By the time Aldorn arrived, I had mapped out every nook and cranny of the machine. By using what I had studied of the stealth suit, I had created an advanced system in my own armour. The design was simple, nothing too elaborate at the very least. Hydraulic pumps lined the legs of the suit to help me bear the full weight of the massive thing. A slot was created in the chest piece to accommodate the warp core that Galaxia had me study. The entire suit of armour was closed off, needing a respiration system to work properly. The temperature control was implemented, and swords had been added to the front two greaves. Compared to the suit I used to rescue Storm, this was rudimentary. Knowing my record with near-death experiences, it wasn't quite adequate. I needed to improve the suit's strength, but adding more material would make it far too cumbersome.

I was locked in this perplexing problem when I heard another knock on the door. Figuring I needed a break from what I was doing, I arose and opened the door. To my surprise, and pleasure, Aldorn was standing there. "I heard you summoned me?"

"Yes! I did. Come in." I waved him in, a gesture which he accepted. Once the massive, metal-clad pony was standing inside the house, the door being closed again, I spoke. "Feel free to take the armour off if you get too warm. You don't have to keep it on in here."

He looked at me blankly for several moments before I spoke again. "What?"

"I AM a suit of armour, Aqua. I can't take it off. It'd be like me telling you to take your hide off."

"Wait, you're a suit of armour?"

"I am, indeed, a suit of animated armour."

"Animated armour?"

"Armour brought to life by magic."

"Well, it'd make sense then why you're so skilled with metallurgy." He chuckled. "Speaking of which, I have a question regarding that."

"Regarding what?"

"I've been designing a suit of armour, but I need it to be tougher. Putting more weight, more metal, would encumber things too much. Do you have any ideas?"

"Hm. A tough question. Give me a moment to think..." His words trailed off as he began to lose himself in thought. After several moments, he spoke again. "I have a solution. There are two metals I know of, both unknown to ponies of this plane. Normally, you can't do much with them, but given the right magical input, they become far more effective than steel. You won't be invincible, and you'll still likely end up injured, but that's from things that would normally kill you."

"How heavy is it?"

"About as heavy as any other fortified metal."

"So it won't weigh extra?"

"The difference will be negligible."

"I'm in. Where do we find it?"

"I will get it for you. It's far too dangerous for any mortal pony to try for, nonetheless one without armour." I bit my tongue, realising he was right. "I should be back on the morrow, and can help you figure out how to forge the armour. I'll also help you finish it as well."

"Thank you, Aldorn. I really appreciate the help."

"It's my pleasure." He began heading for the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

I nodded as he left, the door clicking behind him. I turned my attention back to the schematics I had created for the armour. It was then that I realised that I had forgotten to reforge the warp core. I set out on that task as soon as possible.

By the time I finished, it was nearly dawn; an entire day had flown by working on that intricate device. Accordingly, I flopped into my bed for some rest, but heard a bit of commotion in the house. It didn't sound like light work, either. Figuring Storm wasn't one to cause such a ruckus, I began to climb out of bed. I had to groan as I did so, tired from the day. I made my way to his room and knocked on the door. I called out his name, but there was no response. I did so again, but louder. Still nothing. I went to open his door, finding it locked. Again, I knocked and called, but with no response. I was getting concerned. "Storm, answer me or I'm busting in the door!"

A moment of silence rolled by. No response came. "That's it..."

I backed up a little before charging into the door. The frame buckled, allowing the door to swing inwards. When my eyes focused on the details of the room, my heart stopped. Debris and objects were scattered haphazardly around the room, shattered glass and blood sitting by the broken window. I had frozen in disbelief, but finally found the strength to move, if only to gawk further over the scene of destruction before my eyes. Even the furniture was out of kilter. As I was deeply searching the room for any clues, I heard a knock on the door. Knowing Aldorn was supposed to return, I turned from my endeavours to answer the door. Opening the door revealed the character I was hoping it would. He had two large saddle bags, heavily weighed down, resting on his back. "Ah, Aqua, good to see you. I have the supplies."

"Aldorn, that session might have to wait. We have an emergency." He had been trotting into the room, the door being closed behind him.

"What happened?" As he said this, he stopped.

"I think Storm was taken."

"By whom?" His tone was concerned. The bags on his back slid off, clunking heavily on the ground.

"I don't know. His window's broken and everything was messed up in there." He paused suddenly.

"Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"There was a surge of energy. It just washed over here like the reverberation of an explosion."

"No. I didn't feel it."

"I think it came from towards the capital mountain. I'm going to check it and return as quickly as I can. Stay here." Before I could even ask what he was talking about I saw his armoured body go stiff. A light blue wisp of light darted out of the helmet, careening towards the door and slipping out within seconds. I was left alone with an inanimate suit of armour. Seeing nothing else to do, I turned my attention to the bags he had been hauling. I trotted over, taking hold of the saddle strap with my teeth and pulling. The thing barely budged. As I yanked harder I could feel the bag sliding across the floor. I eventually managed to haul it to the table where I had studied the suit of stealth armour. By the time I put it down, my breaths short, the wisp came back in through the door. It entered the armour once more, reanimating it. "You're going to need that armour."

"What?"

"With what's up there, and what's happening up there, you're going to need all the protection you can get." He quickly came over to where I was standing, picking up the bags of metal effortlessly. He dumped the contents out onto the table before me. "I'll help you craft the armour to speed up the process. Where are the designs?"

"They're here." I pulled the sheet of paper out of the desk, unfolding it to reveal the very detailed blueprints of the armour I had drawn.

"Alright. I need you to step back into an open area where it's not so cramped." I nodded and made my way to the middle of the entryway room. "Right there's fine. Now, don't move. I'm just going to form the metal straight onto your body, so it's very important not to shift."

Again I nodded and watched as, seemingly without any intervening force, the metal lifted up and started hovering towards me. I took a deep breath as I watched the chunks of ore fuse together before forming into plates. Once formed, they clunked together as they began to cover my body according to the detailed design I had drawn out. As a few of the plates neared my face I closed my eyes. Once the sound stopped, I finally opened my eyes. My vision was restricted, forced to view the world through the slits of a helmet. I looked around, mostly at myself. "And what do you think?"

I took the time to see how the plates overlapped as they ran down my body. Aldorn had formed every single last detail meticulously, I was certain. "How do I remove it?"

"Best idea I had was mentally. Give it the command to fold down and it will." I cocked an eyebrow, unsure of how that would even work. Thinking back on it, I’m sure he didn’t see the motion due to the cover of the helmet, but that detail isn’t as important. I tried giving the command, nonetheless. I gave my best to tell the armour to fold down. After the last word passed through my mind, the armour started making metal-on-metal clanking noises. My vision was cleared and I watched as the suit folded down into two large cubes on either side of me, supported by the main plate of metal across my back.

"Woah."

"Now tell it to fold out again." I did so excitedly, hearing the response from the suit. Before too long, the armour was encasing me once more. "Good. I did manage to create it right. I also took the liberty of creating two sheathes for built in swords. Check out your front two legs."

I raised one of my legs to my view. Upon it was a large box-like object. "This is the clunkiest thing I've seen in my life. You couldn't have streamlined it?"

"Open the blade. Same idea as before." I put my thought to it. Suddenly, a large blade, about the size of a broadsword, shot out. I heard a hum in the quiet air of the house, causing me to look on with furrowed brow. Suddenly, the blade began to change colours and emit light. From the red it had been, running through the spectrum of hot metallic colours, the blade turned white. If I wasn't fully encased in armour I'm certain I would have been able to feel the heat radiating from the glowing blade. "That's why it can't be streamlined. I took the liberty of creating that system for you. When the blades come out, an electric circuit is completed to allow the blade to heat. When it is withdrawn, the blade cools and the circuit is broken. Should help you do more damage."

"Thank you, Aldorn."

"Now, enough wasting time. We have to get to that mountain."

"It'll take me days to get up there, though."

"Not with that core you got from the dark pony." I could only assume he was referring to my reassembled warp core. As such, I pulled it out to show him. "Yes, that."

"But how in Equestria am I going to get to the mountain with this? I need coordinates."

"I already input them." I went to interject, to ask how he managed such. I wasn't given the opportunity to do so, merely causing me to gawk like an idiot. "So build up the momentum and let the core carry you."

He placed it back in the socket as the armour folded around it again. I began trotting around until I heard a slight ding. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That ding?"

"The core's ready. Go." I nodded and activated the device. Within moments, as soon as my eyes adjusted, I could tell I was on the mountain. I heard a shout from the cliff above me and looked up. I didn't see anypony, so I flew up there. It was strenuous, to say the least, flying that much armour plastered onto me. When I landed I heard the voice that shouted before speak again.

"I was wondering how long it'd take you to...wait, you're not Aldorn. You're not even Bane. What is the meaning of this? Are they too afraid to face me?" I took a moment to glance away from the robed pony before me. To my dismay, I found Storm collapsed beside him. I turned back to the figure in the black cloak and spoke.

"What have you done to him?"

"Oh? Boldly heroic, aren't you? Not even questioning what I am doing with him. Just want to get him out of this place. I see how it is."

"Answer the question."

"Tell you what, I'll offer you a little deal. You can have Storm, but you will take his place." I paused, thinking on the offer. "I think MoonDusk would much rather have you."

Upon hearing the name I was instantly closed off from the deal. "No. I won't submit to her."

"Foolish filly. You don't have the choice. Since a peaceable offer wasn't enough to persuade you, I think I'll offer one a little more...violent. Storm, maim and capture the drake." I watched Storm's beaten body rise up onto its hooves, a bit shakily at first. Once it was standing, he was stable. I then saw a dark mist begin to form from the air around the two of them, congregating more around Storm than the other pony. It then latched onto his body like some kind of intelligent creature before reforming into plates that resembled armour. A blade formed in his mouth as the last detail. "Go."

The last word muttered by the robed pony caused Storm to snap into action. He came roaring over, barely giving me enough time to draw a blade. I blocked his first several hits with ease, as they were grossly predictable. He drew back a little, giving me the window of time I needed to rise onto my hind legs and draw my other blade. By the time I had done so, his next flurry of blows had caught up with me. I could block all of his shots with one leg, but it was tiring to do so. Whenever I did, I opted the take a swing at him with my other leg. A few of the shots connected, causing a sizzling sound to echo out. Some of the mist evaporated away from his body when I did so, causing a few parts of his armour to shift. We repeated this in-and-out pattern a few times before I heard a grunt from Storm. I went to deflect his blow, but found that he wasn't swinging. My sword missed as he charged headlong into my gut, bowling me over. Within moments, we were plummeting over the cliff I had flown over. I tried my best to wrest control of our flight from him, but I was unsuccessful. With a great thud we landed. He was barely to the side of me, his impact greatly cushioned by my body. I grunted and kicked him off, sending him across the plateau-like landing. I groaned as I rolled over and rose to a stand. It was clear we were both recovering, but that he was doing so at a much faster rate. He eventually came charging over again. In response, I used a hoof to shove his face aside, redirecting his momentum with a kick. As he sprawled and tumbled to a stop I found the chance to speak. "Storm, you don't have to do this. You can break away from it, snap out of his control."

He grunted and shook his head, speaking in a tone that was alien to him. "No, I cannot. You're too late, Aqua. MoonDusk is coming, and you're going to help her."

"I will do no such thing."

"You don't have a choice, drake." He charged in again, finding himself flying away from me a second time.

"Enough, Storm. You're better than this."

"MoonDusk will win, and I will make sure of that."

"Then I have no other option than to make sure you never leave this mountain alive." I drew my blades again, allowing them to heat back up. Storm was already charging in as I rose to my two legged position once more. Swing after swing, Storm tried to cut me down with no results. It gave me plentiful opportunities to whittle down his armour, though. After a while, perhaps when he saw that his armour was thinning beyond what he would have hoped, he broke away again. I saw his armour reform away from his body as he whirled about in a three quarters circle. The shadowy mist became a massive cudgel as he finished his full circle. I didn't have enough time to react before being swept off of my hooves. With a bounce, tumbling head over hooves in one entirety, I slammed against the rock wall of the cliff face. Before I could react well enough to defend myself, Storm was upon me. The shadowy mist had reformed into armour, but more specifically had formed an appendage with digits extending out of it. This grabbed me by the helmet and proceeded to smash my head into the rock. After several hefty impacts that left my world spinning, I managed to abandon all pretence and buck as hard as I could. With what little visual I still had I watched Storm fly over the lip of the plateau, falling off the side of the mountain. I sat, entirely dazed, as my body fell limp. I maintained consciousness, but it was the numbest existence I had ever felt. I took the time to recover, taking as steady of breaths as possible.

After several moments, Storm had managed to claw his way back over the lip of the plateau. I remained in my limp state, trying to get a firmer grasp of what was going on. He came over, getting a hold of my face and pulling me close. After shifting, rotating, and examining my blank helmet he dropped me, apparently satisfied that I had been maimed enough. He then grabbed me once more, placing me upon his back, before trotting towards the upper cliff. I decided that now was the best of any time to snap into action. I whipped my front legs up, getting a kind of choke hold on Storm, before yanking back. The sudden force caused him to stumble and fall over. Before he could react, I was on top of him. I kicked his face with my front hooves time and time again, watching the black mist dissipate slowly. I had worked off enough to reveal a portion of his now-bloodied face before he bucked me off. I skidded to a halt before getting back up. When I got my bearings I could see Storm charging at me, his armour having been completely converted to become his sword. I reacted as quickly as I could, drawing a blade and rising to my hind legs, but I wasn't quick enough. As I went to parry, Storm's sword jabbed violently into my hind right leg. A wave of pain caused me to collapse from my elevated position, breaking the shadowy sword in half as I came down. Indeed, I had almost landed upon Storm as well. Our gaze met eye to eye as I let out a groan of pain. He was without weapon nor armour as he stared at me. He went to attack me, turning about with a degree of speed fuelled only by savagery before he stopped. He turned back around, the wild look in his eyes gone. He looked me over, I suppose in an effort to recognise me. "You don't have to do this, Storm. We can both leave this mountain alive."

"Aqua? What are you doing here?"

"Saving your sorry hide." Perhaps he noted the strain in my voice as I tried to bite back the roaring pain in my leg.

"Are you alright?"

"You stabbed me in the leg and smashed my head into a rock wall repeatedly. What do you think my response is going to be?" As Storm went to respond, he was cut off by the voice of the mystery stallion.

"Well now, that doesn't sound like aggressive banter." The cloaked pony leaped down, landing a short distance away from us. "Sounds like you broke my puppet, Protectorate. No matter. Your time to play hero is up. With or without your stallion companion, I WILL bend you to serve MoonDusk."

"No. I won't let you do that to her." Storm stood forth in defiance.

"Oh, please, look at how far that got you last time you said that. You nearly ended up bashing her skull in and permanently crippling her leg."

"Doesn't matter. I'm not alone now. Your time has come, mage."

"As if you could even approach me." Storm ran in, I suppose attempting to zigzag, but was blasted by a bolt of arcane energy. As he skidded to a halt, ready to bound forwards again, I stopped him by placing a hoof on his shoulder. He turned to look.

"That's not going to work."

"Any other ideas?" A thought crossed my mind, one involving the warp core and foolhardy bravery.

"Yeah. Follow my lead." He looked at me with uncertainty, but nodded anyways. I started trotting back and forth, my heavy limp making it more difficult. I began talking to kill time as the charge finished building. "So what does MoonDusk want with me anyways?"

"That would be a question for you to ask her yourself when you're standing before her."

"Do you not know?"

"I do, but I won't tell. Put simply enough, it’s not my place to do so."

"Why are you working for her? What do you have to gain?"

"The better question is: why is one of your friends working for her, and what do they have to gain?"

"Who? Who is working for her?" I already knew the answer to that one: Bane. I just wanted to stall him further.

"Guess you'll have to figure that one out yourselves, hm?" I heard the telltale ding of the machine. "MoonDusk is waiting for them to step out of line so she can act. They're being far too cautious for that, though. Now that they have you to do the dirty work, I'm not sure they'll ever step out."

With the distraction having worked, I activated the machine. As it turns out, the coordinates were not terribly far behind the robed stallion. Before he could react, I smashed myself against him, forcing him to stumble and fall. As he was recovering, Storm galloped in, yanking him to his hooves in a choke hold. The stallion tried to resist, but was unable to. In desperation, he began firing off random spells. Fireballs, lightning bolts and ice shards mixed with pure arcane torrents. "Hurry, Aqua, I can't hold him like this forever!"

I began making my way over, the sheer force of the numerous spells bouncing off of my armour nearly pushing me back. As I neared, the stallion was breaking Storm's grasp. I drew a blade and ran it through the storm of spells, having run out of time. Just as the stallion had broken out of the grip, my blade sunk into him. The sudden halt in forces caused me to lose balance and fall forwards, sending the blade all the way through his chest and into Storm's. As the blade began to heat up I heard a sizzling noise and either grunts or screams from the both of them. I sheathed the blade and arose when I could. I limped my way over to the stallion, finding him unable to move very far. I took the blade out once more, heating it up as much as I dared, before driving it through the stallion's chest again, pinning him to the ground. As he squirmed and screamed, I could see the strength fading and the light dropping from his eyes. Soon, he went limp. The sizzling stopped before I managed to pull the glowing blade out of the cauterised wound. I sheathed the blade after doing so and took just a moment to make sure he was dead. Gazing at the wound gave me the impression that either his lung or heart had been stiffened by charred tissues. It was enough, either way, for him to be dead. As such, I turned my attention to Storm. He sat on the ground, clenched up in pain. As I approached I could barely see him look up. As I sat down before him, he spoke. "You stabbed me."

"Wasn't on purpose."

"What kind of a sword was that?"

I began to focus on the magic I needed to heal him, watching as the blackened flesh broke apart to reveal the raw red underneath. This caused him to groan in pain. "Heats up, does more damage and pierces armour. It was Aldorn's idea."

When his moan was finished he cracked out another line. "Quite the idea."

"As we found out, it's effective." The wound closed, sealing up into a scar. By the time I finished casting the spell, the scar had all but faded. "There, you should be all good now."

"Thanks. Hardly even hurts anymore. That’s pretty impressive, to be honest. Where'd you learn to do that?"

I stared at him for a moment, not wanting to answer that. "Just picked it up along the way. Come on, now. We need to get you out of here."

He nodded and rose to his hooves. After a moment his face lit up, like he suddenly had a stroke of realisation. "But what about your leg?"

"Should be fine until-"

"Aqua, the last time you said that you nearly died on the back of a cart."

"What medical supplies do we have?"

"Your magic." I blinked as I stared blankly at him. "You can use magic on yourself, you know."

I turned and looked at the armoured appendage, the small trail of red seeping out of the opening in the plate. I attempted to have the armour fold down, which it did. As it folded away from my leg it was like a floodgate as all the pent up blood that couldn't flow out suddenly found a way out. A red puddle quickly formed under my leg. When the plates had finished folding up I began to focus my magic again. Perhaps it was the blood loss or maybe the faithlessness in my own self-healing capabilities, I'm not sure, but the most that my magic accomplished was causing the blood to stop flowing out of my leg. As the last drop slipped down my hoof I heard Storm speak. "Oh come on, you aren't going to heal it completely?"

"I tried to already. All it did was stop the bleeding." He looked at me with an expression so muddled with different emotions that I couldn't read it.

"Fine. Let's go. There should be a trail this way. He drug me up the path, surely we can make our way down." I nodded before putting my armour back on. "Why do you need that equipped?"

"Easier to carry it that way. Suit can practically carry itself with what it's got. I'll have Aldorn fix it up and improve it." He nodded, satisfied with the answer, before turning to head towards the path they had taken. Thusly, we began the long trek back.

I had anticipated that the trip would take a while, but instead of heading for the base of the mountain, Storm turned our heading instead to the castle town built on its side. As much as I would have liked to have protested, the throbbing pain in my leg bid me submit. Once we were in the town he quickly had me admitted into a care facility.

Once I had finally recovered enough to be released, a few days after I got in, the staff sent me on my way. As I was leaving, they warned me about not putting too much weight on the hoof. From thence, we made our way to the train station and departed for home.

The journey went without a hitch, the peaceful ride being a relief after what had just happened. We made our way inside and placed our things down. Just as we were doing so, a knock was heard on the door. I raised a quizzical eyebrow at Storm, who responded with a shrug. I trotted over to the door and opened it, finding that dark mare standing there again. "Galaxia, right?"

"Yes, child, that is my name. I have a matter of business I wish to discuss with you. Do you have a moment?"

"Of course. Come on in." I stepped aside to allow her entrance. When she was inside I closed the door.

"Ah, I see Storm is here."

Storm spoke up. "We figured it better that we shared the house so we were both safer."

"A wise idea, considering what just happened. Aqua would have had no idea. Kudos to you both, by the way. It was a stellar performance."

It was my turn to respond. "How do you know about what happened on that mountain?"

"From where I sit, I get to see a lot of things."

"Then why didn't you intervene?"

"Several reasons. The first: you both had it under control. The second: just as it was a trap for you, which you resisted in a stellar manner, it was a trap for me; the spell that that stallion used wasn't to turn Storm, but rather to open a portal should I arrive by magical means."

"And it didn't open when I got there because...?"

"Because you arrived by technological means."

"Right."

"The third reason is that I'm locked in a bit of a struggle in my domain."

Storm spoke this time. "What domain is that?"

"I am the ruler of the Endless Voids, home to creatures you can't fathom in your worst nightmares. It stretches beyond what the imagination can create, and it's my job to keep order. As you might imagine, that's a large task for any pony, god or not. So I acquired some help. I found servants, ponies willing to learn my ways and help me in my duties. One of them, the most brilliant if I might add, has rebelled against me. He calls himself the Messenger of Death now, and has made it his mission to kill those that escape death through extreme magic."

"Like necromancy?"

"Yes. However, all this power had gotten to him, and he now goes about killing if he thinks somepony cheated death."

"It's a wonder he hasn't come looking for me yet."

"He has, but because he lacks the knowledge and means that I possess, he can't track you like I can. He knows where you tend to be, but that's about it."

"So just keep changing up when I am at certain places?"

"Just watch your back."

"Got it. Anything else I should know about?"

"If you get the chance, which I doubt you will, kill him for me." The request shocked me a bit, causing me to recoil slightly.

"Galaxia, you know I don't do that."

"It would save more ponies in the long run. Besides, you and I both know that it won't be the first time you've covered your hooves in somepony else's blood."

"I had no choice!" She smirked as my voice filled with desperation.

"Frankly, you don't this time, either. I'll leave you to decide if you'd rather soak your hooves in the blood of one or struggle with damage control as he runs rampant." With this, she vanished. Her magic left behind a smoky poof of colour similar to the night sky. Storm was staring over at me when I finally gathered myself and turned.

"What was that about blood?"

"I've killed ponies, Storm, but it wasn't my choice. I didn't want to, but it was them or me. They kidnapped me, stole me away, and tried to murder me when I broke away."

"Then their blood isn't on your hooves."

"I still don't feel any better about killing any number of ponies. That's not what I signed up for."

"Sometimes you have to take a life if they've dedicated their life to taking somepony else’s." He was right, but it didn't make me any less troubled about it. After a couple of moments of awkward silence, Storm proceeded to his room, most likely to see what he could salvage. I made my way over to the table to see what I could do with my armour, opening it up and diving in as soon as I could.

About a week passed, giving my leg enough time to heal. As well, Storm repaired his room, and I repaired my armour. I even managed to make improvements to the design in that time. But the day came when I set out again to patrol.

It was around the fringes of town, near the place where nopony typically travelled, that I found something of interest. I heard the commotion before I saw it. The noise caused me to canter my way over, arriving just in time to see a pony chasing down a familiar figure. I bolted into action, teleporting as close to the galloping duo as I could. My trajectory landed me in front of the chase, but not terribly far ahead. The pony in front barely had time to react, stumbling to the side before falling. I immediately stepped between the two, standing near the fallen pony. The second pony screeched to a halt, standing mere inches away. I stole a glance back at the pony behind me, as it rose once more. To my surprise, it was Terrn. As much as I wanted to react, I didn't want to keep him around any longer than necessary. Thus, I turned back to the pony before me, finding them attempting to bolt around me. I shoved the pony away brutishly, the force causing it to stumble back several feet. "What do you want with this pony?"

As it rose back to its hooves I managed to get a good look at it. The pony had dark grey hide coated in white-steel plates of armour along parts of his body were it would have been vulnerable from the outside. Above each eye, slightly above the brow, was what resembled horns of armour. "His time has come. He must answer for his crime."

"What crime?" I was sure that, by now, Terrn's gears might have been turning and processing who I was.

"He has committed crimes against the laws of nature and time, cheating death what is rightfully death's to have. He must be punished."

"I won't let you kill him." As I finished this statement, the realisation finally clicked. "I won't permit it, Shade."

"Ah, so you know of me then? I didn't think Galaxia would be weak enough to call on a mere mortal to help her. Perhaps my time has come to take what is rightfully mine. But first, I have a loose end to tie up. Stand aside."

"No."

"I said: stand aside."

"Again, no."

"So you wish to take his place?"

"Nopony is dying here. Leave."

"His debt can be forgiven if yours is paid in advance. The choice is yours: either give up his life or surrender yours."

I turned back to Terrn, finding the pony's fearful expression gazing up at me. "Run. Get as far away from here as you can. Start again elsewhere in another land."

"But who are you? Why do you care?"

"You left me to die because of what I was. I'm not doing the same to you."

"...Aqua? But you weren't sup-"

"Just get out of here already! I'll handle this. It's my job, after all, to prevent murder." He swallowed and nodded, scrambling to his hooves. I heard the sound of magic coming from Shade, so I turned to look. Pain shot up through my left shoulder before I could process the scene. When I looked down I beheld a sword that carried a faint orange-red glow. Upon what little of the blade was left that I could see what seemed like runic carvings of some kind; these glowed with the same colour as the blade emitted. As I began reacting, Shade twisted the blade and yanked it out. The pain nearly stopped me, but was ultimately unsuccessful in doing so. I managed to rear up and draw one of my blades, the other one useless due to injury. Shade attempted a stab at my abdomen, but it was deftly parried. With his next attempted strike, again parried, I shot my leg forwards, barely managing to sink the side of my blade into his shoulder. He groaned as a sizzling sound echoed off of the white-hot blade. Predictably, he reeled away from it.

"Well, it seems we both have formidable weaponry. The one with runes of penetration; the other with a heated blade. Seems you are no stranger to murder."

"I am no murderer."

"That's not what your past tells me."

"Coming from a pony bent on killing others. Your perception is warped, just as twisted as you are."

"Trying to lecture me on morals. How adorable. Grow up, baby-faced idealist, the world is far from perfect. Now, I'll offer you the chance one more time: surrender Terrn or die." I adjusted my stance, readying myself for his next assault. "Suit yourself."

He charged back in swinging. It wasn't hard to parry his strikes, and my elevated position definitely made it easier. After several attempts that failed, Shade changed his plan. I watched his sword dematerialise, disappearing into thin air. Before too long, a large war hammer replaced it. I noticed the strain that Shade was exerting to hold up his new weapon, so I figured I could simply outlast him until I got my shot. As such, I prepared for his first swing, readying my blade. As it came, and as I attempted to parry it, I found the force and speed he put behind it was far greater than I had been expecting. My leg was knocked aside, hardly slowing the jagged hammer, and it collided squarely with my side. The crushing blow shot immense pain through my wing as I gained air, eventually landing several yards away. I let out an agonised groan as I rose once more. As much of the force as my armour took, the walloping shot still managed to knock the air out of me, and perhaps even break something. Shade was charging back in before I could recover, so I could only do so much to prepare. Regardless, I ducked under his forceful swing, effectively flopping onto my right side. This gave me the shot I needed, and the shot that I took. I sunk my blade deep within his hind left leg, cutting up towards his hip. He stumbled, falling over and dropping the hammer. As it hit the ground it vanished. When Shade arose again he turned back to me. I had enough time to get back to my hooves, as painful as it was. As I did, I saw a glow from his two horns as the magic combined in the midst of the two, almost as if there was an invisible horn between them. I sheathed my blade and started limping my way over. As I did, I was suddenly swept off of my hooves by a very forceful hit on the left. As I finished my tumbling, all I could do was groan. I hadn't even seen the shot coming, nor had I expected magic to take such a physical aspect. When I went to get up, Shade kicked me back down. "Well, we've had a good little run. You were quite the fighter. Nopony has ever maimed me like that, and I'm not sure anypony ever will again. Unfortunately for you, this is the end of the line. You made your choice; time to pay up."

I saw his sword appear in the air once more. Using what strength I could, and what little window of time I had, I unsheathed both blades and launched them up. My body protested mightily the movement of my left foreleg, but I had no other options. The two blades sunk into the area between his chest and his two shoulders. I cursed myself, mostly for not having better aim while in this crippled state, before pulling my right sword out. Right as I went to stab back up again I felt immense pain in my neck. Suddenly, my breathing stopped and hacking was all I could manage. I felt the warmth and tasted the nauseating flavour of blood as it rushed into my mouth with each cough. My eyes shot open wide as I froze in pain. When I worked up enough drive I stabbed upwards again. He managed to dodge this shot, taking a glancing blow in the shoulder. My head started spinning as I began drowning on my own blood. The only reaction I could muster was bringing my hoof to my throat. The tip of my greave caught the edge of a puncture in my neck's armoured plating. Shade loosed himself from my other blade and trotted over, apparently satisfied. Moments later, I couldn't fight any longer. The world turned black as the misery faded.

I sat in pitch black darkness, unsure of my surroundings. Everything felt surreal at that moment. I felt I could move, so I decided to do so. As I continued on my way, I found the world lightening ever so slightly. It did so until the stone corridors were bathed in the soft blue light of magical torches. It wasn't bright, in fact it was barely light enough to see my way around. I continued trotting around the endless labyrinth of stone passageways, utterly lost, until I heard a voice. It was male, but it didn't sound like it could have been a stallion I knew. I had no idea who was speaking, but figured it best not to ask. "Young child, your story does not end here. You have more, much more, to perform on the surface. Death's cold embrace cannot warm your weary soul yet. Return, and continue your journey. War is coming, and your presence is required."

The voice faded again, leaving me in silence. I trotted my way around again aimlessly. Eventually, the chamber started darkening as I passed the last blue-flamed torch. Once the world was pitch black, I felt an overwhelming urge to get something off of my head. I struggled to do so fruitlessly before I felt extreme agitation in my lungs. I arose, apparently having been on the ground, and mentally pled for whatever it was that was on me to get off. I then heard metallic plates clanking against each other, forcing me to open my eyes. The grassy hills around town were what met my gaze. When the faceplate folded back, I couldn't stand the agitation any longer, coughing violently. It can be most closely described as a fountain of blood. The sheer volume of the red liquid was startling to me. When it stopped I took the moment to sit down, wheezing as I did my best to get around what was left in my throat. Every pain I felt before blacking out returned in full, causing aching nausea to creep in at the fringes. I had to find Storm; it was the only thing I could think of. I arose, but quickly found that the weight of my armour was too much for me to carry in this condition. I equipped it again accordingly and set out.

I barely managed to limp my way to the house before I collapsed against the exterior wall. The impact was in no ways gentle, and, due to injuries, happened to fall on the left side. My leg screamed in pain, both from the exertion and from the impact, forcing me to stop. Eventually, I heard the door open and Storm's head peeked through. When he saw me he spoke, but it wasn't a concerned tone that was carried in his voice. "Aqua? Was that you?"

I nodded, still unsure if I could so much as speak. After a moment of silence, he spoke. "What's up?"

I went to say something, but the strangled words didn't get very far. It was then that I saw his face suddenly shoot from question to concern. He came over quickly, doing his best to help me inside, granted that hauling a pony as large as I was with that much armour was no easy task. "I can't carry all of that armour and you. You're going to have to drop it out here."

I nodded again and folded it down. He undid the saddlebag-like harness and let the machine clunk heavily on the ground. He hadn't actually seen what had happened yet, as he was so focused on getting me inside. Once I was within, the door being closed behind us, and I was seated he finally stepped back to start analysing the damage. It was then that absolute shock struck him. He was entirely speechless, gawking at the damage. After a few stutters he finally spoke. "H-how are you even alive?"

I went to respond, hoping to say that I had no idea, but by the time the words left my throat they were incomprehensible. It was followed by a small hack of blood launching onto the floor before me. Storm carefully came over and poked at the wounds once or twice, causing me to react accordingly, before rushing off to call for Bane. I took the chance, fighting through the wall of pain, to get up and look in a mirror. What I saw shocked me. My face was pale, my eyes were glazed over, and lifelessness seemed to hang over my face. There was a large vertical slit of clotted blood covering most of my neck, and the shredded remains of my left shoulder was disturbing at best. On the right side, where I had taken the hit from the warhammer, I could tell that the wing had been severely damaged, not to mention the massive bruise on my side. Perhaps my ribs were spared by the padding my wing provided. The left side, the brunt of Shade's magical attack, wasn't anywhere near in bad of condition as the other side. Regardless, I groaned at the sight before making my way back to the couch, hoping that seating myself would be enough to take the weight off of my injuries.

In a way, it helped, but even so much as sitting still hurt. Storm did come back before too long with Bane in tow. When Bane finally saw me he recoiled. "Storm, when you told me it was bad, I didn't expect this! She looks like she just died!"

I wanted to sarcastically respond that I had, but I still couldn't manage to spit out words, just blood. "Think you can still heal her?"

"Yeah, but we might want Galaxia in on this too."

"She can heal?"

"No, but she can put her to sleep. It'll make things a whole lot easier."

"Then go ahead and call her." Bane nodded, focusing on a spell for a moment. Before too long, Galaxia appeared within the room. Her entrance wasn't grand, but it was still spectacular. It was as if a rift into space opened up and gave her entrance directly into my house. The portal then sealed behind her. "Galaxia."

"Ah, Bane, what a surprise. I wasn't expecting you to call, not after that one-"

"Yes, but that's not important. Look at Aqua." Galaxia quizzically looked over at me, her eyebrow cocked as she drank in my deathly appearance. "I'm going to need your help."

"You should know that I am not the one in my family that heals."

"I don't need you to heal her; I can do that by myself just fine. I need you to put her to sleep so she doesn't have to feel all the realigning and reforming that her body needs. It won’t be the most pleasant of experiences, to say the least, and I don’t want her to just sit there and suffer her way through the whole thing."

"Fair enough, but are you not able to do so?"

"I'd rather have the absolute certainty that you can provide on that one."

"Good to hear you've seen things my way."

"Uh-huh. Just put her under."

"With pleasure. I cannot wait to see what she accomplishes next." Her horn began 'glowing' in its normal fashion. Before too long, I was being overpowered by a very heavy drowsiness. Not long after that, I fell into slumber.

When next I was aware enough to sense the world around me, I heard Bane and Galaxia in conversation. It was Bane speaking at first. "...need to see the Oracle."

"As soon as you visit them, MoonDusk will be all over you."

"But we're ready."

"No, we're not."

"Storm's got his group prepared, your fight with Shade was put on standby following the injuries he sustained from Aqua, and I've prepared what I needed. All I have left is speaking with the Oracle."

"But Aqua isn't ready yet. You were the one that stole the glance in MoonDusk's chambers to find out what would happen. You should know by now that there are several things that still have to happen." It got quiet for a moment. "I appreciate your eagerness, Bane, but we can't go in yet."

"Alright. I'll see to the other preparations then." Bane started leaving, turning back one last time. "When MoonDusk is out of the way, with somepony more competent observing fate, things will get better."

"I hope so." He left, prompting a sigh from Galaxia. She then turned towards me. "Oh, you were awake. How much did you hear?"

I simply groaned as I sat up. "Easy now. How do you feel?"

"Bad."

"That was to be expected. Feeling good after something like that would be more troubling. Not only did we have to fix several broken bones inside your wing, but two of your ribs were fractured, your left shoulder was demolished entirely, and let's not even mention the trouble it caused trying to heal that neck. Judging by your condition, I'd say Shade is still out there?"

I looked away. "Yes."

"Couldn't bring yourself to kill him?"

"I missed."

"At least you crippled him and forced him into hiding until he recovers."

"Why does MoonDusk want me?" Galaxia stared at me momentarily.

"I'm not sure you're ready for-"

"I'm done with this 'not ready' thing, Galaxia. I need to know; I need answers." Her brow furrowed, evidence of frustration that didn't seem to cross her face frequently. It was slight, barely noticeable, but still there.

"MoonDusk wants to use you to prevent the pony that's after her, Bane, to be specific, from dethroning her."

"And how will she use me, exactly?"

"By removing your free will and making you a living engine of destruction. As much as you will want to deny it, part of your blood screams out in bloodlust. It's part of what's made you as good of a fighter as you've become."

"I don't want to believe that." My tone was almost a frightened one. It caught me off guard, to say the least. I hadn't ever heard a tone like that come out of me. "I can't, there's no way I'm bloodthirsty. I protect ponies. I don't kill, not when I don't have to."

"Regardless, MoonDusk would take that hope out to make you engage in a bloody, murderous rampage. It would take great effort and a lot of lives to stop you, if we even could."

"So we have to stop her at all costs."

"Yes, but some costs can be mitigated if we are patient. Bane and I are already working on it. It won't be long before you're ready."

"Let's hope she doesn't find me before then."

"She won't. That's a promise. Shade won't be a problem for a while, either."

"Good. I'm not ready for another fight with him."

"And Storm will be here in just a few minutes. I have business to tend to back in the Voids, so I must take my leave. I wish you the best of luck, Aqua." With that, without even waiting for a response, she vanished. Having nothing else to do at that point, I put my head back down, exhaling from the severe discomfort as I lowered myself down. I then closed my eyes and waited for sleep to take me.

I found myself trotting around, seemingly in an abandoned waste. As if from nowhere, buildings were appearing where I hadn't been looking; an entire town formed outside of my vision. It was rustic, old, and with a country feel, the dusty ground beneath only aiding in reinforcing the notion. I then heard screams, forcing me to turn and face them. Burning buildings met my view, the air a ghastly orange from the fires. Ponies were scattering, fleeing. One or two were caught inside the fire and began burning alive. As I looked around, the whole town had fallen into such poor fate. As I gazed upon it the grisly scene, an underlying sense of guilt creeped in. As I made one last turn and glanced up I noticed a burning, screaming pony, with facial features I cannot recall, leaping down towards me. As it would have crashed upon me I startled awake, bolting upright. I was panting heavily, gazing wildly about me. I swallowed, a difficult task with all things considered, and began calming myself down. "Are you alright?"

I hadn't realised Storm was nearby, and his sudden voice startled me further. "Woah, woah, calm down. It's alright; you're going to be ok."

My breaths were slowly recovering, my heart racing slower as time passed. "What was that, Storm? It was horrible..."

"Most likely a nightmare, a bad dream."

"But it was so vivid...the buildings...the fire..."

"Deep breaths, Aqua. None of it actually happened."

"Then why do I feel responsible for it?" He was silent for a few moments. "Why was I so guilty about a burning town?"

"I don't know why, but it wasn't you." I nodded, trying to find comfort in his words. I eased myself back down into a resting position, content for the time being.

It took about a week for me to finally feel capable of anything more than resting and eating. In that time, however, the nightmare returned twice. The last instance was the night of my full recovery, and it was far more gruesome than the other two. More were dead or dying, bodies were eviscerated, and none were left alive by the end. The sheer horror woke me up, forcing me to rise to my hooves. It wasn't even dawn yet, the night still prevailing, but I had to move around. Perhaps, I figured, I could determine the meaning of the dream if I trotted at this hour. The princess of the night was, after all, shepherd of dreams. With that in mind, I secured the warp core to my chest in case I got lost.

I made my way out of the house quietly, making sure not to disturb Storm, who had fallen asleep on the couch adjacent to mine. I began wandering under the soft moonlight, pondering the haunting nightmare. I wasn't directing my movement, but rather following where my hooves led me. When I next thought of where I was I found myself trotting within the bounds of the Everfree forest. I continued moving, figuring I could handle myself at this point.

My thoughts were interrupted after a while by creaking. I stopped and looked around, trying to find the source. I found nothing in the near-pitch black forest. I focused what magic I could to create a glow from my horn, hoping the light would help me see. The gentle, white glow my horn gave off was, indeed, enough to light a small area around me. I heard the creaking and swishing sounds again, but was unable to find it. I looked to my left, squinting into the darkness and raising a hoof as if to set off in that direction. I suddenly felt something grab strongly onto my raised front right hoof before yanking back. I was caught off guard and ended up being swept off of my hooves. I got the chance to see what it was at this point. Wrapped fiercely around my leg was a green maw, a plant of kinds. It wasn't any plant I had normally seen, nor that I had known of. A long vine drew back from the middle of it, or what would be the middle if it was open. I tried what I could to kick the thing, but the position I was in while being dragged was not conducive to such. I was, unfortunately, at the mercy of this plant, as the grip was too strong to break.

After a few moments we broke into a clearing. It was then that I saw the monstrous creature. Its appearance, at least from the ground, was that of a large flower bulb. Tendrils and vines ending in clamps, similar to the one secured around my hoof, extended out of the bulb in a jumble that spread across the entirety of the clearing. I felt myself being lifted by the hoof until I was dangling above the bulb. The bulb opened, revealing the interior. It seemed to be like any other plant or flower, that is, until the half-opened flower became a pit of massive thorns. The thorns came out of the walls and base of the plant, almost seemingly without preface. They were barbed and jagged, thick as branches at the base, and pointing vertically. Fearing what it had planned for me, I quickly wrapped my tail about the stem of the maw on my hoof. No sooner had I done so than it released me. My weight began dragging the unsuspecting limb down, giving me barely enough time to squirm my way outside the reach of the bulb. I then let go, hitting the vine covered ground with a thud. As I was getting up I felt the vines under me shift. I was knocked over and tumbled for a few short moments. When I was next on my hooves I turned and looked. The bulb had risen, rotated, and now faced me. It had also closed again. I backed up a bit before I felt a vine wrapping around my hind left leg. I quickly kicked it off before turning back to face the bulb. I found the plant ejecting a liquid from the opening. It was a clear, but visibly viscous, material. I rolled out of the way as the glob splattered against a nearby tree. I shot a glance back to find the trunk whittling away under the liquid. Soon enough, the tree was falling down, following the pattern that the acid ate. I was so focused on the tree that I hadn't noticed the plant spit another bout of viscous liquid. I felt the impact on my front right hoof, almost knocking me off of my hooves. I let out a surprised gasp, but had to move to get out of the way of the tree. It took a quick roll to evade the falling lumber, but I successfully managed. With a loud thud the tree landed, crushing what was in its path. When I turned and looked, I saw that at least half of the bulb had been caught by the trunk. The remaining bulb leaked the acidic liquid at a constant rate, coating the vines beneath it. When enough time had passed, perhaps seconds, I saw the vines begin curling in around the tree trunk, trying to force it off. The efforts were unsuccessful, but continued until the vines themselves seemed to give up and die. A few moments later, the bulb ceased to produce the viscous liquid, and ultimately drooped. All went still in the forest, even the nearby sounds. I took a moment to catch my breath and calm myself, the rush of the encounter still fresh in my body. As I calmed down, I felt an intense, burning pain in my front right hoof. My eyes shot open wide as I remembered the impact I took. I looked down to find the goop, normally clear but now soaked crimson, still resting on my throbbing leg. Figuring the dirt wasn't what I should wipe the open wound on, I activated the warp core.

Within a few blinks' worth of time I was standing in my own house again. I quickly made my way over to the upstairs sink, being as quiet as I could. My three-legged trot was hard to muffle, however, so I just hoped I didn't wake anypony else up. When I was within the bathroom I closed the door and turned on the light within. I then turned the water on and stuck my hoof under it. The cold water stung excessively, forcing me to either bite my lip or scream. After several moments, I couldn't take the pain anymore. I yanked my leg out of the running water and carefully observed it. It was true that I had washed a lot of the goop off, but there was still some left. Accordingly, after a deep and agonised breath, I stuck the hoof back under the cold water. I quieted my moan as much as I could, biting my lip with enough force to draw blood. Once I was sure that I had washed it all off I ripped my leg out from the stream again, barely containing the groan of pain that so fervently wished to be set free. I didn't catch myself in time before I plunked down heavily onto the floor in a seated position. My heart began racing that, perhaps, I had awakened somepony. I sat as still and quiet as I could, listening intently. When I didn't hear any noise I turned my attention back to my leg. All that was left of my hoof was a bleeding stump. I sighed and turned my attention to the doorway, hoping I could sneak around until I found some bandages. Instead of finding the closed door I found Storm standing in the doorway. His eyes were still adjusting to the light levels within, whereas mine had already done so. My rapid heartbeats kept my eyes open wider than normal, enough to express the fear I had been under. "Aqua, what are you doing?"

"Uh...I can explain."

"Aqua, what happened to your hoof?" Perhaps he was so tired that he didn't skip a beat.

"Well, that's a bit of a story..."

"Just tell me so I can call Bane."

"I started wandering while lost in thought and ran into a plant in the Everfree. It spat acid, and the acid hit my hoof. It's dead now, the plant, I mean." Storm turned and trotted out of the doorway, leaving me alone in the bathroom. I took another moment to look at what was left of my hoof. What I saw shocked me. Rather, what I didn't see. The entire bottom section of my hoof had been eaten away, and some spots on the leg, just a little above where the hoof would have been, had dissolved so far that blood-covered bone revealed itself. I groaned again, the throbbing pain still present, as I forced myself to look away from the utter destruction that had been my hoof. I couldn't even set the thing down to help me adjust my position. Again I grunted in dissatisfaction and pain before turning back, unable to stop looking. It was then I noticed the red pool gathering on the floor. As I gazed down apprehensively, I heard movement in the house again. Within what couldn't have been more than seconds Bane was bursting in.

"...and always running off to- Oh. Oh..."

"What?" I had never heard him that speechless before. It was frightening.

"Storm, get Galaxia, now." I could barely see him nod in the faint light cast outside the doorway. He very quickly left my sight. "Any time wasted is time we already don't have."

"You're talking like I'm going to die."

"You are." I shot him a frightened glance. "You haven't noticed, but your leg is still getting shorter even after you 'washed' the acid off. It's hydrophobic, in a way. It's a magical substance, a very dark one at that, at least if it's what I think it is. That acid will continue eating your leg even after you bleed out and die. Won't stop until your body is nothing more than red paste. Galaxia will put you out so you don't feel what comes next."

"What comes next?" My fearful tone betrayed my terrified apprehension.

"Amputation." I stared blankly at him for a second.

"Nothing else can be done?"

"Nothing in the small time frame we have. You've lost too much blood, and getting medical personal involved will only complicate things as they try to study the acid instead of removing it."

"So you're going to just lop it off instead? Won't it still be destroyed either way?"

"At least this way, it won't continue up your leg while we work something else out." As he finished this statement, Galaxia trotted into the room. She paused for the slightest moment as she quickly drunk in what had become of my hoof.

"Storm already filled me in. Are you ready, Bane?"

"Yeah. Storm, you got everything set?"

"Yeah, just as she asked."

"Good. Galaxia, put her out." Galaxia's horn glowed with that same strange magical aura before I felt the wall of sleep descend quickly upon me. Before too long, the world was black.

I was waking up groggily when next I was aware of things. I shifted as best I could, managing to come to a sitting position. I finally noticed Storm nearby, but he had dozed off in the chair he was in. Without thinking, I went to get off of the bed. Almost as soon as I went to step on my right hoof I was on my face. I let out a groan after I thudded heavily against the floor. I heard a quick shift from the chair nearby and knew that Storm had been awakened by the noise. He let out a gasp as he rushed over, helping me up onto the bed again. "Come on, now, we can't have you doing that again."

"Sorry. I wasn't expecting to miss my shot."

"Which hoof did you go to place on the floor?"

"This one." I raised my right leg up, which allowed the limb into my view. "Oh..."

What used to be my hoof was now nothing more than a wad of bandages. My heart still sank at the sight, hoping I could disbelieve it. "Yeah, that would be why. Aqua, we can't have you stepping on that hoof yet. It needs more rest."

"How much longer?"

"A couple of days."

"Just a few days to heal that? Was it accelerated?"

"No. You've been out for a couple of weeks."

I stared blankly at him. "...what?"

"Galaxia decided that having you asleep for longer would improve the chances of that hoof healing, so she kept you under for several weeks."

"What about the Order? I have responsibilities!"

"I mean, you can't perform those responsibilities while crippled, can you?" I looked at him for a moment before sighing in defeat. "Besides, it lets me spend time with you, and I'm more than ok with that."

"Well, I guess that could be an upside to this all."

"I still have to ask, though: why did you go out alone? You were still weak from your injuries."

"I managed well enough, but I needed air to think."

"What do you mean?"

"That dream; it disturbed me too much. I had to contemplate what it could possibly mean."

"Did you come to any conclusions?"

"No. A giant, acid spitting plant stopped me."

"Right. Well, is there anything I can do for you at the moment?"

"Um...let me think." I took a moment, an idea suddenly shooting into my mind's eye. "There is one thing."

"Yeah?"

"Get Aldorn to come here. I have a request for him."

"Aldorn is...?"

"A suit of possessed armour that happens to be an expert in metallurgy."

"And how am I supposed to contact him?"

"You can try asking the Guildmaster of the Order of Protectorates or, if that doesn't work, you can ask Galaxia; I'm sure she'd be able to find him."

"Alright. Can I trust you not to trot on that hoof while I'm away?"

"Yes."

"Good. I should be back later today, hopefully with a suit of armour following me." I nodded, causing Storm to take his leave. I was then left alone again. I settled back down into the bed to await his return.

I dozed in and out of sleep several times waiting. Night had found its way to town by the time Storm returned. Before he had even arrived at my room on the second floor, I heard the telltale thudding of Aldorn's greaves as he approached. Soon, the door opened and Storm trotted in; Aldorn squeezed through the doorway shortly thereafter. I sat up in the bed to greet them. Aldorn managed to speak in his metallic voice first. "Ah, Aqua, I was told you needed my assistance."

"Yes. Took a bit longer than I had expected. You weren't busy, were you?"

Storm piped up before any response could be given. "No, he wasn't. There was a slight delay on my part."

"What do you mean?"

"Turns out, your Guildmaster has a deep-seated hatred for my Order. He fought me on all levels except physical to probe me for a reason, and to deny me the information I needed."

"What did you tell him?"

"Nothing, the same that he gave me. I had to find Galaxia to find Aldorn. He's here now, though."

"I await your request, Aqua. I have proven loyal to the Order of Protectorates, and this falls well within the bounds."

I raised my hoof out into view, the bandaged wad showing small splotches of crimson throughout the white of the cloth. "I can't fight on an unstable stance. I need something, anything, to level me."

"I will have to think about this one for a while; it is not a simple request. Give me some time to devise a schematic." I nodded, hopeful for anything he could do for me. He then left the room, leaving Storm and I alone once more.

The conversation shared between the two of us was novelty at most, the occasional comment every now and then followed by a question. It took nearly an hour before Aldorn returned, his echoing hoofsteps signalling him before he arrived had even arrived. Storm and I both stared in high expectation as the door opened. What he was carrying looked little more than a metal, cylindrical block with clamps. My hopeful expression turned into curious bewilderment as I continued looking at the little device. "This is what I came up with."

"What is it?" Storm and I answered in tandem, showing the curiosity we both shared. A quick glance stolen at each other almost broke us into laughter.

"It's an artificial hoof."

"So how does it work? Does it anchor into my leg or something?"

"More or less." I shot him a nervous glance. "It half cinches, half attaches to your leg, using both exterior and interior mechanisms. When attached, it should feel like a normal hoof, for the most part, and shouldn't impede your fighting capabilities with unwanted movement."

"Then I guess we should put it on me, then." Aldorn nodded and trotted over. In the meantime, Storm undid the bandages to reveal an almost entirely healed stump. I gazed at the appendage before looking back up to find Aldorn standing a few inches from my leg. He and Storm both positioned my leg and the contraption before it activated. I felt moderate discomfort as the mechanism securely attached to my leg. This warranted a little squirm from me, as I repositioned. In turn, Storm turned his gaze up to me. His face dripped with concern. "I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. Is it about done, Aldorn?"

"Yes. It should be ending right about...now." On cue, the discomfort ended. He stepped back, which caused Storm to do the same. I looked at the metal block for a few moments. "Test it."

I looked up at him momentarily before turning my view to the floor. With my right hoof leading, I climbed off of the bed. My pace was unsure at first, but after a lap or two around the room I was at my normal canter. I let out an ecstatic chuckle before speaking. "Aldorn, this is amazing!"

"I'm glad you like it. Is there anything else you need me for?"

"Aside from adjusting my armour to account for the new changes, I don't think I have anything else I need help with."

"Then I'll adjust your armour accordingly before heading out."

"Thank you, Aldorn. I don't know if you know how much this means to me."

"I can make an estimation, but you are welcome." He turned and left, heading down towards where I kept my armour. Storm turned from the doorway and looked at me.

"It's been a crazy ride, that's for sure. I'll leave you for the night, then."

"See you in the morning." He nodded before heading out and closing the door. I trotted around a little while longer, still entirely baffled and amazed at the work Aldorn had accomplished, before retiring for the night.

When morning came, or just a bit before it did, I heard knocking on the door. I managed to make my way down the stairs and open the door, finding Tigerfire standing before me. "Oh? What brings you here?"

"Lazuli went missing about a week or two ago, but we found her."

"She went missing? Why wasn't I told?"

"Storm said you were under, but he couldn't come help us because he had to watch over you."

"Right."

"We were going to organise a team to get her back, since we heard she might be in danger. Did you-?"

"Yes. I can be ready at a moment’s notice. Just give the word and I'll be there."

"Ask Storm if he wants to come." I nodded and headed back inside. I made my way to Storm's room and knocked, hearing him bid me enter shortly thereafter. I opened the door and headed within. The room had been repaired in my 'absence', and had even be rearranged. Storm was inside finishing up a few minor tasks. He stopped and turned when I entered.

"Storm, Lazuli's been found."

"When did you find out?"

"Just now. You were planning on telling me, right?"

"Yeah. So she's been found?" He was obviously diverting the conversation from him not telling me back to the main issue. I didn’t push any further into the matter accordingly.

"Yes. They're assembling some ponies and we're heading out. Did you want to come with?"

"Absolutely. Somepony's got to watch your back, right?" I shot him a glance, causing him to chuckle. He then cleared his throat. "Right. I'll get my stuff."

I headed out and grabbed my armour, equipping it. Indeed, the new suit still fit perfectly. When I turned around, following the quick inspection, I found Storm suited up and ready. An exchange of nods occurred and we made our way out. Tigerfire was still out there, tapping his hoof impatiently. "Oh, that didn't take long."

"Is everything all set for the journey?"

"Yes. Are you?"

"Yes."

"Good. Let's get rolling then." Upon these words, the three of us began heading out. Around the edge of town we met up with a rough looking crowd of ponies. "Aqua, Storm, meet your new allies."

"Where'd you find these guys?"

"They're mercs."

"Mercenaries?"

"Yes. Our guild, or rather, Lazuli’s guild isn't one that normally relies on physical intimidation and brute strength, so we occasionally have to pay for some help."

"We're willing to help, you know."

"YOU are willing to help. Your order isn't. That's not their line of work, and it's only yours because you're protecting Lazuli." I bit my tongue, accepting that he was right. It seemed I had forgotten what the Order would go for. After a moment more of silence, perhaps Tigerfire simply waiting for an angry response from me, he spoke again. "We head out. Remember: our primary goal is recovering Lazuli."

Before long we set out. Our journey was in no ways conventional. Rather than taking our entire journey by train or by hoof, we boarded an airship when we were a considerable distance from any of the nearby towns. Our journey then took us to one of the nearby pegasus villages. Those of the group who were not pegasi had a spell cast on them that would allow them to walk upon the clouds. We then disembarked the vessel and split up to begin our search. The town was almost completely devoid of life, giving us an eerie feeling of apprehension. Tigerfire spoke to break the silence. "We'll split off into groups to explore the town. Keep your wits about you. I don't like this; it's far too quiet."

Storm and I, accompanied by Tigerfire, began heading away from the others. We checked every building and alleyway that we could. It took hours, to be honest, in order to check every nook and cranny, every closed space, where she could have been. As we were making our way back to the main square, the others caught up with us. The gruff sounding pony in the front spoke first. "Our scout here's found a trail. Best shot we've got, boss."

"Alright. We'll follow it and see where it leads." The others nodded and we began heading towards a different path. Storm and I took the back positions, with Storm slightly ahead of me. Suddenly, a quiet noise pricked my ear as we were trotting, causing me to look around. I looked at the others, waiting to see if they reacted at all. After a few more moments of the sound teasing my ear, and the utter lack of reaction from the others, I quietly split away from the group. Their sounds of conversation covered my absence, giving me the opportunity to investigate. I did my best to triangulate the location, eventually managing to do so. As I trotted towards it, the sound became more intense. It remained the same volume, but the intensity changed. It sent a crawling sensation up my spine, causing me to look around. A pony was standing at a nearby fountain, a sight I would have missed. I couldn't quite see who, due to some obstacles. I decided to trot over and investigate. As I rounded the last corner and got a clear view, I noticed it was Lazuli. My heart skipped a beat in relief, causing my tense body to relax. I began trotting over.

"Lazuli!" She turned towards me. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. What's with the concern?" By the time she finished her sentence, I was standing next to her.

"I had been told that you were missing. What happened?"

"I was up here studying pegasi and their ability to stand on clouds. Not too bad if I managed to remain aloft here, I suppose. Research was a success."

"We have to get you to the others. They're heading off somewhere else."

"The others?"

"Tigerfire brought a group of ponies up here to look for you."

"Well, you found me."

"So let's go report then. It'll be a relief for all of them to see you again." I turned and began trotting, but my hooves were the only ones I heard. I turned about to ask why she wasn't coming with me, only to find her silently brandishing a dagger. "Lazuli? What are you doing?"

My question was out of curiosity, the feeling reflected by my tone. She finished drawing the blade and looked squarely at me before levitating it out of her mouth. She then spoke. "Your way of protecting ponies is too brutish. You have to learn the finer things in life, like magic. Maybe then will you finally understand."

Suddenly, the dagger hurtled towards me, forcing me to react instantly. I rolled to the side, leaving me surprised that the gentle cloud landscape supported that kind of shifting mass. When I was on my hooves again my anxiously bewildered tone sounded almost fearful. "Lazuli, what are you doing?"

"Magic will best physicality in all aspects, Aqua; work, care, combat, and even saving lives. I know what you will become, and I'm not about to let that happen."

"Lazuli, if you keep this up, I will have to kill you. You do realise that, don't you?"

"Better to die a martyr than die a coward. You'll end up killing me either way." She began casting a spell, forcing me to begin galloping towards her. The distance was short, a few body lengths perhaps, but it was just long enough. She unleashed a fireball, the spell barely travelling a few feet before haphazardly bouncing off of my armour. The force caused me to slow a bit, but I pressed on. As I arrived, aiming to tackle her, she teleported away. She was out of my sight, but I looked frantically for her. I saw her behind me right as a large icicle shot towards me. I ducked, but not quite fast enough. The side of the large chunk of ice hit my head pretty hard, about whipping my head into the cloud beneath me. I let out a slight groan, but pressed on regardless. I turned about and began charging again. This time, she let out a bolt of lightning. The deafening crack echoed across the landscape as the electric bolt collided with my armour. It moved too fast for me to react. Once it hit, I froze, discharging the leftover energy into the clouds. It was intense discomfort, but not anything quite fatal, that I experienced from the overflow of electricity. I almost collapsed down as I fought a convulsion, but remained upright. As I recovered, it was clear to see that Lazuli was drained. Indeed, those were very potent spells she had cast, and she wasn't as experienced as she might have led herself to believe. I began moving again, but her reaction wasn't another destructive spell. Instead, she conjured a weapon and began desperately swinging. I took the chance I had to rear up on my hind legs and draw both swords, as much of an effort as that was post-electrocution. Newfound fear worked itself into her eyes. She took a desperate slice at me, but the sword bounced off of the strange metal Aldorn had used. With a few quick motions, I pinned Lazuli to the ground, swords crossed over her neck. The blades were heating up now, and I could see her squirming under the heat. I saw her attempt one last spell before something happened. The spell fell completely flat, not even leaving her horn, but her skin began changing. It went from the light blue I knew to a darker grey-blue. The hide also changed from a typical one to a more leathery-looking, taught skin of sorts. Her eyes changed from their gentle green to a sharp orange-yellow. The mouth seemed to all but disappear, as did the hair. The creature tried to buck me off, but between my overwhelming mass and its weakened state all it did was slap its hooves in futility.

"What have you done with Lazuli?" Stone cold silence met my question. "Answer me!"

"You're already too late. She's played her part. Time to play yours." It tried hurling one last lightning bolt, but its intent was too predictable. When I moved out of the way, my blades released from its neck. The creature tried to squirm away, but I quickly reacted by plunging both swords into its chest. The blades pierced all the way through, sizzling in both the blood of the creature and the water content of the cloud. A few more squirms further damaged the creature before it gave up. All fell silent once more in the square, aside from the hum of my blades. I sheathed them once more before looking around. I found nothing nearby, so I turned my attention back to the creature's corpse. I noticed a dim glow, perhaps no brighter than an ember's light, around the creature's face. I furrowed my brow and moved closer. As I drew my face near, I suddenly felt like my mind was torn from my body. I could no longer focus on my surroundings as my vision faded into something else.

Eventually, I focused. My surroundings were completely different than I remembered, but I didn't feel out of place or even confused about it. I didn't even feel the urge to look around, simply to keep my vision locked on something. Before me stood one of those creatures, addressing a group of us. "Your target is the blue one with the strange tail. Any others who get in your way will be left behind as bodies. If you need to, infiltrate and assassinate to get ground and get closer to her. Erazul wants her alive. You may now move out."

Commotion broke around me as I was carried about in the memory. After a short period, and several jumps through blurry remembrance, the creature I was following had made it close to Lazuli. Close enough, in fact, that it was her acting assistant. It wasn't more than a few more days of hastened memories before I saw the creatures act. While Lazuli slumbered, the one I was following let the others in. Within moments, they had fully bound and gagged her, carrying her off despite her best efforts. They made their way out, travelling quickly in their small, streamlined airship. A large building, hidden amongst the billowing clouds left behind by a dragon's smoggy breath, drew ever closer.

I was suddenly torn from the memory, a sharp pain shooting up my leg. I tried to pull my leg away from the source, but found it to be stuck. I wheeled around, blade drawn, to find one of those dark, steel-blue creatures with a magically glowing pike. The head of the polearm was jammed fiercely into my hind right leg. The creature next seemed to be preparing a spell, but was very quickly stopped. A bolt suddenly protruded from the creature's neck, causing it to gain a terrified look. Shortly thereafter, it dropped. As the creature slipped down to the ground, I could see Storm and Tigerfire cantering over. Behind them stood one of the mercenaries, still at attention with his crossbow at the ready. He relaxed when the two arrived at where I was. "So, that's where you snuck off to. Storm lost you halfway out of the town and had us searching all over the bloody place."

I quickly looked back at the other creature, the one whose memories I had accidentally delved into. The faint glow was gone, causing my heart to sink a little. "Now what in Equestria are you doing all the way over here? Especially alone?"

"I figured out where Lazuli is, or at least where she went."

"Well it bloody well isn't here. Are you planning on stalking any more doppelgängers?"

"No, we won't have to."

"Good. Now, let's-"

"We'll be raiding them instead."

Tigerfire looked at me for a moment, shocked disbelief turning into heavy annoyance. "Are you out of your bloody mind?!"

"You put me on this team to find Lazuli, didn't you? I've managed to find a trace at where she could be and I don't plan on wasting that."

"Running headlong into there is suicide. I'm not risking the lives of everypony here like that."

"It wasn't a proposal, Tigerfire. I'm going there whether you follow or not. Your call." He sat in silence for a moment before turning to the mercenaries. They were all nodding in approval. Even Storm had stepped closer to me, practically standing with our shoulders touching. Tigerfire finally turned back.

"Fine. I can't have you going off and dying. Lead on, then."

"We'll need the airship."

"Why?"

"Because she's not even close to this cloud formation. She's in a building hidden by a dragon's smog."

"Captain, there are only four known hibernating dragons on the continent. To which shall we go?" One of the mercenaries piped up. Tigerfire's response followed accordingly.

"I don't know. Aqua, since you seem to know where we're going all of a sudden: where to?"

"Do you have a map?"

"On the ship."

"Then we go to the ship and I will show you."

Our journey to the airborne craft didn't take long, perhaps no longer than an hour. The sun was about three-quarters of the way across the sky by the time we had set our heading. We departed shortly thereafter.

Night had fallen by the time we saw billowing black clouds on the horizon. The crew had us all put on a set of gear designed to filter out the smoke before we arrived. A few lights out of the front of the ship helped us find our way, but it was in deathly silence as we focused intently. When, at last, we broke from a wall of smoke we found a large building. The lights were killed before I could get a good glimpse, but it almost seemed like there was a pocket of clean air around the building. We pulled in around what I assumed to be the back before disembarking. As we were leaving the vessel, I heard Tigerfire speak. "So what's the plan?"

"Have the ship ready to leave at a moment's notice. Anypony that comes aboard is to be taken captive and held until you know for a certainty that it's not one of these creatures. Storm and I will go in." As soon as the last word had slipped my tongue I heard one of the mercenaries pipe up.

"Wait, we aren't even going in? We're just here to make sure you can run at the end?"

"No. I need the ship ready so Lazuli can run at the end. I also fear I'd end up killing more of you than I would the creatures. You came here for Lazuli; I intend for you to leave here with Lazuli, whether I'm there or not."

Storm interjected. "You sound like you're not expecting to return."

"Well you bloody well better come back out. Don't get yourself killed over her, especially if we can avoid any deaths period."

"Tigerfire, I appreciate your concern, but what do you think the Order is about? Were we not told that we had to be willing to die for others?" It grew deathly silent, perhaps because they were hoping I wasn't going to pursue this. "I will get her back, no matter the odds and no matter the cost."

"You're bloody insane."

"Sometimes you've got to be. Stay here. Storm, follow if you want. I won't hold it against you if you don't."

"No way am I letting you go in there by yourself."

"Then let's go. Every moment wasted is another moment closer to her death." Storm nodded and quickly trotted after me. It didn't take us but a few moments before we had rounded the front of the building. The doors were large metallic edifices, but not absolutely massive. It was clear that they were sturdy, however, and I wasn't sure I could break them. As I was sizing up the door, I heard a click and a beep. Suddenly, the door opened. I turned to find Storm standing beside a tiny protrusion on the wall. He turned and looked at me with a smug, accomplished smile. I nodded before galloping in. When my eyes focused in the bright, industrial lights of the lobby, I found just that: a lobby. It looked like any other kind of medical store front, including the chairs, cushions and decorations. The front desk, which cut the space of the room roughly in half, was empty. Behind it lay a set of double doors. I made my way over and climbed over the counter, my heavy armour scraping across the surface. When I turned back, I found Storm trotting through a chest-high wooden door. He simply looked at me, wondering why I was looking at him. I tried the two doors and found that they were locked. Storm came over to try his luck while I turned to the one doorway in the patient portion of the lobby. I easily trotted straight through the two-way door, so I turned back around to call Storm over. When I peeked my head out, I heard his voice.

"Find something?"

"A hallway. I don't know if it will turn into anything." He came around the corner and followed me back into the corridor. He began checking all the doors on the sides of the hall. Meanwhile, I continued straight towards the other set of double doors. I pushed my way through, finding what looked to be a small rectangular room with some buttons. I trotted closer, inspecting them. The buttons were numbered, from B-1 all the way to 12. Curious as to what it was, I pushed the B-1 button. I didn't hear much of a reaction, if any at all, so I looked around. I found that two highly polished metal doors had closed behind me, cutting off access. Suddenly, I felt much lighter, almost weightless for a moment. It quickly balanced out, but eventually I felt very heavy. It stopped, and immediately afterwards a ding sounded. The metal doors opened, revealing the other room. I trotted out slowly, being careful how much noise I made. No sooner had I left the room than the doors closed again. I turned to open them, but found myself unable to. Seeing as I was stuck down here, I decided to investigate. It took a while for my eyes to adjust, but, after they did, I could more easily discern my surroundings. The walls and, really, any metal object were either rusted or crusted over with a deep green. There were many strange machines with dials and circular meters. None of the labels made sense to me; they were either written extremely poorly, or it was actually in a different language and typeset. Realising where I was, it didn't seem to be too estranged of a concept. I continued my way around, finding only set after set upon set, after set, of these machines. There seemed to be no end, like the basement was larger than the building above it. I eventually tripped over something while looking around. I got up and tried to figure out what it was. I pried at it, finding a hatch to open. I quickly looked around to make sure I was alone before heading down. It was even darker in this small place than it had been in the dim and rusted room above. The stench of the place was foul, almost nauseating. As my eyes adjusted, I looked around further. Lining both sides of the wall were what probably used to be iron bars; the bars were so far rusted that they appeared more painted than anything. Inside were piles of hay scattered about. I went cell by cell, trying to see if there was any point in me coming down here. It was about halfway down the row when I heard a noise to my right. I quickly turned and drew a blade, allowing it to heat up. The glow illuminated the dark cell enough for me to realise it was a pony standing at the bars. I sheathed the blade again and began conversing with it. "Who are you?"

"You're not one of them, are you?"

"No. I am a member of the Order of Protectorates. Who are you?"

"I'm from a pegasus town. Skies, we never suspected a thing."

"These creatures, doppelgängers I think I heard them called, are they responsible?"

"Yes."

"I didn't know they conducted raids."

"They don't. Subterfuge and trickery led us all here. Whole town, gone. I don't know where many of the others are. A few of us have already died from their experiments."

"Experiments? What kind of experiments?"

"I don't know what they're after, but they are using unicorn tests on us and punishing us when we fail."

"So you're basically being tortured."

"Yes. They'll fill these halls with noxious gases, absurd temperature fluctuations, and sometimes even magical entities. You'll see the results of their tests when you see the bloodstains splattered across the walls of the cells." I swallowed hard, my mind running off with a few ideas of inhumane experiments going wrong.

"I'm looking for somepony, and I don't know if you could help me. Her name's Lazuli. She's got blue hide, white hair, and a thick, fleshy tail."

"I saw her, but she must be in another block."

"Another block?"

"Yes. Every set of machines you saw above us connects with a different cage. There should be a way up or down in each row, I think."

"I don't want to just leave you. Is there any way I can get you out?"

"Not without them knowing. Once they know, the fiends will come out of their research room. By the time they all arrive to check out the problem, the armed ones will be arriving from the elevator."

"Couldn't fit more than a dozen of them, right?"

"They have two elevators. One for unsuspecting 'guests' and one for shipments and larger things. They'd take the second elevator to get more monsters down here."

"How many would that fit? Do you know?"

"Fit our whole town plus our captors."

"So that's too many for me to hold off for long enough to free you all."

"At least, by yourself. I'm sure at least a few of us would be willing to help out."

"Do you know where the others are?"

"We're all over this level. It would take us a while to get all together."

"How long?"

"Shouldn't be more than fifteen minutes."

"I should be able to hold them off for that long. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Alright." I began looking around for anything to open the cage. "So...where is...?"

"There's a master switch by the entrance of this block. Opens all the cells. Otherwise, one of the stones by each cell pushes in."

"Alright. I'm going to hit the switch at the stairs. Get ready to run." The stallion nodded. I made my way back up towards the entrance, finding a small button against the back wall. I took a deep breath before hitting it. A line of lights suddenly flashed on, nearly blinding me. A few short moments later, several heads popped out down the line. I shouted down the hall at them, hoping they could hear me. "Find and free the others! I'll hold them off!"

The ponies down the hallway began either galloping or quickly limping their way towards the steps. I led the way, busting open the hatch door and quickly making my way up towards the skywalk. By the time I arrived, the doorway on the other side opened up, revealing a large number of those creatures. I burst my way over, slamming into the first and knocking them all back into the room. I quickly closed the door, shutting them in, before drawing a blade. I felt a strong effort from them fighting back, so I let go before raising up on my hind legs and drawing my other blade. When the first broke out of the doorway, I drove both blades through the creature. After slashing them out again, letting the body drop in pieces, I readied my next strike. The creature behind it hesitated before moving in. With a quick slash of both blades, the creature fell in half. The creatures behind it paused before backing away. "Stay in there and none of the rest of you die. Do you understand?"

Probably between my towering size, hostile tone, and the two dead bodies on the floor, the doppelgängers nodded before turning away from the door. I closed the door, closing them in. I then turned my attention to the ponies down below. The commotion had grown greatly since I first left, with anywhere between fifty to a hundred ponies making their way quickly to the others. It was then that I heard a loud, industrial clank. Steel began grinding, causing me to look. Two large metal doors, perhaps the height of an entire floor, began slowly shifting and screeching their way open. I sheathed my blades and leaped off of the skywalk, landing with a loud thud and nearly breaking through the floor. I quickly galloped my way over, placing myself in front of the large doors. I reared up and drew the two blades again. When the doors had opened wide enough, the creatures within began launching things at me. The objects, which travelled faster than I could see, bounced fruitlessly off of my armour. The only effect it had was attempting to knock me over, but my tail prevented me from falling backwards. The creatures began trying to get out, some coming directly for me with what looked like little more than polished black sticks. Others carried the same, but theirs coursed with electricity and were mounted on long rods. Any who got close enough to me were cut down with swift, effortless swings. I heard one speak out from the back as three managed to slip by me on the sides. "Get the mechs. This pony is tearing us apart!"

The massive metal doors began closing again, the last few that had been left standing quickly making their way through. By the time I had sheathed my blades and dropped to all fours again, the door was closed. I quickly turned my attention to the others, remembering that three of the monsters had escaped and made their way towards them. When I arrived, I found them subdued. Perhaps they had expected there to be less resistance or more backup, but there was neither. The expectant ponies looked up at me. "How many more rows are left?"

The stallion from before spoke. "Four or five. We stopped in order to distance ourselves from them."

"Good. We have a problem, though. We don't have a lot of time. They said something about mechs." I saw their eyes widen in fear. "So get the last rows and make your way to the conventional elevator. Storm will be up there, so he should be able to escort you out."

Hope and relief washed over their faces before they bolted off to find the last of the ponies. Within several moments, more ponies were standing before me. "Is this all then?"

"Should be." I took a moment to look over the crowd.

"Where's Lazuli?" The crowd looked around. "Did you miss a block or something?"

"No. We got them all."

"Quickly then: make sure all of the gates opened. With as rusty as this place is, I wouldn't doubt that a cell door or two got stuck. The rest of you: start going for the exit. It can’t hold all of you, and I can only hold them off for so long." Before too long, the fastest among them had been selected and were making their way to the cells, while the rest began climbing the stairs to the metal doors above. I turned back to the leftover crowd. "What were these things even trying to research?"

A mare spoke out of the crowd of pegasi. "They wanted to see if we could possess magical powers in even the slightest level."

"They were trying to make alicorns?"

"I guess you could say it like that."

"If they were saving Lazuli then..." My words trailed off, not even wanting to finish the statement.

"What's so special about this Lazuli pony?"

"First of all, she's my adopted daughter. Second, if she's anything like myself, MoonDusk will want her to see if she could replace me."

"What do they want with you?"

"To destroy the world, I think. Something like that." The mare looked at me for a moment, blinking in silence. "Yeah, things are pretty interesting for me."

Before she could respond, the others arrived. Several of them had nothing to report. It was during the last reports when the news came. "There were cells in my block so far rusted over that they didn't open. Several ponies are still down there."

"Lead me there. I will free them. The rest of you: continue heading to the elevator and get as many of you out of here as possible. Time is very limited." The others nodded as the stallion and I began galloping to the cell block. I kept up easily as we made our way over. It didn't take long for us to find the first cell. I drew a blade and waited for it to heat up before cutting the bars open. When the bars fell out an alarm began sounding. The pony within quickly came out and joined the stallion. The two led the way to the next cell, and subsequently to the other two. Within the last cell was Lazuli. She grew excited to see me, but her excitement was stunted by the very clear distress she had been put under. Words cannot begin to describe the poor shape she was in. Injuries were numerous, but the dead look in her face spoke the most volumes. "Lazuli...what did they do to you?"

She simply looked me down with a cold, exhausted gaze. "Never mind. We need to get you all out of here. Follow me."

We made our way out again, just in time to hear that metal door opening again. I quickly looked over, finding it still mostly closed. "Get to the exit. I'll hold them off."

I didn't hear much protest as I began galloping my way over. I skidded to a halt just outside the door, waiting until it was open enough for me to get inside. I reared up on my hind legs and drew my two swords before making my way over. As I arrived, one of the creatures tried to emerge. I very quickly cut it down and made my way inside. The elevator was packed full with several rows of the creatures. They were armed, at least more heavily than the last crew. Large mechanical versions of the creatures stood behind them, their presence a little intimidating. As they raised their weapons, I began whirling my blades into their forces, cutting down as many as I could. I soon felt a large number of impacts, the sounds of metal hitting metal, and accompanying bangs. Flashes of light lit up the otherwise dim elevator shaft as the battle raged. After cutting down the last one on the left, I turned about. A loud burst of sound rang out as a heavy impact knocked me from my hooves. I got back up, being forced to sheathe my blades in order to do so, to find the mechs lining up along the other side of the lift. I went to move in, but numerous sounds like the one I had just heard rang out. The ensuing force was immense, pinning me to the wall opposite their position. I barely heard the faint commands through all of the fire. "Move! The mechs have this one. Get those subjects back in their cells, but focus most on getting the one with the strange tail. Mechs, continue your suppressing fire!"

I tried my best, using every fibre of my being, to fight back so they couldn't get Lazuli, but the overwhelming force from the line of machines was more than I could resist. Surely the barrage would end soon, but it felt like it was taking forever.

Eventually, the fire did break, allowing me to whip into action. It was difficult and strained, but my motion was decisive. I leaped out of the corner of the wall, galloping over as they attempted to reload the weapons. I drew my blades and began hacking the mechanical systems apart, leaving one after another torn to pieces. The last two fired upon me in an attempt to keep me down, but it was unsuccessful. I managed to catch them and give them the same fate as the others. I then made my way as best as I could to the other elevator. I found the creatures there, but only a small number of the subjects. Lazuli was one of them. I was making my way over, just about ready to climb the stairs to the skyway, when I heard one speak. It was the same one that gave the orders from before. "If you place so much as one hoof on those stairs, these ponies die."

I halted immediately. "Oh, so you do care about them then. Sentiment, a strange weakness you ponies have. So tell me, what are you after?"

"I'm here to free Lazuli."

"Then why free the others? You don't even know who they are. Can you tell me even just one of their names?"

"No."

"Then what are you up to?"

"I am a Protectorate. It is my duty to help others, and seeing the conditions these ponies were in moved me into action in their behalf."

"You are a strange one, but you seem to fit the bill."

"What were you doing to Lazuli?"

"Hm?"

"Her look is completely flat and dead. What did you do to her?"

"We tried to get her to fit into a very specific requirement range. Not easy to replicate an alicorn, but we had extensive research on unicorns thanks to that one town. Never seen so many in one place."

"Why do you need an alicorn?"

"That answer is confidential, horse. But tell me, what do you plan to do now? Your plans were just foiled."

"So you need Lazuli to fit an alicorn requirement?"

"Yes, but she doesn't fit the bill, so we're making her."

"What are you looking for, then?"

"You seem to be closer to the description."

"So you need me, then?"

"It would appear so."

"I destroyed your mechs and slaughtered your warriors. You don't have the strength to capture me, but what if I told you I could hand myself over?"

"What are your terms, horse?"

"Let those ponies go, including Lazuli, and I'm yours."

"Fold down the armour so we know it's the pony we're after." I folded back the helmet of my armour, revealing my face. "Yes, that is her...alright, Aqua, we accept your offer. Take the armour off, step away from it, and we'll let the ponies go."

"Don't do it! Don't give yourself up like that!" Lazuli's voice echoed out. I took a deep breath, fighting the tough choice. If I refused, they could die, but my acceptance could lead to my own death. I swallowed hard before powering down my armour. "No!"

"Get the ponies to the ship and head out."

"I can't just leave you here!"

"Do it. The deal was made. Just make sure they all make it out safe."

"Excellent. See them onto the elevator. We have the alicorn." The ponies were taken to the elevator when it came down and were shoved in. The doors closed before they turned to me. "Now, follow us to your cell. Any motion to your armour will be met with severe injury."

I nodded solemnly and waited for them to come down. They came and took me away to one of the holding cells. When the door closed, the lead creature spoke again. "Contact MoonDusk. We have what she was needing."

My heart began racing. It had been a trap. I had to escape before she arrived. I waited for them to leave the cell block, and gave it a long while to ensure they had given me enough room to work. Once I was sure they were out of reasonable range, I turned my tail towards the cell door, sticking it out of the bars. I began feeling the wall with the tip of my tail, eventually finding a block that moved. I pressed into it with my tail, finding that it depressed. The gate opened, allowing me to leave. I very quickly made my way to the hatch and carefully examined my surroundings. As far as I could tell, there was nothing nearby. As such, I quietly left it and began galloping towards my armour. I was getting closer when I heard a shout. It was shortly followed by a loud bang, followed by a biting sting in my left hip. I barely managed to adjust my gallop in time to avoid falling, ending up tucked against the machines on my left. I stumbled and crawled my way over as I heard running on the skyway. I barely reached my armour in time to put it on as I heard the next bang. The shot bounced off of my armour as it fully plated me. I arose as best as I could, groaning through the intense pain in my hip. I began making my way up the stairs with the most effort I could afford, my heavy limp slowing me down significantly. I reached the top amid the fire and cut down the creature in my way. I then turned my attention to the elevator, hitting the button to call it. I then waited out the ride, the weapons of the creatures doing absolutely nothing to stop me. The elevator arrived as I heard a shouted order. "Load the mechs and send them to the entrance. Don't let her escape!"

I boarded the elevator, stabbing one of the creatures that tried to get on as well. I sheathed the blade as the door closed, slumping down into a sit as the elevator rose. Rather than hit the lobby button, I chose to go to a higher floor. As I was going, I got the idea to warp. I fiddled with the coordinates, placing them somewhere else rather than my own home, before activating the machine. I heard the ding of the elevator as I warped. When my eyes focused, I was falling a short distance. I braced myself as best I could, the impact with the ground still paralysing me, as I bounced a little. I sat in agony for a while longer before I could finally loosen up. Once I managed, and arose, I took a moment to look around at where I had warped. I had warped into an open field, but it wasn't completely without landmarks. The great mountain jutted up on the horizon to my left, but a smaller landmark barely tipped on my right. Figuring the smaller landmark was most likely closer, I began limping my way there, leaving the rising sun to peek over the plains ahead of next.

The sun was set, the night halfway done, by the time I arrived. The nauseating pain had gone numb from the extended duration. I felt sick and lightheaded, barely able to focus on my surroundings, but I knew I had to keep at it. I wasn't able to find anything by the time the sun rose.

As the town awakened, my exhaustion threatening to overpower me, I began to see ponies out and about. I approached one, at least one that didn't get away from me as quickly as they could, and went to ask for directions. As I tried, the words wouldn't leave my mouth. As I spent more effort focusing on the words my legs collapsed. I very quickly found myself on the ground, struggling to get up. The pony was trotting away, my hope of help slipping. I powered down my armour and let it fold up, the left side getting stuck underneath my weight. Perhaps there was blood loose in my suit, but the pony's eyes shot open wide before it wheeled around and began yelling for help. I laid my head down, unable to hold it up longer. I let out one last groan before shutting my eyes. I eventually heard commotion around me and I was rolled over onto my right side. Some ponies began working on the wound before they were eventually cleared from around me. I was loaded up and taken away, eventually dropping out of consciousness.

When next I awoke, it was in a simple room. I was drowsy and not able to move very far. A pony trotted into the room shortly after I awoke. "Oh! You're awake."

The mare trotted over to me. "How do you feel?"

"I hurt. Where am I?"

"The hospital. The wound in your hip was pretty severe, and it seemed like you had been waiting on it for a while. What happened?"

"One of my tasks went south real quick and I took a hit. Teleported out but missed the mark. Didn't have enough energy to try again."

"So you trotted here? How long?"

"About a day and a half." She was deathly silent.

"Please tell me you're kidding." I shook my head. "How are you even here?!"

"I'm stubborn?"

"Pssh...I can't...what...?" She turned and left, leaving me alone again. I waited for a little while, seeing if she would return. When I found that she didn’t, I laid back again and closed my eyes.

My recovery took a while longer than I had anticipated, but I was eventually released. I recovered my armour from the local police and boarded a train towards home. Once I was on board, I laid back for rest and awaited our arrival.

When I made it back home, I found my home unlocked. As the door opened I found Storm talking with Galaxia and Bane. "...so you can see why I'm concerned. That's...that's...Aqua!"

He came galloping over, hugging me. He then punched my right shoulder. "Why did you leave me like that?"

"I had no idea what the buttons did."

"And you didn't return? You didn't come back up?"

"I got distracted by what I found."

"And what did you find?" Galaxia's unmistakably calm voice rung out.

"The whole room was filled with strange machines, and underneath every machine was a holding cell for a pony. They were experimenting on them and using the results to experiment on Lazuli. They were trying to recreate me." Bane's face dropped as he got close.

"There's only one reason why anything would want to recreate you. They were working with MoonDusk."

Storm piped up first. "Not everything with an interest in Aqua works for-"

"They were." They all looked at me. "They were holding Lazuli as a ruse to get me, but decided to try and recreate me by using her and a long string of sickening experiments."

"So why did she come up first and you...Aqua, please tell me that you didn't trade places with Lazuli."

"I traded places with Lazuli."

Galaxia managed to speak first. "What you did was incredibly stupid and dangerous, but I suppose it worked."

"Where's Lazuli?" Bane, Galaxia, and Storm all looked at me. "I need to see her. Where is she?"

"Upstairs. Storm and Galaxia made sure she was alright." I started making my way up there. "I'm not sure that's the best idea."

Disregarding Bane's comment, and the subsequent mutters, I made my way to the upstairs room that she stayed in. I knocked gently on her door before opening it and trotting in. "Lazuli?"

It was silent, not to mention dark, as I made my way to her bed. She was sitting on the middle, staring out her window. I sat down beside her bed, unsure if my weight would be too much. "Lazuli?"

My tone was little more than a whisper at this point. Her tone came back as just under a whisper, a voice so quiet that it would have been missed if you weren't intently focusing. "Why?"

I sighed a little. "I'm sorry I couldn't get there faster."

"Why did they want me so badly?" A question so painful that my own injury pricked me upon hearing it. I let out an actual sigh before answering near-reluctantly.

"They didn't want you; they wanted me."

"Then why did they take me?"

"They wanted to make you into me."

"Why did they want you so badly that they tortured me with their sick experiments?" The tone in her voice had raised in intensity. In volume, it had jumped to a loud whisper, too shaken to reach anything higher.

"I don't know what MoonDusk wants from me specifically, but she wants me very badly, enough to hurt anypony around me."

"Why haven't you gone after her yet?"

"We don't want to lose. If we lose, it's over. Everything, gone."

"So what will it take? What will it take for you to take her on?"

"I don't know. I wish I did." She turned to face me finally. The moonlight in her room reflected in her tears. I climbed onto her bed. Before I had gotten very far, she had launched into my chest. I hugged her for a moment in silence. She eventually broke away. "I don't know what they did to you, but I made sure they paid dearly. When MoonDusk arrived, she must have found that I was not there. My curiosity begs me to find out what happened to them, but my instinct already tells me that it was nothing short of absolute ruin."

"At least they won't make more suffer. Thank you." She got off the bed, trotting towards the door. I followed suit, closing the door behind me. I trotted back downstairs, following her down. Storm was the first to speak when we arrived.

"We'll figure out what happened to Lazuli in a moment, but I need to know something: what is with the bandages on your hip?" I looked back at the bundle of white bandages before turning to him again.

"You remember what happened in that Serpanian fortress?"

"When you got shot?" I nodded and remained silent. "You got shot again, didn't you?"

I nodded again. "Aqua...what is up with you and getting hurt? I mean, I know it's kind of in your job, or at least it can be, but near-death experiences shouldn't be a normal part of it."

"I get in over my head. A lot."

"She's pushing herself closer to what we need." Galaxia's voice silenced us all. "If she doesn't have as hard of a time as she does, she would never be prepared for what is going to come. MoonDusk won't wait for her to take the easier road. The trials she has is accelerating her growth, and that's exactly what we need. Aqua, I think you've earned some rest. It should help that hip heal faster anyways."

I nodded, unable to object to her request, before I made my way to my room. Once inside, I closed the door and got everything set for the night. I then eased myself into bed and waited for sleep.

When next I was aware of my presence, I was standing in a town, one that was hauntingly familiar. I had never seen it before, but I still felt I had been there at some point. Before too long, the town was set ablaze. The memory was too blurry for me to remember if I took part in setting the fires or not. Either way, I was alone in the street, looking around at the carnage that was to ensue. I felt a wicked grin cross my face shortly before coughing ponies came running out of the buildings. Some were grabbing water, others going back in to find somepony they knew. Every now and then, a pony would catapult themselves out a window on the second floor, flames clinging onto their frames. Ponies would do their best to extinguish the screaming balls of agony, but the cries rang out still. After a short duration, I began to leave. When somepony noticed, they shouted. "He’s getting away! That murderous wretch is escaping! Kill the drake!"

As they went to lay hooves on me, and as I subsequently went to fight back, I suddenly snapped awake. My breaths were short and panicked, my face moist with tears. When I eventually calmed down, taking note of where and who I actually was, I laid back down and began pondering the dream. Eventually, I drifted back into sleep.