were in Rain's memory.
Suddenly, the images got bigger. The screen appeared to grow.
"Um, Horus? What's going on?" Rain squeaked. Horus said nothing. The screen kept growing and enveloped her. She wasn't watching the video anymore. It was part of her. The images were beaming directly into her mind, searing themselves into her memory. Horus's voice spoke up from the images.
"The year was 2010. Equestria was as you once believed it was: tranquil, natural, all things born free and running wild."
Rain watched the same clips as in the first video, average, day-to-day pony life. She somewhat enjoyed seeing this again after the nightmare of a city she had just been exposed to, but she dreaded what would come next. Something inside her knew that the peace wouldn't last long.
"Then everything changed."
The images were replaced by a picture of the royal family. Princesses Celestia and Luna stood side by side, looking as regal as ever.
"The story of the Summer Sun Celebration is a lie. The legend you have been raised on is only half of the truth. You see, Princess Luna did become jealous of her sister, Celestia, because of how ponies took her beautiful night for granted. There was a huge scandal in the royal court. Some said that Luna was creating a conspiracy, building an army, threatening to shroud all of Equestria in eternal night. Their claims were proven true. Luna attacked Celestia, temporarily transformed by her jealousy into the monster you know as Nightmare Moon. She sank the sun, shrouding the world in darkness. But the night only lasted so long. Eventually, Luna was captured. Celestia broke the spell over her sister and daylight returned. Luna repented for her crimes and continued her reign as goddess of the night. But their troubles were far from over."
The image changed again. Now there was a news broadcast, the footage seeming new, as if it had been shot only yesterday. Headlines appeared, all heralding news of the activity of two groups Rain had never heard of: the Daylight and Midnight
"The attack had created a massive rivalry in the ponies of Equestria. Some believed that Luna was true to her promise, that she had gone back from her days of jealousy and evil, and that she would never again threaten the day. Others believed this was all a lie. They saw Luna as a liar, a traitor, and a threat. If she attacked once, there was nothing to stop her from attacking again. They thought she was unfit to rule and was a danger to the safety of Equestria. Eventually, these two opposing viewpoints split the planet's population. Ponies were divided into two societies: The Midnight, who had faith in Luna, and the Daylight, who hated her. With every passing year, the conflict grew. The situation worsened. Celestia realized that it was becoming increasingly dangerous for Luna to stay in Equestria. She sent her to the moon for safety. It was her haven, not her prison. Celestia had promised her sister that she could return someday, when the fighting was finally over. That time never came. The conflict only continued to grow.
Eventually, it became too much. Something changed. Something snapped. And war took ponykind in its iron grasp."
The images in Rain's mind went black. New images replaced the news footage. Bloody, violent, graphic images. Battlefields appeared, strewn with scorched grass, blood, bullet shells and dead bodies. There were clips of unicorns locked in combat, a magical fight to the death. More and more images came. Bombs being dropped by pegasi and exploding into clouds of fire and smoke, entire cities being burned, innocent ponies running and screaming in fear.
Rain was on the verge of tears. Emotion choked her as the bloody images flashed painfully through her mind. "That's horrible," she gasped. "Why are you showing me this?"
Horus's voice spoke again. "Because you must know."
Finally it was over. The battles and gore faded. In their place came a gray, devastated world.
"The war lasted 50 years, the longest Equestria had ever seen. It left intense devastation in its path. The physical toll was almost unbearable, the emotional even worse. It will be forever known to us as the war that destroyed Equestria."
The world before Rain's eyes was no longer green and beautiful. It was dark, scorched, wilted, and dead. Once-lively cities had been reduced to ashes. Forests were left blackened, burned, and empty. Entire ecosystems, all of nature itself, were destroyed. The worst part was the ponies. So many had been lost to the war. Only half of the world had survived. Their sad faces and mournful tears tore at Rain's heart. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. All of Equestria, gone? It was too much. She wanted to faint.
"I can see you're not taking this so well," Horus's voice said. "Neither did they."
Rain's consciousness finally returned. The screen was back in its place, on the laptop instead of in her mind. She was back in the city, standing next to Horus on shaky, unstable legs. Rain squeezed her eyes shut, now seeing only the dark shield of her eyelids.
Horus offered a shoulder to keep rain on her feet before continuing the story. "The damage done by the war was nearly irreversible. It would take decades, maybe centuries to fix, and even then, the world would never be the same. They couldn't take the horror that their world had become. That was the beginning of the Magix."
Rain opened her eyes, trying to wake herself up. She blinked repeatedly, trying to erase the images seared into her mind, get out of the construct, wake up in the real world again. Nothing happened. Rain's knees went weak. She collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.
Horus put a hoof on her shoulder. "Come on, Rain. It's over. No more images, I promise," he said soothingly, trying to calm his shell-shocked apprentice. He helped her to her hooves. "Come. There is still more to see."
A mist clouded over the city. It grew, gathered, and thickened, shrouding the ponies in a soft, pale gray barrier. All that was visible was the fog. When the mist finally cleared, they were no longer in the streets of a post apocalyptic city. The mist had transported them inside one of the glowing buildings. It was nothing more than four plain gray concrete walls, no ceiling, and crumbled asphalt for a floor. Encased inside were several long walls, stretching across the warehouse floor from one wall to the other, and hundreds of feet high. Each had an oddly familiar pink glow emitting from the sides. Rain regained her footing and stepped uneasily closer. As her vision cleared, she realized that the glow was coming from a grid of egg-shaped pods. There were thousands of them lining the walls in front of her, maybe millions in the entire building. She dared to go one step closer before shrieking and recoiling in shock. Inside each pod was a dark shadow. Rain dared to look closer. They were ponies, floating unconsciously in sleep. They were all hooked up to several wires which jutted from their limbs and bodies. All of them had a huge, thick wire sticking out from the back of their head. As Rain stared,the memory of her awakening came rushing back. Everything was so familiar. She remembered this place.
"I- I've been here before," she said in wonder.
"Yes, you have," Horus responded. "This is where you were born."
The pegasus kept staring at the dark sky above, the towering walls and countless pods. It looked like no place that anyone should be brought into the world. "Born here? Why?"
"Not born, necessarily. Made," her captain said, standing beside her and observing the pods. "These are the fields. This is where ponies are grown and live while the electrical energy they generate is harvested to power the Magix. You used to be here until we freed you. Everypony else you know is probably here still."
Rain turned back to Horus. "When did all this start?"
He nodded. "That is the final piece of the puzzle."
"The weakest ponies were first. They were the ones who inspired the Magix. They didn't want to live in a dead world. They wanted to return to their old lives, in that place of peace, love, and happiness. A group of brilliant scientists, engineers, and psychologists designed the Magix. It was created to be a perfect world, as Equestria was before the war. The ponies connected to it would be permanently asleep, forever living in a dream. Their bodies would be kept perfectly safe in an embryonic state as signals were sent to their brains, feeding them lies about their world. As word of the new scientific breakthrough spread, others joined, choosing to live a false life and letting their world crumble around them. Only a few resilient million remained, watching helplessly as their weaker-minded friends became a part of something so wrong. The Magix grew and spread. Improvements were made over the years, making the system more advanced, stronger, smarter, more powerful. And then... Well, no one's exactly sure what happened next."
Horus looked pityingly at the pod beside him, as if he wanted to set free the helpless pony inside. "Somehow, the system... It developed a mind of its own. They had made it too advanced. The Magix no longer needed ponies to run and control it. At first, it was thought of as a great accomplishment. An intelligent machine that could run entirely on its own, with no help from pony hooves. They thought it was a miracle. Then everything went wrong."
He tore his gaze away from the pod and back to Rain. "The Magix was no longer just a system of signals. It had become an intelligent, self-aware machine, a mastermind being with only itself to control it. Its behavior became increasingly violent and dangerous. It no longer took just the ponies that willingly accepted its proposal. It captured them. Soon, the Magix had assimilated the entire world. Only a handful escaped, forced to live in hiding. That was when the predators were built. They are the machines that you'd seen in the streets. They were created to defend the Magix and hunt down all who evade it. Any hope of escape was deemed futile."
Horus gestured to the vast building. "All of the ponies you see here are slaves. They are unsuspecting prisoners, working endlessly for the Magix. It leeches energy from their body heat and the electricity generated by their brains. Ponies are no longer born. They are made. They spend their whole lives in a pod, trapped in a virtual dream world, completely unaware of the world around them. When they die, their bodies are liquefied, converted into energy, and fed intravenously to the oblivious living. They are no longer ponies. They are just batteries, and eventually, food."
Rain's entire body had gone numb. She stood open-mouthed in shock, staring unblinkingly at the endless walls of pods, the blackened sky, the crumbling, abandoned world around her. She began to tremble. She backed away from the pods, shaking her head.
"No. No, it's not true. It's impossible!"
Horus gently approached her and put a hoof on her shoulders, trying to steady her. "Control yourself, Rain," he said. "If you don't open your eyes and realize the truth then you are no more free than any of them."
"It can't be real. It just can't!" she cried out. "Being a podpony, living in a virtual world, being tube-fed- No! I can't take it! I don't believe it!"
"And neither did I until I saw it with my own eyes. I won't let you lose your mind, Rain. Not now, not ever!"
Rain shook his hoof away. "Don't touch me!" she screamed at him. "Get away from me! Let me out! Get me the hay out of here!"
She broke into a sprint and sped towards the wall, Horus at her heels. Rain crashed into the wall, blinded by tears. She clawed at the concrete, screaming and crying until it was over and everything began to fade away...
Rain jolted awake and sat bolt upright, gasping for air. She was back on the holodeck. Everypony was crowded around her. Misty looked concernedly at the suffocating pegasus. "Rain? Are you feeling alright?"
"Back off!" Rain squeaked. "Go away!"
Amber stepped nervously forward. "Are you okay? Rain?" She put a foreleg around her, trying to comfort her shocked friend.
"Stop! Get your hooves off me!"
Rain twisted away from Amber and punched a hoof toward her. The unicorn threw herself to the side and dodged the blow. "Rain!"
Rain threw herself off the chair and started backing toward the wall.
"It's not real. No. No! It's not real! I don't believe it! I don't... don't..." Rain was getting dizzy. She felt as if she couldn't breathe, like there wasn't enough air, like she was getting bugged all over again. "It's not..."
She heard Misty's voice. "The shock's already set in. Someone catch her before she hurts herself."
"It's too late." Spiro's voice. "She's losing it. She's gonna toss her cookies any second now."
Rain couldn't see straight. Everything was blurring together. Her legs collapsed under her. She fell to her knees and vomited, the small amount she'd eaten that day purged out onto the floor. Rain fell the rest of the way to the floor and landed on her side. She rolled onto her back and stared blankly at the ceiling. "No..."
Amber, Neon, and Saph rushed to her side and leaned over her. She couldn't see them. Only three hazy blobs of blue, orange, and black. She didn't try to push them away. Everything had gone completely numb. She couldn't move.
"Rain!" she dimly heard Neon say. "Say something!"
Finally, her vision went gray, her eyes fluttered closed.
"Pinkie..." she whispered just before she passed out.

THE MAGIX: CHAPTER 6: Control

When Rain finally woke up again, she was back in her dorm. She pushed her covers off and tried to sit up, but the motion made her feel sick. She flopped weakly back down onto the pillow.
There was a knock at the door. "Is it safe to come in yet?" Amber's voice asked from the other side.
Rain groaned. "I guess," she mumbled incoherently.
Amber opened the door and peeked inside. "Are you okay?" she asked. "You don't look so hot."
Rain strained to sit up again. "You're noticing that now?" Her head was pounding and her stomach felt twisted. A dull ache had embedded itself into her nerves.
"You probably had the worst reaction I've ever seen," Amber said, trotting over to Rain's bed and sitting down beside her. "You were really struggling to accept the truth. We were reading your POV codes. Part of you knew it was real and wanted to believe it, but you also thought it was too horrible to be true. It happens all the time, but you..." The unicorn trailed off.
A pang of guilt hit Rain. "Look, I'm sorry I attacked you," she began, her voice sorrowful. "I was so scared and I- I just lost control." She rubbed her throbbing head. "What even happened out there?"
"You went insane with shock, puked, and passed out," Amber replied bluntly.
Rain slumped forward. "I've got to stop doing that."
Amber laughed. "It's okay," she said. "It's happened to the best of us. The truth can be really scary. Nopony ever wants to believe it at first, but you'll come to accept it. Just give it some time."
Rain looked up at her friend from behind her bangs and gave a weak smile. "Thanks."
Amber grinned back at her. She put her forelegs around Rain and hugged her. "Don't mention it. I'm here for you. I always will be."

It was getting late. Rain sat alone in the Firestar's common room, the second-largest one on the ship where the crew spent most of their spare time. She sat on one of its several broken-in couches, stretched luxuriously over the cushions, her wings half-folded and relaxed. She held a notebook and pen in her hooves. Spiro had told her earlier that day that most ponies spent their spare time keeping a vlog or writing. Rain had never kept a diary before. She'd never been that kind of mare, all girly and bubbly. Her tomboyish mind wasn't sure where to start. Suddenly, an idea came to her. She put the pen to the paper. The first few words had only just appeared when a red-maned head poked into the room. It was Ash.
"Can I join you?" he politely asked.
"Sure," Rain responded, and she scooted over to make room for Ash. He cantered over to the couch and settled himself directly next to Rain, ignoring the extra space beside her. Rain looked suspiciously at him for a second, then turned back to her notebook and continued writing. Ash sat quietly next to her, his eyes darting around the room and occasionally towards the unsuspecting pegasus next to him. He took a deep breath.
"Look, Rain," he said, turning toward her. "I didn't come here just to sit. I wanted to talk to you." He slipped a hoof under one side of Rain's notebook and shut it, his hoof awkwardly brushing hers.
"Okay..." Rain murmured, sliding the notebook onto a small coffee table beside the couch. "What did you want to talk about?"
Ash casually put a foreleg over the back of the couch. "I wanted to talk to you about...us."
A chill ran down Rain's spine. "What about us?" she said, trying to deny her suspicions.
"Us," Ash continued, "as, you know...us."
Rain noticed his shoulder move, and his foreleg lowering ever so slowly. He was trying to get an arm around her! She grabbed his wrist and pushed it back towards him. "What are you talking about? We are not a couple!"
"No, not now," Ash said flirtatiously. He leaned over his beautiful, winged obsession, his face coming unsettlingly close to hers. "But we could be."
Rain pushed him away forcefully. "No!" she shouted at him. "I don't want to be your girlfriend, okay? I just don't want a relationship right now. Maybe not ever, now that I'm stuck out here!"
She pushed herself off the couch and grabbed her notebook. "It's really late. I should go." Without another word, Rain sped off down the main corridor and disappeared.
Ash smiled coyly to himself. "So that's how she wants to play..."

Several days passed. Soon, it was just another training day. It was Rain's first time trying out with a tutorial mission, something called Return2Sender. She stood atop a tall platform along with Amber, Neon, Ash, and Misty, who was coaching her younger crewmates. The four trainees had been split into teams of two. Ash was paired with Amber, Rain with Neon.
Misty began explaining the rules. "Listen close, Rain. This is just recap for the rest of them, so pay close attention and get as much of this as you can." She motioned to the vast urban labyrinth around them. The arena. "This is your playing field. Each team takes one section. Amber, Ash, your goal is at the south end." She pointed to one edge of the maze. "Rain, Neon, yours is north. The distances are of equal length, and the difficulty is the same. We don't play favorites here. Remember, this program uses agents as obstacles. They will be shooting at you, but no one's really getting hurt. This is what we call a "snap" program. If you get injured in a way that you would either be killed or unable to continue the mission, you are automatically woken up and jacked out, what we call snapping out of it. There is a building at each end of the arena. The simulated situation is that top secret files have been accidentally sent and are currently in agent possession. The objective is to break into the building, hack the computer network, erase the files and get back here as fast as possible. Everypony clear?" All four of the apprentices' heads nodded. Misty smiled contently. "Wait a second. I almost forgot. Saph, the eraser!"
"Eraser?" Rain asked. Suddenly a tingly feeling emerged in the tips of her wings, then came closer and closer to her back. It continued on until it reached her shoulder blades and disappeared. Rain looked behind her to see what had happened to her. She saw that everything looked normal... except her wings were gone.
"My wings!" she gasped.
"Relax," Neon said coolly. He turned to face her from the side. She saw that his wings had disappeared, as did Amber and Ash's horns. "It's the only rule here. No wings, no magic, just mindpower. If you focus enough, you can do anything. Simple, really. Just watch." He approached the northern edge of the platform. Rain followed.
Misty held a stopwatch. "At your places!" she commanded.
"Remember," Neon whispered to Rain. "Focus."
"So all I have to do is think really hard, and I can do it?"
"Basically."
Misty held up her stopwatch. "Aaaaand... BREAK!" she shouted, pressing START.
Neon leapt gracefully off the platform, landing on the softly on the ground with a fluid, catlike grace. Rain imitated him perfectly, but instead of alighting gently on the ground, she crashed uncontrollably into the pavement. She gritted her teeth as she peeled herself off the concrete.
"You weren't focusing, were you?" Neon asked sarcastically.
"Ya think?" Rain shot back.
"You'll get the hang of it," he said, helping her up. "Now let's go."

The first part of the course was easy. The two wingless pegasi simply had to run, making their way toward the building as fast as possible. Occasionally a police officer popped up, who they'd have to knock out. Even that was effortless. Rain's newly acquired fighting skills came in handy. When they finally reached their goal, a basic, grey-brick four-story office building, they climbed a fire escape and pried open a third-story window. Once inside, they set off to find the base for the building's computer network. They managed to threaten that information out of a captured security guard, who was also later knocked unconscious. The base wasn't much. Only an empty room with nothing but a computer atop a metal office desk. It was only after they'd hacked the system that things got difficult. They'd located the file and it was still deleting when Rain heard a sound outside. She nudged Neon, who tiptoed over to the door and put an ear against it.
"What do you hear?" Rain asked, trying to will the file to erase faster.
"It's... voices. And hoofsteps! They found us!" Neon said in a stage whisper to his companion.
The computer blipped. The file was gone. Rain quickly closed out and shut the monitor off. "Now what?" she asked.
The locked door knob jiggled. Neon shot backwards away from the door and next to Rain at the desk. "We're doomed."
"The culprits are in here, sir." The voices were right outside the door.
"They've locked it!" a nervous-sounding voice said, probably belonging to the guard they'd interrogated.
"That won't be a problem," a deeper, confident voice said.
"The agent programs are running," Neon whispered. "We've got to get out of here."
Rain looked at the wall opposite the door. There were two closed, frosted-glass windows. "Maybe, if we could just get a window open..."
Before she could finish, a loud slam erupted from the other side of the door. "One more should do it," the agent's voice said.
"They're breaking through the door!" Rain whispered in a panic.
"Quick, behind the desk," Neon whispered back. "They'll just shoot blindly at first. That should crack the glass enough for us to break through."
Just as the pair slid behind the desk, the door burst open, destroying the lock and bending the hinges in half. Sure enough, a storm of bullets rained down. The gunfire pounded against the metal of the desk protecting the two hackers, drove several holes into the wall, and spread cracks all across the window glass.
"Wait," another guard's voice spoke up. "Where are they?"
"Hiding. They'll come out soon enough," the agent responded. "Shoot at anything that moves."
Neon and Rain sat silent behind the desk, waiting for a break in their attackers' concentration. Two minutes passed, then three. The guards must be losing interest by now.
"On my signal, okay?" Neon breathed directly into Rain's ear.
"Okay, got it," she whispered back. They positioned themselves to make a break for the left window.
"3, 2, 1...GO!" Neon shouted. He bolted for the window and kicked the glass, shattering what remained of it to pieces. Rain shot out after him.
The guards snapped to attention, quickly realizing that their prey was escaping. "Shoot, you idiots!" the agent snapped. "Shoot them!"
There was another flurry of bullets to dodge. Neon sprang out of the broken window and Rain instantly followed, narrowly dodging the shots being fired behind her. Neon landed first, catching himself and landing on his feet. Rain once again fell haphazardly, plummeting awkwardly to the ground and crash-landing directly on top of Neon's back, throwing him to the ground. They both forced themselves back to their feet.
"I really need to work on that focus thing," Rain panted, completely winded from her fall.
"No time for that," Neon said helping Rain find her footing. "Run!"
They sped off down the street, back towards where they came from. The agent and guards burst through the front door, only to see the culprits escaping. "Forget this," a guard muttered. "They're gone."
The agent snatched the guard's gun out of his hooves. "Fine by me," he spat. Then he took off in the direction the hackers had gone, running unnaturally fast.

Meanwhile, Neon and Rain were busy bolting back toward the maze's center. Lost in her speed, Rain's hoof caught in the grate of a storm drain. She tripped and fell to her knees. The already exhausted pegasus pulled herself back up, gasping and wheezing, completely out of breath. "I think-" she panted, unable to get out an entire sentence, "I think- we- lost them."
Neon seemed fine, not having broken a sweat, barely even breathing heavy. "No," he said. "You can't outrun an agent. It's impossible. They're too fast."
Rain couldn't stand the idea of more running. Her legs already felt like dry twigs about to snap. "How do they do that?" she asked breathlessly.
"They control the Magix. They can do anything they want. Now no more questions." He tugged at Rain's forelegs, trying to drag her onward. "We have to keep going before-"
A loud gunshot cut him off before he could finish. "Move!" he shouted, grabbing Rain by a hoof and not giving her much of a choice.
Rain forced her legs to work. She pushed forward, trying to focus, but doubt tugged at her mind. She wasn't sure how much longer she could make it before her whole body gave out. "Keep going, keep going," she repeated to herself. "Just a little longer..."
Suddenly, she found it a little, if at all, easier to move. The second she realized she'd mastered the art, she lost her focus all over again. Her worn-out legs gave in and she tripped and crashed into the street. The agent saw that she'd fallen, becoming weak and defenseless. He trained his gun on her and fired.
Rain rolled over and over, just barely managing to avoid the bullets. One whizzed past her shoulder, another past her ear, so close she could hear the air rushing around it as it sliced through. She tried to pull herself up, but her legs wouldn't work. It was becoming harder and harder to move. Rain felt a sting at her hip. One of the bullets had sliced across her skin, leaving a hot, painful cut. Another bullet snapped across her shoulder, then her ankle. Her energy was draining. Rain no longer cared that this was only a training program and that dying here only meant waking up. It didn't matter. She was scared. It wouldn't be long before this mission would be over.
Neon stopped dead and spun around at the sound of the gunfire. "Rain!" he screamed. He dashed towards the agent, who was still focused on the mare, and kicked him squarely in the side of the head. He toppled over sideways and lost his weapon. Neon kicked him again, this time in the side with more force than the last. The agent flew into the side of a nearby building and crashed to the ground, momentarily dazed.
Neon rushed over to his fallen companion. "Get up," he begged her, desperate. "Come on, please, get up!" He pulled Rain to her feet. The agent was slowly coming to his senses. Neon had managed to get Rain to stand, but she still couldn't move. He tried to drag her a few feet, but Rain's stiffened legs could barely even work.
She looked up at him, her eyes huge. "Help me," she squeaked.
The agent shook himself awake and saw the hackers in their desperate attempt to escape. He dragged himself across the ground toward his gun, lying where it had fallen when Neon had knocked it out of his hooves. He grabbed his weapon and took aim.
Rain gritted her teeth and strained to keep moving. Her whole body was completely rigid."Focus, Rain!" Neon screamed. "Focus!"
Suddenly, Rain's mind cleared. A single word rose up, and she knew nothing else. Run.
Focusing as hard as she possibly could, Rain squeezed her eyes closed willed her legs to work. She felt the numbness and stiff, painful feelings melt away. A sudden burst of energy blazed through her. Her eyes flew open and she shot forward just as the agent fired his gun. It was safe. She could run again. Rain took off, dashing back towards the arena's center, Neon close behind. Rain didn't stop. Everything had become so clear. Only that one, lifesaving word existed now. Run.
There it was. They'd reached the center. The huge platform rose up in front of them. Neon and Rain scaled up a fire escape to the roof of a building near the platform, around the same height. They could see the smooth black top of the platform in front of them. They raced to the roof's edge. It was almost finished.
Neon backed up a few steps, then raced to the edge of the building and jumped. He sailed through the air between the two structures, flying fearlessly as though he'd never lost his wings. Rain watched in surprise as he made the distance and landed gracefully atop the platform.
Rain stared. "Whoa."
She saw Neon looking back at her from the platform. "You can do it, Rain!" he called out to her.
Rain stared down at the potential fall before her. Forty feet, maybe fifty? If only I still had my wings... she thought. Rain backed away from the edge and gulped. She'd just seen Neon do it. That meant it wasn't impossible, right? You can make it, she thought hopefully. Just focus and...jump.
Rain gritted her teeth, shut her eyes, and sped forwards. She opened her eyes at the last second and leaped off. The sky-blue projectile flew towards the platform. You can make it. Almost there...
Rain crashed onto the platform and skidded across the top, almost falling over the other edge. She dug her hooves into the floor and screeched to a stop. Then she just lay still, sore and panting from her adventure. She heard cheering from above her. Several pairs of hooves helped her to her feet.
"You did it!" Amber was holding Rain up, supporting her bruised, battered weight. Next to her was Neon. They both let go and allowed Rain to stand on her own.
"I-I did? I did! I made it! Woohoo!"
Neon raced back in and hugged her tightly. "You were great! That was-" He blinked and stiffened up as if he hadn't realized what he was doing. He quickly let go of her. "That- that was- really good," he laughed nervously.
Rain grinned and turned back to Amber, and the two mares began chatting excitedly. Neon shook himself. How could he have been so stupid? He looked over his shoulder at Ash. His best-friend-turned-enemy was glaring furiously at him, his dark grey eyes ice cold and a hoof scraping angrily at the ground. Neon looked looked away and shivered. He was officially on thin ice.
Misty approached Rain, smiling broadly at her new apprentice. "20 minutes, 36 seconds. You did great out there," she said, slapping a hoof playfully on Rain's back. She winced and gave Misty a pained smile. Misty quickly drew her hoof back. "Sorry. You took one hay of a beating out in the arena. Weren't about to let that stop you though, huh?"
Rain grinned, glowing with happiness. "Never."
Ash cantered up to her. "You're really good. Probably better than any of our new recruits. You're just... amazing." He began staring blankly at her. "You have beautiful eyes."
Rain inched away. "Um, thanks?" she mused, groping for a response.
Misty shouted out above the crowd. "Okay, party's over. We're jacking out now."
The whole scene shimmered out and Rain woke up.

When Rain opened her eyes, there was a faint salty taste in her mouth. She opened her mouth and touched her tongue. She drew back to see a faint bloody film on her hoof tip.
"What the..." she mumbled. Her body wasn't all bruised and battered as it had been in the program.
"The blood, you mean?" Horus was standing at her side, taking notice of her confusion. She nodded. "It appears along with any injuries you acquire. The more serious, the more blood." He smiled proudly at her. "You did fantastically for a first-timer."
Rain got out of her chair and stood up. "Is it my gift?" she asked.
"It just may be," he answered

Neon was walking innocently down the hallway to his dorm. Ash suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He jumped in front of Neon, stopping him dead in his tracks.
"You just don't know when to stop, do you?" he hissed. "You're like a drug addict, but with Rain. You're a Rain addict!"
Neon sidestepped Ash, trying to walk past him. "What is this about?" he asked as Ash blocked him again. "You've gone completely insane. What is wrong with you?"
"You're the one who's insane!" The unicorn slammed his victim up against the wall. "I told you not to touch her and you feel her up right in front of me!"
"I was just happy for her! There is nothing-"
Ash cut him off. "I am not kidding, Neon!" he hissed. "Don't mess with me!"

Meanwhile, Amber and Rain were in their dorm relaxing after another long day of training. Amber was stretched out on her bed, a book floating in front of her surrounded by an orange aura of magic. Rain was sprawled on the floor, exhausted and mindblown, her head reeling.
"Hey, Rain," Amber said, closing her book and setting it on her pillow, "there's something I've been meaning to ask you."
Rain looked up from her place on the floor. She propped herself up onto her elbows and stretched out her sky-blue wings, glad to have them back. "Ask away."
"A few days ago, you know, just after being shown the truth, you sort of had that... episode, remember?"
The pegasus snorted. "Yeah, barfed and passed out. Like I need to be reminded."
"Well, while you were still freaking out, like, a second before you went unconscious, you said something." Amber fell silent for a moment, lost in thought. "I... I think it was a name or something... What was it again? Pinkie. Yeah, that's it. You said Pinkie and blacked out."
The unicorn turned around to face Rain. "What I want to know is... who's Pinkie?"
Rain sighed heavily and looked down. "Oh, that," she murmured. She'd been trying to forget it for days, ever since leaving Ponyville and joining the Firestar's crew. And now she had to remember. Again. "Pinkie Pie. She was... she was my best friend. While I was still in the Magix. We were really close, and I missed her a lot. And when I learned what was going on... I was just really scared for her, still being trapped in there and all."
Amber's gaze softened from curiosity to sympathy. "Oh... I..." she stammered. "I didn't know. You see, I didn't really have any friends when I came here. I forgot that your life was different than mine." She looked at her heartbroken roommate. "You still miss her, don't you."
Rain looked up at Amber, glassy eyed. "You had no friends? That's so... sad."
Amber shrugged. "Not so much now. No friends means nothing to miss." She suddenly laughed at herself. "I'm sorry. Got a little carried away there. Honestly, it's such a sob story. I didn't mean to-"
"No, I'm fine really," Rain cut in. "Feel like a swap?"
Amber grinned. "Sure."
"It all started in about sixth grade. Well, the real beginning was way before then. My name used to be Ebony Spice. You see, ever since I was little, I'd always been kind of... different. I was never like other ponies. I had this... well some would call it a superpower. You remember the potential's talent that Horus told you about? Well, I have dreams about the future. I see things in my dreams before they happen. So I always knew that there was something strange about me, something nopony would understand. I knew I was different.
Well, we all know how ponies can be about the different ones. Yeah, I got bullied a lot as a filly. I was considered weird pretty much everywhere. When I was little, I thought that other foals would think it was cool that I could see the future. Some of them did. But that wore off fast. By second grade, my talent was getting scary. Even my own parents were afraid of me. Nopony thought being psychic was a gift. They all thought I was a freak. And, pretty much, all hell broke loose.
Well, life went on, business as usual. I didn't let the other foals get to me. I knew I was special and it didn't matter what they thought. For some reason, I knew that being a freak would change my life in a way theirs never would. But it wasn't until four years later that I finally figured it out.
I was 11 when I had the first dream. It was so weird. I can't even remember exactly what happened. All I remember was seeing a stallion there. I could never remember his face, but saw that he had a trenchcoat and sunglasses. I remember he told me that he knew me. He said he knew about my powers and what everypony was doing to me. He told me that I was special and that I had a gift that they didn't. The last thing he said was that someday, it would set me free. Then I woke up.
Of course, I had no idea what that stallion was talking about. But ever since I had that dream, I'd had this feeling that there was something wrong with the world. There was something I knew that nopony else was aware of. Nothing felt the same anymore. Eventually, I decided that I had to figure it out for myself.
I was 12 when I first learned to hack computers. It had always seemed so cool, and I'd always wanted to learn how to do it. After I started, it sort of became an addiction. It was fun, rebellious, and I loved it. I never expected it to become my special talent though," she said, tapping the black pixel firework on her flank. "That's how I got this little mark of mine. Nobody could figure out what it meant my talent was. Of course, I never told anyone what it really meant. Nevermind, back to the hacking story. Soon I found a use for my new skill. Since regular internet use wasn't getting me the answers I needed, I decided I had to go deeper. At first, nothing. Even hacking into every information site I could find and digging through the classified archives of almost every library on the planet didn't help me. I still couldn't find my answer. After six months of searching, I gave up. I spent a year being depressed afterwards.
Then, when I was 14, I was over my previous failure. It was summer, school was out, I was bored, so I decided to have a little fun. I went onto an anonymous online chat room. I talked to strangers for a while, but that wasn't cutting it for me. So I did what any mischievous little potential would do. I hacked the site.
Well, I was in, and I could now see all the information of everypony who was online. After scrolling through loads of email addresses, passwords, and other totally private information, I came across this one profile. At first I thought I was hallucinating. But no, it was real. There was one pony online who didn't have any information at all. No name, no email, no online accounts, nothing. So I clicked, and my computer shorted out. I sat there for about ten minutes staring at a black screen before I noticed the green cursor blinking in the corner. So I typed hello. You know, just to see what would happen. And I got a response.
I talked to the stranger for a long time. I sat in front of my computer for at least an hour, if not more, asking questions, telling stories, and talking to this random, unidentified pony like they were my best friend. They said they knew who I was. They knew a lot about me, about my life, my psychic powers, and my paranoia about the world. But even though I asked over and over, they wouldn't tell me anything about themselves. So finally, we arranged to meet at a bookstore the next day. So later-"
"Wait, wait, wait. You arranged a meeting over the internet with a total freaking stranger?"
"Yes, I did. It's not as bad as it sounds."
"Amber, how stupid were you in eighth grade?"
"A lot less stupid than your commentary. Now shut up and let me finish."
"So anyway, our conversation was over, and my computer suddenly fixed itself. Well, that was weird and all, but I wasn't surprised. The next day, I went to the bookstore, just like I'd planned. Well, nopony was there. I figured they weren't there yet, so I stayed in the back and waited. I waited there all day. Nopony showed up. It was getting really late, and the store would be closed in an hour. Finally, I heard the door open. Somepony walked in and headed straight for the back, as if they knew I was there. I got scared, so I hid in the shelves and just froze where I was. I hear the pony coming closer and closer. Soon they were right in front of my hiding spot. I heard a voice say, "Come on, Ebony. I know you're there. Come out, I won't hurt you." I poked my head out of my hiding place, and I never expected who I'd see standing there.
It was the pony from my dream. Guess who he actually was?"
"Horus?"
"Exactly. So I just came rushing out at him like a crazy fangirl. I had never been so happy in my life. I asked a million questions, and he told me everything. He told me about the Magix, how I knew the truth, and that it was why I felt the way I did. Suddenly everything was so clear. I knew what I was meant to do with my life. I wanted to stay with him longer, but then the lights shut off and we heard the doors lock. The store was closed. Horus helped me sneak out a back way. Before we left, he gave me a communicator, those little black cell phones we all have. He told me that if I ever needed him again, I only needed to call. Then he just disappeared.
A day or so passed. I thought about what Horus had told me. He could help me. With him, I could change my sad little life forever. So the next night, I called him. We talked for hours, just like we did on the chat room. It went on for two weeks. I could feel that I was getting closer and closer to Horus. He was the only friend I'd had in years. Every time we talked, I felt different. It's like I was picking a really difficult lock, and every time I broke through another boundary, I was one step closer to getting it open. I knew it wouldn't be long until this lock would finally break open, and spill all its secrets to me.
One night, I was talking to Horus again, when I finally told him how I felt. I couldn't stay where I was any longer. I wanted to know what was out there, and I would do whatever I had to do to find out. Then I asked him that one question, the one that always changes everything. What is the Magix?
He came for me the next night. He brought others with him, Ash, Misty, and Terra. Terra's not around anymore, but never mind. That's another story that I don't want to tell. So they picked me up and brought me to the complex in Ponyville, the one where we brought you to be jacked out. He gave me the same talk that he gave you, more or less. I told him I'd already made my choice. I picked the right door, woke up, changed my name to Amber, and... here I am! So, what's your story?"
Rain stared up at Amber from the floor, mouth hanging open. "That... that actually happened?"
Amber smirked. "Yep. Everything, even the dreams. I still get them sometimes, but they're not so bad now."
The pegasus rolled her eyes. "Forget it," she said. "My story is nowhere near as cool as yours."
Amber laughed. "Come on. I don't care. Tell me anyway."
Rain sighed. "Okay, fine. You asked for it."
The pegasus shut her eyes and concentrated for a second, digging deep into her memory, searching for all the things she'd been trying so hard to forget for so many years. She took a deep breath. "Here goes..."
"I grew up in Cloudsdale. You know, that exclusively pegasus city up in the clouds over Ponyville? Yeah, there. Not that it matters. Honestly, my past kind of sucks. It's not even a good story. So if you don't want to hear anymore, just tell me, okay?
First of all, there was my parents. My mom and dad had never really wanted foals. I was sort of born as an accident. They didn't care about me at all. So, yeah, I was treated like crap but was too little to develop a grudge. So I just lived with it. But when I got older, my parents found a way to make me work for them. When I turned five, they started using me to make themselves look good. I became their little living trophy. Suddenly I was expected to be perfect in every single freaking little way. If I even put a hoof tip out of line, they would freak out. The things I got punished for became smaller and smaller, from bad grades to swearing to wearing my mane wrong. And that wasn't even it."
The memory of three jockish colts pushed its way forward and collided with the other. The short, painful clips played over and over in Rain's head, memories of relentless teasing, scornful laughter, hearing the words "Rainbow Crash" over and over and over.
"There were these three colts. They're stallions now, but they haven't changed at all. I can't even remember their names, but they're still there. They'd tease me and my friend Fluttershy all the time. We were both really bad fliers. They called us Rainbow Crash and Klutzershy. They'd push us around constantly. Sad part is, they never got in trouble. Everypony saw us getting harassed, and nopony did a damn thing about it.
So here I am. My parents think I'm their slave. I'm the worst student in flight school. I'm getting bullied by three clueless jocks. And nopony cares. So I'd been just dealing with it for forever. Then, one day, something just snapped. I have no idea what happened to me then. But something changed. And I regret nothing. I was sick of being the damsel in distress. So I fought back. Hard."
Amber was totally absorbed into Rain's story. "I knew it!" she said suddenly.
"Huh? Knew what?"
"Everypony who has ever escaped the Magix had had a hard life of some sort. That's the way it works. You know my story. Horus's parents died in a fire, Misty lived with a dysfunctional family, Neon was institutionalized, everypony has some sort of story. It's how the Magix operates. It seeks out the special ponies and alters their lives bring them down. It's its way of keeping them in line and preventing them from realizing their true potential. It sort of connects us all."
"Oh. It all makes sense now." Rain went quiet for a moment, delving back into her memories. But this one wasn't hard to find. She remembered exactly how her rebellion began.
"I was around 10 when it finally hit me. Like I said, I was tired of being a victim. I wanted to fight back and give life what it deserved. So I stopped everything. I didn't follow rules anymore or live up to everypony's expectations. I turned into a rebel. I didn't care what anypony thought anymore. It was my life now, and it was mine to control.
Of course, those stupid jocks kept bullying me and Fluttershy. I bet they never expected to get a hoof to the face for it! And, obviously, I was the one who got detention, but I didn't care. I'd finally gotten back at them.
Flying was my biggest problem. It was the only thing that I really enjoyed, but I sucked at it. So instead of practicing my flight school lessons and following my teacher's instructions like a good little filly, I just flew. Who the hay knew? Turns out, just doing it myself worked better than being taught ever did. Well, except for some collateral damage, but it payed off in the end."
Rain and Amber giggled. Nopony could have guessed that one of Equestria's top amature flyers had started off so badly. Rain continued.
"As you can imagine, my parents weren't too happy about the new Rainbow Dash. I'd ruined everything they'd worked so hard to turn me into. They fought me pretty hard over it. My life at home became one huge screaming match. But if this was what freedom meant, it was worth it.
After a few years, I decided my revolt could be pushed even farther. I learned how to hack from the internet when I was 12. I'd never used my computer skills and was still pretty novice. But somehow, once I got started, I just became an expert. In just a few weeks, I became a master computer hacker. I actually think that might have been when my double-life started. Hacking changed me. I loved it almost as much as flying. Pretty soon, my parents gave up, I became an official badass, and... here I am!"
She finished off the story with a smile.
"Told you," Amber said. "Everypony's got a story to tell."
Rain shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Mine is nowhere near as cool as yours, though."
The mares laughed. "That's okay," Amber giggled. "I can forgive you for not being this awesome."

THE MAGIX:CHAPTER 7:Erased

Pinkie Pie was shut up in her room. She'd been there for days. The normally unchangeably cheerful pony was draped limply on her fluffy yellow bed, mane flat, feeling worse than she ever had in her life. No matter how much she denied it, she knew that everything was hopeless. Rainbow Dash was gone. She'd been missing for 7 days, disappeared without a trace. And there was no telling when she'd return, or if she would never come back.
Pinkie Pie wiped her bloodshot, tearstained eyes with a tissue, blew her nose, and added the crumpled piece of paper to the accumulating pile on her bedroom floor. She missed her Dashie so much. They were best friends, Loyalty and Laughter. After all they'd been through, Pinkie thought they'd be friends forever. And they would be... if only she were still there.
Pinkie sobbed at the thought, and grabbed Gummy, her clueless pet alligator, off the floor, interrupting his activities in the tissue pile. She sniffled and squeezed him, hoping for some consolation. He squeaked in protest and wriggled around in her forelegs, trying to escape.
"I miss my Dashie," Pinkie said to him as he squirmed free and flopped down onto the bed. "I hope she's okay. I wish she was still here...or that I could have gone with her...wherever she is." Her words only created a fresh burst of tears.
Several minutes later, Mrs. Cake knocked on the door of Pinkie's apartment. "Pinkie Pie? Are you in there, dearie?"
"Yeah," Pinkie answered in a scratchy voice, worn out from days of crying. "What do you need?"
"You have some friends here to see you, hon."
"Okay. They can come in. The door's unlocked."
The door opened and in came Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy.
"Pinkie Pie, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked. "You've been in here for days."
Pinkie dabbed her nose with yet another tissue. "No."
Applejack walked up to stand beside Pinkie's bed. "What's wrong, sugarcube? C'mon, you can tell us," she said, sitting down next to her.
The depressed pink pony lifted her flat-maned head to look at all her friends. "I..." she stuttered unsteadily. "I..." She had to tell them. They were her friends. "I- I miss Rainbow Dash!" She broke down sobbing in Applejack's lap.
Rarity galloped over next to join the mares on the bed. She lifted Pinkie's chin to get a look at her face. "My, sweetheart, look at you!" she sympathized. "You poor thing. You're a mess! Oh, what to do? Maybe a trip to my favorite spa would do you good. That always cheers me up. I'm sure it'll help you, too, won't it?"
Twilight Sparkle Spoke up. "Now isn't the time to be thinking about that, Rarity," she said, trotting over to the bed. "Chin up, Pinkie. We all miss Rainbow Dash." She settled down next to the two mares. Fluttershy flitted across the room to join them, landing on the bed just behind Pinkie. Twilight continued. "I know it's just not the same with only five of the Elements of Harmony here. And she was your best friend. If any of us has a right to feel this way it's you." Applejack helped her lift Pinkie from her depressed sprawl into a sitting position. "But you can't just dwell on these things. The royal guard are doing their best to find her. I've even sent Princess Celestia a special message to notify Canterlot of Rainbow Dash's disappearance. Everypony is trying as hard as they can to bring her back. There's no need to worry about her."
Pinkie Pie blinked some stray tears away. She leaned back against Fluttershy, who put her forelegs around her friend's shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze. It didn't seem to help the despairing pink mare. "B-but it's just not the same without her," she sniffled.
"It's okay, Pinkie Pie," Applejack said. "It's just plain fine to feel this way. There's no need to go rushin' back to the way things were so soon. But it's been a week. You can't let one mess bring ya down, sugarcube."
Meanwhile, Rarity was rattling off a list of spa treatments in her effort to get Pinkie back to normal. "Maybe some aromatherapy. That'll be nice and relaxing, a good stress relief blend. A massage should relieve the tension. Oh, and a facial! I'll ask for the energy boost recipe. That's perfect!"
All at once, the three mares surrounding Pinkie shot the beauty-obsessed unicorn a look. "Rarity!"
Rarity blushed. "Sorry. I'm only trying to help." She trotted over to join her friends. She took Pinkie Pie's hoof and gently stroked it. "Oh, Pinkie. I don't know what more I can do. It's just so awful to see you in such a state."
"We all feel that way," Twilight put in.
Pinkie pie sniffed and wiped at her eyes again. "I- I'm sorry. You don't have to feel bad for me. If I'm just making it worse... you guys don't have to... you could just..." she murmured, dangerously close to tearing up all over again.
Fluttershy poked her head over Pinkie Pie's shoulder. "Girls, let me handle this," she said to her friends. The pegasus repositioned herself to face the sniffling pony in her arms. She lovingly stroked her flattened pink mane and cradled her comfortingly. "It's okay, Pinkie Pie," she cooed. "Just let it all out." Pinkie's eyes glossed over. She whimpered pitifully and buried her head in Fluttershy's shoulder. "That's it. It'll all be okay." Fluttershy stayed there for a moment, holding her despairing friend and letting her cry on her shoulder. Eventually, the tears stopped. Fluttershy lifted Pinkie to look her in the eyes. "Cheer up, Pinkie," she said in a soothing, songlike tone. "We all understand. Rainbow Dash was your best friend and this is a really big loss to you. It is for all of us. But that doesn't mean that you have to stay all locked up like this. It's only making things worse." She gave Pinkie a warm, tight hug. "I want you to come outside with us and get some air. Can you do that for me? Will you try, please?"
Pinkie Pie let go of Fluttershy. She sniffled one last time and wiped her tears away. "O-okay."

(jack out)

The static of excitement hung in the air of the holodeck. Today was the day, the day everypony had been waiting for. 7 days had passed since Rain's arrival on the Firestar. In that short time, she'd learned incredibly fast. The crew's latest member had been through a lot. Training, simulated combat, tutorial missions, even her first predator attack, having to spend a full three hours with the ship on lockdown, watching the dark, spidery figures crawl swiftly through the tunnels searching for them, the ship's EMP charged to pulse the ship and kill them where they stood. She'd become better, faster, stronger... she'd changed. Rain was one of them now. She was ready to return to the Magix. And today would be her first mission.
The crew was gathered in the holodeck for a mission briefing from Horus. Spiro and Saph were seated at the controls while the remainder of the crew were positioned in the chairs, ready to be jacked in.
"Alright," Horus began. "The mission is rather simple. The basics of it: we are erasing Rain's history from the memory of the Magix. Every online account, every membership, every record of her ever kept must be deleted. We need to make it seem as if she no longer exists. We've downloaded everything, including links, usernames, passwords, and anything else necessary. Every member has been given a personal assignment. Once you have completed it, the crew will be meeting behind the Playhouse for a checkpoint. Things shouldn't be too dangerous, so we're going in unarmed. If you run into trouble, escape will be your only option. We go in as a team, we leave as one. Everyone clear?"
Every head in the holodeck nodded. The Magix feed was hacked, opening a connection into the virtual reality. Six blank POV panels opened on the monitor. One by one, Spiro and Saph jacked them in, sending them into the dream world. Rain was last in line. She lay unsettled in her chair, nerves going haywire with excitement. She took a deep breath and readied herself for the jack-in. The plug went in, and she was off.

Rain opened her eyes. She was back where it had all begun: the abandoned apartments in the outskirts. The 5 avatars of her crewmates stood in before her in the room, the very place where Rain had made her decision to join the resistance. She studied the others. They looked almost exactly as they did in the real world. Almost. There was one difference. The plugs were gone.
The Magix must be causing it, she figured.
The entire crew was clothed completely in black. They wore the ensembles that Rain remembered from their first meeting. Amber with her tank top and cropped jacket, Ash in his black hoodie pulled up to conceal his flame-red mane, and of course Horus in his signature trench coat. The only one she hadn't seen yet was Neon. He sported a leather jacket over a basic black tee, with long slits cut down the back to let his wings free. Suits him, Rain thought.
A thought hit Rain. Wait. Everypony has their own outfit, so... what am I wearing? She looked down at her hooves. Long black sleeves covered her forelegs. Rain looked herself over. She was wearing a fitted black halter underneath a black windbreaker. The fabric of the jacket had a large circle cut over her back, where her wings extended from the rest of her body. She grinned to herself. She loved this. It made her feel sleek and dangerous. She was a force to be reckoned with.
"This," she said, "is over the top. I am getting tingly now."
She heard a lilting giggle from next to her. Amber was looking at the pegasus's reaction to her new look. "You like it?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah! It's awesome. I feel like a ninja pony!"
Amber laughed again. She and Rain then turned their attention to the rest of the crew.
Horus took his black cell phone from a pocket in his trench coat and pressed the call button. "We're in, Spiro," he said. He hung up, stowed the phone back in its place, and nodded to his crew.
"Let's do this."

(jack in)

Pinkie Pie sat alone in a small, cozy corner of Pixel, her favorite cyber cafe, curled up in a chair, sipping a strawberry cocoa. It was the first time she'd been out of her apartment in a while. Even though she couldn't get her best friend off of her mind, it felt kind of nice. Pinkie looked around at the small, familiar space. There were so many other ponies out there, not just Rainbow Dash, to be her friend and to care about.
But she had been so special...
"No," Pinkie Pie told herself. "You are not going back to that." She took a deep breath and tried to clear her head. She'd only just gotten her mane to curl again. She couldn't let it go flat all over again. Just try not to think about it. Get it out of your head, and you'll be better in no time.
Pinkie stood up and carried her cocoa over to the row of computers that lined a wall of the cafe. A little internet time always got her mind off of things. She had only just logged into her Whinny account when something odd caught her eye at the other end of the row of computers.
Pinkie cast a sideways glance at the suspicious-looking pegasus mare. She wore a black windbreaker that was carefully positioned to cover her cutie mark. Her tail was tucked into the jacket's hem and its hood was pulled up to hide the mare's face. She seemed out of place, like she belonged somewhere else.
Pinkie turned to get a better look at her. A pair of toned, sky-blue wings stuck out of a circle cut in the back of her windbreaker. She'd seen those wings before. They looked almost like... Could it be?
Pinkie Pie looked closer. She thought she saw the very ends of rainbow-colored bangs poking out from of the hood. The pegasus adjusted her windbreaker. The hem shifted up, revealing the very tip of a red, yellow and blue lightning bolt on her flank.
Oh. My. Luna. Pinkie clapped a hoof over her mouth to stop herself from letting out a dramatic gasp. She knew that pegasus. She had disappeared 7 days ago. Pinkie had thought she was gone forever. And now she was back.
It was Rainbow Dash!

(jack out)

Rain closed down the window of her recently-deactivated Whinny page, reloaded the Pixel's internet homepage, and deleted the entire browsing history. She carefully adjusted her windbreaker to keep her face hidden. If anypony recognized her, she was done for. There would be questions, crowds, media interviews, and she would never be left alone again. She would never be able to get back to the real world. Rain took a quick look around, double-checked that nopony had recognized her, stood up and left for the Playhouse. She had to get back to them, and fast. She was completely unaware of a little pink Earth pony silently following her every move.

The Firestar crew met up behind the Ponyville Playhouse, just as they had planned. At the sight of her crewmates, Rain readjusted her windbreaker, no longer caring about staying hidden, and raced forward to join them.
Neon spoke first. "Everything's gone, right?"
"I think so," Misty answered. "The Archive page on Rainbow Dash was almost impossible to get to, though. I had to hack in and pose as an operator to erase everything."
"Good thing you did," Amber added. "Archive knows all, and it will tell all."
Horus looked over the details over on his phone. Rainbow Dash's Whinny account? Her Ponyville residence records? Her official Wonderbolts fan club web page? Her Pmusic account? Her Archive information page? Even her Cloudsdale Flight School records? Everything had been successfully deleted. "Everything's been erased," he said, closing out of the checkpoint on his phone. "The mission's been completed. Everypony agrees?"
"Seems finished to me," Rain said.
"I've completed my part."
"So did I."
"I'd say it's finished."
"Yeah, unless we want to go to memory wipe."
Everypony looked to the source of the comment. It was Ash. He was standing alone, once again staring aimlessly at Rain.
Horus looked quizzically at his apprentice. "Memory wipe?"
The entranced unicorn nodded. "She had friends, remember? They might see her. They'll know she's disappeared. If they recognize her, she's gone." His gaze on Rain intensified. Something told her that he really didn't want this to happen.
"That won't be necessary," Horus said, interrupting Ash's moment. "Memory wipe is needed in extreme cases only." He flipped his phone open again. "Saph, we're headed back to HQ. Set up a jackout connection there." He shut the phone and slid it back into his pocket.
Misty looked around the parking lot. "I hope we don't jinx this."
"Jinx what?" Amber asked.
"You haven't noticed? I haven't seen a single agent today. Usually they're chasing us all over...the...place..." Misty's voice trailed off as she took in the horrified expression on Rain's face.
Everypony else had noticed, too. The pegasus was frozen stiff, staring blankly forward, mouth open in fear and shock. The rest of the crew looked at the dumbstruck mare.
"Rain?" Neon asked. "Are you alright?"
Amber looked in the same direction as Rain was. Her face quickly darkened with fear as well. "We're in trouble," she whispered.
The remaining crew spun to face the unseen danger.
Five agents stood in formation, stone-faced and armed, the barrels of their guns all trained on their surprised prey. Agent Steel materialized from behind his accomplices. He stared coldly at the frozen ponies on the other side of the parking lot.
"Destroy them," he said.
"Run!" Horus shouted. "Everypony, run!"
They had barely begun their escape when the bullets started flying, shattering the brick and cement of the Playhouse, spraying shards in all directions. The crew scattered out of the parking lot, the agents quickly following.
Rain zipped into an alley between two shops and hid behind some trash cans. The agent who had been chasing her stopped at the alley's edge and looked around, confused. His target seemed to have evaded him. He wandered off to find her again.
Rain let out a breath of relief. Her heart was hammering and she could scarcely breathe. She quickly repositioned into a crouch, prepared to bolt if anyone found her. Suddenly, somepony grabbed her foreleg.
"AH!" Rain screeched. She whirled around to face her assailant. The last thing she expected was to see a pink, blue-eyed Earth mare looking up at her like a lost puppy. "Pinkie Pie?"
"Rainbow Dash!" she squealed, throwing herself at her startled friend.
Rain abruptly pushed her away. "As much as I'd love to stay and chat, I can't," she stammered. "I have to get out of here. Right now! I'm in danger and if I stay too long, you will be too!"
PInkie Pie looked hurt. "But Dashie," she whimpered, "we haven't seen each other in so long. I have so many questions. Where have you been?"
"I can't explain now. There's no time." Rain wrenched her leg out of Pinkie's death grip.
"I'm sorry," she breathed. Then she turned, spread her wings, and shot away into the sky.
"Dashie, wait!" Pinkie cried as she watched her friend disappear. She sat down dejectedly on the ground, a few tears running down her cheeks. Rainbow Dash had finally come back, and she didn't even want to speak to her. What had she done? Why did she deserve this?
She looked up to see a brown stallion dressed in a black suit and opaque sunglasses standing at the edge of the alley. Maybe he knew where Rainbow went.
Pinkie trotted out of the alley and up behind him. She tapped the stranger on the shoulder. "Um... mister? Can I ask you a question, sir?"
He turned around and shot her a confused and disgusted look.
"Hello," Pinkie Pie began nervously.
"Who are you?" he snidely retorted.
"Um, I- I just wanted to ask you something," the shaky pink mare continued. "I'm looking for my friend Rainbow Dash. Have you seen her? She's a pegasus. She's bright blue, with rainbow hair-"
"Yes, I have seen her," the stranger cut in. "I'm sorry. You just missed her."

(jackout)

The Firestar crew raced at a dead sprint for the outskirts. Nopony stopped until they'd reached the apartments. They all met up again in a circle outside the front entrance.
"You guys think they're gone?" Rain asked once she'd caught her breath.
"No, that's impossible," Misty answered. "Once they give chase, they don't stop."
"We may have them confused long enough to escape," Horus added. "But we can only hope."
Amber straightened her mane and dashed for the door. "Then we've got to go, NOW." She slipped a silver bobby pin out of her spiky black hair and set to work picking the lock.
Neon made a beeline for Rain. He made his way past the others and to her. "You're doing pretty well," he said to her. He glanced warily over his shoulder to make sure Ash wasn't watching him, like he had been the entire past week. "How did you know the agents were there? I'm surprised nopony else saw them first."
"Well...I just had a feeling..." Rain laughed nervously and blinked up at Neon. For some strange reason, being around him made her feel strange, like she were floating in space or falling. She wondered what it was.
A loud click sounded, interrupting them. Amber was finished, and the door was open. "It's open. Let's go."
The crew rushed through the empty corridors. Somewhere in the distance, Rain thought she heard a phone ringing. That's weird, she thought, This place is totally abandoned. It wouldn't have any service, would it? Yet, as they traveled, the noise grew louder.
They came to a rusted metal door with a barely-functional lock, which Amber quickly rendered useless. The ringing was right behind it. They broke into the apartment, following the ringing noise. There it was. A landline telephone, outdated by about a decade and shouldn't have even been working, was spewing out the loud, tinny sound over and over again. "Found it!"
Misty stepped forward and picked up the phone. She held it to her ear and closed her eyes.
Rain gasped. Misty's form began to pixelate, then her whole body began to glow a faint, icy blue. Then she flashed, faded and disappeared. Rain was left staring in shock. "How-" she began, unable to finish. "What the- But she-"
"Jacking out," Neon told her. "Not quite as theatrical as the transfer, but still pretty stunning."
Horus's cell phone chirped. He took it from his pocket and answered. "It's me. Is Misty there?"
Spiro's voice answered from the other end. "Yeah. The line is stable."
"We're all headed back, then."
Ash walked over to the phone and put the dangling handset back in its place. It immediately began ringing again. His horn glowed red and lifted the phone off its dock. Before he put the phone to his ear, he took one last look at Rain, the beautiful, strong, amazing mare that he wanted so, so much. And he was crushed by what he saw.
Rain, standing dangerously close to Neon, his traitor of a friend casually inching closer to her. She noticed him and he smiled shyly at her. Neon. His stupid, insolent flirt of a best friend.
"That LIAR," Ash whispered. He held the receiver to his ear. His magic grip on it grew tighter and tighter as his rage burned on. He watched them as he began to glow and blur out from their vision. It was almost over.
"That. Is. IT!" Ash suddenly screamed. His hold on the phone twisted tighter, becoming viselike, constricting over the plastic exterior. The thin plastic shell broke, shattering and falling to the floor in pieces. The metal mechanics underneath snapped under the pressure of Ash's grip. The fragile mechanics broke apart, becoming a crushed, sparking ball of metal and wires. The destroyed phone fell to the floor and shattered as Ash faded from sight.
The four remaining ponies stared in shock at the empty space where Ash had stood, too stunned to react. "What the..." Horus murmured, bewildered.
"This doesn't make any sense. Why would he..." The captain shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and put together an explanation that made sense.
Spiro kept talking on the other end of the cell phone. "Okay, Ash is back now, and... Ash? Are you okay? Ash?" His normally cool voice suddenly morphed into a panicked scream. "Ash, what are you doing? Stop! Let go of me! What the-"
The line went dead. Horus dropped his phone as if it were poisoned. "Oh my Celestia."
"No," Neon murmured, putting a hoof to his forehead. "No. No. This is bad. This is really, really bad."
Amber sat down on the floor, still staring at the phone. "What's wrong with Ash?" she wondered out loud. "He'd never do that. He wouldn't just strand us like that."
Rain simply stayed put, frozen, unable to speak. She couldn't make sense of anything. What just happened?
Neon looked at Horus and took a deep, hesitant breath. "Horus, I have a confession to make."
His captain turned to look at him. "What's that, then?"
"I- I know what's wrong with Ash. Ever since Rain arrived, he's been acting... weird."
Rain's mind raced, all the memories of Ash's strange and dangerous behavior coming back to her.
"Now that you mention it," she quietly added, "He had been acting kind of funny around me. I think he even tried to make a move on me once."
Amber didn't understand. "So what does this have to do with anything? He has a crush on her, so what?"
Neon shook his head. "No," he said. "It's not a crush. It's worse. Way, way worse." He stopped to take another shaking breath before continuing.
"You guys... Ash has been infected. He has Possession Sickness."

(jackout)

Ash stood up. He tore off the monitors covering his chest and forehead. He dragged himself out of the place where he'd been sleeping, away from the circle, and towards the control panel where Spiro and Saph were waiting. Suddenly an alarm went off.
"Hey, Spir," Saph said, squinting at the monitor, "Something's wrong. I just lost the jackout site."
"Hold on. I think Ash just got back." He turned around in the swivel chair to see the awoken unicorn moving slowly towards him. Spiro adjusted the microphone of his headset back towards his mouth. "Okay, Ash is back now, and-"
The look on Ash's face cut him off. He advanced on the two operators at the controls, stalking closer, moving like a predator towards its prey. Saph's golden eyes widened. Her breath caught in her throat and she instinctively backed away. But Spiro didn't move. He stayed in place, staring straight into Ash's smoldering eyes.
"Ash?" he asked. "Are you okay? Ash?"
Ash sprang forward and grabbed Spiro by the shoulders. "Give me the headset."
Spiro didn't answer. He just sat, paralyzed.
"Did I stutter, Spiro?"
In a sudden flash, Ash jabbed his horn at Spiro's throat. He quickly knocked the strike aside. "Ash, what are you doing?" he screamed. Ash tried to strike again. Spiro fought back, unwilling to give up control. "Stop! Let go of me! What the hay is wrong with you?!"
Ash slammed Spiro's head sideways into the control panel, crunching one side of his headset. He tried to push his attacker away, but he didn't stop. Abandoning all effort not to hurt his friend, Spiro smacked Ash on the side of his head as hard as he could manage. Ash fell over and sprawled flat on the floor. Spiro expected him to grasp the side of his head and roll on the floor, groaning in pain as he always did when he was hurt in the real world.
He didn't. Instead, he got up and kept fighting as if he hadn't even felt the blow. The stallions continued to wrestle for control. Spiro fought bravely, using everything he knew about combat, but no matter how hard he tried, Ash seemed completely numb to his strikes. In seconds, he was on the floor, unconscious and bleeding.
Saph shook herself out of her fear-induced trance. She hissed savagely at the psychotic pony standing over her friend's unmoving form. He turned around at the noise to see Saph, fin raised in a razor-sharp ridge, fangs bared, eyes furious. "What do you think you're doing?" she screeched.
Saph hurled herself at him, hissing, shrieking, biting, and scratching at Ash like an angry cat. But Ash didn't feel a thing. He threw the pint-sized dragon off easily and she crashed into a corner.
A tiny, frightened gasp sounded from the holodeck doorway. Breathing like a rabid dog, Ash looked toward the source of the sound.
Cherrybomb stood there. Her mouth gaped silently open, her eyes were wide and watery. She made a small, choked squeaking noise. "How... how could you?"
Ash moved towards the little filly and she ran. He quickly caught up and lashed out with a swift kick to her ankles. Cherrybomb tripped and tumbled head over heels onto the floor. Before she could even come to her senses, Ash turned to the side and hit her with a forceful kick. She flew across the room and hit the wall. Her tiny, soft body hit the floor with a dull thud. She didn't get up.
Ash stared at the helpless filly on the floor lying perfectly still. Nothing could stop him now.
"Cherrybomb!" a voice screamed.
Something hit Ash from the side with the force of a train. He rolled over onto his back and looked up. Misty stood over him, eyes blazing with hate. "You. Are. INSANE!"
She threw herself at him. She was stronger, more experienced, a better fighter... the victor of this fight seemed obvious. Misty struck over and over, never stopping even when she realized Ash felt no pain. "Give up! Pass out, already!" she screamed at him.
In minutes, Misty had Ash cornered, backed up against the dark metal wall of the holodeck. She stared at him with her piercing gray eyes, trying to will him to give up. Ash lowered his head as if accepting defeat. "Are you done?" Misty hissed.
Ash took a second to breathe. He smiled psychotically. "No."
In one quick movement, he twisted out of Misty's grasp and stabbed his horn into her stomach. Blood gushed from the wound, staining her fur and dripping to the floor. Misty shrieked in pain. Using her last ounce of strength, she shoved Ash away and collapsed.
Ash picked up his bowed head, his horn dripping from Misty's blood. He walked to the control panel and removed Spiro's half-destroyed headset. He slipped it on over his ears. He dialed up Horus's cell phone in the Magix. The other end rang for a long time. Finally, somepony picked up. He laughed. "You know who this is."

(jackin)

"I can't believe I didn't see it." Horus was beside himself with confusion. "I knew that Ash was acting strange. Dangerous, even. But I never..." He trailed off. All was silent for a moment. Then Horus's phone rang, breaking the silence.
Everypony just stared at it, scared to find out what was going on on the ship. Neon finally pulled together the courage to pick up the phone and answer. There was a cold laugh at the other end.
"You know who this is," a familiar voice said.
"Ash," Neon choked out. "What have you done?"
"What have you done is more like it. And I'll tell you what you've done. You didn't listen to me."
Amber shakily spoke up. "What happened? Is anypony hurt?"
"Ash, this isn't you." Neon desperately tried to reason with his former friend. "You've been infected with Possession. This is the sickness talking. You're letting it control you."
"Possession, a crush, a phase, call it whatever you want. I love Rain, and I will never, never let you ruin that for me. I thought we were friends, Neon. I really thought that. I thought that you could give me this, just this one chance to be with her. But no. I guess I thought wrong."
Neon couldn't speak. He stood, paralyzed in fear as he heard Ash moving somewhere. Another sound appeared. The faint mechanical hum of an active jack-in chair.
"I told you to stay away from her, Neon. Why didn't you listen to me?"
"What's happening out there?" Rain asked, her voice nothing but a frightened squeak.
"He- he's going to unplug me..." Neon whispered. He stared blankly into space, paralyzed with fear. On the other end, Ash continued to speak. "Oh, well. Too late to save you now."
"Ash, don't," was all Neon could say.
He laughed. "Watch me."

(jackout)

Saph shook herself awake. She was sprawled on the cold tile of the holodeck floor. Her entire body was in pain, absorbed by a strong, sense-dulling ache. She stretched her arms out in front of her. They were a mess, broken, painful, covered in bruises and scratches. She heard crazed laughter coming from the chairs. It was Ash. He had done this.
Saph struggled to pull herself to her feet. Ash was standing over the still, dreaming form of a dark pegasus. Neon. One hoof gripped the cord connecting the pegasus's mind to the Magix, tense and ready to unplug it, putting Neon to sleep. Forever.
Fighting the painful urge to stay still, Saph slithered across the floor toward Ash. She reached a clawed hand out and grabbed onto his ankle. Ash whipped around and looked down at her.
"Remember... me?" she spat, straining to speak.
With a loud, frigid hiss, blue fire shot out from Saph's open mouth. Ash had no time to react. His eyes grew wide as an ice-cold wind enveloped him. He shivered, then the shaking turned to convulsions. He fell to the floor, frozen stiff. A thin layer of frost covered his coat. He was dead.
Saph peeled the frozen headset off of Ash. She winced as she slipped it on over her battered head.
"Everypony okay in there?" she asked.
"Saph?" Neon's voice answered. "Is that you? We're fine."
"I'll try to open another connection for you. I just hope I'm not too late."

The four ponies returned safely to the real world. They stood awake in the holodeck. Saph was a mess. She was covered in bruises, gashes, and scrapes. Her fin had a huge tear zigzagging down toward her head and her left wrist was bent at an unnatural angle. Amber rushed to her side and lifted her into a jack-in chair. "What happened to you?" she asked.
"I- I was lucky," Saph replied.
A low, pained groan sounded from the floor by the control panel. Spiro was there, struggling to pull himself upright. He was hurt even worse than Saph, one side of his cream-colored face soaked dark red with blood. Neon raced to him. "Spiro! Are you okay?"
"I-I don't know," he answered weakly. "My head kind of hurts..." He was dizzy, barely even conscious, his eyes staring unfocused into space.
"You're bleeding. Really badly. What happened here?"
"I'm not sure. I was just here... talking to you guys... suddenly, the connection was lost, then Ash... he attacked me."
Meanwhile, Horus was with Saph, checking her wounds, trying to figure out how serious the damage was. Saph was completely out of it, hardly able to speak an entire sentence. "Horus," she mumbled to her captain as he examined her. "Horus there's... Horus, I..."
"Stop," he told her. Saph went quiet. "Breathe for a second. What do you need to tell me?"
"Horus, there's... there's something else..."
"What is it?"
"It's... it's Misty..."
"Misty?" Horus's eyes went dark. "Saph, where is she?"
Saph weakly turned her head toward the wall. A still, midnight blue form lay still on the floor, her frizzy purple mane splayed carelessly around her, a pool of blood staining her coat and hair.
"Misty!" Horus cried. He left Saph in her chair and raced over to where his first mate lay unmoving and lifeless on the tiles, surrounded by blood. Her eyes were closed, and a deep wound was torn into her stomach. Horus choked. He gently put the tip of his hoof to her neck, searching desperately for a pulse.
"Misty," he whispered, eyes fogging with sadness. "Oh, Celestia, no..." His head dropped and he knelt down beside her.
The remaining crew made their way towards their captain, kneeling heartbroken over the body of his first mate. Amber placed a hoof on Misty's neck. "No pulse," she breathed, tears clouding her eyes. "She's... gone."
For a few minutes, everything was silent. A small, quiet moan interrupted it. Horus lifted his head and looked towards the sound. It came again. Then it became a word.
"No..."
Cherrybomb was still on the floor where she had landed, hidden in a dark corner by the control panel. She was just barely waking up, stirring gently and struggling to open her eyes. "Horus?" she cried out blindly. "Amber? Who... who's there?"
Amber stood up and walked over to her little friend. "It's okay," she whispered into her ear. "You're okay. You're safe now."
"Ash," she murmured, still in a dream. "He- he tried to-"
Horus was now at Cherrybomb's side, shushing her gently, stroking her mane, stained with blood from her crash. "Don't talk, Cherrybomb. You're hurt," he said quietly to her. "You're safe now. Nopony's going to hurt you. Are you okay? How do you feel?"
"Hurt," Cherrybomb whispered. "Tired."
"Go back to sleep. I'll take you to your room. You just keep dreaming, and when you wake up, everything will be okay. I promise."
Amber helped him lift Cherrybomb onto his back and he carried her off to the dorms. When he returned, his eyes were glassy and red-rimmed. He couldn't hold back the pain forever.
Spiro had regained most of his consciousness. Neon was leading him out of the holodeck to the sickbay. Amber was helping Saph to realign her broken wrist, without much cooperation from the semi-conscious young dragon. Rain was still standing by Misty's lifeless body, her face completely blank. Horus went to stand next to her.
"She was so brave," he said. "Misty was always such a warrior. I knew that this was how she'd want to go, but... it's still such a shock when it happens."
Neon looked over from his place in the doorway. Guilt clawed at his heart. "I'm sorry," he said uncontrollably.
Horus looked at him. "For what?"
Neon felt even worse. He'd kept his mouth shut at the wrong time, and it had cost his mentor a dear friend. "I should have said something. I saw how Ash was acting, and I thought he'd only targeted me." He looked vacantly at Misty's dead body. Dead because of him. "I never thought he'd go this far. I-"
"This wasn't your fault," Horus said. "Once Ash was infected, he'd be impossible to control. Nothing could have stopped him anyway." He fell silent.
Rain was losing her grasp on the situation. As she watched the scene before her, her mind became more and more distant. It seemed that ever since she'd arrived, everything had gone wrong. She didn't belong here. She didn't deserve these ponies' kindness, trust, and friendship. She left the room, misty-eyed. No one followed her. She thought of all the things she'd done wrong since she'd come here. She'd left her friends behind, let others believe she had a gift she wasn't even sure existed, made somepony lose their sanity, put her friends in danger, rejected Pinkie Pie in her time of need, and now somepony was dead. Two someponies. All because of her. She raced back to her dorm, locked herself in and cried.

THE MAGIX: CHAPTER 8:Sparks

Neon stood outside Rain's dormitory door, battling himself. He could hear her stifled cries through the thick plaster of the wall. The plaintive, desperate sound made Neon's heart feel heavy. She thought this was all her fault. Ash had become obsessed over her, and she had driven him to madness. She was blaming herself, as if everything had happened because of her. He knew it wasn't. Neon wanted nothing more than to go in and comfort Rain,tell her that it wasn't her fault, and that everything would be okay. But how could he do that without...
Neon's heart gave a sudden lurch. It shouldn't have happened this fast. They'd known each other for only a week now, but Rain was unlike anypony he'd ever met. She amazed him. She made him feel like no one else had.
Neon bit his lip, breathed in, and raised a hoof to knock on the door. No, he decided, dropping his hoof. Not now. He stood there for a moment, listening to Rain's cries. He wanted to help her so badly. He had to.
He finally settled on leaving a note. He left, then returned a minute later with a pen and sticky-note pad in his mouth. He began scribbling his heart out on the tiny sheets of paper.
Rain,
I know all this has been really hard on you. Nothing hurts more than finding out that your whole world was a lie and that everything you've ever known was an illusion. Losing somepony makes it hurt even worse. I know how you feel. Everypony does. Misty's death was not your fault. You might not believe all that we've told you about yourself. Being the one thing the entire resistance has been searching for isn't exactly the most realistic idea in the real or virtual world. Rain, you may not believe in yourself, but I want you to know that I do. I'm here for you. We all are. Meet me in the common room when you get this message. Don't worry. I'll be waiting for you. You are not alone.

Neon

An hour later, the crew was waiting in the common room. It seemed emptier with Ash and Misty's faces missing from the usual gathering. The room was quieter than usual. Nopony was chatting frivolously with a friend, exchanging witty banter or laughing at an inside joke like there normally was. Ash's sudden attack and Misty's death had hit them all where it hurt most.
Finally, Rain entered. She was a mess. Her face was covered in dark wet streaks and her eyes were chafed red. The worn-out pegasus stopped when she saw the sight before her. The crew was silent. Nopony spoke. Their faces were a mix of emotions, none of them happy. Cherrybomb had just woken up. She was snuggled close next to Horus, quietly sniffling, small salty drops streaking down her cheeks. She'd obviously just heard what had happened to Misty.
I never knew how close everypony was, Rain realized. She'd completely underestimated the bond the crew shared. She felt even worse. "This is all me, isn't it?"
Everypony looked to see that Rain had arrived. "You okay?" Neon asked. "You've been in your dorm for hours."
Rain sat down on an empty couch, thinking nopony wanted to be near her. "I wanted to ask you guys the same thing. Look, I don't know how things were before I got out. But ever since I arrived, a lot of bad things have been happening. I just can't help but feel like- like it's because of me."
Horus turned his attention to her, still holding Cherrybomb close. "Don't think like that," he said. "This could have happened at any time to anypony. You only knew him for a while, but Ash was... he was always a little off."
Rain pulled out a wad of sticky notes. "Neon left these on my door. I found them right before I came here." She read through the notes again. "You wrote something about being the one thing that the resistance is looking for. I don't remember anypony telling me anything about that. What do you mean? What haven't you told me?"
"We never told her?" Spiro said. A folded pack of sterile white gauze was bound tightly to the left side of his head, where Ash had slammed it against the control panel. "She still doesn't know about that?"
"I thought maybe it would be best if she found out for herself," Horus answered.
"Find what out?" Rain was getting curious.
Neon looked concernedly at the mystified pegasus. "I'm afraid you still don't know everything about yourself. There were some things that we just didn't have time to explain."
"So what does that mean? Do I have some sort of supernatural power? Am I not really a pony?"
"Not exactly," Horus explained. "Here, you're just like the rest of us. There's nothing exceptional about you in the real world. But in the Magix, you are different. Much different."
Rain still didn't understand. "How?"
Amber jumped into the conversation. "It's all in your head, Rain. You have an extremely powerful mind. If you can learn how to use it and control that power, you're pretty much immortal. The rules of the Magix don't apply to you."
"I know. I get all that. But what about what Neon said, that I'm the one thing you have been searching for?"
Saph, who was curled up on a beanbag, covered in gauze and bandages with stitches on her fin and her arm in a splint, sat up and sighed. "Here comes the long story."
Horus began. "In the beginning of the Magix, almost all of ponykind was trapped. The Magix had the entire planet under its control. Then something happened. A glitch, an accident, a miracle to some. Some way, somehow, a young mare broke free. Nopony quite knew how. She had beat the Magix at its own mind-controlling game. She had the very same gift as you, Rain. An impossibly strong mind. They called her the One. She was strange, exceptional, and extremely powerful. Soon after she was discovered by the few who were still free. Many years later she returned to the Magix to free others from their prison. Her power over the Magix was unlimited, telekinesis, telepathy, shapeshifting, almost every ability you can imagine was hers to control. It seemed like the Magix had finally met its match. But it didn't last long."
Amber picked up the story. "The Magix found out how the mare had escaped. It refused to be defeated. It built itself an army, fast, intelligent, and nearly indestructible. The agents. It let them loose into the system and gave them a single purpose: defend the Magix and destroy everything that threatened it. That meant the resistance and the one who led them. The agents worked quickly. Before long, they had hunted them down. The mare who had escaped, the first one of them all... she sacrificed herself to save the rest of the resistance."
"We knew that she couldn't be the only one out there." Spiro was speaking now. "The resistance has been searching for the new One since the beginning. But we've never found anything. And the story of the One, it just sort of... faded. Not everypony believes she exists anymore."
Silence overtook the room. Rain looked down at the floor, trying to absorb the story. How could this be true? Her, the one pony they had been searching for since the dawn of the resistance? She looked back up at the crew. Neon was looking at her, his eyes full of sympathy. As Rain gazed, something else flickered in the glowing pools of bright green, that same emotion that she just couldn't figure out. She heard his voice speak up.
"This crew is one of the few that still believed that the One is still out there. But when we found you, we knew that if we waited to give you a proper initiation, it would take days to get you free. The agents would track you down and kill you before you even had a chance to see one of us face to face. That's why we were in such a rush to get you out. It's why the agents want you so much. Rain, you are the One." He took a breath before continuing. The strange fluttery feeling had returned to Rain's chest. "The reason why you were brought here so suddenly is because we needed to act fast. If we'd waited to explain everything to you, you'd... you'd probably be dead."
Rain's gaze flickered back to the floor. "So that's why you chose me. Me, out of every other pony in the Magix, to come with you." She began thinking about everything she'd learned over the past few days. Everything she had ever known, the world that she grew up in, wasn't real. None of it really existed. So what about all the ponies she'd known? Did that mean her friends, the other five Elements of Harmony, were illusions, too? Did they even exist, now that she was gone? What about the princesses, the Celestia that Twilight Sparkle learned from and trusted so much?
"What about the princesses?" Rain unknowingly asked.
Amber cocked her head. "Huh?"
Rain shook herself back to reality. "Celestia and Luna, the sun and moon goddesses. Are they real, or are they fake, too?"
"Oh, they're real alright," Saph rasped, curling back into a ball. "Maybe more real than anypony in Equestria."
"The goddess sisters have been here for thousands of years, long before the Magix's creation," Spiro said. "They stay in Harmony for the most part, to make sure Equestria's free population is kept safe. They do return to the Magix every now and again to check on their subjects until the world is free."
"Harmony? What's Harmony?" Rain was completely lost. She'd never heard of Harmony.
"Harmony is our home," Horus explained. "It is the only free city in Equestria, split into six districts named for the fabled Elements of Harmony. It's hidden, buried deep underground, where heat rises from below the planet's crust. See, the activity of the Magix once relied on solar energy. In a desperate attempt to stop it, the ponies had placed a thick layer of synthetic storm clouds over the atmosphere. It blocks out all sunlight from reaching the planet's surface. It was meant to cut off the Magix's power source, but instead just made the surface a cold, hostile place. As for the Magix, well, you know what happened."
"Which is why we started digging," Amber continued. "Of course, we're still trying to recolonize all the plants and wildlife that we'd lost over time. It's difficult, having no sun and all, but we have to keep trying for when we move back to the surface."
There was an awkward pause, as if nopony could decide where the conversation would go next. They all noticed that Cherrybomb hadn't said a word.
"Hey, Cherry, you feeling okay?" Neon asked quietly. She had stopped crying, but was still sniffling, and her eyes remained glassy.
"Yeah, um..." she mumbled, voice scratchy from tears. "It's getting late. I should probably turn in." The crew's youngest member hopped off the couch and shuffled toward the corridor to the dorms. She was slower than usual, as if the sadness had sapped all her energy away. Before disappearing into the darkness of the hallway, she turned around. "Horus? Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"I don't see why not," he said, and he followed her to her dorm.
"That kid really loves him," Neon said after the two ponies had left. "Horus is like a father to her. She really clings to the guy. I think it's because she didn't have any parents in her former life."
"She didn't have parents? What happened to them?"
"She doesn't know, and she sure as hay doesn't like talking about it."
"Horus must love her as much as she does," Amber put in. "She's only 11, and ponies aren't allowed to join a resistance crew until they're 15. Cherrybomb is way too young to be here. But she had nowhere else to go, and Horus... I guess he just couldn't let her go."
Rain smiled. "Awww. That's so sweet. Sappy, but sweet."
Saph got up from her beanbag and stretched. "I'm headed back to my nest. See you tomorrow."
She left. Not much later, so did Spiro, then Amber. Rain and Neon were the only ones left in the room. After a long and awkward silence, Neon turned to face Rain.
"Anything else to talk about?"
"Uh, yeah, actually," Rain responded. The flutter grew stronger, making her heart pound. She felt as if a thin, invisible thread stretched across the space between her and Neon, tugging at them, trying to pull them closer. She stood up and went to go sit next to him, letting the thread tow her along.
"The Magix is just a dream world, right?"
"Yeah. Nothing but signals fed to your brain by a supercomputer."
"But if you die in a dream, nothing happens. If you die, you wake up. So why even try? Why do we keep running from the agents if we'll only wake up when they kill us?"
"The Magix doesn't work like that. It's not just any dream. It was designed to be a replacement for real life. It's so unbelievably realistic, ponies in the Magix believe anything and everything they see. We can still partially control it with our minds, but death... death is different. Along with death comes fear. A lot of it. Being afraid to die is hardwired into a pony's brain. Even a suicidal pony world feel that last burst of fear before their life is over. When somepony dies in the Magix, that fear overrides any mental power they could possibly possess. Then they die, not only in the dream, but in real life."
Rain took a moment to process this. "So being killed in the Magix means dying for real. Then what about what Ash tried to do to you? What did you mean by being unplugged?"
"He was- he was going to pull the connection jack out of my head, the one that connects a pony's mind to the Magix." Neon stopped for a second and bit his lip, eyes downcast. Whatever would have happened, he didn't want to think about it. "When... when that plug is pulled, and a jackout connection isn't prepared... that pony's mind is in the Magix. A pony's mind controls everything. And when the connection is just cut off like that, their brain shuts down and they die."
He looked away. Rain could tell she'd struck something. She regretted asking him. "Sorry I asked. I didn't mean to-"
"No, it's okay, really." The dark pegasus turned back to her. That expression was in his eyes again, that emotion that she couldn't decipher.
"Thanks," she said.
"For what?"
Rain touched the wad of sticky notes she'd brought with her. "For the note. It made me feel so much better. It was... it was really nice of you."
Neon's heart thudded wildly. Why did Rain have to make him feel this way? "It was nothing," he mused. "I just thought... maybe, if I could talk to you, I..." His speeding pulse was making him dizzy. He tried to force it to slow down.
"It definitely helped," Rain said. "You've helped me, Neon."
Her magenta eyes filled with warmth. She reached her forelegs out to hug him. He accepted, taking her in his arms and holding on tightly. It was perfect. Rain was so warm, soft, her sky-blue feathers smooth on his hooves. He didn't want it to end...
Zap.
The feeling came as a sudden shock. The second the pegasi touched, it appeared, a glowing spark between the two of them. That thread, the invisible force pulling them together twisted around them and pulled them together. The spark grew, gaining more and more power from the embrace. It connected them, joined them, sent electric pulses through them. The feeling was unlike anything they'd ever felt. It was new, exhilarating, strange...
Too strange.
The two pegasi fell apart as suddenly as they had touched. Rain and Neon fell back, leaning away from each other on opposite sides of the couch. She sat, silent, chest heaving as she stared at Neon on the other side with the exact same reaction, just as shocked as she was. "What was that?" she whispered.
"I- I don't know."
Rain felt faint and floating, like she was walking on air. Her heart raced. Neon stared back at her from his end of the couch. Whatever had just happened, it was far beyond any explanation.
"It's... um... getting really late," Rain mumbled, her words choppy and slow.
"Yeah, we should... probably get going," Neon responded, speaking equally as unsteadily.
Rain walked out of the common room while Neon stayed behind. She looked briefly over her shoulder at him. There was something about him. Rain just couldn't figure out what.

As Rain made her way back to her dorm, she passed by Cherrybomb's room. She hadn't seen Horus return to the common room or pass by in the corridor. Was he still in there with her? Rain silently placed her ear on the door, which was open just a few inches. She heard a faint, high-pitched sobbing coming from inside. The pegasus peeked through the skinny open slit in between the door and its frame.
Cherrybomb was slumped on the edge of her bed on top of a blue and white tie-dyed blanket, her face in her hooves. Horus sat next to her, letting the filly cry into his shoulder, speaking to her in a gentle, calming tone.
"It's okay, you can cry. I know how much this hurts. Don't hold back, just let it out. That's it. You'll be okay. It'll all be okay."
Cherrybomb finally raised her head, wiped her streaming electric blue eyes and blinked. "I'm sorry," she whimpered, shivering. "I'm trying to be strong, I really am. But Misty... she meant so much. And now she's gone, then what? What if you're next? I don't want to lose you, too." Her shaking grew even more violent, a sign she was straining not to break down again.
"You won't lose me next," Horus said. "I will never abandon you. You'll always have me. You know that, Cherrybomb." He wiped a stray tear off her cheek.
"But I'm still so scared," she squeaked. "Who's going to be next? You guys are the only real family I've ever had. I don't want to lose you like..." Cherrybomb cut herself off. She was shaking uncontrollably, scared out of her wits.
"That won't happen," Horus said to her, stroking her mane. "I will never let that happen, not to any of us."
Cherrybomb nodded as if she understood, but the expression on her face made Horus feel doubtful.
"I understand that it's still only your first year here and it's been difficult for you to let go. But the past is behind you now. We aren't like the people at your foster home. We will never abandon you. I just want you to know that. Okay?"
Cherrybomb nodded weakly. Horus sighed. He held her closer and hugged her tightly, letting her cry into his shoulder.
Rain took a silent step away from the door. Neon was right. Horus is like her father.
The silent pegasus unfolded her wings and fluttered noiselessly down the corridor. I've had enough for one day. I need to get some sleep.

Ten minutes passed. Ten turned into fifteen, then twenty, and eventually, Cherrybomb dropped off to sleep. Horus held her for a minute. He couldn't leave her before she could let go. A telepathic wave reached out from his mind to the filly in his forelegs. Everything had calmed. Her thoughts became quiet and rhythmic, like ocean waves. She was dreaming.
Horus smiled. He pulled the covers back, laid Cherrybomb down on the sheet and pulled the blanket over her shoulders. Horus ran a hoof through the sleeping filly's short blue hair. She was safe now.
He remembered it with burning clarity. She had been alone, with no family and living in a temporary home with dozens of other foals who actually had hope for a better life. Not like her. She'd known she was different. And that was why they never told her they were moving and left her there.
Cherrybomb had been living alone for fifteen days, just barely surviving, when Horus finally picked up her signals and found her location. He thought back to that freezing winter night, opening the door to see little ten-year-old Cherrybomb, a tiny, frail, blank-flanked filly shivering in the doorway. The second Cherrybomb saw him, she'd leapt forward and clinged to him like a long-lost friend.
"You found me," she had cried. "You finally found me."
Horus looked down at her, sleeping soundly in her new and permanent home. She was safe, just like he promised. "Sweet dreams," he whispered. Then he slipped out into the corridor. Spiro was waiting for him.

Spiro sat in a swivel chair at the holodeck control panel and stared blankly at the Magix code streams flowing rhythmically over the screen, waiting restlessly for his captain to show up. Saph would have been here, too, if Horus hadn't taken so long. She left in a huff almost ten minutes ago. She's such a brat, Spiro thought.
Horus finally walked through the doorway from the corridor, poring over the touch-screen smartphone held in his hoof. He looked up as Spiro turned to face him. "Where's Saph? She said she'd be here."
Spiro shrugged. "The pissy little drama queen left a while ago. Seems she thought you were taking too long preventing emotional trauma."
"How long has it been?"
"Only about half an hour. Did you get the stats I sent you?"
"I did. What's going on?" Horus locked his smartphone and stood next to Spiro. "I've never seen readings like this."
Spiro opened the database feed. Information from the hacked activity messenger loaded up. Streams of cryptic pirated code spilled over the screen. The code normally stayed constant, flowing down the screen in synchronized streams, signifying no change, just the agent's basic hunting activity. Instead of the regular pulsing pattern the code always flowed in, their rhythm had become sporadic, too fast and over-energized.
"The signals are spiking," Spiro said as he ran through the activity records from previous checkpoints. "The Magix must know we have the One. This activity is higher than it's ever been."
Horus studied the frantic speeding streams of code. "Do you have any idea what this could mean?"
"I don't know. The code is changing too fast. I can't decipher exactly what the signals mean. But whatever's going on, it can't be good."
"They're planning something."
"Something big."
Horus turned to Spiro, determination in his eyes. "Spiro, we'll need a battle plan."
Spiro closed out of the feed and opened a blank document. "Are we going in for an attack?"
Horus nodded. "We are going to find out exactly what that something is, and we will end it before it begins."

THE MAGIX: CHAPTER 9: Confessions

The Firestar's crew was back in the Magix. It had been 10 days since Rain's arrival. The database signals were acting up more than ever. The crew was set to solve this mystery. And this time, they were prepared for a fight.
Horus, Neon, Amber, and Rain jacked in. Saph, Spiro, and Cherrybomb stood by at the controls, watching as the crew's POVs loaded into their windows. They couldn't interpret the signals from the feed alone. They needed more information. Whatever the agents were planning, it was going to be huge. The crew could stop at nothing until they knew what was coming.
Rain's plug slid smoothly into her jack. She felt that familiar electric jolt and plugged into the Magix.
When Rain regained her senses, she was back in the complex in outer Ponyville, the same place as when she last came here. Along with her usual halter and windbreaker, a few new items had been added to her rebel ensemble. A belt hung tightly across her waist with two holster pockets, each holding a fully loaded pistol.
She looked around at her crewmates. A similar belt had been added to Neon's leather jacket. Horus's weapons were well-hidden beneath his trench coat. Amber had a different sort of weapon-carrying belt, with a katana sword and scabbard at one side and two revolvers on the other.
Rain looked around at the familiar space surrounding her. "Do we end up here every time we jack in?"
"This is our HQ," Horus answered her. Rain turned around. Living with a mind-reader would take some getting used to. "It's a sort of safe haven in the Magix. We do all our inside work from here. It's also where potentials are taken before being transferred into the real world. It gives them time to consider their decision. If there is no preset destination, then yes, this is where we end up." He pulled his communicator out of a pocket and called the ship. "We're in, Spiro. Send us the signals. We can track them down from here." He shut the phone. A message blip sounded from it a few seconds later, then from everypony else's. "Now we're set. Let's go."

The signals led them to a large, basic office building on the thin line between Ponyville's lively city and its abandoned outskirts. It must have been five or six stories high, and colored all the same basic, reflective grey. It fit the agents perfectly.
"We've found the database. For once," Neon said.
Rain was confused. "What do you mean again?"
"The agents relocate constantly," Amber explained, searching her mane for a hairpin for later lockpicking. "It's their best form of defense; keeping us in the dark. It's safer for them if we don't know where their headquarters is."
"Well, now that we're here, how the hay are we going to get in?"
Horus already had a plan in mind. "If we move as a single unit, it'll be easier for us to get spotted. It's safer to split up. Amber, you're with Rain. Neon, stick with me." Neon nodded, and the ponies split up into their given teams.
"Okay, here's the plan. Two of us take the front door, the others break in the back. Once you're in, start searching for the central database computer. Follow the signals that Spiro sent you. The closer you are, the stronger they'll be. Avoid as many eyes as possible. Do not get in a fight unless it's completely necessary. It's too important that nopony gets hurt."
"Do you have any idea where the central computer is?" Neon asked.
"Knowing the agents, the central computer is most likely kept near the center of the building, where it is most easily guarded. Third floor is most likely in this case. The entrances may be heavily guarded, so be prepared for a struggle. If one of us finds the computer before the others, contact somepony via your communicator cell and tell them where you are. We're going in separated, but we go out together. Everypony clear?"
There was a chorus of "yes" and the four split off in different directions.
Amber and Rain stayed together. The two mares made their way to a fenced-off expanse of weather-worn dry grass behind the building. Just past the plastic-coated chain links there was a pair of large, heavily-locked metal doors.
"No problem," Amber thought out loud.
After a quick sweep for security cameras and finding nothing, the mares climbed easily over the fence. Moving with cat-like grace, they raced for the door. Amber slid a steel hairpin out of the thick darkness of her mane and made quick work of the locks. Then they pried the two heavy slabs of metal open.
Rain stared down the empty concrete hallway ahead of them. Her first real mission had officially begun. She took a deep breath and set foot into the hallway.
"Here we go."

Once Amber and Rain were inside, it was simply a matter of navigating hallways and avoiding security. They made their way upstairs, out of the basement and to the upper floors. As they stalked through the hallways, both mares noticed something odd. This was the database... But there seemed to be a strange lack of agents. No matter where they went in the endless labyrinth, the only ponies there were the black-clad unicorn and pegasus.
"Where is everypony?" Rain finally worked up the curiosity to ask.
"I have no idea," Amber said, her voice just above a whisper. "Maybe there's something going on somewhere else."
"There might be a meeting going on or something."
"Or they're out in the Magix looking for you."
The mares stopped in yet another turn in the uniform white walls and gray-tan carpet. Amber did another sweep of their surroundings. Nothing, not even a security camera. "I don't know about you, but this quiet is getting suspicious. Either they don't know we're here, or there's an ambush coming soon. And I have a feeling that they know exactly where we are."
"Hm. We'd better be ready for anything, attack or not."
A hoofstep sounded from around the corner. The two mares quickly flattened themselves against a wall and waited. Sure enough, an agent strode obliviously down the hall, falling straight into their trap. As soon as their target was within reach, Rain and Amber pounced. They tackled the agent, forcing him to the ground. In seconds, both mares were on top of him, Rain holding a gun to his back and Amber with a hoof clasped over his mouth to make sure he didn't scream. She bent her head down next to his ear.
"Hold still. You make one move and you die. Got it?" The agent nodded his head tensely under Amber's weight. "Tell me. Where are Steel and all the others?" She slid her hoof away from the agent's mouth.
He stammered a reply. "Out in the city. Looking for Rainbow Dash. Rain. She's escaped."
"Do they know we're here?"
"They do now," he spat viciously.
"Amber!" Rain cut in. Amber looked up. Rain jerked her head towards a security camera that had suddenly appeared hanging from the ceiling. Amber's eyes widened. She quickly turned back to the agent.
"The entire system will be alerted," the agent continued. "Thanks to this little scene you've made, they'll be here in minutes."
Amber smacked the agent's head back onto the ground, forcing his mouth shut. "Sleep tight," she hissed. She pulled her revolver out of its holster and cracked the handle over the agent's head. He went limp instantly. The mares let go of him and stood up in one fluid motion.
Rain whirled around. The camera was still there, watching their every move. She turned back to Amber. "We've got to find the central computer. NOW."
The mares sped down the hallway and away from the camera.

On the other side of the building, things were just as suspiciously quiet. Neon and Horus traveled soundlessly down the empty hallways. The silence was getting to them as well.
"Something's not right," Neon cut into the quiet. "Nopony's here. The database is completely deserted."
"The question is why," Horus said, scanning the empty hallway ahead of them. "This is the right place. The signals are all coming from this location. But there's nopony here."
"Do you think they're planning something?" Neon asked, reaching instinctively for his handgun.
"It's all I can think of, from these circumstances. Either that, or this isn't the database and they've managed to confuse the feed and trick us."
Neon planted his hoof on the carpet. "I hate agents," he said. " I hate how stupid they think we are."
"You do realize that it's entirely possible that we're being recorded and they'll know you just said that, don't you?"
Neon shut up. Horus took another look at the feed being sent to his communicator. It was the same as before. The signals from this building were the same ones causing the spike on the mainframe's feed. This was definitely the database. So where were the agents?
The stallions continued on, navigating hallway after hallway, each one exactly the same as the last. It was taking forever. The labyrinth went on and on, never changing in the slightest. It was several long minutes before they finally reached a dead end.
"Okay. What the HAY is this?" Neon snapped, eyes flaring with frustration. "A wall? That's IT? You've gotta be kidding!"
"Calm down, would you?" Horus said with annoyance. "Look, whatever's happened between you and Rain, you're letting it get to you. She doesn't hate you, she doesn't have feelings for somepony else, and most importantly, she doesn't know about yours. If it's bothering you this much, maybe you should just tell her what's going on."
Neon froze. "Wait... You- you know about that?"
Horus laughed. "It was completely obvious, Neon. I could tell how you felt from the beginning. Your feelings were so strong I could sense everything."
"Even the- The spark?"
"Especially the spark."
Neon looked shyly down at the floor. Horus put a hoof on his apprentice's shoulder. "Rain will have to know soon enough," he said. "The spark is exactly what you think it is."
The dark pegasus looked up at his captain. He tried to speak, but when he opened his mouth no sound would come out. "You mean-" he choked out.
Horus nodded. "If you don't tell her, you know she'll find out somehow."
"Resonance," Neon whispered. "I never thought it really existed, but-"
"Believe me, Neon. It does."
Neon grabbed his communicator out of a pocket in his jacket, desperate to get off the subject. "We'd better find our way back from here." He opened the feed being sent to his communicator. "Whoa! What the heck?"
Horus had opened the feed on his communicator as well. "You're getting these readings too, right?" Neon nodded. "The signals are going insane. We must be close."
The Earth pony studied the blank wall ahead of them closely. "I have a feeling that this dead end isn't what it seems."
He placed an ear against the plaster. Muffled clicks and whirrs, like an operating laptop, were echoing from inside. Horus slid to the wall's right edge. The almost imperceptible noises grew the slightest bit louder. He ran a hoof along the flawless white surface. Suddenly, he hit something. There was a tiny seam in the wall, a microscopic split his hoof could just barely detect. Horus pressed his hoof forward. A seamlessly hidden switch sunk into the wall. The plain white panel shifted sideways, revealing an expertly hidden room.
"And there you have it," he said triumphantly.
The door opened full-capacity. The stallions stared in wonder at the room before them. It was massive, a perfect sphere. The walls were a metallic silver and covered in millions of multicolored wires, meticulously organized, running neatly over the walls like tiny technicolor highways. Lights raced along the wires, information being sent hastily throughout the database. At the center of the room was a dark metal cube, some kind of modernized desk. Sitting on the top surface was a huge computer monitor and a pristine white keyboard and mouse. The monitor's extensive screen was completely black except for a single glowing green word plastered across the middle. Welcome.
"Exactly as I thought," Horus murmured. "The central computer."
The two stallions stepped into the room and the door slid shut behind them.
"How did you find this place?" A low, angry voice sounded out of nowhere.
Horus and Neon snapped into a fighting stance. Four agents suddenly shimmered into view and stood in formation, ready to attack. The ambushed stallions stood back to back, facing opposite directions. Horus whispered a command to Neon.
"There's four of them. We're outnumbered, but I think we can do this. They're divided equally. I'll take two of them, you take the others. Don't hold back, got it?"
"Yes. I think so."
"Good. On three, we go."
Neon nodded. He knew exactly what Horus meant. Three seconds would be far too long.
"One..."
The rebels split off in opposite directions. Not knowing who to shoot for first, the programs automatically went for the one who mattered most: the captain. All four ganged up on him and attacked, unaware of the dark shadow rising up on silent wings until he was right on top of them, fighting for al he was worth. All hell broke loose.
Neon tore two of the agents off of Horus, tossing them carelessly to the other side of the room. One of the two still attacking him noticed the absence of his accomplices. He turned around and hurled himself at Neon. His attacker distracted, Horus slipped a pistol out of his trench coat and shot the program in the head. The other turned around at the noise, momentarily distracted from shredding the pony in his grasp to pieces. Seeing his comrade dead on the floor, he whipped around, smacked the gun away from Horus and started beating him mercilessly.
Meanwhile, Neon was on the other side, hovering in midair, the frustrated, ground-bound agents shooting furiously at him. The pegasus was darting wildly in random directions to avoid the flurry of bullets being fired at him, shooting sparingly with his own weapon. Suddenly the noise was cut in half. One of the agents had run out of rounds. Neon fired a single bullet at the now unarmed program. The program stiffened for a second, then went blurry and reappeared in a new position just in time to see Neon's bullet hit the wall where he had been standing less that a second before. Another shot rang out. Pain fired through Neon's right wing. He cried out and fell helplessly to the ground.
Horus was fighting hard. The agent on him threw yet another punch at his ribcage. He coughed, and a trickle of blood escaped his lips. Thinking fast, Horus kicked with all the strength he could manage at the agent's chest. He had a few precious seconds to spare. He dragged himself away from his assailant and faced his back to him. Thinking he had an advantage, the agent dove at him and flipped him over onto his back. Suddenly the barrel of a gun was trained on him.
"Surprised?" Horus said. Then a single gunshot rang out and it was over.
Blood was everywhere. The bodies of the four agents lay still on the ground. They grew pixelated and shimmered out, revived and placed elsewhere in the Magix. Neon and Horus collapsed in front of the cube-desk, gasping for breath, Horus covered in cuts and bruises, Neon with a bullet in his wing. The pegasus stretched and relaxed his injured wing. The pain was starting to fade. He carefully picked the small shard of metal out of the feathers and flesh. The wound stopped bleeding and began to scab over. Neon's talent of fast healing was certainly useful.
"That... was close," he panted. "Lucky it was only four of them. And they weren't even the difficult ones."
"I've had enough," Horus rasped beside him. "If any more show up we may not be so lucky. You contact the girls. Let's get the plans, get this over with, and get out of here." He grasped the edge of the cube, pulled himself to his feet, and started through the motions of hacking the network.
Neon dialed Amber on his cell phone. "Amber, it's Neon. We found the central computer."

Seconds later, Amber and Rain were racing down the same hallway Horus and Neon had so recently traveled. They followed the step by step directions Neon had given Amber over her communicator. The mares no longer cared about stealth. They simply ran as fast as they could for the dead end. The agents knew they were here. They were coming. They just had to get the plans and get out before they were caught.
The mares finally reached the dead end of the corridor. Amber rapped six times on the wall with a hoof. "Creature of the night?" a voice called from inside.
"We rise at dawn," Amber said, repeating the resistance password.
The wall slid sideways, revealing the spherical room covered in glowing wires. Neon stood in front of them, beaten and spattered with blood. Horus was hard at work hacking the central computer mainframe, looking just as broken as Neon. The mares quickly slipped through the doorway and the panel slid shut behind them.
"What the hay happened in here?" Amber said.
"We ran into a bit of trouble," Neon answered.
"Have we cracked the mainframe yet?"
"We're working on it."
"We have to hurry," Rain said. "Me and Amber ran into an agent on the way here, then this camera showed up out of nowhere-"
"The agents know we're here," Amber cut in. "They're coming for us. We don't have much time."
A cheery technological blip sounded from the computer, followed by a triumphant "Yes!" The three ponies turned to see Horus at the computer, one hoof held victoriously in the air. "I've gotten in. Almost impossible, with their security system." He held out his communicator and pressed a small hidden switch on the side. A USB plug extended from the bottom of the cell phone. Horus plugged it into the back of the monitor. The central computer chimed again. "I've found the file. It's sending right now. Just a little longer and we're free to go."
Sending: 10% complete an automated voice droned.
"Keep watch of the entrances," Horus instructed. "The agents know this place a lot better than we do. If they're onto us, we don't stand a chance without a warning.
"You got it, Horus," Amber answered. Neon and her took position at the two doors, one on each opposite side of the room. The doors had been securely locked from the inside. The agents would have to break through the doors to get in. Not that it would be difficult for them.
Sending: 20% complete.
Everypony else had been given an assignment, leaving Rain with nothing to do. She took to observing the room, mapping out any possible escape routes. All she saw were the two doors. But as she studied the high ceiling, she noticed something. At the highest point in the concave ceiling, sunlight streamed through a glass circle set into the smooth surface. A skylight.
Sending: 30% complete
Rain knew for a fact that they couldn't go back through the corridors. There was no way they could possibly find their way back, and the agents would doubtlessly be waiting for them. But the skylight gave her an idea...
Rain looked down from the ceiling and to Amber keeping watch of the second door, still working out the escape strategy in her head. Suddenly, Amber's body went tense.
"Amber?" Rain said. "What's going on?"
For a moment everything was totally quiet. Then, in a soft, scared voice, she whispered, "I hear them."
Sending: 40% complete
"Horus?" Amber said warily.
"What is it?" he answered, tearing his focus away from the computer.
"They found us."
Behind his dark sunglasses, Horus's eyes went wide with fear. "Everypony, away from the doors!" he shouted.
Amber and Neon backed away from the entrances to join Horus and Rain in the center of the room. Seconds later, an earth-shattering slam! erupted outside.
"I know you're in there!" The hard-edged voice of Agent Steel blasted at them through the wall.
"Now what?" Rain shrieked out over the noise.
"The doors are locked," Neon said. "They can only be opened from the inside. But when the agents break through..."
"We're screwed," Amber deadpanned. "Whether we have the download or not, we're all screwed."
Sending: 50% complete
Another slam sounded from the doors, then another. "Forget this!" Horus shouted. "We're running out of time!" He snatched his communicator away from the computer, cutting off the connection. The USB device retracted back into the phone's shell.
Sent: 52% ; Status: incomplete the computer droned.
"How long do we have?" Amber asked, her voice cutting through the assault on the doors.
"Thirty seconds... maybe twenty," Horus answered. "Once they get in, we'll be dead in seconds. We need an escape route."
Suddenly, Rain remembered. "Skylight!" she shouted without thinking, pointing skyward.
A glimmer of hope appeared on Horus's face. "Good idea," he murmured. He pulled a hand held machine gun from the recesses of his trench coat and aimed at the glowing circle in the ceiling.
"What're you-" Amber began. Then she and Neon looked up at the ceiling. "Oh."
Horus opened fire on the window, shattering the thick wall of glass. He cast the unloaded gun aside. Another slam exploded from the entrances. The panels cracked and plaster dust sprayed into the room and settled to the floor.
"Here goes nothing," Rain said to herself. She stood up on her hind legs and extended her wings, wrapping her forelegs around Amber's waist as Neon did the same with Horus. A final slam sounded from outside and the doors fell apart like blocks of flimsy styrofoam. The pegasi held tight to their flightless cargo and shot up to the ceiling. Agents swarmed into the room, firing furiously at the escaping rebels. Horus and Amber shot desperately back at the army of attackers, hitting nothing. Racing ahead of the bullets, Neon and Rain soared up through the sharp-rimmed opening and out into the open air, carrying their crewmates with them.
Minutes later, the crew landed safely in the Ponyville streets. Rain and Neon finally let go of the unicorn and Earth pony they carried. After doing a 360 of the area, they knew they were safe.
"That was one of the closest calls I have ever been through," Horus said, shaking bits of shattered glass off of himself. "I owe you thanks, Rain. If it weren't for you, we'd be dead by now."
Rain's cheeks blushed bright pink. "Really, it was nothing. Just an idea, not much..."
"An idea that saved our flanks!" Amber praised, brushing glass shards out of her mane. "How did you know the skylight was there, anyway?"
"I was studying the room while we were waiting for the files to send. I saw it, and I thought maybe we could use it as an escape route, but Horus really finished the strategics himself."
"Speaking of the file, what are we going to do with that?" Neon cut in. "The send never finished."
Horus nodded, checking over the half-sent message on his communicator. "We've managed to get 52% of it into our possession. If we can decode what we have, then we might be able to tell if the activity spike is a threat or not." He stowed his communicator back in its place. "I'd say we've been here long enough. We need to jack out."
The remainder of the crew agreed and set off to find a suitable location, unaware of the little pink mare slinking after them like a spy.

The crew finally settled on a phone booth in a relatively empty spot somewhere in the streets of Ponyville. Horus contacted Saph and set up a jackout connection. The others waited patiently for the first ring. Nopony noticed the candy-pink foreleg stretching stealthily out of the dark divide between two shops, or when it wrapped itself around Rain, or when a twin foreleg clamped its hoof over her mouth. Without warning, Rain was dragged off into the shadows. The stunned pegasus had no time to react. The stranger dragged her deeper and deeper into the darkness, away from the crew. Rain struggled against her captor, reaching out for her friends, trying desperately to break away when a forceful whack to the head knocked her unconscious.

When Rain finally woke up, she was on a rooftop. The sky had gone dark, and the moon glowed in the sky, shining a dim silver light over the city. Hours must have passed. The crew would be going crazy by now. Rain shook the last strains of dizziness away, pulled herself to her feet, and tried to extend her wings to fly away from here and back to her frantic crewmates. She couldn't.
The confused pegasus looked over her shoulder. Her wings had been fixed to her sides with silver duct tape. No matter how she struggled, the tape wouldn't tear and the adhesive held fast, pulling at her feathers and gumming them together. Her phone was gone. So were her weapons. Rain continued to struggle against the tape and searched all over the rooftop for her little black cell phone. Everything was hopeless. Finally, she gave up. Rain sat down and took in her surroundings. She was leaning against a tiny shack that was nothing more than a cover for the stairs to the roof. She tried to open the rusted metal door, but it was firmly locked. A quick look over the edge told her that here was no way she'd survive the fall. Rain rushed back to the tiny shack. There was no way out. She was trapped. Her head spun. Suddenly a high-pitched voice cut through the confusion.
"Oh, good! You're awake!"
Rain looked toward the source of the voice. I should have guessed...
There stood Pinkie Pie in all her desperate, crazy glory. She was wearing a catsuit and had a black scarf tied around her head like a ninja's bandanna. She held the little that remained of the roll of duct tape that Rain's wings were trapped with. Despite the scary situation, she seemed overjoyed at seeing her best friend again.
"Pinkie Pie!" Rain shouted angrily. "What the buck is wrong with you? Are you crazy?"
Pinkie's smile faded. "I just wanted to talk to you. Really talk, not just hello-sorry-can't-explain-
goodbye."
"So you freaking kidnap me?" Rain struggled with the tape over her wings. "Get this off me right now! I have to leave. There are ponies somewhere out there waiting for me and are probably going insane trying to find me. So let me go! Now!"
"Sorry, Dashie. I can't do that," Pinkie said, turning away and assuming a detective-like tone. "I will let you go, but not until I get some answers."
"Answers?" Rain gasped. A horrible thought hit her. "Pinkie... you're an agent?"
The pink mare fell out of character and wrinkled her nose. "Agent? What are you talking about? I just want to know where you've been all this time."
Rain breathed a sigh of relief. "Pinkie... I wish I could tell you, but-"
"Dashie, please," Pinkie Pie begged. "I've been torn up like a candy wrapper over this. I can't get it off my mind. I need to know. What happened to you, Rainbow Dash?"
Rain took a long, deep breath. It would only take a few short minutes to let loose all the information she had sworn and worked so hard to keep a secret. If it'll get me back to the real world, she thought, I'll have to do it.
Pinkie sat down in front of Rain, waiting expectantly for an explanation. The silence stretched on. Finally, Rain gathered her courage and began.
"First of all, my name isn't Rainbow Dash anymore. It's Rain..."

She told Pinkie Pie everything. About the Magix, the real world, and Harmony. She explained about the resistance and the agents. Rain told Pinkie why she'd had to leave and everything that had happened since: her new life, her new friends, and the tragic incident of her first "love." She told her the story of the One and that the crew believed that she was her new form, the pony they'd been searching for. The fate of Equestria could possibly be in her hooves.
"And that's why I have to leave," Rain said, finishing her story. "Now please, Pinkie. Let. Me. Go."
Pinkie Pie only sat, spellbound. She whispered, "I don't believe it. All this time..."
Rain put a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. "I know it's hard to accept, Pink. I didn't believe it, either. But it's the truth, and I'm living it now. I know what's real and what's not. I've seen Equestria for what it really is. You have to believe me, Pinkie Pie. You have to."
The dumbstruck mare stared up at her best friend, her baby-blue eyes blurry with tears. "I do believe you, Dashie," she said. She went silent for a second. "And I want to come with you."
Rain's heart stopped. "What?"
"I want to go with you."
"You- you'd leave all of this behind... for me?"
"We're best friends. We're the Elements of Harmony. We stick together, no matter what. That's what you always told me. I'm sticking with you, even if that means leaving Ponyville behind forever."
"Pinkie..." Rain didn't know what to say. Pinkie, her best friend for three years straight, was willing to give up all she'd ever known just to stay with her.
"Can I come? Please? I'm begging you, Dashie." She threw herself to her friend's feet. "I'd rather die than never see you again." She looked on the verge of tears.
"Are you sure about this, Pinkie?" Rain asked, unsure of her friend. "It's a huge decision. Once you leave, you can never go back."
Pinkie only squeaked in response, straining to hold back tears.
"Okay. I'll set you free. You'll see the real world. We'll be together again."
Pinkie burst into tears of joy. She threw herself at Rain and hugged her like it could save her life. "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthan kyouthankyouthankyouthankyou !"
Rain held her bubbling friend back to look her in the eyes. "But you can never tell anypony any of what I've just told you. This is a huge risk. You have to swear you'll never tell. Understand?"
Pinkie Pie nodded vigorously.
"Pinkie Pie swear?"
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" she chanted.
Rain hugged her again. "I knew I could count on you, Pinkie Pie."
With that, Pinkie peeled the tape off of Rain's wings. She flew off into the night.

THE MAGIX: CHAPTER 10: Secrets and Lies

"You TOLD?"
Amber slammed the door of the dorm she shared with Rain, trapping her roommate inside. "After everything we've been through, you told? I can't believe you!" She collapsed onto her bed, seething.
"Amber, it was just one pony! Don't do this!" Rain protested. She stood defiantly on her side of the room, glaring at the infuriated unicorn on the other side.
"I don't care how many ponies were involved. All that matters is that you told somepony about us, Rain. The entire resistance gave you their trust and you broke it!"
"She would never tell a soul," Rain shot back. "It's what Pinkie lives by. She's been sworn to secrecy. She'd never do that!"
"Are you serious?" Amber retorted, almost laughing at her roommate's argument. "Secrets? Promises? They were invented to be broken! Why don't you just drug us all and hand us over to the Magix? Would make things a heck of alot easier!"
"Our secret is safe, okay? Nothing will go wrong, so just shut up and accept it!"
"What makes you so sure?"
"Just. Shut. UP!"
Both mares fell silent. Rain sank down on the pile of freshly tie-dyed blankets on her bed, gazing blankly across the room. Amber stared back at her. Neither of them spoke.
Finally, Amber broke the silence.
"How could you do this to us, Rain?"
The pegasus shifted her gaze from the wall to the pained face of the unicorn in front of her. "I didn't betray anyone. I swear I never meant to put anypony in danger." She bit back the urge to scream and forced her voice to stay quiet. "Pinkie is my best friend. I trust her more than anypony. She wants to join us. She had to know the truth, so just leave it, okay?"
"Join us?" Amber scoffed. "How were you going to accomplish that? There's no other way. To transfer somepony out of the Magix, the assistance of an entire crew is needed. You'd have to tell them anyway, Rain. Letting our existence slip... You can't hide that forever."
"And I wasn't going to," Rain protested. "Why are you being so-"
"Because I care, Rain!" Amber snapped. "I chose to be here. I needed this. I hated my life. I had no friends, my parents were afraid of me, and everypony thought I was a freak. I didn't decide to leave in just three days. I belong here!"
"And I don't?" Rain cried, once again on the verge of screaming. "Amber, my life in the Magix sucked just about as much as yours did. The difference is that I didn't run from my problems. You left when you were 14! I stayed and lived my stupid, pointless life. And guess what? I never had to leave! I could just suck it up and deal with it!"
Amber gasped and jumped back, stung by Rain's cutting remark. She couldn't respond, only making little gasping noises in a sad, desperate effort to speak. Her eyes glossed over and she shuddered. It was true. They had both had dark pasts, but Rain hadn't left in the middle of her story. But Amber knew this was where she belonged and wouldn't return to the Magix for the world. And Rain...
Rain was new. She was older than any newborn that she'd ever known. She could have become too attached to the world she knew so well. With every mistake she made, Amber had forgiven her. Ash, Misty, everything. But this...
Suddenly Amber was laughing. Rain could do nothing but stare bewilderedly at her friend, who seemed to have completely lost it.
"Amber!" she hissed. "What the hay is so funny?"
Amber didn't respond. She just kept laughing, gripping the edge of her bed to keep from falling to the floor. It went on and on until she could scarcely breathe and there were tears welling in her eyes. The unstable unicorn wheezed a few breaths and finally stopped laughing.
"You regret it," she said.
"Regret what?" Rain asked, dreading the answer.
"Everything. You regret being here. You wish you'd never left your happy little world. There was nothing there you'd really wanted to leave behind. Everything was just fine before you left the Magix. You wish you'd never even thought about leaving!"
"No, I don't, Amber!" Rain shot back, her voice rising. "I wanted freedom. I wanted to know the truth. My old life had nothing to do with it!"
"Like hay it didn't! You don't really want to be here. You just want to go back to that normal, boring life of yours where nothing is wrong, you're never in danger, and that perfect illusion of a world is what you call reality! You shouldn't even be here! And you know what? Everything was your fault. Ever since we started tracking you, things have been going to hell. The agents are after this crew more than ever. Ash and Misty are dead because of you! All you do is screw things up! And for all we know, all this could be for nothing! Maybe you aren't the One! Maybe we shouldn't have freed you at all!"
"NO!" Rain screamed. "You don't understand Amber! You aren't supposed to be some superhero mare who's supposed to save the world! You aren't being driven towards some huge destiny you have no control over! I had to leave! I would have been killed if I'd stayed any longer!"
"And you think joining us would have changed that?"
Rain was drained. She didn't even have the energy to scream anymore. "You don't understand, Amber," she whispered. "You never will."
With that, Rain left the room and slammed the door behind her, already fighting back the tears that stung at her eyes.

That night, Neon was heading back to his dorm. It was almost midnight. He had tried to help out deciphering the piece of the file they had stolen from the database, but he had to face it. He sucked at deciphering scrambled code. As Neon walked, thoughts of Rain returned to him. He was still reeling from the experience three days earlier. The spark had made everything so clear. Whatever was between him and Rain... it was real. Horus's words flooded into his head. The connection? It can't be. We couldn't possibly be... No, there's no way we're connected.
He thought back to a few hours earlier. Rain had seemed upset at dinner, but she had never said why. Amber wasn't talking to her. Maybe they'd had a fight. But over what?
I may never know, Neon thought.
He passed the doorway to the common room and saw that the lights were on. He heard somepony moving around inside. He poked his dark head in to check it out. It was Rain.
She was setting up a blanket and pillow on one of the couches as a sort of makeshift bed. Thankfully, she'd been able to stop herself from crying after her fight with Amber. She felt she'd been doing enough of that already.
Rain heard hoofsteps and turned around. The velvet black shape of Neon materialized out of the darkened corridor, standing in the doorway to the common room.
"Hey," he said.
"Hi," Rain deadpanned back.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
"No." Rain threw the blanket down on the cushions. "Amber kicked me out."
"Why would she do that?"
"I- it's- look, I- I just don't want to talk about it, okay?" There was that weird flutter again. Rain only hoped the spark wouldn't show up again. It scared the hell out of her the first time it had happened, and she didn't want to go through that again.
"Rain..."
"It's okay, Neon." Rain spoke softly now. "I'm not mad at you. It's just... a lot's been happening lately, and I've been kind of torn over it. It's nothing you can help. It was nice of you to stop by, though."
Neon dared to come a little closer. "Rain, since you're here... could I talk to you?"
Rain gave in to just a hint of a smile. "You already are."
"About that... thing... a few nights ago..."
"That spark?"
"Yeah, the spark. Look, I just wanted you to know that..."
"That what? Come on, tell me."
"Never mind. It's... not important."
Rain finished making her couch-bed and settled herself into the messy pile of blankets and sheets. Neon came over to sit next to her. It took all the self-control Rain had not to lean against him, burst into tears, and simply tell him everything. Didn't the spark come from when they touched? She was afraid to let it happen again. But being with Neon made her feel... safe.
"Rain?"
She looked up into his indecipherable green eyes. "Yeah, Neon?"
"I wanted to ask you a question."
"Yeah?"
"Have you ever had- you know- have you ever had a coltfriend?"
"A coltfriend?"
"You know, a stallion- who's your friend."
"Yeah. I had lots of stallions who were my friends back in the Magix."
"Well, that's not exactly what I mean. I mean sort of- more than a friend."
"What? Well, no, not really. I'd never really liked anypony when I was in the Magix. I'd never wanted to get into all that. I mean, for a while some ponies even thought that I was, you know-" Rain laughed. "On that side of the fence. But I'd just never felt that way about anypony. Mare or stallion."
Neon couldn't help but laugh. "Seriously?"
"Yeah." Rain shrugged. "Why did you want to know?"
"Me? Um, no reason, nothing, really," he murmured, looking away. "Look, just-" The dark pegasus sighed and looked back towards the mare beside him. "If there's anything you need, if you need help with anything, or even... even if you just want to talk, um... I'm here. Okay?"
"Thanks." Rain had to lean away from the dark pegasus next to her to keep from resting her head on his shoulder. "You're a great friend."
Neon stood up. Rain stretched herself out on the couch and switched off the light. Neon floated back into the dimly lit corridor. For just a second, he looked over his shoulder at the sleepless form of Rain. "Sweet dreams," he whispered to her.

It was a long time before the files were cracked. Horus, Spiro, and Saph had been poring over the green and black streams for hours. Saph had fallen asleep in one of the control panel's swivel chairs. The two stallions were struggling to stay awake themselves. Finally, the puzzle was completed. And the picture it made was unbelievable.
Spiro stared at the screen in disbelief. "That's strange..." he mumbled.
Horus studied the image over and over again. "This doesn't make sense."
Spiro opened the ship's internet browser and looked up what the file appeared to contain. Sure enough, it was a perfect match.
"It's programming software," he said. "Like what somepony would use to program an AI."
"What do the agents want with programming software? They're AIs themselves. It just doesn't add up."
Spiro though for a second. "Is there maybe a new program in the Magix we don't know about?"
"Possibly. But then these signals would be coming from the Magix itself, not the agent database."
"Then why would they..." Spiro's voice cut off, then his face took on a horror struck expression.
Horus took in his expression. "You're thinking exactly what I am, aren't you."
The operator nodded. "Is it possible to use this to reprogram a naturally intelligent mind?"
"Yes," his captain answered. "With a powerful enough memory wipe, then if there was a direct download to the brain, it's very possible. Then maybe..."
"This software isn't meant for an AI?"
"Then if it's not meant for a program, that would leave... Oh, Luna. I definitely hope we're wrong."
Horus thought for a moment. "It's possible that this software would be used to reprogram the minds of ponies. But what I don't understand is why."
"We'll need the other 48% of the file to find out."
"That means we have to go through yesterday's train wreck all over again." He opened a blank document on the monitor. "We need a new strategy. Any ideas?"
Spiro gave a slight smile. "Well, there is one that I came up with a while ago..." he began, but then his enthusiasm dropped. "But it was a long time ago. It sounded like a stupid idea to begin with, and I didn't even think it would work back then-"
"It doesn't matter how stupid it seems, Spiro," Horus said. "Sometimes the things you think will never work end out symphonically. Now tell me, what is this completely insane concept of a fight plan you've devised?"
Spiro gave horus a small, wry smile. He dug up a file that had been buried under years of work to find the One. He opened it. "I call it "Project Apocalypse."
The file filled the screen. Spiro went on to explain everything in vivid, gory detail. With each aspect, Horus's interest grew. Finally it was over.
The captain's eyes were wide. "That might be just crazy enough to work," he said. He turned to the quiet blue bundle of scales that was Saph fast asleep on her swivel chair. He gave her a quick nudge. "Saph, wake up. You're going to want to hear this."

Amber was running. She didn't know where she was or how she'd gotten there. All she knew was she had to run. She was in danger. The plan had failed.
Hoofbeats sounded all around her. She lifted her blurry gaze from the ground. The crew was racing along beside her. Horus ran with her while Neon and Rain flew close to the ground, speeding along beside the two grounded crew members. Everypony was in a state of panic, desperately trying to escape the unseen danger. Amber smelled smoke and explosives on her coat. She had no idea why.
A labyrinth of deserted streets stretched out before them. Another sound joined the crew's frantic hoofbeats. Gunshots.
Amber glanced over her shoulder. There were agents behind them, swarming in on the crew. A few stopped for a second to stand on two legs and fire a few shots at the escaping rebels. They went in waves, some running, others stopping a few seconds to shoot, moving at carefully timed intervals. They were quickly gaining on the crew. Amber couldn't stop. She could scarcely breathe and her heart was pounding. Her legs felt like they would shatter under her. But she couldn't stop.
Suddenly a pained cry sounded from behind her. She heard the soft thud of something hitting the pavement. Amber whirled around.
Horus was on the ground, splayed out on his side, chest heaving. A splatter of blood trailed behind him on the asphalt. A dark red stain blossomed on his trench coat where his right leg would be. He gritted his teeth in pain. He'd been hit.
"Horus!" Amber screamed. She was caught, torn between the instinct to run and the desperate need to go back for her captain.
"Go!" he shouted back to her. Then the agents closed in on him and it was over.

Amber woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air. She lay still for a minute. Everything came into focus. It had all been a dream.
Amber sat up and looked at the clock on her night table. It was 2:17 am.
Amber flopped back down on her back. What the heck was that about?
The dream... It was so real. She felt everything. It all felt so... possible.
Amber looked coldly across the room at Rain's empty bed. Right then, she hated her more than ever.
Why did she just have to tell an outsider? She deserved more than just spending the night kicked out of her room. It was way more serious than that. Rain couldn't be trusted.
She should be removed from the crew, Amber thought. That might solve the problem. Might.
She thought back to her dream. It had everything that a real-life event would. It was so much clearer than any regular dream would be. And after everything that had happened... and it had been so real...
It was a vision.
Amber's breath caught in her throat. She stared blankly at the foot of her bed in disbelief and let the painful truth sink in. She slowly lowered her head back to her pillow and tried to stop her racing heart. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't.
"Oh, Celestia, please let this just be a dream!"

THE MAGIX: CHAPTER 11: Project Apocalypse

The next morning, Amber felt like a zombie. Her mane was a mess, her eyes were bloodshot, and her dizzy feet stumbled constantly. After waking from her dream, disturbing thoughts had worked their way into her head, each one worse than the last. What was the plan that had failed? Would Horus die? Is Rain a traitor? An AI in disguise? What if all of Harmony would be destroyed?
It had lasted a full 6 hours and kept Amber awake all night. She dragged her hooves as she staggered down the corridor to the dining hall. She passed the common room on her way there. There was Rain.
The mare was pulling her sheets off the couch she'd spent the night on. Amber stopped and stared intently at her, just waiting for her to turn around.
Rain turned to see Amber in the doorway, giving her a look that could kill. It was making her uncomfortable. "Um- good morning?" she mused, trying to keep things casual. "How long have you been standing there?"
Amber only intensified her stare. "I wouldn't be cleaning up so fast if I were you," she spat. "I'm not done with you yet."
And with that, the furious unicorn left. She continued down the hall, thoughts wandering. Why had Rain just exposed their existence like that? What had made her so desperate to make her tell an outsider? Amber didn't care why Rain had done it. She just hated her for it.
When Amber entered the dining hall, Horus was sitting there, alone. He had a cup of coffee in front of him, as usual. Celestia knows I need one, Amber thought.
" 'Morning," she mumbled as she stepped through the doorway. The unicorn began going through the motions of fixing herself breakfast.
Horus noticed how tired and distressed Amber's thoughts were. "Didn't sleep well?" he asked.
"No," Amber said flatly.
"Why's that, then?"
Amber didn't want to say it. Oh, yeah, Horus. I didn't sleep because I had a dream about you getting shot, captured, and maybe killed by agents. It might be a vision and you're probably going to die. Yeah, that would go over perfectly.
"I don't know," Amber lied. "I just couldn't. You?"
"I'm fine. It's you that I'm worried about."
Amber cocked her head to the side. "Why? There's nothing to worry about," she said.
"You and Rain aren't speaking."
Well, there went any attempt at covering up the truth.
Amber wanted to tell Horus everything. She wanted Rain's betrayal exposed and for her to get what she deserved, of course. But deep in her soul, Amber was hurt. It seemed in the beginning that she and Rain could have been friends, and this single mistake had killed everything. Horus was her confidante, the only pony she could trust completely, who wouldn't give up on her for anything. Amber wanted him to help her, give her advice, tell her something to make her feel better. She knew he always could. And now, she needed him more than ever.
She wanted to say it. She wanted to so badly it hurt. But she couldn't. Despite everything, she just couldn't bring herself to tell him what had happened.
"Um-" the unicorn stuttered, unsure of how to continue.
Horus looked at her expectantly. "Well?"
She could tell he wanted to help her. Honestly, so did she.
"I- I just don't want to talk about it," she sighed, sliding into the seat across from her mentor. "It's all really hard to explain. I'll get over it, I'm sure."
Horus gave her a look of deep understanding. "You sure you're okay? I heard you kicked Rain out last night."
"Horus, you know me. I let life throw whatever it wants at me, and I just let it roll off. No matter what happens, I'll be fine."
Horus smiled faintly. "If you insist. But if this gets any worse, and trust me, I'll know if it does, tell me about it. I hate to see you like this. I want to help you, Amber. If anything happens, I want you to talk to me. Alright?"
Amber nodded, smiling. "I will."

Of course, when Rain entered moments later, Amber automatically stood up, collected her tray and left. Rain stared after her for a second. Had this really gotten her friend so upset? She didn't want to think about it.
"'Morning, guys," she said casually to the three remaining ponies at the table, Spiro and Cherrybomb having recently joined the crowd in the dining hall.
Spiro was still looking down the hallway Amber had just left. "What's her problem?" he asked.
Rain felt a pang of guilt rise up in her chest. I can't tell them, she thought. Not now. She simply shrugged and said, "No idea." Trying to keep off the subject, Rain stayed silent as she fixed herself a bowl of cereal.
"So, Rain," Horus said the second she sat down. "How was your night on the couch?"
Rain choked. She quickly swallowed and gave an unsteady reply. "You- you knew about that?"
Spiro nodded. "We passed by you last night. You were sleeping in the common room. Amber kicked you out, huh?"
"Um, yeah. It's just- something's gotten her really upset, and I guess she just needed time alone- or something."
"Do you know what she's so worked up about?" Cherrybomb asked. Her big blue eyes begged Rain for an answer.
Don't say it. Whatever you do. Do. Not. Say. Anything.
"I don't know. She won't talk to me."
"That's funny," Horus commented. "She wouldn't tell me anything, either. Whatever this is, it must be serious. I've never seen her so estranged before."
"I- I'm sure she'll be okay," Rain stammered, ending the conversation. "So, um- where's Neon?" the pegasus continued, desperate to change the subject. Saph always slept in and missed breakfast. Neon, however, was oddly absent from the dining hall.
"In his room," Spiro replied flatly. "He's been holed up in there forever. I tried to get him up, but, no. I wonder what's up with him. He's been all weird lately."
Horus quickly disguised a knowing smile.

This wasn't a typical morning. Neon wasn't sure how he knew. He just did. He felt different. Everything did. And Rain was the reason. She'd been right the night Misty died. Everything had changed since she'd arrived, but not in the way she'd thought. Neon hadn't been able to sleep. All he could think about was her. Now, here he was, still sprawled in the haphazard nest of dark gray sheets on his bed. He couldn't get up now, but he knew he'd have to eventually. Neon dragged himself out of the tangle of sheets, through his dorm room door and out into the hallway. This was nothing that coffee couldn't fix, right?

By the time Neon was finally up, it was almost noon. The rest of the crew was gathered in the holodeck, called to an emergency meeting by Horus. When Neon entered, everypony fell silent. They'd been waiting for him for a while.
The dark pegasus slid onto one of the jack chairs next to Rain. She cast him a sideways glance, tucked her wings and shifted over, careful not to touch him. Neon had been right. She still doesn't know. And now she's afraid of me.
Neon quickly tore his attention away from Rain and toward the control panel, where Horus, Saph, and Spiro were positioned. Horus began the message. "I'm sure you all remember the mission from a few days ago. The portion of the file we've managed to get a hold of was successfully sent and is now stored in our mainframe computer. However, Spiro and I decoded the files last night, and I'm afraid we have some shocking news. Spiro, open the file."
"Got it." Spiro pulled up the mainframe memory folder and opened the hacked file. The streams of programming code appeared.
"We found that the files contained programming software," Horus began. "At first, it didn't make sense, but after further investigation, we think we've found out what it may be meant for. This software can be used to reprogram a fully-functional mind. And not that of an AI. Spiro and I believe that this program was meant to be uploaded to a pony's brain."
Spiro continued. "From what we've got, we can't tell exactly what this is going to be used for. We can only guess. But if we're right, it could spell disaster. If this gets uploaded, a pony could be turned into a weapon, have their entire consciousness erased, or even be re-assimilated into the Magix. This software could mean anything."
Amber spoke up. "How do you know all this? I mean, how did you figure all that out just by looking at the code? Are you sure this information is accurate?"
"It wasn't just the file," Saph said. "The code patterns are almost the exact same ones that had caused the spike in activity. They have to have had something to do with it."
"Not only that," Spiro added, "but we couldn't find any other use for the software. It has to be some sort of attack."
"How can you be sure?" Rain asked.
"There is a way for us to find out more," Horus explained. He smiled at Spiro. "Tell them."
The techie unicorn grinned back at his captain. "I'd be happy to." He closed out of the hacked file. The memory menu reappeared.
"Okay," he started off. "I know this is really sudden, and we haven't had much time to plan this out. But this could be a life-or-death situation, and we need to act fast. I just may have the answer to our problems. Just so you know, I came up with this plan a long time ago. It's pretty drastic, very risky, and a really, really crazy idea. I know how it sounds, but I just want you to listen before you say anything." Spiro turned around in the swivel chair to face the crew. "This is an extremely out-of-line plan and should be used in extreme cases only. This is exactly what I've been saving it for. I call it..." He tapped the touch screen, opening the file. "Project Apocalypse."
The file loaded onto the screen. A newly-added blueprint of the database appeared, along with side notes, instructions, and the steps of the strategy. There was a map of the computer network, and what appeared to be the design for a time bomb.
"This is the layout," Spiro said, gesturing to the file spread across the monitor. "It contains everything you'll need to carry out your mission. Basically, it's a total raid and partial destruction of the database. It's the only way we could possibly get the full information out of the files and destroy the threat before it breaks out."
"Okay, one question," Neon cut in. "So the plan is to break into the database, hack everything, and then just destroy it all?"
"Well, to put it bluntly, yes."
"Yeah, sounds like a great plan... if you're freaking suicidal."
"Face it, Spiro," Amber said. "A plan like this is completely insane. There's no way this could work."
"Patience, Amber," Horus said, ending the commentary. "You haven't heard the rest." He nodded to Spiro, telling him to continue.
"Actually," Spiro went on, "Neon's synopsis is right. Just not that straightforward. First step: the crew splits up into teams of two, each with a different destination. One heads for the database control room, the other for the central database computer, just like on our last mission.
A-team breaks in and heads for the control room, which is located in the basement. This is where all the controls for the electricity, the air ducts, the computer and security network, and just about everything else is housed. First item on the list: disable security. Take out the ponies who are manning the control room. Get to the controls for any cameras, motion detectors, alarms, anything that might blow B-team's cover and shut them down. Once you've finished, contact the others and tell them to continue their part of the mission." The file presentation moved, scrolled and spun as Spiro described his plan, corresponding with his words. "By now, B-team should be in the clear. They break in through the front entrance. Security will no longer be an issue. Pony guards will be patrolling the front entrance and be posted at certain intervals. The security will be on high alert after our first attempt, but that's something I know you can handle. B-team is in, they head straight for the central computer, taking whatever means necessary to get there safely. You'll probably have to track it down again. They might have moved it after last time.
Meanwhile, A-team stays in the control room. You will be downloaded a messenger bag containing this prototype." The image of the time bomb highlighted and maximized.
"This is called a double-take cyberbomb. Cherry and I designed it."
The youngest crew member grinned proudly. "Well, it is my special talent."
Rain laughed. "No way! You're a pyro?"
"Better believe it," Spiro said, flashing a smile. He continued with his explanation. "Okay, how this thing works is that it brings on two attacks. The first is computer-based and the second is the actual explosion that most sensible bombs use. A-team opens the control panel for the computer network and connects the bomb. I'll walk you through it when we get there. Enter the activation code. The bomb will shoot an electric signal through the wires, shorting out and disrupting the entire network. Then the clock will start.
B-team will have hacked the central computer and gotten as much information out of it as possible. When the computer shorts out, they will have a three-minute clear before detonation. By then, any hacked files will have been sent to the ship's mainframe. The crew makes their escape and the bomb goes off in a moderate-scale explosion. It'll take out the control room, basement, and probably part of the first floor of the building, getting rid of any evidence of our break-in and making repairing the network impossible. The explosion won't destroy the database completely, but it will create a huge distraction. The two teams should be able to escape in the confusion. We'll have the files, their network will be out, and if there is a threat, we'll have enough time to organize an attack and take them down."
A long silence followed as the crew absorbed the information. It was finally broken by Amber.
"Wow," she murmured. "You came up with this... when?"
"About a year ago. No idea why. I guess fate seals itself."
"I guess this 'Project Apocalypse' isn't so suicidal after all."
"Still really risky," Neon added. "But it sounds just crazy enough to work."
"It doesn't matter whether the plan is completely illogical or not," Horus cut in, quieting the rest of the crew. "This is an emergency. We don't have a choice. This is all we've got. If any action is to be taken, it will have to be this."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Amber said.
"Yeah. If there is a threat, we have to stop it somehow," Neon agreed.
Rain nodded. "We have to do something."
Horus did a quick scan of his crew's thoughts. Everypony seemed to agree. "That settles it, then," he said definitively. "Project Apocalypse is officially in motion. We begin this time tomorrow. Spiro will give us a recap, then we enter and attack. Meeting dismissed."
The crew collectively got up from their places and left the holodeck. Horus stayed behind. He stood at the control panel, continuing to study the layout of the crew's latest mission. He didn't notice the a golden shadow slink across the room and shyly approach him.
"Horus?"
The captain turned around at the sound of Amber's voice. He thought he'd sensed another presence. "Amber. Is everything alright?"
His apprentice bit her lip and looked down at her hooves. "Yes, everything's... everything's fine, I just wanted to ask you something."
Horus saw the sadness hidden in the young unicorn's brown eyes. "Is this about what's going on between you and Rain?" Her thoughts were guarded. There was something she wasn't telling him.
"Um, yes... no... well, sort of. But not really. Look, it's... it's not that important."
"Then what is it?"
"Well, I... I was just wondering about something. If something happened to you... something bad... what would that mean for the rest of us?"
Horus sighed. "Honestly, Amber, it's something I try not to think about."
"I- I know. But it just crossed my mind, and I was thinking..."
"Is something wrong?"
"No, it's..." Amber stammered. Her voice grew soft, trembling as she spoke. "Horus, we need you here. This entire crew would never be the same without you, and if you were gone-" Her words cut off, leaving the sentence unfinished. The unicorn looked up at her mentor, her eyes glassy. Horus put his forelegs around her and hugged his apprentice tightly. He felt her shudder as a sob emerged.
"I won't be gone," Horus said to the mare in his arms as she strained to hold back tears. "I will never give out on this crew. You know how much you mean to me and I will do everything I possibly can to ensure that I will always be here."
Amber pulled away and looked at him, eyes glossed with tears. "Really?" she said, looking every bit like the scared teenage filly he once knew.
"I mean every word," Horus reassured her. "I will always be here. Never forget that."
"I won't," Amber promised. "Never."

THE MAGIX:CHAPTER 12: Glitched

24 hours passed. Another day dawned on the Firestar's crew. And with the coming of a new day, Project Apocalypse was set in full-force motion.
Everypony gathered in the holodeck, as usual. Spiro and Saph at the controls, Cherrybomb on guard of the ship, and the four remaining crew members positioned in the activated jack chairs, waiting to be plugged in. The recap was given, the monitors placed, and the crew jacked in.
Rain's virtual eyes flickered open. Here she was again, in the same complex that was the Firestar HQ. The others were scattered around the room, Horus and Neon poring over their communicators, trying to find the database's location, Amber running a weapons check, investigating the new artillery and prototype bomb Spiro had downloaded them and packed in a messenger bag. The second her hazel brown eyes registered Rain's existence, they blazed with hate and she turned away. Rain sighed. This was going to be a long mission.
Temporarily forgetting Amber, she went to check on the findings for the database location with the other two. "What have you gotten so far?" she asked, reading Horus's communicator screen over his shoulder.
"Obviously, they've moved again," he answered, concentrating. "Our last attempt must have tipped them off. They know we're onto them."
"Have you found a location yet?"
"No, but I think we're close."
A loud chime cut through the conversation. "I've got it!" Neon's voice shouted.
Horus shut off the feed on his communicator. "Where are they now?"
The pegasus studied the information on his communicator. "They're still at the edge, but closer to the city this time. Near a place called..." Neon squinted at the screen. "Sweet Apple Acres."
"Hey, I know where that is!" Rain thought out loud.
"Sweet Apple Acres?"
"Yeah. My friend Applejack lives there. Her family runs the farm. I've been there a million times."
"So I'll assume you know the way very well?" Horus said.
"Well, obviously."
Her captain nodded. "Then Rain, you will be our guide."

It was a long way through the broken, abandoned labyrinth of the outskirts to the lush fields of Sweet Apple. For the longest time, it was nothing but road ahead of the crew. After hours of walking, the scenery finally changed. Chipped, faded asphalt and crumbling buildings gave way to rolling green hills and a natural dirt-and-gravel road. A shape appeared in the distance, breaking up the bright, lively fields and country hills. The reflective grey block shone in the simulated afternoon sun. The database. Sure enough, only a few dozen acres away, the gleaming shades of red, yellow, and green of fresh-picked and growing apples marked the rich orchards of Sweet Apple Acres.
"There it is!" Rain pointed out as they neared the building in the distance. "And there's Sweet Apple!"
"Knew it was somewhere near there," Neon said. "Odd that we were headed in the right direction the first time."
"Yes, it is funny, isn't it?" Amber hissed, shooting an icy glare at Rain.
Horus quickly took note of the unicorn's bitterness. He sent a sweeping wave out to her, trying to find the source. Nothing. Her thoughts were just as guarded as yesterday. Something wasn't right. Horus shook the thought away and returned his focus to the mission. "I'm calling Spiro. Once he has a location on us, we can get started." He pulled out his communicator and ran a checkpoint with the unicorn on the other end. "The connection is secure. He's got us on the POV. Let's go."
The crew split up again.

Amber and Horus dashed towards the building, dragging the messenger bag along with them. They moved stealthily, dodging the watchful, oscillating eyes of the security cameras mounted on the outer wall, speeding closer to the building in short bursts, while Neon and Rain watched just out of sight.
The Earth pony and unicorn reached the wall and flattened themselves against the side of the building in a temporary blind spot between cameras. They had a few seconds to spare before the nearest security cam would turn in their direction and catch them. Amber tried to open a first-story window just above where she and her captain were crouched in the shadows. It stuck firmly in place, latched from the inside. Her horn glowed. A hazy orange glow surrounded the inner latch, and it undid itself. She nudged horus. He turned to help her pry open the window.
The security camera was turning back towards them. The two rebels struggled to open the flat, slippery pane of glass. Finally it gave in and slid open.
The camera's shining black eye now stared straight at where they stood. All it captured was the open window sliding shut again.
Horus and Amber flattened themselves against the wall below the window, out of view of the camera. The seconds ticked by as they waited for the watching black eye to move. 5 seconds, then 10, now 20. Finally, it was safe. They slipped away from the window.
The window they'd entered through had led them into an office cubicle. A pony was seated at a desk, his back facing them, completely absorbed in his work. He finally turned around to see two black-clad strangers staring at him. "What the-" was all he had time to say before his head was slammed backwards against his desk.
Amber and Horus backed away from the unconscious witness. Amber stared at him. "What are we going to do when he wakes up?"
Horus closed his eyes and sent a wave out to the pony slumped in his chair. "It's alright," he said
when he opened his eyes. "He'll forget everything when he wakes up."
With that, the rebels slipped unseen out of the cubicle block and out into the hallway maze that made up the database. They dashed down the hallway and found one of the painted beige metal doors that marked a staircase, the only ones not disguised as wall paneling. They opened it and sprinted down the two flights to the basement, where the control room was waiting.
At the very lowest floor, the heavy grey double doors of the basement entrance stood, completely undisturbed. The rebels stopped at the base of the bare concrete stairs, hesitating for just a second. Horus stepped forward and silently pushed one open, cautious not to let the rusting hinges squeal.
The basement was dark, nothing but a spacious room made entirely of cement, a long expanse of concrete and boxes that smelled of dust and mildew.
Amber scanned the darkness. There had to be a door, a light, something to show them where the control panel was. She closed her eyes and repeated a simple search spell from her memory. A spark formed at the end of her horn. It flared, then glanced off and flew off into the darkness. Amber and her captain raced after it.
The spark whizzed through the dusty air, then stopped. The crew members skidded to a stop in front of it. The spark flared once more, then faded.
"It's somewhere near here," Amber said, her gaze darting around the dim space.
"Over there," Horus whispered. He pointed a hoof into the distance. A few feet down the wall, a thin ribbon of light shone against the dark concrete wall in the shape of a rectangle. The two ponies raced over to it. The light outlined a small, dark metal door. A little plastic plaque was stuck to the surface along with several warnings of high voltage and dangerous machinery. Control Room was written in small black letters.
Amber picked the lock open in seconds. Then they kicked the door in.
The control room was tiny and cramped, but in that small space, the agents had managed to cram a lot of technology. Buttons, switches, levers, valves, vents, and screens lined the walls and filled the room, leaving hardly any space for the three security ponies manning the controls, who stared in total shock at the strangers in black who had somehow found their way down here.
Without a second to spare, Amber and Horus rushed in and attacked. The first pony was down with a swift blow to the head. The second tried to fight back with a few weak punches at Amber. She caught his fist. "You're kidding, right?" she said before a shock from his own taser cut him off from reality. The third didn't even try to resist. It was a matter of seconds before Horus and Amber had total control.
"They should be out for an hour or so," Horus said. "You call Spiro. I'll handle the bomb."
Amber grabbed her communicator and called the ship as Horus opened the messenger bag and removed the bomb. "Operator," Spiro's voice answered on the other end.
"Spiro, it's me," Amber said. "We've made it to the control room. Where to now?"
"Okay, next step is security. If you take a look around you should find a grid of really small screens."
"I see them. The ones with the silver panel and blue controls under them, with the trackpad and keyboard sticking out?"
"Exactly. Now, there should be a larger screen in one corner. That's the security camera feed from
the lobby. There's a toolbar at the bottom of that screen. Do you see it?"
"Yes. What do I do?"
"Go to menu. Click that, then go to actions. Click disable feed. It'll ask you to select which cameras you want to shut off, just select all of them, then click continue. It'll ask you for an activation code. The code is 40813. Enter that, then hit disable."
"Got it. Done. Okay, the monitors are all blank. Now what?"
"On the control panel, there should be buttons that display each different mode in the security system. Press the one that says sound detection. That one controls the hidden microphones in the building."
Amber pressed it. The blank screens flickered back to life. They no longer displayed the grainy, unsaturated footage of a security camera, but jagged, undulating wavelengths of sound. "Alright, now the sound waves are up."
"Do the same as I told you before. Then do the same with all the rest of the modes. After that, call Rain and Neon to tell them they're in the clear and call me back when you're finished."
"Got it."

On the other side of the database walls, two pegasi waited, crouched in the grass, out of view of the security cameras. Neon clutched his communicator, wondering with fierce hope where Amber and Horus were. They must have gotten to the control room. Spiro would have called if they were in danger, right? He looked down at the little black cell phone he held tightly in his hoof, hoping that it would ring soon.
Neon lifted his gaze away from the phone to the sky-blue mare positioned next to him in the grass. Rain was gazing intently at the database building, her magenta eyes taking in every detail.
"What are you thinking about?" Neon asked, trying to break the silence.
She kept staring at the building in front of them. "Do you think they got rid of the skylight?"
Neon looked back to his communicator. "They can move their location. They do it all the time. But I don't know if they can change the structure of their database. Maybe they did, maybe they didn't."
"If they did get rid of it, do you think we'll be able to get out again? Or would they stop us and we'd still be in there when the bomb goes off?"
Neon stared off into the distance. "I don't know. The bomb isn't supposed to be that powerful. It shouldn't take out the third floor. We'd probably get out fine, even if we don't get out before the bomb detonates. Just go up."
"Oh." Rain looked at him and smiled.
Neon felt her gaze on him. He turned and smiled back. He felt his pulse speed. "Rain-"
A loud, mechanized ringtone cut his sentence off. Neon snatched his communicator out of his pocket and flipped it open. "This is Neon," he said.
Horus's voice answered. "It's me. Amber and I have disabled security. You're in the clear."
"Perfect. We're headed in right now." He snapped the phone shut.
Rain's eyes brightened up. "Are we good to go?"
Neon nodded. "Yep. Let's go."

The pegasi raced unstealthily for the lobby door. Avoiding security didn't matter anymore. It had been all taken out. Now there was only the files and the bomb to worry about.
Neon and Rain skidded to a stop just before the spotless glass of the double doors leading into the lobby. They took a few seconds to slow their breathing and pulse. The evidence of their mad dash erased, they walked casually through the doors. The pristine stone tile floor and perfectly clean white walls were exactly what Rain had expected. Classy marble columns lined the walls, tall, perfectly cut rectangles holding up the ceiling like regal pedestals. Two receptionists were seated at desks on opposite sides of the room, going calmly about their business. A walk-through metal detector stood as the only barrier between the lobby and main entrance, a security guard standing at either side.
One of the receptionists finally looked up from her computer screen to notice the two visitors just entering the lobby. "Can I help you?" she asked.
Rain walked calmly up to the desk. "We're just here to visit a friend," she said.
The receptionist peered over the edge of her desk at the pegasus's dangerous attire. "Well, if you want in, you're gonna have to lose the belt."
"I'd rather not." The pegasus swiped a foreleg out at blinding speed. Before she could react, the receptionist was slumped over her desk, completely unconscious.
A scream sounded from the other side of the room. Neon whirled around at the sound. The other receptionist was staring in total shock at her coworker. She screamed again and reached for the phone on her desk to call for help. Neon snapped out his wings and shot toward her. He swatted the phone out of her hoof and knocked her out in a single stroke. He landed behind the desk and walked around the edge back to Rain in the center of the lobby.
The security guards were no longer standing still and silent at their post. They had removed their taser guns from their holsters and had them trained on the two rebel ponies. They slowly advanced toward the invaders. "Alright, we don't want this to get messy," the stallion on the right said. "Just drop your weapons where you are and come with us."
Rain's hoof slipped to her belt. She snatched a pistol from its resting place and aimed it at the guards.
The stallion on the right glared angrily at her. "Put the gun down, missy." She stared indignantly back at him. The guard fired his taser.
She shot him. The guard fell to the floor, blood spilling from his chest. Dead. Rain gasped and dropped the gun. She felt like she couldn't breathe. She'd actually done it. She killed someone.
The other guard's eyes widened. He fired the taser at Neon. The pegasus jumped into the air and drew one of his guns, the jolt of electricity not even grazing his hooves.
Shaken, the security guard drew another gun from its holster. It looked nothing like the taser he'd held before. "You two are in huge trouble! I'm calling backup. First one who moves gets a bullet in their flank!"
Rain looked up at Neon, who landed silently next to her, his gun trained on the guard. "Neon, he's serious. This one looks real."
The security guard reared up on his hind legs, his other hoof reaching for the walkie-talkie on his belt. "Do. Not. Move. I mean it."
Neon stared back at the guard. "You're not the only one with a gun around here." He pulled the trigger. The guard fell down, dead.
Rain stared at Neon. "I- You- I just-" she stammered.
Neon put a foreleg around her shoulders. "I know, I know. It's hard, but we have to do it." He looked at her discarded weapon on the floor. "Pick it up. You'll need it."
Biting her lip, Rain reached for the gun and slipped it back into its pocket. She felt Neon squeeze her shoulders one last time and let go. She looked from him to the metal detector.
"Don't worry," he said. "It's not on."
The rebels went on through the entryway and into the complex.

It was a straight path to the first stairwell, the third floor, then the hallway where the central computer was last located. Sure enough, making a break down the corridor brought them straight to the dead end. Neon ran a hoof over the smooth, spotless surface, searching for the seam that outlined the hidden switch. He squinted at the panel as he felt around for the tiny break in the smooth plaster. His hoof landed in the exact same spot as the switch was before. Except he felt nothing.
"What the..." he mumbled. "It's gone."
"Hm." Rain replied. "Let me take a crack at it."
She placed both her hooves on the blank white panel. She ran them over the featureless surface, searching for the switch. Nothing. They must have gotten rid of it. There must be a password or a code or something now.
Rain closed her eyes and sighed. It couldn't be hopeless. It just couldn't. I have to get this door open. I have to.
Something changed. There was the sound of a mechanical whirring, then a click, and suddenly the panel was moving under her hooves. Rain's eyes flew open to see the panel sliding sideways and Neon staring at her, his glowing eyes full of surprise. "How did you do that?"
Rain stared at the door as it mechanically slid open. "I have no idea."
Without a second to spare, they rushed through the door and it slid shut behind them.

"Okay, do you see the plug that is three to the left and four down on the right side? It has an orange ring around it."
"Found it."
"The fifth jack goes there. Then there are two more. You see how they're shaped? There are specific plugs that will fit only those jacks. They're-"
As Spiro guided Horus through connecting the prototype to the computer network, Amber kept watch of the locked door. But she wasn't focused on guard duty. Her mind was wandering. They'd taken out security. Neon and Rain were probably fighting guards, wherever they were. But why? The agents were perfectly capable of defending themselves. Why did they have guards and all these security measures? If they were under any serious threat, they would end up defending the database themselves, not leaving it up to some incompetent, mortal pony.
"They need to appear to be a normal software company to prevent the residents of the Magix from harboring suspicion," Horus said, reading Amber's mind and cutting off her thoughts. "All their employees are completely unaware of who they really are. The security measures are to keep their true identity a secret."
"Thanks for the fun fact, Horus," Amber said sarcastically. "Do you never keep your mind to yourself?"
Horus smiled at her and shrugged. "What can I say?" He turned back to the bomb installation. But his thoughts immediately went back to Amber. She was still guarding her thoughts. Whatever had been wrong before was still wrong. Spiro's voice sounded out from his communicator.
"You've got everything connected now?"
"Yes. The keypad just powered up. What are the activation codes?"
"There are three of them. The first one is 42. If you press enter it'll ask you for a code again. Enter 42 again. The third code is 566. When you enter that, the bomb will short out the network and the clock starts for three minutes. Neon and Rain have made it to the central computer. When it shorts out, they'll know how long they have to escape. You take it from there."
"Got it. Thanks."
Spiro hung up. Horus punched the numbers into the keypad. Immediately, a deafening ZAP exploded out from nowhere. A jolt of electricity rattled the bomb. Horus jerked his hooves away and the lights of the control room blacked out. The loud electrical crackling quieted to a hum. The wires connecting the bomb to the network glowed as the signal was sent throughout the system, shorting out the network. The lights flickered back on.
Amber had remained still in her swivel chair the entire time. She turned around to her stunned captain. "Wow. That was..."
"Intense?" he suggested.
The unicorn nodded. "Exactly." For a moment everything was quiet as the signal raced through the network, shutting down everything in its path.
"How much time do they have?"
"A few minutes, at the most. Once the entire system is down, the timer starts. They'll be running once the central computer shorts out. I'm sure they'll get out safely."
Amber nodded wordlessly. The bomb's blank, darkened clock face suddenly glowed to life. The lines of light flickered for a second, then organized themselves into an image.
3:00. 2:59. 2:58.
"It's started," Horus said. "Our work here is done. Come on."
Amber nodded. "Right."
She picked up the messenger bag and followed Horus out the door.

Neon and Rain were propped up against the metal desk at the center of the orb, covered in blood, bruises and scrapes. Rain was gasping again. The bodies of three agents lay still on the floor. The skylight in the ceiling, of course, was gone. The agents shattered into pixels and shimmered away.
Rain stared blankly at the floor. "I can't believe I just did that again."
Neon turned his head to face her. "Well, you might as well get used to it." He picked himself up off the floor and stood in front of the computer to log in as Agent Steel.
She looked up at the ceiling, where their only hope of escape had vanished. "How are we going to get out now?"
"We'll worry about that later," Neon said, busy cracking the computer in front of them. "Right now, we focus on getting the files. You remembered to reset the locks, right?"
"On it," she answered. The mare walked back to the hidden entrance they had come through. She scanned the edges. "What exactly am I looking for?"
"Last time, there was a keypad. The code was 0553. It's on the left side, about shoulder-level. You see it?"
Rain looked once, then again. She searched frantically around the doorframe. "Um... Neon?"
The dark pegasus looked up from the freshly hacked computer. "Yeah?"
"There's no lock."
He jumped up from the computer and raced over to the door. "What do you mean there's no-"
He trailed off. It should have been there. But there was nothing. The keypad was gone. Neon turned and ran to the door on the other side. There was no lock there, either.
Neon backed away from the door and sat down against the desk. "We're in trouble."
Rain went back to the computer and looked over the desktop. "Where's the storage area?"
"They've hidden it in accessories and labeled it regenerate. You'll need a password to get in. They probably changed it."
Rain plugged her communicator into the side of the monitor and opened the feed. The tiny gadget automatically began registering the streams of code readings from the computer. She stared intently at the screen. She rifled through the various accessory programs. Everything was sorted out of order. She finally dug up the regenerate file and glanced at her communicator. The streams matched the file on the mainframe perfectly. She opened it.
Instantly a little gray box popped up in front of her face. Password required, it demanded in bold yellow letters. Rain bit her lip. Come on, she thought. You've done this before. Think. What would Steel set as a password? Something monotonous. Predictable. Something with numbers, probably.
Rain placed her hooves on the keyboard and entered agents 456.
The box flashed red. Password incorrect. Access denied. The gray returned, asking again for a password. Rain tried again, entering Steel 27.
Password incorrect. Access denied.
Rain thought harder. Steel. Think like Steel. Millions of passwords spilled into her head.
Magix 42. codes100. rebel84. 1file2. Iam1. 9000power. agent57331. steelmetal46.
She entered them all. Every time. Password incorrect. Access denied.
Rain sighed and smacked a hoof against her forehead. "This is hopeless."
Neon was watching the doors with intense concentration. "Keep going. We don't know how much time we have until the entire network goes down. You're bound to find it sometime."
Rain breathed out heavily and put her hoofs to the keyboard one more time. She closed her eyes. The password. We need the file. We need the password. What is the password?
JustADream.
Rain's eyes flew open. She gasped. Where had that come from? It didn't fit Steel at all. JustADream?
She typed the letters in. The box flashed green. Access granted.
"Neon!" Rain nudged the dark pegasus next to her. "Neon, I got it!"
Neon tore his attention away from the doors. "We're in?" He looked at the screen and Rain's joyful expression. "We're in. Quick, send the file. The system could be going out any minute now."
Clicking away as fast as she could, Rain dragged the cursor to file, send, direct stream, and pushed her communicator deeper into the USB socket. Immediately a loading bar flashed on screen.
Sending file. Send: 1% complete.
The rebels breathed a sigh of relief. The file was sending. As long as the network didn't short before it was complete, they'd be in the clear. Rain's legs collapsed and she sank to the floor, breathing heavily. Come on. Send. The network can't short out before the file sends. It can't.
Sending: 10% complete.
"That's weird. The file's sending faster than before."
Rain, who was stretched out limply on the floor, exhausted from the pressure, blew a strand of rainbow hair out of her eyes and looked back at the screen. "What the-"
Sending:20% complete.
She looked at the quickly filling loading bar. "26% already? What's going on?"
Sending: 30% complete.
40% complete.
50% complete.
"It's already halfway sent, and it's been, what, a minute?" Neon mused. "I have no idea what you did when you sent this, but whatever you did, it's working."
60% complete.
"Was I supposed to send it through direct stream?"
"That's what we did the first time, and it wasn't sending anywhere near this fast."
Rain looked back to the floor. This whole time she'd been fiercely hoping to get this mission over with, and successfully. First the door, then the password, now the file.
Sending: 70% complete.
What was going on?
Sending: 80% complete.
It was as if she'd been making it happen.
Sending: 90% complete.
Just by hoping...
100%. Send complete.
Rain snatched her communicator away from the computer. Not even a second later...
BOOM.
The computer screen flickered and filled with static. The entire room went black. The multicolored lights of the network wires covering the walls faded into the dark. Rain and Neon pressed close together against the desk, determined not to lose each other in the dark. Rain counted the seconds in the total blackness. 5...6...7...8...
The lights flickered back on. The two pegasi squinted against the brightness as their eyes readjusted. Neon took a deep, relieved breath. "That must have been the signal."
Rain looked over her shoulder at the blackened screen of the central computer. "The entire system's been taken down." She looked back at the cell phone she now held tightly in her hoof. "Close call, too. If we'd taken any longer to send it, we would've lost everything."
Neon stood up and walked cautiously to the door. He opened the feed on his communicator and held it against the door. "I'm not getting any signals from the agents," he said, reading the streams spilling over the screen of the little black phone. "They're probably headed toward the basement. It's where they would have traced the signal to. But some of them might be coming this way to make sure the central computer is safe. Now that the skylight is gone, the only way out is back through the building."
"We've got three minutes, right?"
He nodded. "It's possible that-"
Suddenly, the lights went out again. Rain screamed. Neon dashed blindly back to the desk to find her. He crashed into something soft.
"Ow." It was Rain's side.
Neon sat down on the floor next to her. "What just happened?"
"I don't know. It's just like what happened when the signal came through."
"What?"
"It's just like when the signal-"
"Yes. It is. It's exactly what happened. So- Rain, check the doors!"
"But it's pitch black in here."
The lights came back. The pegasi were temporarily blinded by the light. Rain rubbed her eyes and squinted against the brightness. And the first thing she saw was...
Colors. So many colors. Thin little colored lines of light, racing around on the walls. No...
Rain's vision finally cleared. The wires on the walls were alight again, streaks of colored light racing along them. Frantic, she peeled herself up off the floor and whirled around to face the central computer. The screen wasn't blank and shut down like she remembered. Instead of the dull black of a dead computer, it glowed. And there was that little green word floating in the center of the screen, taunting her. Welcome. Suddenly it flickered. It faded out and new words replaced it. Rain choked, too afraid to scream. Game over, Miss Dash.
"Neon!" she screamed.
She felt his forelegs wrap around her from behind. "Calm down," she heard his voice say behind her ear. "We're going to get out of this. Don't let them get to you. That's exactly what they want." He let go of her.
She whirled around to face him. "What's happening?"
Neon snatched his communicator out of his pocket. "A glitch. The agents have found us out."
Rain was confused. "A glitch?"
The feed opened and glided across the screen of Neon's communicator. "A glitch happens when the agents hack a ship's mainframe computer. It alters events in the crew's reality. In this case, they made the signal reverse itself and fix the network." He walked over to the door they had come through, reading the signals from the hallway outside. His eyes went wide. "Crap."
Rain tore her gaze away from the message on the screen. "What is it?"
Neon dashed to the door on the opposite side. "Agents. A lot of them. They're headed this way. Fast." He quickly scanned the hallway on the other side of the door. "This one's clear. Come on!"
Rain shot away from the desk and toward the door that slid slowly open. She and Neon slipped through and raced down the hallway at top speed as the door slid shut behind them.
Neon skidded to a stop. "Wait!" he shouted.
Rain scrambled to slow down and turned around. "We don't have time to wait! We have to-"
"No," the dark pegasus said. "We can't go back to the staircase. That's where they'll be coming from."
"Then what?" Rain asked, desperate for answers.
In response, Neon reared onto his hind legs and pressed his hooves against the wall.
"What are you doing?"
"We can't get out through any of the doors on the first floor. We'll need a window. And the only way to get to one is to find one of the offices. All the doors are disguised as wall panels. Come on, help me look."
Rain sighed and reared up against the wall and stretched out her forelegs to feel for the seam that marked an opening switch. She closed her eyes and tried to focus all her energy into into finding the tiny seam. She thought she felt something. It was just to the right...
Hoofbeats sounded in the distance. Rain's eyes flew open. Fear blazed through her head. Her hoof slipped to the right as she lost her focus. She thought she felt her hoof graze over a tiny line. Then a hoof-shaped chunk of plaster sunk into the wall.
"Rain! You did it!"
Neon's voice dragged Rain back to reality. She fell back onto all fours. In front of her, the wall panel was sliding sideways to reveal a maze of office cubicles. The hoofbeats grew louder and louder as the seconds passed. The agents were coming. Neon pushed Rain through the door and hurriedly followed, sliding it shut behind them.
The pegasi sprinted through the maze of temporary walls and ducked behind the panels of an empty cubicle. There was a quiet shiff as the door panel slid open. Calm, collected hoofsteps sounded from the doorway of the busy office and made their way briskly through the network of cubicles. Trying her best to keep her pulse under control, she peered over the top of the cubicle. A row of large windows stretched across the wall opposite them, exposing the cool gray skies outside. Rain leaned toward the edge of the cubicle where she and Neon hid. Holding the edge of the corkboard wall, she peered around the corner to see who had entered.
There were agents. She saw five... six? No. Way more than that. The ones who had been chasing them through the hallways were now in the huge collective office, splitting up to search for the rebels who had infiltrated their precious database. Another strode through the door, and then another. One turned his head and looked down the makeshift hallway. Straight at where Rain and Neon were hiding.
The pegasus held her breath and jolted back to where she had been before, scrunched up against the cubicle wall next to Neon. "What's going on out there?" he asked, his voice not even a whisper.
"Agents," Rain breathed. "Dozens of them. They're all over the office, looking for us."
Neon nodded. He looked at the floor, then the arrangement of cubicles around them, then up at the huge windows set into the opposite wall and the slowly darkening sky outside, hopelessly far away. He breathed out heavily, pushed his neon hair away from his face and turned back to Rain. "Follow me. Whatever you do, don't make any noise."
Moving with ninja speed, Neon crawled soundlessly from their cubicle to the one across from them, a few precious feet closer to their only escape. He turned around and signaled for her to follow.
Rain peeked around the corner one last time. Nopony was looking. The coast seemed clear enough. She aimed herself at the cubicle and shot toward it like an arrow. In less than a second, she was once again next to her crewmate, squished in the small space of the next cubicle. A middle-aged, overweight stallion was asleep at the desk in front of them, a spilled mug of coffee staining a stack of papers on his desk.
Rain turned to Neon. "What are we going to do about them?" she whispered, pointing at the snoring pony.
"Just be as quiet as you possibly can," he answered. "If they're doing what I've seen ponies normally do in an office, they shouldn't even notice us."
"O-kay..." Rain mumbled half-heartedly, not at all reassured.
Neon set his gaze on the next cubicle. He dashed across to it, Rain close behind. They went on to the next one, and the next, moving gradually closer and closer to their one escape, crawling like spiders across the office floor. They were almost there. Just over ten feet remained between them and the window. Four more cubicles and they were free.
Neon and Rain slid into the next cubicle and scrunched up behind the wall, out of sight of the agents. They relaxed again after another mad dash from cubicle to cubicle. Almost instantly, a shrill, chirpy laugh filled their ears.
"Ohmigosh, no way! She did not! Daisy, you have got to be kidding me."
Rain looked up from where she and Neon were hiding to the pony occupying the cubicle where they hid. A model-thin young mare was sitting at the desk, her phone in her hand, her computer logged into some social networking site, laughing obnoxiously loud. She clicked away at her profile as she chatted self-importantly with her friend. "She could do way better. He is SUCH a jerk!"
Neon leaned over to the edge of the cubicle and peered around the corner. He gasped and jumped back behind the wall. "That's not good."
Fear rushed through Rain's head. "What's going on out there?"
"An agent's coming this way. He's going through all the cubicles we've just been through."
"Hold on. Let me see."
Rain climbed over Neon to see out into the rest of the office. Sure enough, there was one of the agent clones, slowly making his way down the corkboard hallway, looking into the very cubicle they'd been hidden in only minutes ago. She quickly slipped back into place. "Holy Celestia, we're dead."
"Calm down. It's not over yet."
The mare at the desk in front of them was still gossiping loudly over her cell phone. "That dress she bought at Carousel was totes posh! I am SO getting it! But in a different color. I don't want to look the same as her..." She placed a perfectly manicured hoof on the floor and started to swing her office chair playfully back and forth.
Neon looked around the edge of the cubicle again. "Okay. He's reached the sleeping guy now. He'll be asking the employees if they've seen us."
The mare at the desk began spinning around in her swivel chair. "He is totally hitting on me! I know it!"
"Maybe, if we can time our movements with..."
"Um, who are you?"
The mare had spun her chair away from her desk. She was staring at Neon and Rain, her heavily made-up eyes judging every detail of the weirdos in black who showed up in her office.
Rain's eyes went wide. "Crap."
The gunshots were everywhere. The mare at the desk shrieked and ducked under her desk, trying to protect herself. The two rebels unwound themselves from their hiding position and poised to sprint for the windows, but ducked down again as more bullets flew overhead.
The agent appeared out of nowhere. He stood in front of the cubicle, his revolver trained on the pegasi staring up at him in shock.
Rain heard Neon scream. "Rain, run!"
Without thinking, Rain shot up from the floor and made a break for the windows. Her vision blurred. She heard gunshots ringing out all around her, the screams and shouts of confused and terrified employees trying to make sense of what was going on. Her legs uncontrollably carried her forward at light speed. She stared straight ahead at the pane of glass being shattered bit by bit from the bullets being fired throughout the room. Almost there...
Crash! Rain hit the glass with a windbreaker-covered shoulder. She immediately stretched out her wings and jumped. Everything slowed down. The gunshots, the screaming, all the noise blended together and faded away. The wind billowed up and lifted her sky-blue feathers as she glided out into the air. Rain closed her eyes. It was over. She was free.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her right wing, shattering her serenity to pieces. Rain's eyes snapped open. She screamed. She tried desperately to fly, but her wing was paralyzed with pain and refused to obey her. Helpless, she dropped out of the sky and rushed painfully fast toward the pavement. Suddenly, she felt a blast of air on her back. There was somepony behind her. A pair of black forelegs wrapped around her waist.
"Gotcha," Neon's voice whispered from behind her ear.
Holding tightly to Rain, Neon pushed downward with his wings and soared up to the roof of the database. He gently set Rain down on the smooth concrete surface.
Rain gritted her teeth and stretched out her injured wing. The small, deep wound burned with pain and her sky-blue feathers were soaked deep red with blood. Neon landed in front of her.
"Hold still. Let me see it," he said. Rain whimpered. Neon gently took her useless wing in his hooves.
"It's okay. It's only a flesh wound. The bullet didn't lodge anywhere. You'll be okay once the pain is gone."
Rain made a pained face and looked up at her crewmate. "How long until then?"
"Until you realize it wasn't really your wing and it hasn't actually been shot."
Immediately, the burning in her wing started to fade. Rain looked at the spot where the bullet had scraped a narrow, bloody path into her wing. It was still there. Still bleeding. But she couldn't feel a thing. "Whoa."
Neon walked to the edge of the roof and looked over at the ground. "Hm. That's weird."
Rain stood up and went to stand beside him. "What?"
His glowing green eyes scanned the area below, where the main entrance would be. "There's nopony there. If everything had gone exactly as Spiro had planned, Amber and Horus would be somewhere down there waiting for us."
"Maybe they ran into trouble and had to jack out ahead of us."
"Maybe. I'm going to call Horus. Even if nothing is wrong, we have to tell them about the glitch. That could have caused some serious damage." Neon grabbed his communicator and searched through his contacts. "Okay. Horus's phone is still on here. So is Amber's. They're still jacked in." He dialed in Horus's phone and waited. A few seconds later, he hung up. He turned to Rain. "He's not answering."
Panic hit Rain like lighting. "I'll try to get Amber," she stammered. She snatched her communicator out of her pocket, sifted through her contacts and found Amber. Forgetting about their fight, Rain dialed her in and held the phone to her ear. She waited for the unicorn on the other end to pick up. She heard Amber's communicator ring again and again for what felt like forever. Amber didn't pick up. Unwilling to give up, Rain called her again. She listened to the ringing over and over. Finally, she heard the static of an answer. Someone was breathing heavily into the phone.
"Rain." Amber's voice.
"Amber. We sent the files. They glitched the system. We got out, but they have the network back. Where are you?"
"Rain, I don't have time to explain. Hang up. I can't talk right-" Static filled the background and drowned out Amber's voice. There was more heavy breathing and something that sounded like gunfire. "-Apocalypse failed! Don't worry about us, just go!" The other end clicked and went silent.
"Amber?" Rain stared at the cell phone in her hoof. "Amber?!"
Neon was still staring at the ground over the edge of the rooftop. He turned around. "What's going on?"
"I don't know. It sounds like they're in danger. Call Spiro. We have to find them."
Neon grabbed his communicator and flipped it open to contact the operator back on the ship. The two pegasi leapt off the edge of the roof and glided down to the landing in front of the main entrance. It wasn't the sight they remembered.
Smoke. Past the clear, pristine glass on the front doors, the entire lobby was covered with a curtain of thick gray smoke. Neon, his cell phone still on his hoof, abandoned his call to Spiro. "What the..."
Rain stared at the windows of the lobby. "I thought the bomb had been disabled. Then why..."
Something moved inside the smog-filled room, Without warning, a dark shape came rushing toward the door. It crashed head-on into the glass front door, shattering it to pieces. Another shape emerged close behind. Horus and Amber. They were covered in dust, blood and bits of shattered glass.
Amber saw her teammates standing outside the door. "What the hay are you doing here? I told you to go on without us!"
"Forget about that," Horus commanded. He raised his voice over the loud, discordant noise streaming from the lobby. "Shut up and run!"
Rain scuffed her hooves against the ground, prepared to bolt. For just a second, she looked back over her shoulder at the ruined lobby. Something else stirred the smoke that filled the room and leaked out through the jagged opening her crewmate and captain had made. Another dark shape emerged. One that was far less friendly.
Agent Steel forced his way through the smoke, his gun trained on the dumbstruck mare.
Rain whipped her head forward and kicked off the ground. Her wings snapped out. She shot away from the building. A gun fired in the distance behind her. She looked over her shoulder once more. More agents were fighting their way out of the lobby. They began to move, Agent Steel at the head of the pack.
Rain had caught up with the rest of the crew, racing desperately towards any escape they could find. She pushed her wings to their limit and rushed to keep pace with them. She lowered herself to the level of the wingless crew members and glided sideways to match stride with Horus. He cast her a sideways glance. He was listening.
"They're right behind us," Rain burst out, already fighting to keep her breath under control. "A lot of them. They're moving fast."
Her captain nodded. "Tell the others," he gasped, struggling as well.
Rain swept herself upwards and shouted the warning to Amber and Neon.
Gunfire sounded in the distance behind them. Hoofbeats faded in from somewhere far behind them, slowly growing louder. Closer. The agents were gaining on them. Fast.
Fear and desperation clouded Amber's brain. She couldn't focus if she tried. The amber unicorn gasped for air as she bolted down the empty road alongside her crewmates, her dark hair flying in the wind. Her legs were slowly wearing down. No. It's not real. It's just a dream. Just a dream... she thought, struggling to focus her mind on the truth. The pain in her legs slowly began to fade away.
Wait... I've seen this before...
Amber looked over her shoulder. The hoofbeats and gunshots grew steadily louder. Steel appeared in the distance behind the fleeing rebels. More of his his agents materialized from the horizon. The dirt road under her hooves gave way to faded, crumbling asphalt. She looked off into the empty space stretching out before them. She could see the broken buildings of the Ponyville outskirts in the distance. The smell of smoke and the acidic tang of the explosives contained in the prototype still clung to her coat and mane. She looked over her shoulder again. There they were. Dozens of them. She could see them clearly now. The agents were right behind them, moving in waves, running, stopping, firing, then running again, operating at perfectly timed intervals, more precise than clockwork. The streets of the outskirts stretched out in front of the crew as they poured on the speed to stay alive.
Just like her dream.
Amber choked. The truth hit her like a plexiglass wall. She stumbled on the broken pavement and scrambled to keep going. It couldn't be. Her dream...
If it had been true, then that would mean...
The gunshot rang out from behind her. It sounded louder than the others. Special. Then came the cry of pain. The dull thud of a body falling and hitting the pavement. Amber's eyes brimmed with tears and she forced herself to turn around.
Horus lay splayed on the ground. His eyes were squeezed shut and his teeth gritted in pain. Blood trailed behind him where he had fallen. A dark red stain was blossoming where his trench coat was draped over his right leg. He opened his eyes to see Amber staring at her fallen captain.
Amber heard herself shriek. "Horus! No!"
"Go!" he screamed. "Run!"
Then the agents closed in and he disappeared.

THE MAGIX: CHAPTER 13: Sacrifice

Amber's head was reeling. She gasped for air and stared in shock as Horus, her captain, her mentor, the one pony she truly trusted, disappear into the writhing mass of agent clones. The collective cloud of defensive programs slowed their chase after the crew and collapsed inward. They circled around Horus as he struggled to break through the wall of agents surrounding him. All at once, they attacked. Amber could hear his stifled screams as he fought desperately for his life. It was hopeless. He would never get out alive.
Neon and Rain had stopped midflight. They whirled around to see Horus gone and Amber glued in place, staring in horror at the cloud of agents. Rain twisted around and soared back toward the ground where her roommate was standing, frozen and helpless. "Amber! Move!"
She swooped down in front of the unicorn, blocking her view of the agents. "Come on!" she shouted. "You have to move! We need to get out of here!"
Amber pushed her crewmate aside. "No! I won't leave him!"
Rain turned and darted after her. She grabbed her by the shoulder and forced her to turn around. "Amber," she said, raising her voice over the noise. "Please. You don't know what you're doing."
Neon glided back and landed next to Rain. "Come on, Amber. We have to keep going."
Amber looked at the ground and sucked in a choked, shaking breath. When she looked back up at her crewmates, her eyes were glassy. She turned to Neon. "Would you do me one last favor?"
Neon's face went blank. "What?"
Amber reached out to him and took two of his guns from his belt. A tear fell from her eyes and left a darkened, wet streak in her fur. "Tell Horus not to hate me for this."
Without warning, she sprang into the air, soaring over the heads of her crewmates. She landed on the ground behind them and raced on toward the battle behind them.
Amber ran towards the swarm of agents, ignoring the tears that fell over her cheeks and blurred her vision. Holding Neon's guns out in front of her, she let out a bloodthirsty scream and threw herself into the fight.
She went blind with rage. Amber didn't know what she was doing. Only one thought filled her mind.
Find Horus. Get him out. I can't let him die. I can't.
She felt herself pulling the triggers of Neon's guns, firing wildly at everything in sight. Agents were falling dead all around her. The air was filled with the sound of the programs shattering into millions of pixels and shimmering out of existence. After a short time, the noise stopped. Amber realized she'd run out of bullets. She cast Neon's guns aside and snatched her katana sword from her belt. She slashed at everything her blade could reach, determinedly fighting her way to the center. To Horus.
With one final swing of her sword, Amber broke through to the center of the crowd. There he was. Horus was on the ground, covered in scrapes, cuts, and bruises, writhing and lashing out futilely as the agents lunged at him again and again, attacking him mercilessly as he slowly grew weaker. One of his eyes was dark blue and swollen shut, his left foreleg was bent at an unnatural angle, the deep, burning wound from the bullet in his flank still gushing blood.
The unicorn dashed to her captain's side. She turned and crouched in front of him, holding her sword out defensively. The agents surrounded them, their cold eyes staring heartlessly at the rebels behind their mirror sunglasses, poised to continue their attack on the both of them.
Horus stirred behind her. She heard his labored breathing become a whisper. "A-amber..." he rasped.
"It's going to be okay," she said. "You're going to be okay."
"N-no," he weakly protested. "You shouldn't have..."
"Horus, I'm getting you out of here. I won't let you die. Not like this."
"Amber, if you stay, they'll..."
Another tear streamed down Amber's cheek. "Stop, okay? Just stop. I'll hold them off for as long as I can. I want you to run. Go with Neon and Rain and get out of here. Okay?"
"I- I can't..." Horus choked as he staggered to his feet. He coughed. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. "Amber, don't do this."
"It's too late," Amber whispered, holding back tears. She raised her sword, ready to fend off the agents' attack as best she could. She stared indignantly at the clones surrounding them. Your move.
One of them lunged forward. Amber's sword came down. The fight started again.
The two rebels slowly fought their way to the edges of the hoard of heartless programs. Amber slashed relentlessly with her sword, dragging Horus with her as she pushed on further and further through the merciless crowd. Bit by bit, she pushed herself and her captain closer to the edge. Amber glanced over her shoulder. Her captain was sticking close behind her, fighting as best he could, completely unarmed, weak, bleeding, hopelessly injured. Amber bit back tears as she turned around to continue her fight to escape. The agents struck at her endlessly, never stopping in their effort to keep Amber and her captain contained. She had to fight harder and harder. They never stopped. How long had they been coming at her like this? She couldn't remember. Everything was becoming fuzzy. Her strikes were losing power. Her energy was falling. She couldn't go on like this much longer. Maybe a minute... Then it would all be over...
She felt a rush of air somewhere overhead ruffle her dark mane. There was a soft thud as something landed somewhere behind her. She heard sounds of struggle somewhere deeper in the crowd. She spared one second to look over her shoulder one more time. Two pegasi, one dark and one light, trailed by splashes of color. Neon and Rain. They'd come to help her.
The battle raged on. The four rebels struggled against the dozens of agents that attacked them mercilessly from every angle. The crew was fighting harder than they ever had just to get out alive. But there was no hope. For every program they managed to shut down, another took its place. They seemed to be multiplying, getting stronger... There was no way this would end well.
Horus struggled to keep control, focusing all his energy on ignoring the excruciating pain that pulsed through his entire body. He had to fight alongside his crew. They shouldn't be doing this. He was their captain, for Celestia's sake. They shouldn't be defending him like this. If anyone was to die to keep the crew safe, it would be him. This was never supposed to happen.
The attacks kept coming. Horus wanted to fight. He had to. But no matter how he tried, his injuries wouldn't let him. The pain was too much. His avatar was weak already. And Amber... She wouldn't let it happen. He knew her. She cared about him too much.
The fight went on. The attacks became stronger and stronger. The wall of programs surrounding the struggling rebels seemed to thicken. And then, without warning, it broke.
Amber held her sword at the ready. There it was. A gap had appeared in the dense barrier surrounding her and the rest of the crew. They'd finally reached the edge. Her head whipped around as she scanned her surroundings looking for her captain. Horus was right behind her, trying futilely to fight back against his captors. Amber quickly turned around and raced toward him. Slashing wildly with her sword, she threw the attacking programs off of him. Grabbing the lapel of his trench coat in her mouth, she dragged him onward toward the edge of the swarming crowd.
The agents closed in on them and fought harder. Even though she was weakening, Amber knew she had to fight on. Ignoring the defensive programs clinging to her, striking her over and over, blasting pain through her entire body, she held tight to her captain and forced herself to keep moving. The gap was still there. No one had noticed. With one last flare of strength, Amber made a break for the small opening and shoved Horus through.
Horus felt himself being dragged along the ground. He was barely even conscious. Even breathing hurt. He couldn't hang on much longer. He sensed Amber. She was close, the one dragging him. And then there were the agents, swarming around them, attacking even when they knew they had already won. They were closing in. It was over...
Then Amber pushed him forward. Everything stopped.
Horus forced himself to open his eyes. A few feet in front of him was a swirling vortex of jet black and chestnut brown. The agents. And in the center of it all, right in front of him, there was a small glimmer of gold laced with shining black. His vision slowly cleared. The glimmer was Amber. She was fighting to get free. To get to him. But he could feel how helpless her avatar truly was. She was too weak. She would never make it.
Two colorful streaks shot out from the vortex. As his eyes followed them, he could see that they were Neon and Rain. They had broken free, taken to the sky and were swooping down toward him.
No. This can't be happening.
His eyes went back to the swarm of programs holding his Amber prisoner. She was still there, struggling against them. But he could feel her strength draining. She couldn't go on. She stopped fighting. She turned to face him one last time. Her eyes were filled with tears.
Horus could feel his heart breaking. It was over. He'd lose her, just like he lost Misty.
Tears were streaming down her amber cheeks, leaving dark, shining streaks. Amber's glimmering brown eyes stared deeply into his. She gave him a weak smile. She had won. Then the agents closed in and she was gone.
Horus heard screaming. He realized it was him.
"Amber! No!"
Two pairs of forelegs took his and dragged him backwards. He kicked and struggled against them. But it was no good. He was too weak to resist anymore. He glanced over his shoulder. Neon was there, dragging him away from the swirling vortex of agents. Rain was on the other side doing the same. He tried to speak. His words were choked and raspy. "A- Amber... She's... s-still..."
"Horus, we can't go back for her." Neon's voice. Horus looked back at him. "It's too late."
Horus tried to pull away in protest. "I can't leave her there. They'll kill her. They-"
Rain abruptly let go of his foreleg and wrapped hers around her captain. He could sense her sadness, the same as his own. Her cheek felt wet against his neck. "We can't save her," she whispered to him. "It's too late."
Horus nodded. Rain pulled away as he forced himself to stand again. Fighting back the pain that pulsed through his entire avatar, he dragged himself forward.
"We have to go on," he said, biting back the urge to scream. "She would want us to."

Amber was swept away from the edge and deeper into the vortex of attacking programs. She couldn't fight anymore. She just wanted to collapse. She felt a hoof strike against the back of her head, then another blow landed painfully against her side, throwing her to the ground. She couldn't get up. She just lay on her side, waiting for them to end it all.
I guess I deserve it. I shouldn't have been so stupid. At least Horus is safe.
But instead of going dark, the blur of color and noise stayed. The strikes had stopped coming. She felt hooves on her head and all of her limbs, holding her in place and pinning her to the ground. Her eyes darted around, looking at the mass of programs surrounding her. Nopony moved. They simply stood, still and stoic. They weren't attacking anymore. Just watching.
What? What's happening? Why did they-
Suddenly Amer felt a cold needle stab into her neck. Her gaze shifted to her shoulder. A syringe had been stabbed into her throat. She felt a freezing cold liquid drain into her body and pulse through her with every beat of her weak, terrified heart. Her vision went fuzzy. The noise faded into the background until there was nothing in her ears but silence.
Oh. Tranquilizers.
Then everything went black.

Rain's eyes opened again. The dark metal ceiling of the holodeck greeted her. She felt the sting of her jack being pulled out of the plug in her head. She shot up from her position and sat bolt upright, gasping as if she'd woken up from a nightmare. Her head whipped around. Horus and Neon were already awake, standing at the side of one of the active jack chairs. Cherrybomb and Spiro were there. Rain turned around. Saph was behind her, holding a deactivated jack in her claw. She stared at the shaking pegasus. "You okay?"
As an answer, Rain jumped up from her chair and raced to where everypony else was standing. She pushed her way through to see the motionless pony lying in the jack chair. Amber.
Rain choked. She stared at the still form of her roommate. Her eyes stung. "Is- is she..."
"She's still alive," Spiro answered. "See?" He jerked his head toward the monitor that hung next to Amber's jack chair. Sure enough, the wavelengths of Amber's pulse and breathing were still there. The small metal sensors stuck to her head and chest were still picking up signs of life.
"But why? She was there, and they were everywhere, and it would have been so easy for them to..." Rain trailed off. She didn't want to say it.
"We may just have that figured out." Saph materialized next to Rain. The young dragon looked up at the wavelengths on Amber's monitor. "What's the status of her brain activity?"
Spiro glanced at the pulsing waves on the screen. "Slow. She's probably sedated." He turned and walked back to the control panel. "It seems like everything's going according to plan. We've fallen straight into their trap."
Horus looked up from Amber's still, sleeping form. "What trap?"
Spiro logged into the mainframe's memory and opened the file that they had stolen not even an hour earlier. "While you were gone, we deciphered the file from the database. Turns out, we had been right all along. There is a threat. And it's serious."
Horus tore himself away from Amber to see the operators' findings. Displayed on the screen were the exact same code streams they had seen before,when only half of the file had been sent.
"This is exactly what we had found before."
Spiro nodded. "I know. That's exactly what I'm trying to get at. The file is strategically designed to have the confusing, meaningless stuff displayed first. That's why when we first tried to capture the file, this is all we got. The important part takes longer to send." He skipped over the streams of code and scrolled into an attached document. He clicked the attachment and opened it. "We finally found out what the programming software is meant for."
The document loaded onto the screen. It was pages long, and was written in the form of a report, like it had been meant as a presentation of a project for the entire company.

Magix Defense Agency

Project Regenerate

Status: Incomplete, successful thus far. All experimental subjects have been fully assimilated. All were currently attached. No free subjects have been found, possibility still in question.

Results: Loss of memory and emotion, no recognition of former familiars. Subject becomes fully controllable. When left alone, subject acts normally until further direction is given.

No risks or malfunctions have been found yet. Subjects remain controlled and non sentient.

Spiro scrolled further into the document. The others left Amber's side to read the new findings. As the document read on, the text changed, no longer a report but a list of instructions.

Ensure subject is awake. If sedated, the assimilation of the software may be slowed or interrupted upon awakening.

Insert jack. Though often unidentifiable in the Magix, neural socket can be found by creating a circular incision at the nape of the neck, at meeting point of subject's mane and coat.

Connect jack to central computer network. Software will load into connected computer.

Memory wipe will begin immediately. Because of the potency of the software, subject may find the experience painful or fall unconscious during the procedure.

Set download to begin. Downloading time may take between several minutes to an hour. Assimilation may take 4 hours or more.

Subject will most likely fall unconscious during download and assimilation. While unconscious, keep subject contained.

Subject will awaken in a trancelike state and will remain so until instruction is given.

Horus ripped his gaze away from the screen, unable to read any further. He looked to Spiro. "This..." he stammered, looking from him to the screen. "What is this?"
"An experiment. And as far as we can tell, they've been pretty successful."
Saph piped up from her swivel chair. "The agents have been erasing ponies, downloading the software codes into their brains and reprogramming them. The software is supposed to delete the subject's consciousness and memory and turn an ordinary pony into a mindless slave. And as far as we can tell, you wouldn't even know it until it's too late."
Neon listened and his face gained a shocked expression. "How can they do this? Wouldn't the subject's consciousness eventually regain control? Wouldn't their mind resist?"
The operator shrugged. "They must have found a memory wipe strong enough to erase a pony entirely."
Rain stared at the document, reading the lines over and over. "Why would they have to do this? I mean, they're agents. The agents. The super-powerful, indestructible, immortal guardians of the Magix. Any ordinary pony would be useless to them."
"There's their dilemma," Spiro answered. "Their power only exists in the Magix. Out here, they're nothing but ones and zeros. With this..." He gestured to the file being displayed on the monitor. "They can end that."
"If they can control a regular pony, who can roam free of the virtual world, they're not only powerful in there, but out here, too," Saph added. "They'll be able to fight us anywhere."
Neon nodded. "Okay, but they still haven't managed to get a subject who's free. And there's no way anypony who would get sucked into a scam like this could ever be freed."
Horus gazed contemplatively at the monitor. "Then what do they want with Amber? They've never tested it on..." Horus's sentence broke off and his eyes widened in shock. "No."
Spiro nodded, the same stunned sadness on his face. "She'll be their first subject."
The Firestar captain whipped around to face his operator. "They can't do this to her. We can't let them."
Neon looked at his captain. "There's only one way we can stop it," he murmured, biting his lip.
Horus nodded, his eyes downcast. "I know."
Cherrybomb shrank back and let out a tiny, choked gasp. Horus bowed his head and gave the little filly a soft nuzzle on the top of her head. She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "You can't. We can't do it. There has to be another way."
"I'm sorry,"he said softly. "But we don't have a choice."
The filly bit the corner of her lip and sobbed. Horus stroked her mane and leaned his head next to hers again. Rain thought she heard him whisper "It'll all be okay."
When Horus had straightened back up, the crew left the monitor and moved back to the circle of jack chairs, where Amber lay motionless, awaiting her fate.
The crew gathered in silence around the jack chair. Rain stood at the amber unicorn's side, gazing blankly at the form of her roommate and would-be best friend. Horus stood beside Amber's head. He ran a hoof through her short, dark mane spread l carelessly over the headrest. Moving with a pained slowness, he wrapped the cord connecting her mind to the virtual world around his hoof. He looked up at his crew before lowering his gaze back to Amber. Horus took a deep breath and bowed his head.
"Amber," he began, emotion dragging at his voice. "You've been with us for seven years. You've become a true rebel, heart and soul. You are one of the most dedicated and loyal ponies I have ever known. I am so sorry that I have to do this. I want you to know that we will never forget you. There will never be another mare like you, Amber. I- I'll miss you."
Suddenly the world around Rain seemed to stop spinning. The speed of reality dragged down into slow motion. Her heart stopped, her breath caught in her throat. As she stared at Amber, motionless, dreaming peacefully in her jack chair, tears stung at her eyes and blurred her vision. It was her fault. She had made Amber kill herself to save Horus. If she hadn't told Pinkie Pie the truth, then maybe Amber would have believed in her enough to save herself. If she hadn't betrayed the crew Amber wouldn't have to die. She'd screwed up. And now it would kill her best friend on this ship. This is my fault. Blame me. I shouldn't have let it end like this.
She watched Horus's foreleg tense up and begin to draw back. Once she was unplugged, Amber would be gone forever. I don't want it to end like this.
Then it was there. Rain didn't know where it had come from. But it appeared out of nowhere, a blast of power that hit her like a plexiglass wall.
I will not let it end like this.
"WAIT!" Her foreleg shot out and grabbed Horus's hoof. Startled, he gasped and dropped the cord. He turned his head to look at her with an expression of total confusion. The rest of the crew stared at her.
Neon broke the silence. "Rain, what are you doing?"
Rain looked at the dark pegasus, then turned back to her mentor. "Don't do it. Please. There's got to be another way. I'll do anything. Just please don't kill her."
Horus gazed into her magenta eyes, sending through her a wave of pain even worse than her own. "I'm sorry, Rain, but we have no choice. This is the only way we can save her."
Rain jerked backward, staring her captain in the face. "No. It's not. It can't be."
Neon took a hesitant step toward her. "Rain, please..."
"If we don't do this," Saph cut in sharply, "then Amber's going to become the agents' little science project. They're going to turn her into a mindless robot, and then they're going to make her turn on everything she ever believed in. But, no, maybe they'll fail. Maybe she'll take over her own mind again. And you know what'll happen then? They'll kill her anyway. I'd say dying this way is a better alternative."
Spiro nodded. "Saph's right. If she dies now, she won't have to suffer."
Rain's head pounded. She swiped at the tears in her eyes and breathed out heavily. She looked back up at the others surrounding her. "You guys... this is my fault."
Saph sighed. "What? This again?"
Rain scraped her hooves against the floor. She had to tell them. "I'm serious. I made her do this. I've... I've done something horrible. Something really, really stupid that I never should have even thought about."
Horus walked to the front of the group. "And how does this affect Amber?"
Rain took a deep breath. "I... I told an outsider about us."
For a second the entire crew went silent. Finally Horus spoke again. "So let me get this straight... You told somepony who was still attached to the Magix about the real world and the resistance?"
She nodded. "It was so stupid, and I know that I was wrong and I could have put the entire crew in serious danger, but I didn't think I had a choice. It just slipped out, and-"
"Hold on, hold on," Neon said, cutting her off. "Two questions. Who did you tell and why were you so desperate?"
"It was my old friend. Pinkie Pie. You know about the elements of harmony. And I'm pretty sure that you know I'm one of them. All of my old friends are. There's magic, generosity, honesty, laughter, kindness, then me, loyalty. Pinkie Pie and me... When I was still attached, we were really close. And when I disappeared after you guys freed me, she went crazy missing me. And then, when we went back to erase all my records, she saw me. She tried to talk to me and find out why I had disappeared on her and the rest of my friends like that. But then I just left her hanging. So when we jacked in again, she must have followed us somehow. Then she... Well, she kidnapped me, locked me on a rooftop and duct-taped my wings down so I couldn't fly away. I thought she was going to kill me or something. But really, she just wanted to know the truth. She wasn't going to let me go until I told her. I knew that you were somewhere out there waiting for me, and if I didn't tell her what had been going on I would never be able to get back to the real world. So... I told her. I told her everything."
The crew listened intently to her story. After a moment, Horus spoke up again. "So now that she knows... is she going to tell anyone else what she found out about the world?"
Rain violently shook her head. "No. She never would. She swore herself to secrecy. Pinkie said she would never tell anypony any of what I'd just told her. In fact, she told me... She wants to join us. She doesn't want to live in a fake world with only five of the six elements. She wants to come and live out here. With me."
Neon nodded. "Okay. But what does this have to do with Amber?"
"She..." Rain hesitated. She remembered that night, when every hope of a friendship with Amber was crushed. Her voice, the look on her face, the tears, her sharp, venomous words... "She found me out. I told her what had happened, and then... She was so upset. She said that I'd betrayed everyone. She told me... She said I didn't belong here and I should never have been freed. She'd just lost faith in everything. And when she went in after you..." Her magenta gaze lingered on Horus. "She must have been thinking about what I'd done. She thought that I didn't care if she lived or died. But the truth is... I do."
The entire holodeck fell silent. Even the soft, steady hum of the mainframe and chairs seemed to stop. Everything quieted as the crew let the painful truth sink in. Cherrybomb finally broke the silence with a tiny squeak. "Is- is that why she just- let go like that?"
Rain bit down on her lip and looked down at the floor. "Yes," she murmured. "I'm the one who made her do this." Suddenly she lifted her head and looked bravely into the eyes of her crewmates. "And that's why I'm going to be the one to bring her back."
Everypony went wide-eyed. "W-what?" somepony stuttered.
Rain boldly pushed her way through the ponies surrounding her to the circle of jack chairs. She approached the chair she had so recently been detached from and thrust herself down into it. "Spiro, I want you to jack me in," she said definitively, staring boldly at the ceiling. "I'm going back for her."
"What?" Neon burst out. "Rain, have you gone completely freaking insane? You are going to get yourself killed!"
Rain rolled her eyes sideways to look at the dark pegasus now standing beside her jack chair. "If Amber didn't care, then neither should I."
He stared back at her indignantly. "Fine. If you're going in, then so am I."
Rain sat bolt upright in her chair and whipped around to face him. "Um, no, you're not."
As an answer, Neon slid himself into the jack chair next to hers. "Yes, I am. Look, Rain, Amber has been one of my best friends for years. She means more to me than almost anypony in the world, real or virtual. I know for a fact that she would die for any one of us, and I would do the same. If you are willing to risk everything for her, then so am I. I am going with you, whether you like it or not. And if you even try to tell me otherwise, then I firmly believe that you can get sent to the moon."
Rain sighed and looked to her hooves. When she turned back to him, there was a faint smile on her face. "Okay. You're in too, then."
Horus walked up to another jack chair in the circle. "As am I." Rain shot him a skeptical look. She heard him breathe out softly, a sound that was almost a laugh. "You'll get killed otherwise."
The faint smile on Rain's face grew stronger. "Thanks."
She laid back down in the jack chair and closed her eyes, waiting for the familiar jolt of the jack being slid into her plug. She heard Horus's voice. "Spiro, set the location for Sweet Apple Acres. We have a rescue mission on our hooves."
Rain felt the cold touch of electrified metal at the back of her head. Her eyes flashed open as the jolt of energy filled her head. Immediately, they drifted shut again and her mind traveled at lightning speed back to the virtual dream world.
I will not fail you, Amber. I promise.

THE MAGIX: CHAPTER 14: Regenerate

Everything was quiet. Not a single sound echoed through the room. The thick walls blocked out even the smallest noises from the outside world. There was nothing but stillness and total silence in the air. But then something changed. A quiet, slow breath stirred the silence. The subject was waking up.
Amber gasped. Her eyes flew open. She was sitting, slouched over against something cold, hard and uncomfortable, her head hanging and looking down at her hooves. She took another deep breath. Her body felt stiff and numb. Her mind foggy from something like sleep, Amber squirmed in place and tried to stretch her forelegs out and loosen her tight, rubbery shoulders. She couldn't.
Her eyes barely open, Amber's fuzzy brain tried to register what was happening. She tried to raise her forelegs again. As soon as her muscles tightened to pull them upward, her forelegs caught on something hard and warm from the heat of her skin that bound her forelegs tightly in place.
Slowly her dull, fuzzy senses returned to her. Her blurred vision began to clear. Something was covering the black and amber of her torso. She stared harder. It was a pale, silvery gray. And it was glinting, reflecting the dim light of the room. The metallic silver links wrapped tightly around her body and forelegs, making a strange clicking noise when she struggled against them. Amber choked. They were chains.
Then the sedatives wore off. A wave of pain washed over her like a downpour.
Amber screamed. Her entire body ached fiercely. Her eyes burned. Every inch of her skin felt like it was on fire. She screamed again, but a rough, raspy cough cut her cry short. She tasted the faint, salty tang of blood in her mouth.
A voice sounded out from the darkness. "Ah, good. You're awake."
Agent Steel.
Amber wanted to scream again. She fought it back, the loud cry of pain shrinking into an odd, stifled squeak. Grinding her teeth against the pain that pulsed through her avatar, Amber forced her neck to straighten up. Her weak muscles screamed in protest. Gasping, Amber looked up.
There he was. Steel was standing right in front of her, leaning casually against the wall across from where she sat, chained into her cheap plastic office chair. His scornful face stared back at her, ice-cold blue eyes taking in every detail of her miserable appearance from behind his mirrored sunglasses. He smiled smugly at her. "It hurts, doesn't it?" He laughed to himself. "It was meant to, of course. We couldn't have you trying to run away, could we?"
"Wh- where am I?" Amber choked out.
Steel slipped calmly closer to her. "Oh, nowhere special. Just a little place hidden away in the database that we made especially for things like this."
Amber strained to see in the dim, sparse light. Slowly the focus returned to her vision. Her eyes darted around the space that was her prison.
The room she was in was moderately sized, no bigger than the common room on the ship. It only felt big because it was almost completely empty. The freezing cold tiles beneath her hooves were a pristine beige, the rest of the room painted a pale, dovelike color. A tangled web of multicolored wires was scattered over the floor, running from the dozens of outlets in the walls surrounding her to the one behind her. No matter how she strained, Amber couldn't turn her head enough to look behind her, and the pain put her in danger of screaming again in front of the very pony who wanted her weak. A dim golden light filtered into the room from a large window set high into the wall beside her. The wall on her other side looked completely blank, the door disguised as a wall panel like all the others, a dimmer switch stuck in the middle of the empty plaster surface. The entire room smelled like pine-scented cleaning fluid and disinfectant.
Amber looked wistfully to the window. Outside, the simulated sky of the Magix had been streaked with color to become a beautiful painted sunset. Even though it pained her, Amber couldn't help but sigh, wishing she was out there. Better yet, she wished she wasn't still jacked into this virtual world. She had watched her friends disappear from sight as the agents had pulled her back into their swarm. They were out there. And she wanted to be with them more than anything.
But no. I'm stuck here, wherever here is, chained to a chair in the middle of some room in some building with not even a broken payphone for a jackout site.
"Feeling sentimental, pony?" Agent Steel's sharp, cutting voice broke through the silence, violently killing Amber's moment.
She glared defiantly back at him. "No," she spat.
Steel laughed again. "So spiteful, you little ponies are." He glided closer still, his hooves making no sound against the tile floor. "Do you miss your friends? You wish you were still out there in that miserable little world with them?" he said, sliding around the chair and placing a hoof on the backrest behind her shoulder. "Do you think they'll come back for you, Amber?"
The unicorn fixed her eyes on the ground, refusing to meet his frigid blue gaze. "I- I don't know. They- They would never just-"
"They won't." Behind her back, she could feel Steel run a hoof over the top of the backrest, his wrist grazing the ends of her mane. "They will not come back to save you, Amber. And if they do... oh, it'll be so much fun destroying them."
Amber stared at the floor. She didn't even know what to say. Her knack for cutting responses seemed to have disappeared along with the rest of the crew. Horus. I'm so sorry.
Steel lifted his hoof from the backrest of the chair and stalked off toward the window. He looked out at the painted watercolors of the simulated sunset. "It's a beautiful evening, is it not?"
Amber couldn't help but turn toward the window as well. Steel was right. The sky was pretty. The thousands of hues of orange, red, and purple filled Amber's vision, the colors bright and vibrant reflecting in her eyes, turning them the million shades of the sunset outside.
She tore her gaze away from the window. It's not real. It's not the real sky.
Steel turned back to the unicorn, still slumped over against the chains in her chair, refusing to look outside. He looked quizzically at her."You don't want to see this last moment of beauty?" he said. He sighed. "I thought you would be like this. Ah, well. No matter. It's your loss." The program reached for an unseen switch in the window frame. A plastic shade slammed shut over the window, cutting out every last stream of glorious light and plunging the room in darkness.
Amber looked frantically around the pitch-black space. She couldn't see anything. If Steel moved, she wouldn't be able to hear him. And if she was blind too, there was no telling where he could be.
Suddenly the lights flashed on, bathing the room in bright white light. Amber squealed, blinded. Her eyes snapped shut again. Breathing hard, she squinted against the brightness and looked at the floor. "Where- where are you?"
"Look again, pony."
Amber whipped her head to the right. Her eyes quickly readjusted and she saw him. He was standing there, one hoof on the dimmer switch, two more agents on either side of him.
What? When did they get in here?
Agent Steel directed his accomplices to Amber. They walked across to her and stood one on each side of her chair. They both took one side of the chair and dragged Amber backwards. She jerked forward at the movement and gasped in pain. They let go of her when she'd been repositioned a few feet closer to the wall behind her, which she still couldn't turn her head enough to see.
Agent Steel nodded. "That should do it. She's close enough now." The agents beside Amber turned away from her and disappeared to the back wall. Steel moved toward Amber. "Do you know why you are here, Amber?"
Amber stared up at him. "Why would you think that I know what you want from me?"
"You don't? Well, I'd be willing to bet that by now, your rebel friends do. They finally stole that little file that they had wanted so badly. It's a miracle they didn't kill you the minute they read it."
Amber's eyes went wide in shock. "W- what?"
Steel smiled smugly and looked away. "You do remember what you found the first time you tried to take that file from us, don't you?"
"It was just programming code. It didn't make any sense and we couldn't figure out why you needed it. That's why we came back."
"And that's why you are here as well. This time they have the whole file. They must have seen our research by now."
"R-research?"
Steel stood beside her now, his hoof on the chair's backrest again. "Project Regenerate. It seemed to be a fitting name at the time."
"Regenerate?"
He removed his sunglasses, revealing his icy blue eyes to her. "Yes. Regeneration of consciousness and memory." He looked off into the distance, as if reliving some distant memory. "My kind has been fighting the resistance for a long time, Amber. We know how the resistance sees us. To you, we are immortal, supernatural. We are the undisputed defenders of the Magix. To risk a single handed fight with any one of us would be a death sentence to your kind. Do you believe me?"
No longer having the strength to argue, Amber choked out a response. "Y- yes."
"So that truly is what ponykind believes. But you also know our limitations, do you not?"
The captured unicorn weakly nodded.
"Agents are bound to this world. Here, we hold all power imaginable. But that is only here, in this virtual dream, this illusion of reality. In your world, outside, we mean nothing. Agents out there are nothing more than streams of green code on a computer screen. This is the only place we exist.
For hundreds of years, we have lived in this weakness. Then, a few months ago, a thought struck me. If we could somehow project our consciousness into another being, one of your ponykind, and make them one of us, we would have an escape. The Agency would finally have a connection into the real world. That was when the concept of Project Regenerate finally came to life.
First we strengthened our standard measures of memory wipe. We recreated it to be so powerful it could erase a pony entirely, wipe clean the slate that has been scribbled on by its life. Then their mind would become blank as a new microchip.
The programming code we created is very basic, in truth. We have taken the psyche of our kind and translated it into a transferrable programming format. Once this is downloaded into the mind of anything, be it pony or program, they become one of us."
"But I still don't understand," Amber cut in. "Why are you telling me this? I still don't know what you want from me."
The program breathed out heavily, agitated. "I would silence you now if I didn't need you to speak later on."
"As I was saying, by combining the memory wipe and reprogramming, we could create a new form of agent. One who would follow direction without question, feel nothing but unstoppable loyalty, and most of all, extend our reach from this virtual dream into the real world.
Of course, no one can perform a proper experiment without subjects to test it on. So, we simply picked them up where we could find them."
"Wait, you were kidnapping ponies for this?"
"Kidnapping seems like such a derogatory term. As I would put it, we were giving them a purpose. They were useless. Nopony would miss them if they were gone. They said so themselves."
"Ponies would volunteer for this?"
"In a way." Without warning, Steel grabbed the backrest of Amber's chair and roughly spun her around. She screamed as her neck snapped around, shooting streams of pain through her entire body all over again. She hung her head forward, gasping for air, once again at the mercy of her injuries. Steel jabbed a hoof between her chin and her throat and lifted her head. She winced at the burning ache in her spine. She heard Steel's voice next to her ear. "Don't you want to see what you've been missing?"
Amber forced her eyes open. For the first time she saw what had been hidden behind her this entire to time. Her breath caught in her throat. She wanted to scream.
In front of her was some huge, unidentifiable machine. It had a huge monitor screen, a dark metal frame, wires and cables weaving in and out, covering the strange technology in streaks of color. There were huge bands of metal extending out and bolting it in place, thick silver wires running along the metallic stripes and disappearing into the wall. But that wasn't what frightened her most. No. It was the jack.
The entire apparatus reminded her of the technology in the holodeck on the Firestar. No, not as comforting. It was far more similar to the what she had seen when she had first been freed, the huge cable at the center of the tangled wires that had connected her to the virtual world. At the center of the setup, a long, thick metallic wire extended from just below the screen in the middle of a wide panel of keys and controls. The wire stretched on for several feet, and ended in a neural jack. It was the exact same plug that had once held her captive in the Magix and connected her to it now.
She stared, gaping in fear. "Wha- What is that?"
Steel smirked, giving a soft laugh at the fear frozen on Amber's face. "That, my dear, is what will change you forever."
"It works like this. We find a somewhat willing subject, we take them here. If they are nice, we sedate them before we begin. They are plugged into the reprogrammer, which connects them directly to the central computer. Then the file is opened on this computer. We wait for the drugs to wear off, and as soon as they are awake, we begin the memory wipe. Normally they fall unconscious then. Once their former self has been erased, we begin the download. The programming code is sent directly to their mind and locked in as their new personality. Then we unplug them, they are taken away to another room where we wait for them to wake up. By then, they have become a new pony entirely." Steel smiled. "And are under our complete control."
"Sadly, none of our subjects as far as we've gone have been freed from this world, nor have any potential to ever be freed. So we simply let them go and allow them to return to their former lives. They are of no use to us."
Amber slowly turned her head to look up at him. "So this... Regenerate thing... It works on average ponies. You've never tested it on anypony stronger. You don't know if this would work. Who knows? Your plan could have been a huge waste of time and fail."
Steel sighed again. "Yes. And that is exactly why you're here." He leaned in towards her face, his voice dripping with a cold, sticky sweetness. "You are going to be our first subject, Amber."
He'd finally broken her. Amber burst into tears.

Rain was the first to jack in. Her eyes fluttered open. The first thing she saw was the trees. She was completely surrounded by the columns of rough, natural brown bark, branching out into clusters of bright green leaves and dotted with the gleaming red, gold, and green of fresh apples. She took a deep breath, taking in the familiar, earthy scent of the soft soil and ripening fruit. Yes. Sweet Apple Acres was exactly as she remembered.
The sound of glimmering pixels broke through the silence. Rain turned around to see the forms of Neon and Horus, their avatars quickly shimmering to life. Their eyes opened. Neon's immediately went to Rain's weapon belt. "Whoa. Sweet artillery."
"Huh?" Rain looked over her shoulder to the fitted belt that faithfully carried her weapons. For some reason it felt heavier than usual. She took one look and gasped in delight. The holster straps that crisscrossed her belt now held not only her normal two pistols and an extra cartridge for each, but fitted smoothly against each flank was a small handheld machine gun. Rain felt the cold twinge of metal against her chest. She peeled back the zipper of her windbreaker and looked at the soft inner lining. New straps had appeared just inside the zipper. One side held an extra cartridge of bullets for her pistols. On the other side a small ninjato blade was fitted snugly against the lining, the blade sheathed in a pocket sewn artfully into the fabric lining of the jacket.
The smiling pegasus looked back up at Neon. "Hey. You've got some new toys, too."
Neon smiled, glancing down at the extra pistol, machine gun, and short sword scabbard added to his weapons belt. "You haven't even seen the best part," he laughed. He lifted away the matte black lapel of his jacket. The entire inside lining shone silver. Somehow Spiro had managed to safely stash at least a dozen throwing stars on the inside of Neon's jacket. "Funny. It's the first time Spiro ever thought the throwing skill would be necessary." He turned to their captain. "What did you get?"
Horus smiled. "You know me. I always over-prepare."
Grinning, Rain retrieved her communicator from her pocket. "Operator," Spiro's voice sounded from the speaker.
"We're in. Loving the new weapons, by the way."
She heard him laugh. "Good to know."
"Can you get a location on Amber?"
"Hold on a sec. We're trying to, but everything's scrambled." The other end went silent for a brief minute, and then a small sound of victory reignited the conversation. "We got it! She's being held in the database. The entire building is on lockdown. She's on the top floor. There's nothing but hallways surrounding it, and the walls are soundproof and reinforced, but there is a window. The glass is pretty thick, but that's something I know you guys can handle."
Rain nodded. "Great. We're on our way." She pulled the communicator away from her ear, but something was missing. She held the little black phone against her ear again. "Wait. Spiro?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks." A smile spread across her face. She knew that out there, he was doing the same.
"I believe in you, Rain," he said. Then he hung up. Rain flipped her phone shut and slipped it back into her pocket. She looked up at her crewmate and captain. "To the database?"
Horus nodded. "To the bitter end."

They shot like arrows through the orchard, the two pegasi streaming through the trees on silent wings, Horus sprinting at at light speed. The trees slowly ebbed away, and soon the thick orchard had given way to open fields. The database appeared in the distance, breaking up the smooth countryside like a massive metal block dropped into a smooth pool of green. They made a break for the steely gray building.
The crew slowed their chase as they neared the database. They stopped a few hundred feet from the front doors. Everything had changed. The formerly spotless, clear glass of the front lobby had gone black, blocking any view of the foyer inside. The doors had been locked and the steel frames and thick plexiglass showed no signs of admitting any visitors.
Neon stepped forward, slipping his small sword from its sheath. He jammed the blade into the lock and, with one flick of his wrist, shattered the tumblers inside. With a powerful shove inward, the crew pushed the suddenly heavy doors open and entered the deserted lobby. The doors swung shut behind them. There was no going back.
The lobby was no longer the clean, neat, perfect room they remembered. A thick layer of dust coated the tiles and carpeting. The receptionist desks were empty, the employees most likely sent home as a result of the recent break-in. The elegant marble columns stood tall and silent. The metal detector, somehow still intact, stood as a barrier between them and their rescue mission. The room was completely deserted, all except for them and the guards.
The ordinary Ponyville PD security cops were gone. In their place stood four stallions of a completely different nature. They stood in rigid formation, tense and ready for a fight, covered head to hoof in black armored uniforms, heavy automatic machine guns held stiffly at their sides.
The second the crew of rebels stepped through the door, the guards raised their weapons, holding the three ponies at gunpoint. Their cold, steady eyes fixed on each of them, taking in every detail.
Horus surveyed the new security and stepped calmly forward. He stood boldly at the center of the lobby, sending out an unspoken challenge.
One of the guards spoke up. "Stop where you are. All hooves on the ground, now."
Horus stopped in his tracks and planted his hooves on the ground, obeying the stallion's orders.
Two of them moved forward. The first one who spoke continued to talk. "Do not move. Consider yourselves under arrest." Horus twitched as the two guard stallions drew closer, one standing on either side of him. "You will be searched for weapons, then we will search your accomplices. You will then be taken to Agent Steel and he will deal with you as seems fit. Resist in any way," the stallion nodded to the large firearm he held aimed at them, "And we kill all of you, right here, right now."
Horus held deathly still as the stallions began their search. Rain could practically feel the restraint steaming off of him, taking all the self-control he had not to kick them both in the neck. He stared at the floor as one of the stallions proceeded to grab the lapel of his trench coat and peel it back, exposing the small arsenal underneath. The guard's eyes went wide. "Holy-"
That was all he had time to say before Horus finally snapped. He jumped up from the floor and hovered in the air for a second, then kicked the guards both in the head with blinding speed, sending them flying backward before he even landed back on the ground.
The two remaining guards gaped at him. A voice sounded out of nowhere. "Fire! Now!"
The bullets rained down. The crew became a blur and dodged them with supernatural speed, bolting through the lobby and making a path through the maze of rounds to the guards. Rain slid her ninjato from its place in her jacket, vaulted into the air and somersaulted over one guard's head before knifing him from behind. Neon slid across the floor and kicked the other under the chin, sending him into a daze before firing a bullet from one of his pistols through his chest.
A muffled groan sounded from somewhere in the room. One of the guards had survived Horus's attack. He lay crippled on the floor with a walkie-talkie in his hoof. "Send... send backup," he croaked before dropping the small device and his head smacked against the cold tile floor.
Horus took a deep breath. "Here we go."
Hoofbeats thundered in from the hallways outside. Clusters of guards swarmed in from every entrance. They crowded in, surrounding the rebels, standing in perfectly choreographed formations, lining the walls, aim locked on the three ponies at the center of the room. The second they opened fire, the crew disappeared, dodging their shots with unnatural ease, slipping closely between the bullets and returning fire with lethal determination. In minutes they'd taken down nearly half of the guards. And the rest...
They were gone.
The deafening noise slowly shrank back into quiet. Rain, Neon, and Horus warily made their way through the quiet lobby, the air thick and bitter with tension. They met in the center of the room, their eyes carefully sweeping over the room. Everything stayed quiet. Hesitantly, Rain took a step towards the metal detector. The loud crack of a gunshot shattered the delicate peace. She quickly jerked back into place.
"Looks like we missed a few," she murmured.
Behind her left shoulder, Horus nodded. She looked over her shoulder to see a mischievous smile on his face. His eyes shifted to look at her, and his plan spilled into her mind like words onto paper. Rain grinned back at him and turned back to face forward. Then she sprang forward and made a break for the entrance.
The gunfire came not even a second later. Horus sensed him instantly. There were still guards in the room. Fifteen of them. One was hiding behind the arch of the metal detector, the one firing at Rain.
With a ninja's precision, Rain easily dodged his shots. As she dashed toward the metal detector, she slipped her ninjato out from her jacket. She quickly slid through the metal detector's archway and out of sight. There was a soft noise of pain. Then a gasp. A sky-blue streak shot across between the columns of the metal detector. Somepony started to shout something, cut off by a sharp splice.
Horus and Neon stood back to back in the center of the lobby. Horus had cast aside a guard's weapon he'd picked up during the fight and retrieved another small machine gun from his trench coat. The plan downloaded into Neon's head. Rain came soaring back through the metal detector gate, and the two stallions in the room's center split.
Horus darted for one receptionist's desk. He saw the barrels of two of the guards' machine guns peeking over the edge of the desk, aimed at him, the third guard still crouched behind the desk. He sprinted low to the ground as the shots from the guards' guns fired blindly in his direction. Seconds before crashing into the desk in front of him, Horus leaped into the air, vaulted past the guards' line of fire and landed on the desk. The three guards were there, hiding covertly behind the protective wall. Horus aimed and fired. One was down, then two. Then the third, his eyes wide and frozen in fear, dashed out from behind the desk and into the lobby. Horus tried to follow his path, but the columns obscured his view. Three shots from behind him told him that Neon had taken out the other guards. He heard Rain give a soft gasp of warning. "Horus! The columns!"
A gunshot shattered the air. Horus leaped backwards off the desk. A bullet sliced through the air just inches from his head. He landed on all fours, braced against the impact. His head jerked back up just in time to see the dark shadow of a black-suited guard slip behind a column.
Neon whirled around from the bodies of the three dispatched guards at the sound of a gunshot. Horus was on the floor, his deep gaze locked on one of the columns. Neon heard another shot ring out. He quickly dropped to lay flat on the desk and rolled off to the floor in one fluid movement. A bullet whizzed past where he had just stood. From the floor, he caught a quick glimpse of a dappled gray tail disappearing behind one of the marble pillars lining the lobby. Without thinking, he sprang to his feet and dashed for the column, sliding his short sword from its scabbard. He skidded around to the pedestal's other side, where a gray stallion stood, stiffly holding his gun at the ready. Neon pounced, sinking the blade of his sword into the guard's stomach. The second his target had dropped to the floor, more gunfire sounded behind him. Neon gasped and made a break for the safety on the column's other side. Behind him, the marble surface shattered under the impact of bullets, breaking away and falling to the floor. A blue streak soared down the lobby from the other side. The gunfire stopped. Neon looked over his shoulder. A pool of blood was slowly forming behind a column across the lobby from where he hid. And standing a few feet away was Rain, holding her handheld machine gun at the ready.
Adrenaline rushing through her, Rain pushed the dead guard aside and slipped behind the column. Within seconds gunfire came spilling from across the lobby. Bullets chipped away at the polished stone and it shattered layer by layer and fell to the floor. She closed her eyes and focused, listening as the guards fired countless shells at her and the marble behind her slowly disintegrated. Wait for it... Three... Two... One...
The marble column shattered. Rain's eyes flew open. She spun away from the column and turned to face the shattering stone. Taking a deep breath, she sprang into the air and pushed herself sideways with a single stroke. Holding her gun out in front of her, she sailed out from behind the broken column. The guards stood halfway hidden by a marble pillar, both positioned behind their own marble shield, firing at her half-protected. Rain flew sideways, firing at the both of them with as much accuracy as she could manage. She slid further through the air. One fell. Then the other. Rain landed with a soft thud and slid across the smooth tiles on her side behind the next column. She jumped to her feet, her head whipping around to take in her new surroundings. A guard stood positioned behind the next column. He looked away from the action on the lobby's other side and gasped when his eyes met Rain's fierce magenta gaze. He trained his gun on her immediately, but Rain was faster. He was on the ground before he could even pull the trigger.
Horus dashed through the lobby, slipping from column to column, taking out every guard in sight. He skidded to a stop behind yet another stone pedestal, accidentally shoving the guard positioned there to the ground. The guard looked up at him and shouted. He was quickly silenced when a dagger slashed across his throat. But it was too late. His scream had drawn the attention of the last few guards in the room. A muffled shout came from the far corner of the lobby. A dark form came flying around the corner of the first column in the row, headed straight for the small, shielded pocket of space where he stood. Neon.
The dark pegasus dove towards the ground and crash-landed behind the column next to his captain, skidding to a stop at the safe space's edge. He turned back to face Horus. Blood gushed from a short, deep scratch on his shoulder. "What happened?" Horus said, his voice just above a whisper.
"One of their shots came a little too close," Neon whispered, wincing as his shoulder twitched in pain. "It's nothing. Just a scratch."
Horus nodded and flattened against the column to peer around the edge. The four remaining guards had collected on the other side of the lobby, standing in formation, guns trained on the opposite row of columns. Waiting. Suddenly one of the guards glanced to the end of the lobby. He repositioned his gun and fired a few shots, just missing Rain as she sliced through the air and skidded to a stop behind the column where her crewmates stood. She looked up from her crouch on the floor at the two stallions flattened against the pillar.
"On your signal, right?" she whispered.
Horus nodded. He took one last look around the corner of the column. The metallic click of a loaded barrel told him that the guards were seconds away from the end of their patience. Only a little bit longer, then...
BOOM. It didn't even sound like gunfire. It was like an explosion, hundreds of rounds released all at once in one loud, sudden burst. The marble pillar didn't stand a chance. It shattered in seconds. Rain heard Horus's voice scream above the noise.
"NOW!"
Neon and Rain shot out from behind the ruined marble like winged arrows, holding their handheld machine guns out in front of them. The guards still stood in stiff formation, eyes locked on the two rebels soaring toward them. Behind them, Horus cartwheeled out from behind the shattered remains of the column, balancing on one hoof, sliding between the guard's few remaining bullets, his own machine gun held out in front of him. He flipped over onto his hind legs and fired madly at the four remaining stallions.
Adrenaline pulsed through Rain's body. She gritted her teeth and pulled the triggers of her guns.
The noise was deafening. Bullets flew everywhere. Blood splattered the walls. And then, it was over.
All four guards lay dead on the floor. Neon and Rain landed on the floor in one fluid motion. Horus walked up between them. The lobby was a mess of crumbling plaster and marble shards. Throwing their unloaded guns to the floor, the rebels calmly continued on through the lobby toward the hallway beyond the metal detector.
A soft, raspy sound broke the silence. Rain stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder. The noise came again. Somewhere in the room, somepony had coughed. The mare stopped in her tracks and nudged her crewmates, who stopped as well and turned around at the sound. One of the guards lying on the floor stirred. He was still alive.
Rain stepped cautiously over to the injured guard lying still on the floor. He looked up at her with frightened amber eyes and coughed pitifully. "A- are you going to kill me?"
Rain knelt down to meet his eyes. "No. We're not going to kill you."
The young stallion coughed again. "What do you... What do you want from us?"
Rain's voice dripped with venom. "We came to get our friend back. She needs to come home."
The guard's eyes fell closed. His raspy breathing steadied. Rain straightened up and joined Neon and Horus as they walked through the deactivated metal detector and on to the hallway beyond. The clean silver double doors of an elevator stood before them. Neon pressed the button, and the doors slid open instantly. The crew stepped inside, Rain standing by the button panel. "Where to?" she asked, one hoof held out to press in their destination.
"We're headed for the rooftop," Horus answered. "Amber will be just around the corner."
Rain nodded, smiling, and the button for the rooftop floor lit up. The doors slid closed.

Agent Steel couldn't help but laugh as Amber slumped in her chair, her body wracked with sobs. Ponies. They were all the same. So weak, so sensitive... so completely useless. Gradually he grew tired of watching the fragile unicorn cry. He grabbed the back of her chair and spun her around again.
Amber whipped around violently at the sudden movement, her bruised, injured avatar pressing painfully against the hard metal chains binding her tightly in place. She winced in pain. Her sobs were replaced by stifled noises of pain. She gritted her teeth, desperate not to break down again.
Steel placed a hoof on her shoulder and leaned in towards her face. "Come on, don't cry. It'll all be over in a little while."
Amber stared up at him, dark streaks staining her cheeks where tears had fallen. "No. It will never be over."
The defensive program made a disapproving face at her sad attempt at a confident, cutting remark. "You're not even making any sense now. I do wish you would stop trying so hard."
He pulled away and walked out of her field of view. "The sedatives have worn off completely, correct?"
The deep, serious voice of an agent clone answered. "Yes. All traces have faded from her thought patterns."
"Well, then. This means we can start the procedure."
A small table was rolled over next to the chair where Amber was helplessly chained. Amber turned her head to see what had been placed so close to her. The second her eyes met it, she wanted to scream.
Surgical tools.
Amber whipped her head around. Agent steel had returned to his place next to her, his hoof holding a firm grip on her shoulder. Amber struggled to choke out a sentence. "Wh- what are those for? What are you going to do to me?"
Steel let out a calm, measured breath. "Only a simple procedure. It'll take just a minute, no longer. Now hold still. Moving around will only make it longer, and far more painful."
Amber looked back at the floor, choking for air. Steel let go of her shoulder and moved off behind her. She was shaking uncontrollably, staring intensely at the web of wires and cold beige tiles, not daring to look over her shoulder.
There was a soft metallic clink. She heard the quiet rustle of the sterilized fabric table cover shifting in its place. She felt hooves on the back of her head, carefully pushing it forward. The hooves sifted through the thick spiky black of her mane, running over her skin, searching the nape of her neck for something. She heard Steel's voice. "Ah. There it is." She felt the cold tinge of metal against her scalp as the program slid pins into her mane, holding it back from whatever he had been searching for. She heard his voice again, closer, so close she could feel the heat of his breath behind her ear.
"Now don't move. You do not want me to mess this up."
The sterile fabric stirred again, a hoof searching over the various steel instruments with a light, careful touch. Amber heard the click of plastic and metal as one of the tools was lifted from the small tabletop. She felt Steel's hoof against her scalp again. And then came the pain.
Amber felt the freezing touch of sterilized metal on her skin. It dug deeper and deeper, until the cold turned into an explosion of pain. She felt some sharp, cold blade stabbing into the skin at the back of her neck. Amber screamed, tears stinging her eyes. Her head jerked forward and the pain stopped. She gasped in relief. A hoof suddenly came down, wrapped around her neck, and roughly pulled her head back into place. She heard a gritty noise of frustration from Steel. He moved in a blur from behind her back to standing in front of her, his face not even six inches from her own. Her eyes darted to his hoof. It held something small, blue plastic and metal. A scalpel, blood dripping from the razor-sharp blade. Her blood.
His icy eyes stared at her. "You stupid girl! Didn't I tell you not to move?"
Amber only made a strange, choking noise in response. His gaze seemed to take away what little strength she had left. No matter how she tried, she couldn't speak.
Agent Steel shook his head, a disgusted look on his face. He disappeared back behind her. He grabbed her, his hoof once again wrapped around her neck. "Do as I say this time. I swear, if you move again, I will kill you with this thing."
Amber squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth as Steel once again dug the scalpel into her skin. He dragged it further along her skin, cutting a circle into the flesh at the nape of her neck. The helpless unicorn held her breath and bit down on her lip, desperately trying not to cry out in pain. Don't scream... Don't scream...
She felt the scalpel dig deeper into her neck. Amber couldn't take it anymore. She shrieked as loud as she could. Tears streamed from her tightly shut eyes. Her entire body shook with the effort not to struggle or pull away. Her cries grew louder, her throat burning, her mind growing fuzzy and weak from the agonizing pain at the back of her neck.
Then it stopped. The blade was gone. The pain slowly began to fade away. Blood seeped into the fur of Amber's neck and her dark mane. Amber slumped forward against her chains, gasping for air. Her throat hurt like hell. She could feel an unnatural numbness at the back of her neck. The fabric of the small table's cover rustled again as the scalpel was put back in its place. She heard Steel speaking again.
"There it is. See? That didn't take long at all. At least it wouldn't have, if you didn't struggle so much."
Amber could barely hear him over the painful ringing in her ears. The incision at the back of her neck should be burning, stinging, pulsing with excruciating pain. But she felt... She didn't really feel anything. It was like there was nothing there. Almost like...
Amber gasped. Her head whipped up. She stared at Agent Steel, standing primly in front of her. Her eyes were glassy, dark, wet streaks staining her cheeks. "Wha- what did you do to me?"
He smiled at her in the cold, superior way that only he could. "Me? I've done nothing. Only peeled back the illusion to expose the truth." He returned to his place behind her chair, his hoof leaning on the backrest. He gently pressed a hoof against the numb, unfeeling circle at the back of her head. The stiff artificial feeling of wires and metal embedded into her flesh pressed into her nerves. "Seem familiar?"
"I-" Amber stuttered. He was right. It was exactly how she felt in the real world. With a huge metal socket in the back of her head. "But- We're in- How did you- What?"
Steel scoffed. "I am a part of the Magix, Amber. I do what is necessary, and I do what I want."
She heard his retreating hoofsteps as he walked off behind her to the reprogrammer behind her, hidden from her field of view. She stared forward, not knowing what to expect. Suddenly the frigid feeling of metal connected with the back of her neck and pressed forward. It was the jack. She was being plugged in.
The reprogrammer screen flashed to life. Code streams spilled over the screen. Electricity shot through the wire as the jack activated. The sparks crackled out of the jack and spilled into Amber's head. She felt Steel approach from behind and place his hooves on her shoulders again.
"Come on, don't be like that. It'll all be over soon. You won't remember a thing."
Amber choked out a shaky reply. "Yeah. At what cost?"
"Not one you'll mind. At least not once we're through with you."
Amber tensed up, a weak flame of fury flaring up inside her. "I won't let you hurt my friends. And I will never even let you touch Harmony."
Steel laughed. "Of course we won't. In a few hours, you'll be more than willing to do it for us."
A massive pulse flowed through the wire and collided with Amber's brain like a bolt of lighting. If she were standing, she might have toppled over and hit the floor writhing in pain. But the chains wrapped tightly around her body, holding her upright and imprisoned in the chair. She squirmed and struggled, small, pitiful cries coming from somewhere inside her that she never knew was there as pulse after sickening pulse wracked her brain. Everything was going hazy. Her vision blurred, all the sounds in the room seemed to blend together. The virtual world around her focused in and out with blinding speed. Her eyelids fluttered and she slumped over in her chair.
Steel's voice sounded from somewhere close. "I see you're starting to feel the effects of our new memory wipe. It's our strongest one yet, strong enough to even erase one of your kind."
Memory wipe? No. This can't be happening. I can't do this...Spiro, why haven't you unplugged me yet? Amber's desperate thoughts slowly faded away into the background. The world around her spun out of focus. Her eyelids fluttered again, threatening to fall shut and let her mind drift away,fall unconscious and let them take her away until there was nothing left.
Amber strained to turn her head toward the blurred vision of the window. Tiny ribbons of darkening golden light still shone faintly around the edges of opaque grey shade. What she would give to be out there, the wind in her mane, running away from this horrible place. She wanted to get out. She wanted so badly to come home, return to the real world, and never have to see this horrible place again. But no. It was too late. It was hopeless-
A sudden flicker caught her attention. Amber blinked, her eyes widening as she fixed her gaze on the window. Her vision cleared just the slightest bit. She stared at the thin orange lines around the edges of the shade. There it was again. A dark gap flickered across the lines, a shadow cutting through the thin blades of light.
Suddenly the shade was gone. An explosion of sound, then the fading bloodred light of the sunset flooded the room as shattered glass and bits of shade rained down and scattered across the floor.
Amber's rescue had arrived.

THE MAGIX: CHAPTER 15: Crash

Rain swooped through the shattered remains of the window and landed with a single sweep among the shards of glass scattered over the floor. Glittering bits of glass rained down around her, filling the air with a gleaming crystal snow. Rain stood up from her impact-bracing crouch and moved forward through the glass-filled room, walking toward the lifeless unicorn chained helplessly into a chair in the center of the room. Amber.
Rain rushed forward. She wrapped her forelegs around her shaking, half-conscious crewmate and held on tight as she spread out her wings like a feathery shield.
Neon hovered just outside, holding his machine gun at the ready, the end of the barrel still smoking from shooting the glass to pieces. Horus dropped down from the roof. The dark pegasus caught him by the hoof and he swung into the room, slipping a small handheld machine gun from his trench coat. The second he hit the glass-covered floor, they fired.
Bullets rained down and crashed everywhere. The walls cracked and sprayed plaster dust all over the room, exposing the reinforced metal panels underneath, the tile floor shattered, jagged bits scattering everywhere. The reprogrammer was completely destroyed. The monitor glass shattered, the mechanics underneath sparking and fizzling out. Bullets dug into the metal structure, the web of wires were cut and sizzling with electricity. The two agents in the room only lasted so long. It was less than a minute before they, like everything else in the room, were torn apart by the bulletstorm. They disintegrated into a thousand pixels and shimmered out of existence. And Agent Steel-
Agent Steel was gone.
Rain straightened up again, shaking bits of glass and plaster dust out of her coat and feathers. Amber let out a soft, pained moan, still chained in the office chair. Rain eased a hoof under her chin and raised her head. Amber's eyes were blank and unfocused, her breathing was heavy and unsteady. Rain reached her hoof behind Amber's head and grabbed the jack forcefully plugged into her head. She wrenched the jack out of its socket, letting the metal plug fall to the floor and clatter against the tiles. She looked again at her friend's blank, lifeless face. "Amber?" she whispered.
The unicorn said nothing, only stared blankly up at her like an android. Rain took her shoulder and gave her a soft shake. "Amber. Come on. It's me. Wake up." Nothing happened. Amber still stared at her, silent. Rain shook her harder. "Come on, Amber. Don't do this. Wake up!"
Tears stung at her eyes. Her heart stopped, and her breath caught in her throat. She shook Amber again, harder, screaming in her face, desperation twinging her voice. "Amber! Wake up! What happened to you? Don't do it. Don't you dare give out on me, Amber! Wake up!"
Rain let go. Amber's head flopped limply back into place, her dark mane scattered carelessly forward. Rain stared at her crewmate, her eyes burning to cry again. After all they'd been through. Even after the fight, she'd been there. They even came back to rescue her. It couldn't be too late...
"Rain?"
Amber's soft, choked voice came from somewhere behind the tangle of dark, spiky mane covering her face. Rain's eyes went wide. Slowly, the amber unicorn lifted her head, her eyelids fluttering heavily over her eyes, fighting to open again. She blinked, the spirited glow returning to her brown eyes. She shook the hair out of her face. Her eyes widened. "Rain?" she gasped again.
"Amber!" Rain threw herself at the dumbstruck unicorn, warmth flooding from her heart and pulsing through her with warp speed. She wrapped her forelegs around her roommate, over the chains and the backrest of the chair, holding on tightly as if she'd disappear the second she let go. She felt Amber squirming around in the chair, struggling against the chains that held her in place.
"Rain, what the- When did- What just happened?"
The pegasus pulled back, laughing and smiling so hard it hurt. "Oh my Celestia. You're okay."
Amber looked back up at her, her eyes glossy with tears, maybe from pain, or from happiness.
"You- You came back. You actually came back for me." A faint smile showed through on her face.
Horus and Neon walked in closer, gathering around Amber. The unicorn looked around herself, stunned. They were here. They had come back to rescue her.
She turned to Horus. He stood looking down at her, his deep brown eyes gazing at his apprentice, taking in every little detail of her. He reached into a pocket and slipped out a small knife. He jammed the blade into the padlock behind the backrest holding the chains tightly in place. He flicked his wrist, twisting the knife and breaking the tumblers. The lock fell open, the chains came loose and fell clattering to the floor around the legs of the chair.
The second the chains were off, Horus scooped Amber up out of the chair and held her close against him. For a second, everything was right in the world again. Amber felt safe. Her friends, her captain, everyone had come back. She was okay. She'd made it out alive.
"Oh. How sweet."
The dark, sarcastic voice sounded out from nowhere. Horus quickly let go of Amber and reverted to letting her lean on his shoulder as she struggled to regain her footing. Neon, his shoulder already scabbed over and healing quickly, folded his wings tightly against his sides and swiped a remaining throwing star from his jacket. Rain tensed up, her gaze flickering frantically around the empty room. That voice. She knew it. Only one pony could ever sound like that.
The reprogrammer had become a mass of twisted, sparking metal, fallen from its original position and lying in a chaotic mess on the floor. A shadowy figure slipped out from behind the broken pile of technology. He strode calmly out into the fading red light of the sunset outside.
Agent Steel. He was still alive. And he held a large handgun aimed at them. Trapped. "You ponies are in far over your heads." A sharp, steely edge shone through his voice, cutting through the air like a razor. "I have worked too hard on this to let you ruin Regenerate now. Agents are on their way to this very room as we speak. You have exactly twenty seconds to give us our subject back and leave. Otherwise, we kill you right here, right now."
Rain reflexively wrapped a foreleg around Amber's waist. Sliding a pistol from her belt, she aimed it back at the coldhearted program, her blazing magenta eyes offering him an unspoken challenge. A quick glance to her left told her that Neon and Horus were standing close, prepared to bolt.
Rain stared unwaveringly at Agent Steel. She held her gun firmly aimed at him, sending him a silent threat. Who's going to shoot first? You or me?
A soft rushing sound caught her by surprise. Rain broke her gaze, but only for a second, just in time to see Neon grab Horus, snap his wings out and push up off the ground, making a break for the window. Steel heard a metallic click. Her gaze instantly flickered back to Steel. He'd turned his back on her, just for a second, to turn away and aim at the escaping pegasus.
Rain couldn't stop herself. Before she knew what was happening, she'd pulled the trigger. There was the familiar, earsplitting BAM. And then Agent Steel was standing deathly still, a look of confused shock on his face, as a dark red stain blossomed on the pristine white fabric of his shirt.
Rain froze. Her grip on Amber's waist tightened. She watched as Steel's eyes glazed over and he fell to the broken tile floor, blood soaking his perfect white shirt. She'd killed him. He was immortal, and she's killed him.
A stifled, desperate cry broke through the silence. Rain shook herself out of her trance. The voice screamed again.
"Rain!" It was Neon. He stood beside Horus on the glass-covered window frame, staring down at Agent Steel's still body on the floor. He screamed again. "Rain! Don't believe him! Move!"
The confused mare turned back to where Steel was lying on the floor in a growing pool of blood. He lay perfectly still, not even breathing. The blood was growing steadily darker and spreading across the floor. And then, suddenly, it stopped.
Rain could only stare, held in a trance by... she wasn't even sure what was going on. Steel's chest rose. She heard a sharp gasp. The lifeless program on the floor stirred, then he let out another strained noise and rolled over onto his front, moving his legs underneath him and pushing himself up off the floor, blood still dripping from the dark red stain on his shirt. And then-
The stain was shrinking. The deep blood-red smear receded back, leaving behind only the pure white of his shirt. It went on, shrinking back until there was nothing left but a tiny rip in the fabric where the bullet had torn its way through. Steel glared angrily at Rain as she gaped at him, frozen. He shook his head. "You stupid little mare."
He stepped away from the pool of his blood on the floor and back to where his gun had fallen when it had dropped from his hand the moment Rain shot him. He retrieved it, pulled the hammer back and aimed at her. The single door of the soundproofed, reinforced room slammed open. Agents swarmed in.
Rain shook herself out of her trance. Everything clicked into place. She squeezed her forelegs around Amber's waist. Her wings snapped out and she shot up from the floor just as the agents opened fire. The pegasus soared up toward the window and, with a twist of her wings, flipped over backwards and dove outside and past the walls. She flew away, clutching Amber close, Steel's furious shouts fading into the distance.

Rain flew onward, pushing herself as fast as she could go, holding on to Amber as if she could never let go again. Neon floated up next to her, his forelegs wrapped around Horus, carrying him as he motored his wings to keep up with brightly colored buildings of Ponyville appeared, bright and clear in the distance. Rain pushed harder, Neon struggling to keep up.
"Hey," Neon panted, swooping closer. "Ponyville's straight ahead. You don't have to gun it."
"I know. I just don't want to risk anything."
"Yeah. Okay. About Steel..."
"I didn't know he could do that."
"It's exactly what we told you," Horus said, looking up at Rain from his place hanging from Neon's forelegs. "But Steel's different. He doesn't just die and reappear like the others. He's the lead agent. He is literally immortal."
"I should have thought of that before I tried to kill him."
Neon looked down at the streets of the outskirts below them, Ponyville growing closer by the second. "I think we're close enough."
Horus nodded. "Okay. Land, then we have to find an exit. The agents can't be far behind."
The pegasi swooped down and landed in the empty streets of the outskirts. The sun was gone, the sky turned a dark twilight blue. A soft rain had begun to fall. Thunder sounded in the distance, signaling an approaching storm. The warm lights and busy, cheerful noises of the main city shone through the maze of the broken outskirts, close enough to touch. The crew ran through the last block of buildings and out into the Ponyville streets.
Horus took his communicator from his pocket and dialed Spiro. A familiar voice answered on the other end. "Operator."
"Spiro, it's me," Horus answered. "We've got Amber."
"She's not- Is she okay? Everything on her POV is scrambled out here."
Amber smiled at her captain and nodded energetically. "She's fine. It's a miracle Regenerate didn't damage her."
"Your escape was pretty narrow there."
"I know. We need an exit, fast. The agents can't be far behind."
Rain watched as Horus conversed with Spiro, waiting patiently to find out the location of their escape. She didn't expect a nudge on her shoulder, or a soft weight to suddenly press against her side. She looked over her shoulder. Amber was leaning against her, the unicorn's legs still weak and unsteady. Her eyes were bloodshot, her mane and coat splattered with blood and tangled with the sparkling dust of broken glass. She blinked and her eyes glossed over with tears.
"Amber? What's wrong?"
She sighed, leaning heavily on Rain's shoulder. "Rain, I- I'm so sorry."
The pegasus cocked her head, confused. "What do you mean?"
"I'm sorry. For everything. The way I treated you. How I was so stupid, and I thought that you didn't care about the crew and then just threw myself in there, and then... You came back for me. Even after all the things I said, you still wouldn't let me die."
"Amber..." Rain's face softened. A small smile shone through on her face. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have exposed the resistance to an outsider. I was just desperate. I had no choice. And then when you went into the swarm to save Horus... I never thought it would end up like this."
"None of us did."
"It was my fault."
Amber softly punched Rain's shoulder. "No it's not. Wow, you just never stop, do you?"
Rain laughed. "Friends?" she asked, offering Amber a hoof.
"Friends." Amber tapped her hoof against Rain's. Horus's voice cut in, breaking through the haze of the moment.
"What? But how did you-" Horus fell silent, listening to whatever Spiro had to say on the other end. "Okay. How much longer do we have? Okay, I'll tell them. Call me back when you've gotten us an exit." He hung up and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
Neon spoke up. "What's going on?"
"The double-take from Apocalypse has been detonated."
Rain was confused. "How did that happen?"
"Apparently, while Amber was connected to the central computer network, the mainframe had a temporary connection to the network. They managed to hack in and break into security. The bomb had been left in the control room, still plugged into the network. And, well... They reactivated it."
"What?"
Horus nodded. "Not only that, but Cherrybomb somehow found a way to amp the explosive power and take out not just the basement, but the entire building."
Neon laughed. "Of course she would."
"Less than thirty seconds after we escaped, the entire database was blown apart," Horus went on. "We've been given a small amount of time to spare. The agents will all have to reprogram and reorient, but it won't take them long."
"How much longer do we have?" Amber asked.
"A few minutes... along with the time it'll take them to reach us. We've got fifteen minutes, at the most."
Rain nodded. "We can manage that."
A crack of thunder shattered the quiet. Lightning flashed across the sky. The street lights flickered and went black. The few remaining ponies on the street gasped, chattering amongst themselves and dashing through the doors of random storefronts to escape the storm. The rain fell harder, pelting the pavement with cold, wet drops.
Her vision obscured by darkness, Rain felt a foreleg slip around her waist. "Huh?" was all she had time to get out before she was dragged backwards into an alleyway. By the time the blackout was over, she was gone. The crew split off in different directions to find her and a new exit.
Rain didn't even panic as the foreleg at her waist pulled her deeper into the shadows. She knew exactly who it was. "Pinkie?"
The foreleg was gone from her waist. A pair of light blue eyes peeked out from a soaked cotton-candy mane, looking up at her. Without another word, Pinkie Pie threw her forelegs around Rain. "Dashie!" she cried, her face buried in her friend's rainbow mane. "I knew I'd see you again!"
Rain hugged her friend tightly before pulling away. "Pinkie, what are you doing here?"
"I was waiting for you. My Pinkie senses told me you would be coming back tonight."
"I know," Rain said, brushing a stray strand of purple hair from her face. "But why were you waiting for me?"
The pink mare looked up at her friend, her eyes huge and glassy. "I'm ready."
Rain stopped breathing. "What?"
"I'm letting go, Dashie. I don't want to live in the Magix anymore. I've said goodbye to everything. Even Gummy. I know the real world is out there. And I'm ready to see it."
"Pinkie, I-"
"What is it, Dashie?"
"You want to leave now?"
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
"But Pinkie, I don't know how I can-"
Pinkie Pie put a hoof over Rain's mouth, cutting her off. "I know. The Magix is just a dream, right? And no matter what happens in a dream, it's not real. And when you die, you just wake up. And I've been thinking about it for days. That's the only way I could possibly-"
Rain pushed her friend's hoof away from her mouth. "Pinkie, you are insane! You can't be serious."
"What?" The mare's face changed, her expression becoming soft and sad. "But you said-"
"The Magix isn't just any dream. If you die here, you die in real life."
Pinkie nodded. "Yes. Anypony else would, because they're afraid to die." She looked deeply into Rain's eyes, her own baby blue eyes glowing with emotion. "And I'm not afraid anymore."
Rain's heart stopped. Pinkie Pie's words filled her head. "Pinkie, I can't."
"Dashie, please. Remember what I said?"
Pinkie's voice sounded in her head. I'd rather die than never see you again.
"I meant it. I meant everything."
Tears stung at Rain's eyes. "You're sure?"
Pinkie nodded, her flat mane fluttering around her shoulders. "Positive."
Without a word, Rain wrapped her forelegs tightly around Pinkie Pie. She rested her cheek against her soft pink shoulder one last time. She unfolded her sky-blue wings and took off into the dark, stormy sky, clutching her best friend tightly to her chest.
The rain pounded down harder as Rain rose higher into the night sky, the freezing cold drops pelting her face, soaking her hair and feathers. Her wings struggled against the icy wet blasts, pushing against the cold, sodden air. The pegasus held Pinkie close as she looked down at the city streets below. Ponyville was slowly going dark, falling into the lull of the night. Only the glimmering silvery blue and warm gold of the street lights lit up the streets, slick and shining in the rain. Against her shoulder, she felt Pinkie Pie squirm and turn her head to look over her shoulder and gaze down at the city below. She let out a quiet breath of amazement. "Wow."
Rain gazed longingly at the shimmering streets below. They floated higher and higher into the dark night sky shimmering with stars, the raindrops falling steadily down. With every stroke Rain's sky-blue wings slowly grew cold and heavy. She wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. At least not with Pinkie Pie clinging to her.
Her friend turned her head away from the streets that seemed miles away and looked up at the pegasus holding her so tightly. Clinging to her shoulders, Pinkie inched up until her face rested on Rain's shoulder next to her ear. "I'm ready now, Dashie. I can do this. Let me go."
Rain let out a soft, choking breath. "You're sure?"
"Yes."
She couldn't do this. She held on tighter. "Pinkie... If this doesn't work, I-"
"It's okay, Dashie," Pinkie whispered. "It's okay."
Rain hugged her tightly. One last time. Then she untangled her forelegs from the warm pink pony held tightly against her and reluctantly let go, watching heartbroken as the small pink shape of her friend plummeted helplessly toward the shimmering streets below.

Amber was the first to see the sky-blue pegasus fly into the air, a pale blue shape cast against the dark, stormy sky. At first she could only stare, watching in amazement as Rain rose up in the cold night air, fighting against the pelting drops. Then she saw the splash of pink covering up part of the bright, shining blue. Immediately she grabbed her communicator from her pocket and called Horus. She heard the other end pick up. "Amber? You're seeing this too, right?"
"Yeah," she answered. "Either Rain somehow got into a ball gown or she's got somepony up there with her."
"Any idea why?"
"No. But I might just know who it is."
"What's she doing with-"
Horus trailed off. Something had changed. Rain moved. Then the pink pony let go and fell back toward the streets with frightening speed. She heard herself screaming into her phone. "Holy Celestia!"
"Get over there as fast as you can. We found Rain. I'll call Neon. I'll bet he's already on his way."
Amber nodded, breathing heavily. "Okay."
She hung up and slipped the communicator back into her jacket pocket. Then Amber took off at a dead sprint for the square.
It was only a few seconds before she was there in the soaked, darkened square, the white, misty lampposts shining softly in the rain. Neon and Horus were already there, looking frantically around for any sign of Rain. Neon turned around. "She should be landing here any second now."
"The last I saw she was a million feet above the city," Amber said. "How could she have-"
A shout from Horus cut her off. "Amber! Look out!"
She instinctively dove sideways. Not a second later something dropped out of the sky and landed with a sickening thud on the wet, shimmering pavement. Amber hesitantly raised her head and turned around. It was a pony. Her candy-pink coat and flat, bright pink mane were dripping wet from the rain and stained with red. Blood was splattered on the pavement all around her, a small, dark pool slowly forming underneath her. Her chest heaved and the pony took in a weak gasp of air. Amber's eyes widened. She was still alive.
She felt a rush of air overhead stir her dripping, dark mane. Then all of a sudden something went whizzing past her head and crashed jarringly to the ground.

Rain fell out of the dark sky, her soaked, heavy wings fighting against the rain to stay upright. She twisted violently and flew sideways before crashing onto the pavement and skidding to a stop, just barely missing Amber's head. She lay splayed on the ground, panting. Slowly she lifted her head and looked around her. She'd landed in the square. The crew was here. And Pinkie...
Rain's magenta eyes went wide. Pinkie.
She was lying on the pavement, still and lifeless, blood pooling around her and seeping into her mane and fur. Rain instantly pulled herself to her feet and dashed to her friend's side. She stopped and knelt down next to Pinkie, not caring that the dark red pool stained her coat and windbreaker. She leaned in close. "Pinke," she choked. "Oh my Celestia. Pinkie..."
Pinkie Pie's chest shuddered as she took a weak, labored breath. Her pale blue eyes fluttered heavily open. She looked up at Rain. The light that she'd always remembered was slowly fading away. Rain moved in closer. She picked up Pinkie's limp, bleeding form, cradling her gently in her forelegs. "Pinkie, I'm so sorry..."
Pinkie's mouth opened and she took another shuddering breath. "D- Dashie?" she choked.
Rain stroked her friend's soaked, bloody mane. "Yeah?"
Her blue eyes gazed hopefully up at Rain. She smiled weakly. "Y-you're... my best... friend."
Tears stung at Rain's eyes and fell over her cheeks, mixing with the cold raindrops falling all around her. "You too, Pinkie. You too."
Then the light in Pinkie's eyes was gone. Her eyes fluttered shut again. Her shaky, labored breaths stopped. Rain let out a choked, gasping sob. She was gone.
Everything around her became blurred. The sounds of her friends whispering faded away, silence filling her ears. All she saw was the soft pink body in her forelegs. Pinkie Pie. Her best friend was dead. It was wrong. But she was free. Just like she'd wanted to be.

(jack out)

Spiro watched as the streams of code rushed across Rain's avatar POV. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. She'd just killed an innocent pony. Rain couldn't believe it either. Her thought patterns were slow and heavy. Sadness, loss, regret... everything was reading off of her like snow from a blizzard.
Saph looked up at him inquisitively. "What's going on in there?"
Spiro shook his head. "She actually did it. She killed Pinkie Pie."
"The pony she spilled to?"
"Yeah. She's with her right now. She's dead."
Saph stared into Rain's POV screen. "Agh. I can't see anything. How do you read this stuff so fast?"
The unicorn shrugged and returned his attention to the other avatar POVs. They were all there, shocked and confused, watching Rain crying, holding Pinkie Pie for the last time.
Blip! Out of nowhere, an alarm went off.
Spiro distracted himself from the POV to see a blinking red window in a corner of the large touchscreen. The loud, musical blip! sounded again. He reached across and tapped the flashing red square. The window grew larger, a white square bordered in bright red, bold black text spelling out a message below a bright yellow alert symbol.
Video feed has detected movement! Request view?
Spiro tapped the small gray OK icon below. The white message board pixelated away and became the pale whitish green footage of a night vision camera. Their video feed from their hidden camera in waste disposal had detected change. Something was different.
The unicorn nudged the young dragon next to him. They both turned and carefully watched the grainy, shadowed footage of the dark metal walls and the cold, rippling surface of water. At first nothing happened. Then there was a flash. Something moved below the shadowy surface of the water. Then all at once, a flailing, thrashing object burst out from below the surface, spraying cold water everywhere. It floundered desperately, trying to stay above the frigid surface of the water before slipping under again.
Spiro's eyes widened. "What is that?"

(jack in)

For the longest time there was nothing. The virtual world had gone blurry, the sounds fading into a deathly silence. Rain just stayed, holding the body of her best friend, the rain falling heavily all around her, splashing against her fur and feathers, mixing with her tears. She was suffocating, unable to even breathe through the choking sobs that wracked her body. The trance held her captive for what seemed like forever. She felt the soft touch of forelegs slipping gently around her shoulders, awakening her. Her consciousness returned to the virtual dream.
Amber was leaning against her shuddering shoulder, her forelegs wrapped comfortingly around her. Rain looked back, tears flowing freely from her red, glassy eyes. Amber gazed back at her, her face softened with sympathy. "It's alright," she whispered. "She's in a better place now."
A loud, grating ringtone cut through the silent, misty air, killing the moment. Rain whipped her head around. It was Horus's communicator. He sighed heavily and grabbed it out of his pocket. "Spiro, have you found us a jackout site?" Silence. "This is sort of a bad time. We kind of have a crisis going on right now."
Spiro's voice sounded out from the speaker. "We know. We've been watching the POV this whole time. I just got an alert from the waste disposal feed."
"What's going on?"
"We've detected movement. Somepony's been freed."
"What? How far away are we?"
"I don't know. A few minutes, I think. Should we go after them?"
"Do you think we'd make it in time?"
"I don't know. It hasn't been long, but the pony in there could last anywhere between thirty seconds and three minutes. Our chances of getting there in time are narrow if anything at this point."
Horus nodded. "How's the pony's movement looking?"
"Pretty energetic. Like they're hyped up on caffeine or something."
Hope bubbled up into his mind. He turned to Rain, looking over her shoulder at him, cradling Pinkie in her forelegs. "Sounds like she'll make it. You'd best get there as fast as you can."
"She?" Spiro sounded confused.
"I have a pretty good idea of who it is that our camera picked up."
"You don't think-"
"Go. Before it's too late. She's come this far, and we can't give up on her now."
"I'm on it, Horus." Spiro hung up.
Rain's eyes had stopped tearing. "What's going on out there?" she asked in a choked, quiet voice.
Horus's eyes were glowing. "She made it."
The mare's magenta eyes widened. "What?" She looked back at the lifeless body cradled in her forelegs. "It can't be... She just... How?"
"I don't know. Your friend must have been stronger than we thought."
Rain shuddered as a heavy breath of relief escaped. Her face broke out into a glowing smile. "You- you mean she's out there?"
Horus smiled. "She's free."

(jack out)

Spiro stood up from his swivel chair. Saph and Cherrybomb turned to him. Saph cocked her head. "You're going in after her?"
Spiro nodded. "Captain's orders. She's come this far, and we're not about to give up on her just yet."
Cherrybomb stood up from her spot on the floor. "You'll need some help getting her on board."
The stallion smiled. "Of course."
Grinning, Cherrybomb shot through the doorway to the pilot chamber. Saph leaned back in her chair and laughed. "You're seriously going to leave me here?"
"You can set up a jackout site," Spiro said. "Get to it." He turned and rushed off after Cherrybomb.
Saph turned to the POV, then the feed. There had to be somewhere nearby to find an exit. She looked through the falling streams of code, trying to read them as they rushed past at light speed. She squinted at the screen. There. A payphone, six blocks away, hidden at the edge of an alleyway between a cafe and a busted streetlamp. Perfect.

When Spiro had entered the pilot chamber, Cherrybomb was already strapped into one chair, sitting bolt upright with excitement. "We set to go?" she chirped, her eyes bright.
The unicorn slid into the seat next to hers, slipping the belt over his waist. Outside of the thick plexiglass windshield, the long metallic expanse of the underground tunnels stretched out before them. He rested his hands on the controls and started up the ship's engine. Slowly the Firestar lifted into the air, levitating as it waited for direction from its driver. He smiled. "Yep. Time to save ponies."
The controllers shifted forward and the Firestar sped off toward the waste disposal.

(jack in)

As the seconds passed, the outline of Pinkie Pie's body began to blur. Her form started to pixelate, growing pale and fuzzy. The crew all turned to stare. Slowly the lifeless pony in Rain's forelegs began to fade away. Then she was gone. There was nothing left but the blood splattered on the pavement, staining Rain's coat and windbreaker.
"Disconnected," Neon murmured, breaking the deathly silence.
"I can't believe it," Amber said, a smile slowly forming on her face. "She's really out there."
Horus nodded. "I don't know how, but she made it out alive. Somehow, dying... It must have woken her up."
A short, clipped chime sounded out from Rain's pocket. Her communicator was ringing. She quickly slipped it out and answered. "Saph. Oh my Celestia, it worked."
Saph's short laugh sounded from the speaker. "Yeah. I can't believe it either. Look, I've found you guys a jackout site. I've just got to get the connection locked."
"Alright, we're listening. Where is it?"
"About six blocks away from your current location, there's an alleyway. It's between a cybercafe and a thrift store. The streetlamp in front of it is broken, leaving the alley completely concealed. There's a phone booth at the edge. You should be able to jack out from there without being seen."
"Alright. We're on our way." She hung up and slid the communicator back into her pocket.
"We've got an exit?" Neon asked.
"Yeah," Rain answered. "Phone booth, six blocks from here."
With a nod from Horus they set off, running to keep the few shreds of time they still had.

It was only a minute before they reached the jackout site. Rain heard the ringing first. She dashed ahead of the others, desperate to get back to the safety of the Firestar. She skidded to a stop right in front of a darkened shadow in the middle of the gleaming wet streets. The others caught up with her. There it was. The streetlamp that would normally have been glowing silvery white was dark and shaded, the glass cracked and the light bulb inside cold and flameless. And in the darkened alley, something shone out from the black shadows. The glint of a metal frame. The tinny, metallic ring sounded again. The phone booth.
The crew slipped silently into the lightless alley. Rain turned to Horus. "You first."
He nodded silently. The the weathered metal of the door squeaked as he slid it open. He picked up the phone from its base and held it to his ear. He disappeared with an icy blue flash.
Amber gently pushed Neon toward the door. He stepped in and replaced the receiver. It instantly began ringing again. He removed it and held it to his ear. In seconds, he was gone, too.
Rain felt a nudge on her shoulder. She turned around. It was only her and Amber now. The unicorn nudged her again, ushering her toward the open door of the phone booth.
"No," Rain said, stepping aside. "You're weak. You have to get out."
Amber looked back at her, a defiant spark in her eyes. "You rescued me. You deserve it."
"Yeah, but I don't need it."
Amber stayed silent. Rain sighed and pushed her toward the booth. "Go."
The unicorn hesitated, then slid calmly into the phone booth. She took the phone and placed it back on its base. When it rang again, she picked it up. She looked out at Rain from behind the smoky, grayish glass. She was pixelated, glowing a faint, icy blue. Any second she would disappear.
Suddenly Amber's gaze shifted. She wasn't looking at Rain anymore. She stared at something behind her. Amber's face darkened with fear and her eyes widened. She slammed a disintegrating hoof against the glass and screamed. "Rain, look out!"
Then she was gone. White light flooded the pitch-black alley. Rain whirled around to see headlights barreling through the night, straight towards her. She leaped into the air just in time for a sleek black car to speed uncontrollably into the alleyway and crash, destroying the phone booth, her only hope of escape.

(jack out)

The Firestar hummed with electrical vibrations as it sped along the tunnels, racing against time. Spiro steered carefully, scanning constantly for predators as he drove at a hovering sprint to waste disposal. The image of Pinkie Pie flailing for her life in the frigid water was imprinted firmly into his memory. As the seconds passed, all he could see was the delicate newborn mare floundering for her life, trying to keep her head above water, the cold sapping away her strength, getting weaker and weaker until-
Spiro gunned the engine. There was no time to spare.
The dark, metallic walls of the tunnels sped past the windshield, the Firestar tilting ever so slightly upwards, carrying the ship gradually toward the surface. The reflective dark metal began to shine with a pale, pinkish glow. The pods were close by. Waste disposal wasn't much further.
Spiro turned to Cherrybomb. "We've made it into the danger zone. Shouldn't be much longer now."
The filly's head was turned toward the large array of controls in front of her. Her gaze landed on a large red switch, lit up by a glowing LED inside. "Should the EMP be charged?"
"No," Spiro answered, shaking his head as he turned his attention back to their route. "We've still got the crew jacked in. We couldn't set it off without risking their lives."
Cherrybomb nodded. She looked up from the control panel and through the windshield at the world outside. The pale pink glow of the pods seeped through the metal grid above the tunnel, holding up the massive walls holding thousands of ponies captive in their dreams. Suddenly the tunnel turned sharply to the right, then began to gradually slope downward. The pinkish glow faded away and was replaced by the silver, undulating reflection of the ship's headlights on water. Waste disposal was close. The tunnel came to an end, opening up into a huge, empty chamber. The headlights of the ship reflected off the dark metal walls, the streams of water spilling from channels in the walls and the rippling surface of the freezing cold water below. They'd reached waste disposal.
The white beams of the headlights skimmed across the surface of the water, searching desperately for any sign of life. For the longest time nothing changed. Spiro clenched his hooves against the controls, heart pounding. They couldn't be too late...
Suddenly a wild thrash broke through the surface of the water, spraying cold droplets into the air. Spiro redirected the lights, focusing them on the foaming waves spreading outward from the splash. There it was again. Something was thrashing around in the water, weakened by cold, trying desperately to come up for air. In the white illumination of the headlights, Spiro thought he caught a flash of pink. It was her.
"Cherrybomb, get to the lift! We've got her!"
The filly hurriedly unstrapped herself and leaped out of her seat, dashing to the back of the pilot chamber. Two hinged metal panels formed a trapdoor in the floor. Hanging above was a huge robotic claw, its movement cables wrapped in a tight spiral around its base on the ceiling. Imbedded into the wall right beside the apparatus was a control panel similar to the one used to steer the ship. She slid in front of the control panel and flicked a few switches. The trapdoor in the floor slowly began to swing open, the lift claw whirring to life and slowly lowering itself to the floor. Cherrybomb took hold of the two joystick controls and stared at the screen in the center of the control panel, carefully watching the video feed from the camera in the palm of the lift's fingers. She gently lowered the claw toward the foaming surface of the water, watching for the splashes of pink that told her she was in the right place. A candy-pink foreleg broke through the surface of the water, then another, their movements stiff and slow. Then a face appeared, bordered by bright pink strands plastered against it, its mouth gaping open and gasping for air, eyes squeezed tightly shut against the cold sting of the water. They floundered there, but only for a second before the pony once again disappeared underwater.
With a flick of her wrist, Cherrybomb sent the claw plummeting into the water. The writhing pink form in the dark enclosure of the water grew larger, filling up the whole screen. She pressed a button at the top of one joystick and the lift claw clamped shut around the thrashing pony in the water. The filly pulled back sharply on the controls and the lift shuddered to a stop and jerked backwards, winding its cables back into their spiral and pulling the claw back into the ship.
Cherrybomb smiled and looked up at the unicorn at the ship controls. "We've got her Spiro," she said. "The shark's in the net."
The unicorn nodded. "Perfect. Once she's in, shut the trapdoor and we head back to the tunnels.. We've got to get out of here before we get caught."
Cherrybomb nodded and the lift continued winding itself back into its dormant position, taking the pony with it. She shut off the feed and watched as the cables wound back into a tight spiral. At last the claw came through the trapdoors, tightly gripping the limp, dripping form of a weak pink pony. Cherrybomb toggled a switch and the trapdoor swung shut and latched in place. Spiro pushed the controls forward and the ship was in motion again. The claw lowered back to floor level and released the pony before returning to its dormant position and shutting off.
The pony lay still on the floor of the pilot chamber, chest heaving with the effort to breathe. Cherrybomb jumped up from the crane controls and dashed to her side, tugging at the mare's shoulders to get her off of the trapdoor. She was cold, soaking wet and slimy, the fluid from her pod still clinging to her mane and coat. Her short mane was bright pink and plastered flat against her head with water and pod sludge, reaching just past her ears. Her coat was a soft shade of pink, the dark metal plugs that all new arrivals had jutting from her legs, chest and stomach. The cheery image of three yellow and blue balloons adorned her flank.
The ship shuddered as Spiro gunned the engine and sped back the way they came. Somewhere in the holodeck, voices sounded out in the silence. Then there were hoofsteps. Somepony had woken up. Then another voice joined in, then another. Saph had gotten the crew out safely.
Cherrybomb turned her head to look over her shoulder at the sound of hoofsteps approaching the doorway to the pilot chamber. Neon appeared, carrying a soft, shapeless white towel on his back. At the sight of Cherrybomb with the motionless pony's head in her lap, he rushed over. The towel was draped over the wet, shivering mare and wrapped tightly around her. Her shuddering began to slow, her breathing no longer ragged and shallow.
"We've got to get her to the sickbay," he said. "She might be in shock. She needs to get cleaned, then have her temperature normalized."
Cherrybomb nodded. "Is everypony back yet?"
Neon didn't answer. He only stared at the floor as Cherrybomb helped lift the new arrival onto his back to carry her to the sickbay to be cleaned and treated. She followed him into the holodeck and watched him disappear down the main corridor.
Horus, Amber and Saph were there. Amber was wiping away the blood that stained the corners of her mouth. Horus was walking toward the control panel, were Saph was still sitting, her eyes glued to a single POV window still glowing with green streams of code.
Cherrybomb galloped over. She quickly glanced at the rushing streams of code, but the random symbols confused her. The filly turned to Horus. "What's going on?"
Horus turned around to see the youngest crew member standing beside him, her eyes bright with curiosity. "Cherrybomb," he said. "Something's happened, I don't know how, but... They attacked us. We were already jacked out. We couldn't stop it."
"What? What happened?" Fear rushed through Cherrybomb's head, drowning out everything else.
Horus didn't say a word. He was looking back to the center of the holodeck. Cherrybomb followed his gaze. Amber was standing up, looking down at one of the jack chairs, a look of pain and desperation clear on her face.
Cherrybomb galloped away from the control panel and to the circle of chairs, over to Amber. As she drew closer, the thing Amber was looking so wistfully at came into view. Cherrybomb gasped and skidded to a stop. The sky blue coat, blue feathered wings relaxed at her sides. Her short, spiky rainbow mane was spread over the headrest, her eyelids shut, twitching with the moment of her eyes under them.
It was Rain. She was still jacked in.

Amber felt helpless. All she could do was stand here and stare at Rain, while her friend was still in there, going through Celestia-knows-what. She'd come back to save her, and now-
"Amber! Amber, what happened?" Cherrybomb's voice shook her out of her trance. Amber looked over the Rain's motionless form to see the little filly's scared, confused face, her electric blue eyes wide with shock.
"I- I don't know," Amber stuttered. "We were jacking out, and she was the last one. I was right before her. She told me to go first, so I did. And then this car just came out of nowhere-"
Her voice choked off, leaving her sentence unfinished. She couldn't do this. She refused to just stand by and watch as her friend was killed. Amber turned away and walked indignantly over to her captain at the control panel.
"Horus, you have to jack me back in."
He turned around. "No. I can't do that to you."
"But they'll kill her. She'll never get out alive on her own."
"They've already drained you. You're too weak."
"Horus-"
He held his hoof up, silencing her. "We'll do as much as we can. At this point there's no telling what could happen. But there's no time to jack somepony else in now. We've got a newborn on board and we're already in a bad position and predators could show up at any second. All we can do is get her an escape route. We aren't giving up the fight just yet."
Amber nodded. "Okay."
Horus turned back to the POV. "There's nothing more that we can do. This is her fight now."

THE MAGIX: CHAPTER 16: Finish It

Rain's eyes were squinted shut against the cold rush of air as she shot up from the ground and hovered in midair. She felt the strange car speed by just inches away. The grating crunch of metal tore through the air. Her eyes flew open and her head whipped around to look down. The car was tilted on an angle, half submerged in the shadows of the alleyway, its front bumper fused to a dull, sparking pile of twisted metal and broken glass. It was all that was left of the phone booth.
Rain dropped to the ground and landed on all fours behind the car, her muscles tense. She peered through the darkened rear windshield, trying to get a good look at the driver. She couldn't see anything. Her legs froze in place, unsure of whether to run or see if the passengers were okay.
The driver's side door twitched. Gradually, the pony inside forced the ruined piece of metal from its frame. A familiar brown foreleg extended from the opening, coated in the silky black sleeve of a suit. Agent Steel climbed out of the battered car, the cuts and bruises covering his skin already stitching themselves up and disappearing. The other door of the car wrenched free, and two agents climbed out. Three supernatural, superhuman programs against one mortal pony. Not good.
Rain's eyes widened. She felt her pulse start to speed. Without even thinking, she whirled around and ran.

(jack out)

Neon galloped down the dimly lit main corridor back toward the holodeck. Pinkie Pie was safe in the Firestar sickbay with Cherrybomb and Saph. She would make it out okay. But he wasn't thinking about her. Rain filled his every thought as he raced down the corridor.
He rushed through the doorway into the silvery, multicolored light of the holodeck. He saw Horus at the controls, Amber standing by Rain as she lay unconscious, her jack still plugged into its socket, and Spiro he knew was still in the pilot chamber, driving the ship to safety.
He walked over to Amber and stood across from her, looking down at Rain's dreaming, motionless form. His heart thudded wildly. He looked up at his friend across from him. "Is she going to be okay?"
Amber shrugged. "Nopony knows. She's in there all by herself, we can't jack anypony in, and the last I saw of her, she was about to get hit by a car."
The dark pegasus shuddered. "Do you think she'll make it?"
"She's a strong mare," the unicorn murmured. "She won't go down without a fight, but if-"
Horus's voice cut into their conversation. "They found her."
Neon's head whipped up. He turned around and faced Horus. "What?"
Horus was sitting at the control panel, focused intensely on the POV. "The agents have reoriented. They've gone after Rain. She's on the run, but it won't be long until they catch up."
Neon stared at the flashing green symbols falling across the screen. "We have to get her out of there. She'll be dead in minutes."
"I know," Horus answered, flustered. "I'm trying to find the closest place for a jackout site, but she keeps moving. I can't stop her. If she stays in place for too long, they'll take her down in seconds. I'm going to have to direct her."
Neon focused harder on the feed. "They're getting closer."
"I hear you. I already know. You're not the only one watching the feed." Horus tapped a few commands into the keyboard. "Alright, I found a site. I'll try to get to her communicator. If she answers, they we can get her out safely."
Neon nodded, his bright, messy hair scattering over his eyes. He pushed it out of his face, turned away from the control panel and crossed through the doorway to the pilot chamber. Spiro was still at the controls, his attention flickering back and forth between the tunnels outside the windshield and the sonar screen at the controls in front of him. The pegasus placed himself beside the unicorn driving the ship, gazing through the thick plexiglass at the dark world illuminated by the ship's blazing headlights outside.
It was a while before Spiro realized he was being watched. He quickly glanced over his shoulder. "Oh. Hey. What's going on?"
"Pinkie's in the sickbay. Saph and Cherry are cleaning her off. I think she'll make it out okay."
The unicorn shifted one of the controls, easing the ship to the left into a gentle downward slope. "That's good. I thought there was a good reason for Horus telling us to go back up here."
The pegasus nodded his dark head. "Yeah," he mumbled. His gaze shifted to the floor for a second. "Spiro, I should probably tell you... The agents have found Rain."
"What? How?" Spiro's head jerked around. He stared at Neon, his eyes wide. "I thought the database was destroyed. They'd have to reprogram back into the Magix and get reoriented and then there's the travel into Ponyville..." He turned forward again, gripping the controls tightly.
"I- I don't know. But there's no time to worry about that. Rain's still jacked in. She's running, but she'll only last so long. It's too late to jack in, and-" Neon cut himself off and sighed. He turned back to stare blankly out at the tunnels ahead.
Blip! A loud chime sounded, cutting through the thick silence. Spiro looked down. Blip! The chime rang out again, louder this time. He murmured something under his breath. "Crap."
Neon looked down at the greenish sonar screen. A bright white shape lit up against the dull background, slowly approaching a neon blue object in the middle. "What is it?"
Spiro looked frantically from the sonar to the windshield. "The sonar's detected something out there," he said. "It looks like Rain isn't the only one who's been found."
Neon's breath caught in his throat. They hadn't escaped. The predators had arrived.

(jack in)

Rain's heart was pounding. Her hooves thudded heavily against the pavement, forcing her onward. The rain fell steadily all around her, a silvery mist forming over the shining streets. Rain's muscles were strained and burning. Her lungs were weak and desperate for air. But she couldn't stop now. There was nowhere to turn. All she could do was run.
It wasn't long before she heard hoofbeats behind her. Rain twitched. She held her head stiffly in place, straining not to turn around and look behind her. She already knew who it was. The lights slowly grew brighter as she raced through the darkened, misty streets. Before she knew it, she was back in the Ponyville square.
The square was busy as always, even in the dark twilight. Ponies trotted about in the warm, white-and-gold light of stores, cheerful and excited, as if the heavy rain were nothing more than a drizzle. Rain crashed and stumbled through the crowd, forcing her way through the thick maze of ponies, desperate for an escape. A gunshot rang out somewhere behind her. Somepony screamed. Rain whirled around. A mare was on the ground a few feet behind her, clutching her elbow and crying out in pain. Rain's eyes widened. She turned forward again and sped off through the square. More gunfire sounded behind her. More frightened screams from the crowd. She heard a stifled shriek escape her. The noise grew louder. Rain forced her legs to move faster. The crowd seemed to grow thicker and thicker as she pressed onward. Ponies crowded around her, closer, closing mercilessly in on her. Rain felt like there was nowhere to run, no room even to breathe...
That was when her phone rang.

(jack out)

Spiro gunned the engine. The Firestar shuddered and lurched forward, picking up speed as it hovered through the underground. The white blip on the sonar didn't disappear. It began to move faster, crawling across the screen, keeping pace with the bluish shape of the Firestar's signal. Then another appeared. And another...
"What's the status on the predators?" Spiro asked, his attention locked on the tunnel walls speeding by outside. He jerked the controls to the right, barely avoiding a sharp collision with a wall.
Neon stared intensely at the sonar screen. "They're getting faster. More of them are showing up."
Spiro carefully maneuvered the ship through a tight complex of turns. "How many are there?"
"Hold on. More keep showing up." More white, flashing shapes appeared on the screen, crawling faster and faster to keep pace with the ship. "Four, maybe- no, wait. Five."
"Five of them?"
"Yeah."
"Damn it!" The unicorn slammed the controls, the speed skyrocketing as the tunnels smoothed out. He looked over his shoulder. "Tell Horus. We need to get Rain out. The ship can't run at this speed forever."
The dark pegasus nodded. He turned and rushed through the doorway into the holodeck. Horus was still at the controls, eyes locked on Rain's POV, his hooves positioned over the controls to call her communicator. Neon ran to his side. "Horus, we need to talk."
"Hm?" He turned to face him, briefly distracted from the POV. "What's going on?"
"It's the predators," Neon said, his pulse pounding at the speed of light. "They've found us. We're under attack."
Horus froze. "What? No."
"We picked them up on the sonar. They can't be far behind."
The captain turned back to the Pov, the falling streams of code seeming to hold him in a trance. "We can't go into lockdown with Rain still jacked in. How much longer will the ship hold out?"
Neon stared at the floor, unsure of how to answer. "I don't know."
Horus looked over his shoulder at him. "Open the sonar."
The dark pegasus nodded. He opened another window on the touch screen. The greenish image of the sonar appeared, the blue shape of the Firestar at the center, five white objects drawing slowly closer. "It's even worse than before," Neon murmured. He looked to his captain. "How much longer before they catch up?"
"Five minutes," Horus answered, watching the white blips crawl across the screen, closer and closer to the ship. "Six, if we're lucky."
"What now? We can't go into lockdown. If we set off the EMP with Rain still jacked in, it'll kill her."
Horus closed out of the sonar and turned back to the POV. He stared at the streams of code, searching for an answer. "Neon, charge the EMP."
Neon looked to his captain, fear flickering in his widened eyes. "W-what?"
Horus turned away from the POV to face him. "We don't have a choice. The entire crew is in danger. The engine won't hold out much longer under this pressure. If they attack, we'll have to set it off. I'll do my best to get Rain jacked out before we set it off, but if I can't, then..." He trailed off and looked back to the POV.
Neon bit back a scream of protest. His heart felt as it were burning, pulsing so hard it would shatter any second. "I- we can't just... There has to be another way out of this."
Horus sighed and closed his eyes. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Neon. We have no choice."
Neon turned away and walked back toward the pilot chamber. Spiro was staring fixedly at the world through the windshield, gripping the controls tightly as he carefully drove the speeding ship through the underground labyrinth. He turned around for just a second at the sound of hoofsteps to see Neon entering. "What did he say?"
Neon bit his lip, hesitating. He couldn't give up on Rain so easily. But the entire crew was at risk. He took a deep breath, forcing out the words as if it pained him. "Horus said that the ship's engine won't hold out much longer if we keep it floored. We have to charge the EMP. He'll do his best to get Rain jacked out before they catch up, but- The thing is, we can't get out of this any other way."
Spiro nodded. "Then charge it. We can't keep going at this speed or we'll crash. I'm going to have to slow down." He hung his head and sighed. He turned back to Neon. "Tell Horus to hurry."
Neon nodded. He turned to the ship controls and reached for the EMP switch. He turned it to the right until he felt the circuits inside click into place. The LED inside glowed brighter, the currents feeding its charge, ready to be let loose at any moment. The EMP charging and set to release, Neon turned away and returned to the holodeck.
He heard Horus's voice as soon as he entered. He stood at the controls, focused intently on Rain's POV, speaking into the microphone of a headset slipped over his ears. "It's on your left- Other left, Rain- You see those stairs? It's that way. Keep going, they're right behind you."
Neon approached the control panel. He tapped Horus on the shoulder. His captain looked over his shoulder and nodded. He was listening.
"Spiro has to slow down. The engine can't take much more, and at this speed we're bound to crash. The EMP is charging.'' Horus nodded again. Neon stared, entranced, at the POV. "Is she close?"
"Down that hallway. You're on the right track. It's straight ahead." Horus turned around and covered the microphone with his hoof. "Good. I've gotten a hold of her. She's getting closer. It shouldn't be long now." He removed his hoof from the headset's microphone. "Okay, I'm still here. There's a stairwell at the end of the hallway. Take it. The jackout site is straight ahead."
Neon felt a cool rush of relief. Rain was almost out. It wouldn't be long now. She would be jacked out, then the EMP could be released and destroy every predator within range. It would all be okay now...
A loud, heavy thud exploded from out of nowhere. The Firestar rocked sideways, its hoverstruts struggling to keep the ship level. Another impact and a loud, earsplitting crash erupted from somewhere above, even closer than the last. The holodeck lights flickered. Neon slipped on the smooth tiled floor as the ship rocked again. He let out a sharp cry as he hit the floor. He looked up to see Horus tightly gripping the control panel, struggling to keep his feet grounded. Neon peeled himself off the floor, trying to regain his balance. His eyes widened. "What was that?"
Horus looked up from the control panel screen. His head turned toward the ceiling, his eyes searching the smooth metal surface, almost as if he were waiting...
Another sharp, metallic crash tore through the air. The ship shuddered to a stop and landed heavily on the ground. Neon and Horus stood deathly still, eyes glued to the ceiling. "Spiro landed the ship," Neon said, his voice barely even a whisper.
Horus shrank back against the control panel. "That can only mean-"
His words were cut short by another deafening crash, then another. Shrill, metallic sounds echoed through the ship's thick metal shell. Neon stayed frozen beside his captain, daring not even to breathe. The grating scratch of metal against metal cut through the still, silent air.
Everything went silent. The scratching was gone. Then a low, steady hum replaced it from somewhere outside the ship. Suddenly a tiny red dot of light flashed on the dark metal. It shone through, burning bright, casting an eerie red reflection on the cables and wires crisscrossing the ceiling. Then it moved. In its path it left a dark streak, molten metal gathered around the edges. The light ran down a few feet, cutting a long gash into the thick sheet of metal. Then it was gone.
Silence returned. Neon stared up at the ceiling, unwilling to even blink. He heard a sound of shuffling against the floor next to him. He quickly glanced at Horus, his eyes locked on the gash burned into the ceiling. He was crouching down, his foreleg sliding slowly under the control panel, reaching for something...
A loud, grating shriek ripped through the silence. The dark pegasus's eyes flickered back to the melted gash in the ceiling. Dark metal claws had forced themselves through. They gripped the edges of the gash and tore away at it, ripping away the metal, forcing the gash wider and wider. A blinding red glare spilled through the jagged hole in the ceiling. Neon squinted against the bright light. Something huge was outside. A massive metal creature stared down at him through the gash. Four glowing red orbs glared at him, silvery metal fangs glinted in the unnatural light. The thing pulled away. A long, spidery limb came crashing through the jagged opening, its three claws tearing into the tiled floor. Another forced itself through, then another. The predators had breached their only defense.
A blinding white flash burst through the red glow. Neon whirled around to see Horus, reared up on his hind legs, holding up a pulse gun and firing madly at the attacking predators. The long extensions spasmed, sparking and fizzling. A loud, grating shriek sounded and they twitched and pulled themselves back through the opening. Horus turned to Neon. He nodded toward the circle of jack chairs, were Rain was still lying unconscious. "Go!" he shouted over the earsplitting noise. "Get her out!"
Neon jumped to his hooves and raced toward Rain's still-active chair. Another spidery arm shot through the ceiling gash. Neon snapped his wings open and dashed out of the way. He pumped his wings and swooped into the circle, crash-landing next to Rain's dreaming body.
He rose up from the ground and looked down at her. He took in every detail. Her carelessly scattered rainbow mane, her dark blue eyelashes relaxed and closed over her blazing magenta eyes, everything. The world around him faded. He ran a hoof through her soft multicolor hair. "Come on, Rain," he said. "You're almost there. You can do this."
Another deafening crash. Another light burned a jagged incision into the ship's shell. The predators tore away at the metal, relentlessly forcing their way through. But even in all the noise, one sound rose above the rest. A flat, endless tone. One Neon knew all too well.
Blip. Blip. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeee-
Neon screamed.

(jack in)

Rain slowed down and skidded to a stop. The crowd was too thick to keep running. Struggling to catch her breath, she slowed her pace to a crawl as she pushed past the other ponies, ignoring the gunshots that rang out frighteningly close behind. Her communicator continued its loud, distracting ringing. Rain snatched it from her pocket and answered. A deep voice spoke up on the other end. "Rain. Thank Celestia you answered."
"Yeah. Perfect timing!" Rain hissed. "Get me the hay out of here!"
"Calm down," Horus said. "You're only making this worse. I can tell you're in a tight spot."
Rain forced herself to breathe slowly. "Yeah. No kidding."
"I've found you an exit. It's not too far from where you are right now."
"Okay, good. Would be helpful if I could move." Rain ducked down as more gunshots sounded out behind her, forcing herself another few feet forward.
"Alright. First you have to get out of the square. See that mare ahead of you to the right, the one with the shopping bags?"
Rain looked at the mare with bleached hair and designer earrings. She was screaming madly, clutching her merchandise close. "Yeah?"
"Go towards her. The crowd isn't so thick there."
Rain made her way through the swarm toward the panicking shopper. Sure enough, the crowd began to thin out. A path appeared in the thick of everything. Rain made a break for the opening. Soon enough, she was racing down another street, the sounds of the square fading into the distance. "Thanks. You're a lifesaver."
"You can thank me later. Now there should be a row of lamp posts. One of them is blown out. Turn left there."
Rain sprinted toward the busted streetlight. Another misty, soaking street stretched out before her. A gunshot rang out from the edge of the square. Rain squealed. "Horus!"
"I know. They've caught up. I can see them too. Just listen to me and do exactly as I say. Now run!"
Rain's hooves pounded against the pavement as she made a break down the misty street, her shadow casting in the golden light of the lamp posts. She heard hoofbeats close behind her. A gunshot tore through the air. Rain felt a hot, stinging slash on her flank. She kick-started her wings and sped forward. "Please tell me I have to fly next!"
"Good timing. There's a fire escape. It's on your left- no, your other left, Rain." She swerved in the air and swooped down toward the metal staircase on the side of a building. "Land on the third platform. The window should be open."
Rain crashed onto the metal grate of the fire escape and jammed her hooves under the window frame. Another gunshot fired, then the loud ring of metal on metal. Rain glanced over her shoulder. Agent Steel was on the ground just below. He held a pistol aimed at her as two other agents dashed to the ladder and began the climb up the fire escape. Steel fired again. Another bullet struck the metal frame of the fire escape. Rain whirled back around and forced the window open, climbing in and slamming it shut again seconds before another bullet from Steel's gun smashed against the glass, cracks spreading in a spiderweb from the point of impact. Rain spun around and dashed down the hallway. She held her communicator to her ear again.
"Horus? You still there?"
"Yes. It's just past this hallway. You're on the right track. Keep going, it's straight ahead."
Rain continued on down the hallway. The shrill splintering sound of shattering glass broke through the air. She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see the window where she'd been standing only seconds ago fall from its frame in tiny shards. The pegasus let out a small gasp and turned back, running for her life to the exit, her only escape.
The hallway turned on a sharp angle to the left. Suddenly a gunshot sounded out from nowhere, shattering the unstable quiet. Rain looked back to see a nameless agent clone less than twenty feet away. He held a handgun trained on her, the hammer already pulled back and set to fire again. Unwilling to give up so easily, Rain flicked her hoof and jumped into the air, spreading her wings. If she couldn't run ahead, she could definitely fly. With a twist of her wings she turned back, ready to bolt.
Bam! A sharp pain fired through her wing. Rain let out a shriek and bolted forward, crashing into the dark blue carpeting and sliding across the floor before skidding painfully to a stop. She looked down at the carpet to her left. Blood was soaking into the tightly woven fibers. Rain heard the agent's gun go off again. Swiping a her remaining pistol from her belt, she forced herself to stand up. The agent stared threateningly at her, his gun still aimed in her direction. She clicked the hammer of her own weapon, hoping she still had enough bullets left to take him out. The agent fired first.
Rain leaped out of the way. The bullet sailed past her, narrowly missing her shoulder. Another fired, then another. Rain slipped and twisted in the small space of the hallway, dodging each shot so closely she could feel the hot rush of air as it sailed past. Then the shots stopped firing. Her eyes flickered back to the agent. His gun was empty. He threw it to the ground and pounced.
Rain's eyes went wide. She gripped her pistol tightly, her forelegs still locked and aiming at the agent soaring towards her. She heard the familiar earth-shaking explosion of a gun firing off. She realized it was hers.
The agent froze. A look of disbelief flashed in his eyes. He crashed to the floor, his spotless white shirt stained with blood. A few seconds passed. His chest shuddered once and he went still. The agent shattered into a million pixels and disappeared.
Rain ejected the magazine from her pistol and shook it out. Empty. She cast the gun aside and picked up her phone. "Horus?" she said, galloping onward down the hallway. "Are you still on?"
"Yes, I'm still here," Horus said, an awestruck tone in his voice. "Did you plan to do that?"
"Um... no. And now I'm out of weapons."
"Genius move, all the same. Now run. There might be more nearby."
Rain kick-started her sprint. "Where to now?"
"There's a stairwell at the end of the hallway. Take it. The jackout site is straight ahead from there."
The mare found herself standing at the edge of a painted metal staircase. "Up or down?"
"One story up. You'll be able to hear it from there."
"Okay." Rain hung up her communicator and started up the stairs. The warm golden light of the next floor spilled into the stairwell. Then the familiar, digital ring of a cordless phone echoed into the hallway. Rain let out a soft sigh of relief. She was almost there.
Rain bolted the rest of the way up the stairs. The digitized ringing of the hacked exit phone filled her ears. She ran down the hallway, past door after door, the sound growing louder with every step. Then it began to fade. Rain skidded to a stop and turned around. The ringing was loudest where she stood, in front of a painted gray door, the number 42 hanging in plastic numbers across the top. The ring sang out again. This was the place. Rain reached forward and threw the door open.
Bam.
The sound was like an explosion. Everything went silent. Painful ringing filled her ears. She stared blankly forward as she took in the sight before her, the painful truth slowly sinking in.
Agent Steel was standing in the doorway. He held the same gun as before, holding it stiffly aimed at Rain. His sunglasses gone, he stared back at her, straight into her widened, shocked eyes, as if he'd been waiting. A hot, empty bullet shell lay useless on the floor.
Rain looked down. She saw her black halter top, a small, smoldering hole torn into the fabric sitting right over her heart. A dark red stain blossomed on the fabric. She looked back up at Steel, her eyes huge and glassy.
He fired again. Pain ripped through Rain's shoulder. She staggered backwards and hit the wall. Blood splattered onto the wallpaper. Another bullet fired. Pain blossomed on Rain's neck, her chest, her stomach. She leaned back against the wall, gasping for air. Blood was everywhere. Rain's vision blurred. Everything was fading. She sank to her knees and fell to the floor. She didn't get up. Rain lay there on her side, weak, bleeding, watching helpless as her vision slowly went dark. The last thing she saw was the bullet shells on the floor, her blood seeping into the carpet, the light of the apartment with the ringing phone, her last hope of escape, all fading away. Her eyes fluttered shut. She took one last, painful breath and everything was gone.
Steel dropped his gun, letting the useless weapon fall to the floor. He stepped toward the motionless pegasus on the floor. Her eyes were closed. She lay perfectly still, blood pooling around her on the floor. Two more agents emerged from the apartment behind him.
He glanced over his shoulder. "Check her."
One agent kneeled down next to Rain's lifeless body. He placed a hoof on her neck. The seconds passed as they waited. Rain remained still, lifeless, not even a flutter of a pulse for the agent's hoof to find. The agent nodded his head. "She's gone."
The agents turned away and walked calmly down the empty hallway. There was nothing more to be done. They knew the truth about Rain. They always had. But the fight was finished, and they had won.
It was over. Rain was dead.

(jack out)

The world around Neon had disappeared. Everything was blurred, silent, fading away into the darkness. All he could see was Rain. She was still there, lying unconscious in the jack chair, motionless. A trickle of blood had escaped her lips, staining her bright blue coat with dark red. Neon gently wiped it away. Tears blurred his vision. He let out a choked sob. Rain. She couldn't be gone...
Neon's head fell and rested on the headrest next to Rain's. He buried his face in her soft rainbow mane. He took another shaking breath. It couldn't be over. It couldn't.
Neon lifted his head and leaned in towards Rain's face. "Rain," he whispered. "You can't be dead. You can't just leave like this. You can't just let them take you away. Listen to me, Rain. You are the One. I know you are. I believe in you. It can't end like this. You can't just give up. Please, Rain. We need you here with us. I need you. I... my soul... it resonates with yours. We can't be torn apart. You can't be dead. You are the One, Rain. You are because I- I love you."
Neon drew closer to her. His lips touched hers. Everything that he had felt from the beginning poured out in a blazing storm. He kissed her. A tear fell and landed on Rain's cool, lifeless cheek. "Do you hear me?" Neon whispered against her lips. "I love you."
Blip.
Neon's eyes went wide at the sound. No. I must be hallucinating. She's dead. There's no way-
Blip. The noise sounded again. Slowly Neon turned his head to look up. It was the monitor. It had found something. The steady, flat line that was Rain's pulse twitched. The machine chirped again. A small point broke out from the straight green stream. Her heart was beating.
Neon whirled back to Rain. He heard a small, choking gasp. Rain's chest shuddered. She was breathing.
Neon's heart was racing. He leaned down next to her. "You are the One, Rain," he whispered to her.
"Now get up and finish it."

THE MAGIX: CHAPTER 17: She is the One

Blip. Blip. Blip.
The sound of the heart monitor filled Neon's ears. He gazed down at Rain, still lying unconscious, a soft light glowing within her. He rested his head on her chest, listening to the steady pulse of her heart. He let out a choked sob. "Oh my Celestia. Oh my Celestia, it's true. She's real."
The sounds of the predator attack faded in and out. The ship shuddered with every strike, the huge, spidery androids still scratching at the ship's hull, fighting to break in. Neon lifted his head and turned around. The fiery red light of the predators' eyes filled the holodeck. The openings they had torn had been forced wider, the monsters outside scrabbling to get through. Horus and Amber still held the pulse guns, shooting at whatever the beams of electricity could reach.
Horus looked past the chaos to see Neon kneeling at Rain's side, looking over his shoulder, his eyes glassy with tears. He smiled. All at once, he understood. He'd been watching the POV in flashes. He'd caught every second, when Steel hunted her down, every bullet he fired, when her pulse line went flat. All at once he understood.
"She's alive?" he shouted to Neon.
The dark pegasus nodded. It was true. Rain had made it.
Neon turned back to Rain. She was still unmoving, her mind locked in the virtual dream. She radiated energy, a soft light glowing from somewhere inside of her. Neon put his forelegs around her, wrapping himself over the jack chair and resting his head against her shoulder.
There was a flash. Neon looked up. It was coming from beneath him, somewhere between him and Rain. The shock of electricity pulsed between them again, just as it had the first time. The light had grown brighter. It glowed in a vivid, multicolored spectrum, pulsing waves of energy shining out from Rain's heart. Neon pulled away, stunned. "H-how-"
Horus looked down from his position at the controls. He was smiling, hope glowing in his eyes.
"She is the One."
There was a sound, something like an explosion. Blinding white light flooded the holodeck. Neon screamed and shut his eyes. A powerful blast threw him backwards. A shrill, piercing ring filled the air. Then everything was still.

(jack in)

The first thing Rain felt was the heat. A warm, fuzzy pulse filled her entire avatar, flooding her with light. She gasped. She could feel her heart thudding in her chest. She was still lying on the floor, blood soaked into the carpeting, staining her fur and mane. Rain took another breath. She opened her eyes and blinked.
"No..."
Rain's eyes flickered towards the source of the voice. Agent Steel. He stood at the end of the hallway on the edge of the staircase, flanked by two agent clones. He was staring down at her, his cold blue eyes wide with disbelief. He whispered again. "No. It's impossible."
Taking in another deep breath, Rain forced herself to her feet. Her wounds were gone. The blood that had soaked into her clothes and coat had disappeared. Her magenta eyes blazed. She glowed with pure, unreleased power. Neon's words echoed in her head.
You are the One.
She turned her gaze on Steel. His icy blue eyes stared back. She took a step towards him. He stood his ground, unwilling to back down. The agents beside him aimed their guns at her and fired.
Rain stared ahead, her eyes blazing with light. She watched the bullets all speeding in her direction. She held up a single hoof. The bullets slowed down, as if being caught in an invisible forcefield. In seconds they were frozen, hanging in midair, rippling waves of air trailing behind them. Rain reached forward and tapped her hoof against one. It fell from its place and clattered uselessly to the floor. She lowered her gaze and the rest of the bullets fell. She raised her head and gazed intently at Steel.
Rain didn't say a word. She spread her wings. Rain closed her eyes and began to run. She sped forward toward Steel. Then she jumped, pushed her wings forward, and flew straight through him.
A sonic boom echoed through the deserted hallway. A spectrum of color flashed across the walls. Rain crashed headfirst into Steel's chest, knocking him backwards. He forced himself to his feet, prepared to kill her again if he had to. She was gone. At first there was nothing. Rain had disappeared without a trace. And then...
Pain was suddenly firing through Steel's nerves. His entire body felt as if it were on fire. A light glowed from somewhere inside of him. He screamed. He couldn't move, couldn't even speak. His entire body was burning. Cracks spread across his skin. A blinding white light spilled through from inside. He screamed again. It was over. It was all over...
Boom.
Light flooded the hallway. Agent Steel shattered. Pixels flew in every direction. He no longer existed. He was gone. And in his place, at the very source of the light, stood Rain.
Her eyes were calmly closed. Her rainbow mane was floating around her as if fluttering in some nonexistent breeze, gleaming in the light. Her avatar glowed, energy pulsing through her. She took a deep breath. The hallway rippled, the code of the Magix struggling to keep up. Rain raised her head and opened her eyes. They blazed with pure energy. She turned her gaze on the agents.
It took only a second. One agent let out a panicked cry. Then they both shattered into pixels and disappeared. They had no leader anymore. No purpose. If Agent Steel was gone, and so were the rest of them.
The light inside of Rain glowed brighter. The spectrum of color transformed into a pure, blinding white. The power pulsed through Rain, taking over every part of her. Her avatar had become a bright, glowing shape, a strange, powerful creature seemingly spun entirely from light. She closed her eyes again and slowly, her hooves lifted from the floor. For a second she hovered there, the power holding her cradled in midair. Then there was an explosion. The light flooded out, burning with a pure, powerful, unstoppable energy. A blinding white flash. Then she was gone. The light disappeared, leaving nothing but an untouched hallway behind.

(jack out)

The soft, worn surface of a jack chair brushed against Rain's skin. She felt something else, something soft, warm, and living. She felt a cool, electrical pulse wherever it touched her. It moved. She heard a voice. "Rain?"
Her eyes fluttered open. There was Neon. He was leaning over her, his glowing green eyes locked on hers. He didn't say a word. He took her face in his hooves and leaned closer. Rain closed her eyes. She kissed him.
The electricity flooded over them again. The spark formed between the two pegasi. Rain didn't let go. She wasn't afraid anymore. The spark grew, glowing brighter, stronger, energy sparking off and shutting out all else. Rain slipped her forelegs around Neon and held him closer. She felt his heartbeat against her own. Electricity flowed through her. She felt high, her mind fuzzy. Rain let go and let the resonance take over her. Her and Neon were entwined, connected, perfect. It felt so right just to be here, close to him, safe in his arms. Rain heard Neon's voice whisper in her head. The resonance link had been completed. I love you.
I know, she whispered back. And I love you.
Ever so slowly, Neon drew back. The spark flickered and faded away. Rain opened her eyes. A hot, wet feeling drenched her face just below her eyes. Tears. She hadn't even realized she was crying.
Neon reached a hoof out and wiped them away. Rain looked up at him. He smiled.
They were connected. She was the One. The battle was over, and all was right in the world again.

The holodeck was a mess. The predators had completely torn it apart. But then the unexplainable had happened. Rain had survived. From her energy, she had set off an EMP of her own. The predators were gone and the crew was safe. Sort of. The damage would take a long time to fix. The Firestar would be immobile for weeks. But that wasn't important. Rain was the one. She was alive. The crew had survived, and that was all that mattered.

It was a while before Rain could get up. Every move she made took a huge effort. It was as if every ounce of energy had been forced from her body. Neon stayed by her every minute, sparks flying from every place where he touched her, until Spiro called him away to gage the damage in the rest of the ship. Amber and Horus watched as the ship regained power and the mainframe rebooted. Amber laughed. "You seriously can't get up?"
Rain twitched, forced her forelegs behind her back and sat up, just a second before she fell back down. "Um... almost."
Amber laughed. "Well, you seemed to have plenty of energy to make out with Neon."
Rain giggled, her cheeks flushing pink behind her sky blue coat. She shifted back into the position she was in before. She let out a restrained sigh. "I feel so drained."
"I can tell. Seriously, Rain. What the hell happened in there?"
She thought back as hard as she could. All she remembered was the pain, the noise, the light and ringing slowly fading away, and then- "I don't know. I was dead, then suddenly, there was this voice-"
Her roommate smiled. "You were flatlining. Neon started screaming, then all of a sudden he just calmed down. It was weird. Then he started talking to you, even though he knew you were dead, and then the heart monitor started picking up a pulse again. You started glowing, for some reason. Then there was this huge explosion-"
"I remember. There was one in the Magix too."
"What was that, anyway?"
"I don't know. But wherever it came from, it saved everypony."
Rain stayed lying in the holodeck for another hour, slowly recharging from the explosion. Spiro had left to take care of Pinkie. The others were gone. Neon was the last to leave. Rain had known he would be. Soon enough she could stand up on her own. As soon as she'd found her footing, she set off for the sickbay. There was someone there waiting to see her.

When she walked through the doorway, the sickbay was empty. The lights were on, filling the small, sterilized room with a hazy white glow. It was packed with almost as much technology as the holodeck, all kinds of machinery beside the exam table and the two small beds against one wall. A soft gray blanket covered one, a small shape hiding underneath, moving with the steady rise and fall of breathing. Rain made her way over to the bedside. A pony was laying there, relaxed and peacefully dreaming. Sterile white bandages covered her coat, wrapped tightly over the wounds left by the plugs Spiro had just removed. Her mane was scattered over the pillow in short, curly pink tufts. Rain leaned in and gently nudged the sleeping pony with a hoof. "Pinkie?"
Pinkie Pie stirred and made a soft, sleepy noise. Rain poked her again. "Pinkie Pie. Come on, wake up. Even for a second. It's me. It's Rain."
She moaned softly in protest. Her sleepy blue eyes fluttered halfway open. "Dashie?"
The pegasus smiled. "Pinkie. It's me. I'm- I'm so happy you made it out." She leaned over the bed and wrapped her up in her forelegs, her face buried in the fluffy strands of her cotton-candy mane.
The half-conscious mare looked up at her friend. She breathed in. Everything was so different in the outside world. Even Rain was different. She was so much more... real. Pinkie could feel her, see her, even smell her. She smelled like safety. Friendship. She lifted a hoof and touched Rain's rainbow mane. "Dashie. Your mane is short."
Rain laughed. "So is yours," she said, brushing a hoof through Pinkie's shortened, puffy mane. She let her back down and lay her gently on the bed.
"My eyes hurt," she mumbled.
"You've never used them before."
Pinkie shifted around and snuggled herself back into the blankets. She looked up at Rain from under her heavy eyelashes. "Dashie. I can still call you that, right?"
"Of course you can," Rain said.
The sleepy pink mare giggled. "You're my best friend." Her eyes drifted closed again.
Rain let out a quiet laugh. "You're my best friend, too, Pinkie Pie."
A few seconds ticked past. Everything stayed silent. Rain turned away to leave.
"Dashie, wait."
Rain turned around. Pinkie was still awake. She had forced her eyes to open again and was looking to Rain. She turned around and came back to the bed. "What is it?"
Pinkie's eyes fell closed again. "I'm not Pinkie Pie anymore," she murmured. "My name is Pixy."
Rain laughed. "Okay. Pixy Pie."
Pixy's chest shuddered in a quiet burst of laughter. Her breathing became relaxed and even again. Rain smiled. "Goodnight, Pixy,' she whispered.
As Rain walked back to her dorm, the memories replayed in her head over and over. It was clearer than ever now. She didn't doubt it anymore. It was true. All of it.
She wasn't Rainbow Dash anymore. Her name was Rain. It would stay that way forever. Her ordinary life in Ponyville was gone. She was the One. Everything had changed. Harmony would be her home now. The crew would be her new family, and her heartless past was erased forever. Rain had no idea where the real world would take her next. Only one thing was for sure.
Nothing would ever be the same again.

THE MAGIX: EPILOGUE

It was late. Much later than Twilight Sparkle was used to staying up. The warm, golden light from her desk lamp and the flickering glow from nearby candles illuminated the empty sheet of parchment sitting on the desk in front of her. She stared blankly at the unmarked scroll waiting patiently to be sent to Princess Celestia. Once again, the unicorn took her quill in her magic grip and poised it over the paper, ready to scribble down her latest lesson in friendship. No words would come.
Twilight sighed and placed the quill back in its inkwell. It was hopeless. It had been almost two weeks since her last letter to the princess, and she hadn't learned a single thing.
The lavender unicorn turned around and stared into the dim, shadowy bedroom behind her. Spike was curled up in his basket and obliviously snoring away. Owlicious stood silently on his perch, his huge brown eyes studying her intently. "What are you looking at?" she mumbled.
Her gaze floated on towards the steampunk-styled clock hanging on the wall. It was almost midnight. The golden gears behind the frosted glass face ticked on with every passing second. Twilight turned back to her scroll and continued to stare aimlessly at the blank piece of paper.
She hadn't learned one lesson about friendship since her last letter. The princess had told her that she only had to send a letter when she learned a new lesson about friendship, but Twilight couldn't stand the idea of lagging for so long between messages. She picked up the quill again. Still nothing came to mind. She dropped the feather pen back into its inkwell, pushed her chair away from the desk and walked away from her assignment.
"Hoo." Owlicious ruffled his feathers and shifted around on his perch. Twilight walked over to the perch and scratched the owl's head. He closed his eyes and nuzzled his head against her hoof. Twilight looked to the window just past the perch and gazed longingly out at the night sky outside.
"Hey, Owlicious, have you learned anything about friendship lately?" she absentmindedly asked.
The owl twittered, spread his wings and fluttered away from his perch. Not knowing what else to do, Twilight followed him. He alighted on the edge of her writing desk and looked up at her with his wide brown eyes, as if asking her to join him. The unicorn wandered back to her desk and sat down.
"Hoo," Owlicious chirped. He edged across to the other side, nudging the parchment in his path.
"I can't write right now, Owlicious," Twilight whispered to him, careful not to wake Spike. "I haven't learned anything about friendship yet. I hate to keep the princess waiting like this, but I just can't right now."
Owlicious twittered again and looked past Twilight at her bed. It was as if he were saying, "You're normally there right now."
"I can't sleep," she murmured, plucking absentmindedly at her quill. "I haven't been able to for days. Not since Pinkie disappeared."
Suddenly Twilight burst into tears. She buried her face in her hooves and sobbed. First Rainbow Dash was gone. Now Pinkie Pie was, too. It had been three days. Nothing. Not even a shred of evidence had turned up. The Element of Laughter had disappeared without a trace. Just like her best friend, Loyalty. Twilight Sparkle couldn't stand it. The Elements were slowly falling apart.
"Hoo."
Owlicious's chirp brought her back to reality. Twilight wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up at her owl. "Owlicious," she said. "Why is this happening? All my friends are disappearing. We need to all be together. When we're apart it's just... not the same."
Suddenly the unicorn's eyes brightened. An idea sparked in her head. She picked up her quill again and started scribbling down her letter.
Dear Princess Celestia,
These past few weeks have been extremely difficult. I find it hard to believe that yet another one of the Elements of Harmony has disappeared. Nothing is the same without all of the elements here together. I miss both my friends with all my heart, and so do the others. Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity and I have relied on each other a lot through this difficult time. We need each other more than anything to get through this. None of us could ever do it on our own. My lesson of friendship today is that friends are essential to getting through difficult times. They are what hold you up when it seems like everything is falling apart. In spite of everything, our friendship has held us together.
Twilight held her quill over the paper, prepared to sign her name and send it off. But something was missing. Something she couldn't exactly figure out. A shadow of doubt hovered over her, the same shadow that had been hanging over her since the night Pinkie Pie disappeared.
Twilight sighed and put her quill down on her desk. She couldn't. What would Celestia think if she-
"No. She has to know," she said to herself. Twilight snatched the quill and put it to the paper.
Princess Celestia, I can't help it. Something feels wrong. I can't help but wonder if something else is going on. These disappearances are no coincidence. Something else is going on. I can sense it. I want you to tell me everything you know about this case. I want to know the truth. What is really going on?

Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle

Her head reeling, Twilight placed her quill back in its inkwell and rolled the paper into a scroll to send to the princess. She took the scroll, stood up from her desk, and walked over to Spike's basket. The young dragon was still asleep, snoring with abandon. "Wake up, Spike." She poked him. Spike did nothing but snort in his sleep, roll over, and continue to snore.
"Spike! Wake up!" Twilight shouted at him. She planted her hoof into his side and shoved him sideways.
"Huh?" Spike mumbled. Then he squealed as he was thrown forcefully from his basket. He flew sideways and slid across the floor, crashing into the wall. He groaned and sat up, rubbing his head where it had smashed against the wall. "What the- Twilight! I was in the middle of a dream about Rari- um, ice cream! What do you want?"
Twilight straightened up and trotted over to where Spike was sitting, leaning against the wall. "I need you to send a message to the princess. Right now."
"A message?" Spike moaned. "Now? What time is it?"
Twilight glanced at her clock. "12: 14. Approximately three hours and twenty-six minutes from when I first sat down to write this message."
Spike got up and staggered back to his basket. "It's that late? Twilight, Princess Celestia isn't going to read a message she got in the middle of the night. Can't this wait until tomorrow? You know, when the rest of the world is awake?"
"Of course not," Twilight said, placing the scroll in Spike's hand. "It's very important that the Princess receives this message as soon as possible. And besides, there are millions of ponies who are awake right now on the other side of the planet. Now send it."
"Okay, okay, fine." Spike held the scroll in front of him and let out a breath of fire. The paper smoldered in the green flare and disappeared. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going back to bed."
Sure enough, the second Spike had his blanket pulled over his shoulders, another burst of green flame exploded from his mouth. A scroll appeared and landed on the floor. Twilight went to pick up the scroll from where it was lying on the floor. "Thank you, Spike."
"Yeah. Don't mention it," the dragon mumbled from under his blanket.
Excitement blazing in her head, Twilight unrolled the scroll. Her eyes scanned over the lines of the Princess's intricate handwriting. She started to read. "Dear Twilight Sparkle..."
It's been a while. Why are you sending me messages in the middle of the night?
"See? I told you," Spike said, listening from somewhere underneath his pile of blanket.
I know that this is a difficult time for you. Believe me, it is for me as well. Normally this would be the time that I tell you that there is nothing going on, that you need to relax and let the court take care of the investigation. But sadly, this is wrong.
Twilight gasped. She couldn't believe it. The princess really had been hiding something from her this entire time. Heart pounding, she read on.
You don't know everything about me, Twilight. There are many things that have been hidden for years not only from you, but from every pony in Equestria. It's time you knew the truth.
The Equestria you live in is a lie. Everything you have known from the day you were born has been an illusion. You were right. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie's disappearances were not simply by chance.
I have a question for you myself. Do you want to know what is really out there?
If the answer is no, then do not respond. Burn this letter and forget everything I have just told you. Let life go on as it always has. But if you do want to know the truth...
Meet me at the palace in Canterlot in three days. I have a message for you from a friend of mine.

Your tutor, Princess Celestia

Twilight nearly dropped the letter on Spike's head. She felt as if she were suffocating. Her princess, her tutor, her friend- Had she been lying to her all this time? She couldn't let this go. She had to know. Twilight grabbed her quill and quickly scribbled down a reply.
I want to know the truth. I'll meet you in Canterlot, just as you asked. Who is this friend of yours?

Twilight rolled up her message and nudged Spike's basket. "Spike. Get up. I need you to send another message."
The dragon rolled over and poked his head out of his blanket. "No."
"What? Come on, Spike. It's really important."
"No. I don't want to. I'm tired."
"Just this last message, Spike? Pleeeeeease?"
"If I send it, then will you let me sleep?"
"Yes."
"Fine. One more message." Spike took the scroll from twilight and set it ablaze. He curled up under his blanket again, only to be shaken by another burst of fire seconds later.
Twilight fished the scroll out from the pile of Spike's blanket. She tore the seal off and unrolled the scroll. Her eyes widened. All it held was a single sentence.

His name is Horus.