The Marked Legions were an adaptive army. While their preferred tactic was brute force and overwhelming numbers, their ability to go from a marauding force of arms to a work camp within a few hours had served their draconic master well. What is more, the Legions did not need to commit all their numbers to one task. As the majority of legionaries toiled in the forest creating the necessary equipment for the siege of the Crystal Empire, Dugore had formed scouting parties he called ‘vanguards’ and dispatched them into the wastes. Their role was to scout ahead for anything that may be of interest to the war master whether it be a fortress, secret pass, or approaching Equestrians. One such party, led by a burly earth-toned minotaur, was moving along the treacherous mountain range that made up the southern border of the Frozen Wastes. So far, he and his small group had yet to find anything of use and it showed in the weary and disappointed faces of the almost completely earthbound troops under his command. The vanguard captain relayed as much to his dispatch via a two-way communication spell created by the lone unicorn under his command.

"Nothing but snow, rock and ice out here." The bipedal bull said with a shake of his horned head. "We're ready to call it quits as soon as my fliers get back."

"Not so fast, Stone Skin." The pegasus mare on the other end replied curtly. "This close to the Crystal City, we cannot be careless. Continue your scouting for another hour or two. Am I clear?"

"Yes...ma'am." The minotaur begrudgingly gave the legion salute. "I will report in then."

"Good." The militant mare returned the salute. "Base camp, out."

The spell was severed and the poor unicorn gasped as the strain was lifted.

"Easy for that bitch to say." He groaned as he rubbed his head. "She's not freezing her ass off out here."

As the numerically weakest component of the Marked Legions, unicorns played more utilitarian roles in the army. Given the vast size of the horde, they were invaluable in communicating and coordinating cohorts. They also found use in countering enemy magic, which was plentiful in Equestria, in addition to normal combat roles.

"I feel your pain, Longshot." Stone said sympathetically. "This wind cuts right through you."

"Try flying through it!" A voice called out from above.

The vanguards looked up to see a griffoness and a pair of pegasi come in for a landing. They touched down in the snow and shook the build-up of ice out of their feathers.

“Max.” The burly minotaur greeted with a nod. “Anything to report?”

“Just snow, ice, rock, and some more damn snow.” She replied with a shiver. “Please tell me we can head back now."

"No such luck." Stone shook his head. "Dispatch wants us out here for at least another hour so we should chart out the next length of our expedition."

"Haha. You sound like one of those adventurers the ponies like to read about." Max chuckled lightly as she rummaged through her bags.

The hawk-lion hybrid pulled out a map that had been retrieved from the officers’ quarters of the fort the new recruits had captured and laid it out before them. She traced a path from where the main body of the Legion was camped at the woods and the distant Crystal Empire. The only noteworthy landmark was the long condemned Broken Horn Mine, so named for the shape of the mountain the mine laid under.

“Well, unless there’s some buried treasure in this hole in the ground, there is jack and shit between us and those prissy ponies in the Empire.” Max concluded.

One of the accompanying diamond dogs with a bandaged hind paw ambled up and looked over Max's shoulder. The hound pointed at the mine marked on the map.

“Oi, don't ya think we should check dis 'ere mine?” He asked. "Could be some right flashy loot in dere."

The bull looked from the map to the nearby mountain. While it could have been the cold, he felt a shiver run down his spine. Something about the place seemed very wrong.

“Call it a gut feeling but I’d rather not, Fleabag.” Stone said. “Something about that place is making my skin crawl.”

The three other vanguards looked over at the broken peak and felt a similar sensation. Longshot shook it off first.

“Just as well, I don't think we have time to check every nook and cranny for spoils." The unicorn said with a shrug. "So should we just wait out the hour or double check what we already covered?”

Stone thought for a moment before he raised his voice to get all of the vanguards under his commands attention.

“We're going to rest here for a bit!” He shouted. "Get a camp set up and try to keep the fires small!"

A collective sigh of relief ran through the group as they spread out along the rocks broke out tents and other shelters. It was not easy due to the broken terrain and whipping wind but they made fair progress. After some time, the minotaur was about to dig out some rations for a snake when Fleabag called out to him.

“Oi, boss!” The diamond dog waved him over to a ridge overlooking a small clearing. “Looky what I found.”

Stone joined the mutt and looked down into a clearing. Below them were a very small group of ponies, wrapped up in warm winter wear. Some were chatting while others simply stood around.

“I think dose are some of Sunbutt’s Golden Boyz.” The dog said in his peculiar way.

“Solar Guards?” The vanguard captain mused aloud. “What are they doing way out here?”

Max poked her beak over the ridge and focused on the group below. Her sharp hawk eyes saw more than the minotaur's or diamond dog’s. She counted two white-coated pegasi, three unicorns; two with charcoal coats and an off white one with glasses and two crystal ponies.

“They’re too few to be a patrol and I think two of them are just civvies." The griffoness inferred. "I think they’re looking for something.”

“Not us, I hope.” Longshot joined the observation.

“If the princesses knew we were out here, believe me, we’d know.” He cast a cautious glance at the sky as if expecting one of the Alicorns to drop down on them.

“Well... we do outnumber them.” Longshot hinted with a smile. “It might be a good idea to take care of them now. Plus that golden armor is probably expensive.”

The group shared knowing glances. The promise of loot was enough to galvanize the greedy scouts and it had been a while since they have had a decent fight. If they could take the equines prisoner, that would be a bonus.

“Well, you heard the unicorn." Stone voiced what they were all thinking. "Let's go say hello to these poor lost little ponies.”

The minotaur signaled for the rest of the vanguards attention. When he had it, he announced their discovery to great anticipation. Before they launched their raid, he reminded them of some ground rules.

“Remember: Don’t let the pegasi fly away or they’ll alert the Empire to the Legion’s approach." The bull warned. "I don’t want to bring the hammer down on us because we were careless so if you see one make a break for it, kill it.”

The vanguards nodded as their boss continued.

“Unicorns have to charge their magic before firing. If you’re close enough, hack off the horn." He added much to Longshot's discomfort. "Otherwise, dodge it or take it in your armor.”

“Yeah, yeah." Max rolled her eyes. "I think we know how to beat a few ponies, Stone.”

“What about those crystal ponies? They've only been back for a couple of years." One of the more cautious vanguards asked. "How do we fight them?”

“Oh, uh…” The minotaur thought for a minute. “Just attack from the sides like you would any earth pony. Break their legs and they’re useless.”

With the rules of engagement set, Stone signaled for his group to quietly make their way down the slope. Along the way, he took the unicorn aside.

“Longshot, I want you to take out their leader first." He whispered to avoid alerting the equines. "Once you fire, we charge.”

“Right…uh…” The stallion paused for a minute. “Which one is the leader?”

Stone looked back down at the Equestrians. He was not quite sure himself. Most ponies in Equestria's military looked the same, probably for this very reason.

“It’s either the mare or the one with the fanciest armor.” The bull guessed.

As silently as they could, the vanguards of the Marked Legions positioned themselves around their would-be victims. Like wolves, they waited with bated breath for the signal to attack in shrubs and behind rocks and ledges. Legion equines pawed at the ground in anticipation while those that had fingers readied bows and crossbows. Longshot himself climbed atop a rock and laid himself flat. Deciding that the stallion in crystalline armor was the leader, he took careful aim at his uncovered face and charged his horn.

---

Captain Carbon Copy was beginning to resent Prince Armor for volunteering him for this mission. He had hoped that once they had set out from the Empire that it would be a simple matter of finding some smoldering bits of the Lurker, collecting them for the researches and returning home for a hot meal and a warm bed. After hours of wandering the icy wastes, all they had to show for their efforts were stiff limbs and chilly bodies. The captain’s military training told him that if there was not a corpse, then the thing was still alive which did not make him feel any better.

“Maybe it wandered south into Equestria.” He wondered aloud.

“It wouldn't surprise me." One of the newly reassigned Solar Guards said with a chuckle. "We haven’t had a major monster invasion since that centaur, we’re due.”

Copy laughed a little with him. It seemed Equestria, and by extension the Crystal Empire, could not go a week without some calamity, great or small, befalling them. It was humorous, in a cynical kind of way.

“Ca…captain…” Tomes, panting heavily from the long hike and weight of his pack, called out. “Can we please…take a break?”

The Crystal Captain looked around. They were in a small clearing with no discernible landmarks save the distant Broken Horn Peak and a few dead trees. He turned to Mica who, as ever, had her magical instruments out scanning for anything odd.

“Have you found anything, Mica?” He asked.

The crystal mare tapped her detector a few times before sighing and stowed it in her pack.

“Not since the last ten times you asked me.” She said, bitterly. "Just some background magic."

She had left the Crystal Empire for Canterlot because, among other reasons, she hated the cold. Her current situation only reinforced that loathing.

“We’ll rest up here then.” Copy announced. "Somepony get a small fire going."

With a relieved gasp, Tomes dropped his pack and flopped down on it, thankful for the chance to rest. The Solar Guards spread out a little while Mica leaned against a dead tree. Carbon Copy could not help but look her up and down again. It was one of the worst-kept secrets among the Crystal Guard that he had a weakness for mares and that he had used his position as Guard Captain to gain many bedmates during his career. Mica had proven to be not so impressed by his rank she had met his advances with cold indifference or outright hostility. While most stallions would have taken the hint and cut their losses, Copy liked the idea of a challenge. Straightening his crystal armor and checking his breath, he decided to try a more subtle tactic with the crystal mare. He trotted up to her, no sly looks or any swagger in his step, just a casual trot to make small talk with a pretty mare.

“So, Mica, I was…” He began confidently

“Let me guess:” Mica shot him a death glare worthy of a cockatrice. “A clever innuendo, a pickup line made of cheese, some other lame-brained attempt to get me to bend over and present?”

“I was wondering how that magical gizmo of yours works.” He winced at the scathing rejection but kept his cool and diverted the conversation.

Mica narrowed her eyes. Copy realized his mistake and hurried to correct it.

“That’s not an innuendo!” He said quickly as he pointed to her pack. “I meant that instrument you keep looking at.”

“You mean this?” Mica’s expression softened slightly as she dug out around in her bags and held up a small rectangular box.

Copy nodded in affirmation. The crystal mare slid off the back of the box and turned it to show the captain the inside of the device. Two small red and blue crystals laid inside attached to the meter by some bits of copper.

“These crystals react to any form of magic, be it active or passive.” Mica explained as she flipped a switch on top of the box.

Both crystals started glowing and emitting a soft ticking sound. Mica then turned the box around to show copy the meter on the front of it. The arrow on the gage was twitching slightly.

“The higher the arrow, the stronger the magic.” She explained.

To demonstrate, she passed the detector in front of one of the unicorn Solar Guards who was levitating some supplies out of his bags. The meter jumped up and the clicking became louder and faster.

“Impressive.” Copy said genuinely, his quest to woo Mica momentary forgotten.

“It is, but a fat lot of good it does me out here.” The mare growled as she continued to scan the area. “The Lurker either isn't magical in nature, which means I was sent to this frozen wasteland for no reason, or it's masking its magical presence somehow.”

“That gives credence to Tomes ‘demon’ theory.” The captain looked over at the bookish unicorn that had seemed to have recovered from his exhaustion and was chatting up one of the guards about who knows what. “I still think it’s a dimensional alien.”

“Captain, I know we live in a magical land filled with ancient monsters, fancy jewelry that can shoot rainbows, and other artifacts of forbidden power..." Mica sighed condescendingly. "But, seriously, aliens?”

“It could happen.” Copy said weakly. "None of us know for sure."

“Oh, really?” Mica smirked. “Alright, I’ll make you a deal: If the Lurker turns out to be an alien, and provided it doesn't suck out our brains or something like that, then I will let you take me to dinner."

“Really?” He asked hopefully.

“Sure, whatever.” She said with a dismissive wave. "Just remember I like salads."

“So, do you think the Lurker will demand we take it to our leaders or will it try to assimilate our genes?” Copy’s face split into a wide grin, he obvious lack of commitment lost to him.

While the two crystal ponies talked, Dusty Tomes was enjoying a steaming cup of coffee alongside one of the Solar Guards; a white coated pegasus to be exact. While they were a short distance away, they had overheard the two talking.

“You know, there actually are dimensional aliens.” Tomes said, taking a swig of the bitter brew.

“Really?” The guard perked up.

“Yep. Princess Sparkle actually traveled to their home dimension, for some reason." The parchment colored unicorn nodded. "Apparently they were just like everypony she knew here except bipedal and in high school.”

“I have trouble believing that.” The gold-armored pegasus said skeptically.

“It’s true.” Tomes leaned in to whisper. “She even developed a little crush on their dimension's Flash Sentry.”

"Did she now?" The guard smirked. "I know Sentry. He's a good lad."

"Oh, you do?" The bespectacled unicorn raised an eyebrow. "Then maybe you can tell me why he is orange while other guard pegasi like yourself are pure white."

"Well, you know we dye our coats. I'm actually blue under this." The pegasus explained. "It is meant to promote uniformity and cohesion among the ranks but one can opt out if they wish. Sentry wished."

“Huh. I thought once a guard reaches a certain rank, they receive a new color.” Tomes said quizzically. "Isn't he the new Captain of the Guard?"

“No. Prince-Regent Armor technically still holds that rank." The pegasus shook his head. "And he will continue to hold it until he passes the mantle to somepony else upon officially retiring or...well...dies in the line of duty."

"All with the princesses approval, I'd wager." The unicorn added smartly.

Military traditions and procedures were not his forte but what the pegasus had said made sense. He glanced up at the sky, now much darker than when they had started out.

“It’s got to be close to sunset by now.” Tomes mused. “Do we head back now or find a place to camp for the night? I don’t want to be out in the wastes after dark.”

“Hold on, I’ll ask.” The guard put down his drink and waved to the captain. “Sir, it’s getting late. Do you think we should start to head back?”

Copy was about to answer when Mica’s magic meter suddenly let out a rapid series of loud clicks. The sudden noise startled the stallion, causing him to rear up on instinct just as a concentrated beam of magic shot past where his head used to be. It missed the captain but caught Tomes in the shoulder. The unicorn fell to the ground, screaming in pain as blood flowed freely from the wound. The sounds of clanking armor and shouts filled the air as the vanguards of the Marked Legions emerged from their hiding places and charged the clearing.

“Ambush!” Copy shouted, snapping into soldier mode. “Form up!”

The guards formed a rough circle around Copy and Mica as the pegasus Tomes was talking to half dragged half carried him to safety under a hail of bolts and arrows.

“Unicorns, shield!” The captain ordered as the surly looking brutes unleashed another volley of projectiles.

The two unicorns conjured a small dome of magic around their group. While nowhere near what Prince-Regent Armor was capable of, it was enough to defeat the mundane projectiles. With their arrows breaking against the dome, the attackers drew weapons and advanced one the shielded ponies, intent on smashing through the barrier with brute force.

“Shield and suppress!” Copy ordered.

It was a tactic where unicorns would lay down a suppressive hail of rapid-fire magic then put up a shield before the enemy could retaliate. The cycle could be repeated for as long as the unicorns had magic for it. The two Solar Guard unicorns dropped the dome and fired a withering barrage of magical missiles at the advancing enemy, downing a few and forcing the rest to take cover or focus on dodging the attacks, stalling the advance. Just as they had practiced in training, they brought the shield back up as the first retaliatory projectiles flew at them. This repeated a few more time before their enemy adapted to the tactic. They waited until the shield dropped, braved the hail of magic and returned it in kind. One of the unicorns fell as a bolt found the weak knee joint in his armor, throwing off the cycle they had established. Copy was about to support the wounded guard when he noticed a glare out of the corner of his eye. He ducked in time for another bolt of magic to sear the plume atop his helmet. He looked at the source of the blast and could just barely make out a unicorn laying prone on a rock.

“Pegasi, hit their archers and somepony take care of that sniper!” He shouted.

The pegasi took to the air and dove on the archers, ramming into them and retreating into the overcast sky before the thugs could hit back. This bought enough time for the unicorns to get back into the rhythm of shoot, shield, shoot. One of the pegasi spotted the sharpshooter. He nosed over into a dive, occasionally dodging blasts of magic the unicorn sent his way. He was close enough to see the look of panic in the sniper’s eyes when something large and feathery blindsided him. The two fell to the ground as the griffon’s talons scraped across the guard’s armor, looking for soft flesh. He managed to get his hind legs under his attacker and kicked her off. The vanguard landed upright on her lion legs and flexed her talons.

“You’re a long ways from Cloudsdale, pretty boy.” She taunted.

“You’re a long way from Gryphondom, chicken legs.” He retorted.

With a screech and a whinny, the two flyers clashed.

“Don’t let up! Keep them pinned!” Copy roared above the din of combat.

He could see that they were outnumbered and, despite the valiant efforts of the Solar Guards, were in danger of being overrun. They could not win here. There were simply too many. He had to get them out of the clearing and deeper into the mountains where they could lose the enemy in the broken terrain. He called for his group to retreat while the unicorns dropped their defenses in favor of maintaining a steady rain of magic on the attackers. They were almost out of the clearing when a loud bellow echoed across the area. Copy could only watch in horror as a large minotaur dropped his head and charged the ponies like an enraged bull. The unicorns immediately focused their fire on the barreling minotaur, scoring several direct hits but it simply powered through the shower of magic, ignoring the burning wounds. One of the guards managed to dive away in time but his wounded partner was not so fortunate. The minotaur caught the hapless pony on one of his horns, piercing straight through the golden armor and into the vulnerable flesh beneath. The brute rose and shook its head, violently tossing the impaled unicorn about like a ragdoll. With a toss of his neck, the minotaur pitched the body off his head and into the snow where it lay motionless.

“Alright, who’s next?” The burly bull turned to face the remaining ponies only to find they had already fled. "Rrgh! After them you slugs!"

In the air, the duel between the Equestrian pegasus and the legion griffon raged on. While he was certainly faster and more nimble, she could take a beating and return it in kind as the gashes in his armor could attest to. As he ducked a swipe at his head, he noticed that his compatriots had retreated from the field. He dove for speed and headed after them, the griffon in hot pursuit.

“Get back here, I'm not done with you yet!” She shrieked.

The guard ignored her and continued flying, his wings flapping as fast as they could. So focused on catching up with his group, he did not notice the sniper he was sent to subdue until he had fired another shot at him. The pegasus nosed up sharply to avoid the beam, inadvertently stalling just enough forward speed for the griffon to catch up to him and slash through one of his wings with her talons. Crippled, the pegasus could only scream as he fell out of the sky, his one remaining wing flapping frantically to keep him in the air. It was not enough.

“When you hit the ground, tell ‘em Max sent ya!” Those were the last things he heard before his head met the hard, unforgiving ground.

---

Tomes was doomed. He was sure of that. With his bad leg, he could not possibly keep up with the rest of his companions and had fallen behind as they galloped through the mountains. Even worse, he had lost sight of them and was now wandering through the broken landscape alone. The sounds of clanking armor seeming to come from all directions as the vanguards searched the labyrinthine rock formations. Occasionally, one would find him and attack. His only defense was to stun them with a spell and hobble off before they could recover. It was a game of cat and mouse with him as the sickly runt that had no hope of winning. It did not help that his bleeding wound was leaving a crimson trail in the white snow.

“There you are!” Someone shouted from behind him.

Tomes spun around as much as his leg would allow. The minotaur that had gored one of the guards was now advancing on him, his helmet still stained with blood. Instinctively, the bookish unicorn cast the strongest stun spell he knew. The vanguard saw it coming and raised his arms to protect his head but Tomes was aiming a little bit lower than he expected. The charged spell connected with the minotaur just below his belt in his family jewels.

“OoOooOWAH! Son of a bitch!” The vanguard screamed, his voice now a few octaves higher, as he sank to his knees.

Tomes allowed a small satisfactory smile as he made to escape only to find his way blocked by a mean looking diamond dog armed with a crossbow.

“Gor! I felt dat from ‘ere!” He said while covering his own stones.

The mutt took aim at the lame unicorn. Tomes knew he didn't have time to prepare another spell and was about to accept his fate as a pincushion when he heard the familiar zoom of a pegasus.

“Hey! You walking bag of fleas!” A Solar Guard pegasus shouted.

“Yea-oof!” A streak of white and gold slammed into the dog, knocking him off his paws and sending him into the still kneeling minotaur.

The pegasus snorted at the downed ruffians and helped Tomes to his hooves.

“We need to go, now! There should be a mine nearby. We can hold up there!” The Solar Guard said quickly as he took to the air and grabbed Tomes around his mid-section, intending to carry him.

The guard and researcher lifted off the ground and glided through the ridges as the minotaur uneasily got back to his hooves, spots dancing in his vision and pain coursing through his groin.

“Damn unicorns.” He grumbled. “Damn pegasi.”

He snagged the dazed diamond dog’s crossbow and leveled it at the retreating pair of ponies. From his lower angle, he could see the soft, white, unarmored underbelly of the pegasus. The minotaur exhaled slowly as he tickled the hair-trigger lever of the crossbow. With a loud thwack, the device launched its lethal bolt at the airborne ponies. It found its mark in the lower barrel of the guard, causing him to double over and drop his charge. The unicorn screamed as the ground rushed to meet him. He twisted mid-fall, hoping to roll as he landed. He only managed to roll over onto his back as he bounced off two rocks with a sickening crunch and thud. The minotaur and diamond dog walked over to the still body of the unicorn. To their amazement, even with his back bent in an unnatural direction, he was still alive.

“Dis pony must be ded ‘ard.” Fleabag shook his head in disbelief.

“Must be.” The minotaur growled as he spitefully kicked Tomes in the gonads, earning a pained groan from the broken unicorn.

He looked past Tomes and followed the crimson trail of blood from the pegasus. He spotted the wounded guard pitifully trying to drag himself through the snow.

“Go take care of that pegasus.” He told the dog. “I’ll take care of this prick.”

The canine nodded as he drew his knives and bounded after the downed guard. The minotaur cracked his knuckles and grabbed the unconscious Canterlot unicorn by his horn. Meanwhile, the surviving Equestrians continued to work their way through the ridge lines.

“Move, move, move!” Copy shouted as the remainder of his group galloped as fast as they could.

He hoped that they would lose their attackers in the broken landscape but with a griffon calling out their positions from the air and murderous villains swarming the area, he really only had one option remaining. They would have to mount a defense in the only landmark for miles around: the abandoned Broken Horn Mine.

“We’re right behind you captain!” Yelled the last guard unicorn.

After ducking a weaving through the ridges and valleys, the remaining ponies dropped down into the excavation and stood before the foreboding iron doors of the mine.

“Well, this isn't bucking ominous.” Mica observed.

“It’s either the mine or the thugs.” Copy said, pushing her forward. "Pick one."

With the unicorn’s help, Copy and Mica managed to pry open the heavy doors enough for them to slip inside. Quickly, they closed the doors and slid the bars and locks back into place. As the last bolt slide into its lock, the surviving ponies stood back from the doors.

“Will it hold?” The last unicorn asked the question on all their minds.

“These doors were designed to stop dragons from plundering the mine.” The captain reassured them. “We should be safe here.”

“For how long?” Mica asked. “Won’t those brutes just camp outside until we come out or starve?”

Copy paused. He had not thought about that.

“I’m sure they would prefer easier targets.” He said. “They’ll give up and leave eventually.”

“Don’t be so sure, captain.” The unicorn said rather dejectedly. “Those weren't some regular band of bandits.”

“What do you mean?” The crystal stallion arched an eyebrow.

“Did you see the emblem etched on their armor?” The guard asked gloomily.

Copy though for a moment. He had been more concerned about the axes and swords the thugs were using but he did remember some sort of brand on their armor.

“Yeah, it looked like this.” He said.

He drew the mark in the dirt. Three vertical lines parallel to each other with the middle one slightly raised. Looking at it, Copy couldn't help but draw comparisons to scratches left by a dragon's claws.

“That is the insignia of the Marked Legions.” The unicorn said with a sigh.

“I've heard of them.” Mica said. “They were the ones that turned the Zebra Homelands into a mass graveyard but I thought Celestia wiped them all out.”

“I thought so, too.” The weary guard slumped to the floor. “Either she missed a few or these are imitators. Likely the former.”

“Well, if the Marked Lesions, or whatever you called them, have returned we need to warn the Empire." The captain snorted derisively and got to his hooves. "It’s the only point of civilization in the Frozen North and I’d like to see them take on a company of Solar Guards and the Crystal Heart.”

Copy unhooked one of the dimly glowing gem lanterns from the wall and held it in front of the unicorn, who added some of his magic. The crystal inside flared to life and illuminated the empty tunnel in an ethereal glow.

“Look for a workstation or something." Copy ordered. "There has to be a map or blueprint around here somewhere that we can use to find another way out.”

The trio made their way down into the depths until they came upon the first intersection with a desk a few scattered papers.

“Alright. We’ll rest here for a while and look for a map of this place.” The captain said as he passed the lantern to the mare.

The two military ponies shifted through some old papers while Mica held the lantern for them. She could not explain it but something felt off about the mine. It was like something was watching them from the shadows.

“Job quotas, work shifts, in and outflow statements…where the Hell is a map?” Copy complained.

“I don’t know." The Solar Guard grunted. "Maybe one of the taskmasters took it with him deeper into the mines?”

While the two sorted through the pile of papers, a still uneasy Mice fished out her magic meter with a free hoof and scanned the tunnels. The small box ticked and reacted to the magic in the lantern and the unicorn but when she passed it over one of the dark tunnels, the device suddenly went dead. She could not see any deeper into the passage so she raised the lantern higher, hoping to spot what had jammed her tool but the shadows did not recede. If anything they got closer. The mare squinted into the tunnel. She could have sworn the shadows were moving as if they were alive. She looked up and saw two pure white orbs beaming out from the darkness. To her, they possessed the same look of the eyes of some apex predator. Mica felt the color drain from her face as the orbs transfixed her with their baleful gaze. They came closer.

“Hey, Mica, keep that light over here.” Copy called out without looking up.

The crystal mare said nothing as the two eyes moved forward along with a mass of shadows without even a hint of sound. The inky darkness seemed to ripple and flow like smoke in the wind.

“Mica, did you go deaf?" The unicorn said impatiently. "We need some light.”

The researcher could make out the outline of the stygian being. It resembled a tall bipedal figure wearing hooded robes, similar to the Equestrian boogey-mare, the Pony of Shadows. Only this horror was far taller than any normal pony.

“By the Moon, Mica, will you…” As Copy turned to chastise the mare, his words died in his throat. "...oh."

Before the equines loomed what could only be the Lurker. The creature they had presumed and hoped dead was very much alive and they were now trapped with it.

"Sun and Moon preserve us." The Solar Guard whispered as the tenebrous terror stared down at them with baleful eyes.

Next Chapter: Means to an End Estimated time remaining: 8 Hours, 33 Minutes