Author's Notes:

A short chapter, and in the next tow, you might see the results.
I know, It's not relevant to the story,but I wanted to make something else a bit more different.

:::UPDATE:::

28/07/2016

A image about Pinkamena's weapons, I made in 27/7/16, for a special mini chapter on "Forbidden Land" which is the next fic after this one. And decided to include the image here too.

Three days later after the funeral, the whole cult was in mourning, with everypony wearing black cloth bands around their arms, one for each other, representing their sorrow in the lose of a loved one by many.

Mane and Pinkamena didn't skip the ritual, and his nights were comforted by Pinkamena sleeping in a sofa next to his bed, just for the case he would start panicking on his frequent nightmares, she would awake him and serve him a glass of water, and comfort him with her warm words that everything was alright and was all a bad dream.

In the mean time, the barracks of the cult's small army were now as loud as a armor factory, with the muskets and pistols resembling the anvils constantly being struck by hammers. With time, they got better with a willpower of learning and avenge the death of their dead comrade. Sigil, Copper, Mane and Pinkamena used to attend to the training, also getting better on the use of firearms, to the point where they could carry two weapons and fire them rapidly one at a time, without failing their targets.

Dark Sigil had ordered to dig a long thin tunnel, around one hundred and fifty meters long and provided with lights and a target in the end of It, where Pinkamena could practice the use of the new found weapon, the one so powerful that even hurt It's user the first time It was used, the sniper.

In the previous days of constant use, It started to cause real damage on her arm, and requested the cult engineers to make a very special modification. The cut part of the stock and between the part and the rest of the long range weapon, they added a pair of flexible strings and two pistons to connect the parts back.
Now, the sniper had a huge improvement. The recoil was totally absorbed by the springs, without hurting the pink mare every time she would shoot, making It a more enjoyable experience, and needless to say, she learned how to use the weapon with efficiency reading the manual constantly and training the reload and how to adjust the scoop.
Eventually, the cult engineers learn how to make the various pieces of every weapon, including the required kind of ammo to Pinkamena's new "toy".

Inked Quill, the master scribe of the cult entered the canteen, where Mane was eating a slice of pie in the company of Pinkamena and some cultists, talking with them about many topics. All of them had the same sad expression due to the funeral and lose of a member.

The scribe knew how he was after that day, and had the empathy of now interrupt them or call him. He walked behind Mane and pat his back slightly, getting his attention.

"Hi." Quill said with a calm tone in his old voice.

"Hey..." Mane sounded melancholic.

"Are you feeling better?"

"I guess." He ate the last piece of pie and cleaned his mouth. "Want something?"

"Yes actually." Quill cleared his throat. "Me and my scholars, we would like to run some tests on you."

Mane froze and looked into the walls behind Inked Quill, as if he was hypnotized or traumatized by something, still holding the napkin he used to clean his mouth, and just like the rest of his body, paralyzed.

"Mane?" Pinkamena touched his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

But he didn't answer, starting to lower his head to the floor with the same shocked face.

"Mane." She called again, but now shaking him. "Wake up!"

"What? Who?!" He snapped.

"Quill made you a question."

"Oh yes, hum..." Mane looked at Quill again, but now worried. "As long there's no needles, tubes on my body or the need of a coma."

"What the heck are you thinking?" Quill asked a bit annoyed. "There's nothing of that."

"Then I'm up for it..." His answer was unsure if It was the right choice.

"Quill, can I have a minute with you?" Pinkamena asked.

"Yes." They walked to a corner, while Mane kept talking with the cultists. "What is It."

"I'm not sure if you should do this. I mean... you all heard him that day, right?"

"I was outside the room with everypony. And shit, his cries echoing were like a ghost haunting the place."

"Yes that. May I ask, what are you gonna do to him?"

"Don't worry. We just want to test his magic capabilities and the unusual control he has in his 'crystal sense'."

"Is there going to be some sort of machines on him?" She asked worried.

"Well, besides his magic, we thought about testing his physic when in crystal. So we need some inoffensive wires around his body, you know, cardio status, magic flow, etc..."

"That may disturb him a bit. Let me give him an ahead warning."

"Go for It, I'll be happy with his contribute."

"Oh, and Quill, on top of all... please don't be rude with him, he hasn't been sleeping well." Her voice was so innocent.

"I'll watch my mouth, darling, you can count on that." The elder said with a smile, as if It was a father talking with her daughter.

Pinkamena returned to Mane and put her hand over his shoulder and whispered. For a moment, he made a surprised reflex probably from the part with the machines, but soon he settled down. Mane calmly stood up and said the goodbyes to the cultists sitting with him and Diane, and followed Quill outside the cantina.

On their way, the elder explained the reasons of the tests to gather info and knowledge. Reason being from his powers out of normal and possess the "Devil Blood". By the middle of their way to the laboratory, Mane was more safe and more glad of helping them, I knew It was going to be a challenge to his capacities and being how he was, he wanted to show them what he was capable of.

They arrived to the archives and the two scribe scholars followed them to the back of the of the room, where a medium sized room filled with scientific machinery in every corner and shelve, along with some blackboards filled with numbers and equations in white chalk.

"Are you ready?" Quill asked nicely.

"Sure." Mane answered with a determined expression.

"First of all, we need you to get off those clothes, and get on these sport shorts. The dressing room is there." Quill pointed at a small cubicle with a purple curtain.

Mane accepted the yellow shorts offered by a scholar, he went and came back with nothing on his body but the shorts.
He approached and the two assistants started putting the stickers with really long wires on specific parts of his torso, followed by neck, shoulders, arm, legs and back.
The apparatus frightened him for a moment, but he relaxed and thought It was nothing but a test.

"Get on the treadmill and get ready to walk." Quill instructed.

Mane obeyed and the machine started working, and he walked normally. The machines connected to the wires in his body started giving results when they flipped the switch.

"All good?" Asked a scholar, which Mane nodded positively. "We are gonna speed up."

They turned the speed up and he slowly started running, and the machinery beeping in a rhythm.

"Ten miles per hour." Read one of them.

"Mane, do you smoke?" Asked Quill while taking notes, and Mane waved a 'no' with a finger. "Healthy lungs." Quill wrote down.

"Get ready for a sprint!" Shouted the scholar, and he turned the speed up even more.

The machine went to fourteen miles per hour, and half minute later, Mane started waving them to get the speed down being too tired to speak and not interrupt the breathing rhythm.

They stopped the treadmill and he stopped to, and drank some water they offered.
The different tests went on and with some normal results for a stallion of his physic. And much later after a well deserved rest, they went on with the magic tests.

Later that day, the final results showed up.