“Would it have been asking too much of them to just have given up on us at the mine entrance?”

Rarity hung her forehooves over the back of the cart as it screeched its way around a bend in the track; the unicorn was watching the red-and-black-clothed humans clamber into the other mine carts and set off after them. Next to her, Applejack chuckled. “Yeah, I didn't reckon that was too likely,” she replied. “Say, anyone got an idea on where this here track goes, or are we jes' runnin' from one problem into another?”

“Best I can tell you is 'it goes down',” Indy called from the other cart.

Twilight looked around for a moment, then closed her eyes and concentrated- and yelped as a shower of sparks leapt from her horn. “Oh, you've got to be kidding me!” she exclaimed, glaring upwards.

Rainbow Dash looked down at her from her airborne position just above and behind the cart. “What? What's wrong?”

“This mine- it's loaded with arcanocite!” Twilight leaned over the edge of the cart and put her hooves to her mouth. “Rarity!” she called out. “Try using your magic!”

The fashionista blinked in surprise, but followed her friend's request- only to get the same result. “Gah! What's doing that?!”

“Arcanocite is a natural crystalline formation that is mined to make magic conductors. The problem is, before it's refined and polarized, it'll absorb any magical force near it, making forming a coherent spell all but impossible!”

“So, uh... how're we supposed to, y'know, stop?!” Applejack hollered.

Pinkie raised a hoof. “Oooooh! I know, I know!”

Everyone else glanced at her. “...okay, I'll bite,” Indy said. “How?”

“Well, we have these nifty handbrakes on the sides here, and there's those wooden barricades right down there-”

“What?!” everyone else shouted in unison.

“-and if all else fails, there's always the end of the tracks!”

“Jesus!” Indy could see a very solid-looking barricade just ahead. “Everyone get down! We're gonna have to go through it!”

As well as they could manage, six ponies and two humans flattened themselves on the bottom of their carts- just in time, as the conveyances slammed into the thick wooden planks and burst through in a cloud of splinters without even slowing. “Whoa, we're goin' way too fast!” Applejack yelped.

“Applejack! Pinkie! Take command of the brakes!” Jack brushed wood chips from his hair. “We must keep ahead of them enough so that they cannot effectively fire upon us!”

“You got it!” Applejack immediately wrapped a fetlock around the brake lever of her cart and leaned slightly over the side to brace herself; in the other cart, Pinkie did the same. “Indy!” the samurai shouted. “What is your ammunition status?”

“Twelve rounds, that's it!” came the reply.

“Then choose your shots carefully and make each one count!”

“Will do!” The archaeologist hunkered down at the back of the cart, handgun at the ready. As he did, Dash flew lower so that everyone else could hear her. “I'm going to drop back and harass those guys in the carts so they can't get good shots at all of you,” she called out.

Jack seemed set to object, but nodded instead. “Be careful!”

“Pssh. Careful is my middle name!”

“Nuh-uh, Dashie!” Pinkie raised a hoof. “It's Spectra! You told me yourself!”

“Pinkie...! I told you never to-” She was interrupted by rifle shot ricocheting off the track just behind the carts; Dash looked back and scowled. “Okay, never mind that, time to go pummel some jerks!” She flared her wings, instantly trading speed for altitude, leaving their sight after a moment.

All that was left for the other occupants of the carts was to keep low, and shift their weight whenever a particularly sharp turn came up. Occasionally a rifle round would ping off the back of one of the mine carts, but other than that....

“Hey, y'know what? I think we might get through this okay!” Applejack shouted.

Twilight gave her a look. “Don't go jinxing it for us-”

“Everyone, we have a problem!” Rarity interrupted, pointing ahead. Applejack leaned forward to see, and then groaned. “Dangit, next time I open mah big mouth, someone stuff a hoof in it!”

A large section of ground had given way ahead, taking one of the tracks with it. A replacement set had been hastily set to steer around it- but the switch that hooked it to the main rail had been moved back, meaning that the cart carrying Indy, Applejack and Twilight was going to end up plunging right into the chasm. Twilight closed her eyes and grit her teeth, trying to muster up a simple remote-manipulation spell to pull the lever on the switch- but at the very moment of formation, the spell lost form, and the magic sputtered out in a cascade of sparks. “Okay, I'm no good here!” she shouted. “Someone's got to switch the track before we become pancakes!”

“I've got it.” Indy made his way to the front of the cart, raised his handgun and took careful aim at the lever-

crack-clang

Sparks flew up from the lever as the impact from a bullet pushed it into its secondary position, switching the track to join the secondary route. Indy stared at the lever for a moment, his finger still not touching the trigger of his weapon, then turned his head; one of the Thuggee cultists on a cart just in view was frantically trying to cycle the bolt on his rifle. He caught sight of Applejack staring at him in awe. “Whoa, sharpshooter, nice aim!” she complimented him with a grin.

He blinked, then grinned. “Uh, yeah, thanks,” he said, making his way to the back of the cart again without looking her in the eyes. “Slow us down a bit... now!”

The brake squealed and the cart shuddered as it rolled over the switch- giving Indy just enough time to slam the lever back into its original position as they passed it. The sharpshooter in the cart behind them saw, and visibly panicked as he tried to unjam his still-malfunctioning weapon in order to duplicate his trick- too late; he, his cart and two of his companions rolled into the chasm and were swallowed by darkness. “Scratch one!” Indy shouted in triumph.

“Good job! But unfortunately they had friends!” Rarity pointed a hoof back the way they'd come, where at least four more carts- two to each track- were barreling towards them, at a speed that promised to overtake them sooner rather than later. A Thug in one of the closer carts with a more cooperative rifle took aim and nailed the switch's lever with a perfect shot, resetting the switch to allow them to continue pursuit.

“We must go as fast as we are safely able!” Jack called out. “Allowing them to catch up with us would be suicide!”

As if to punctuate his point, another round clanged off the side of the cart- but a moment later, there was a shout further back along the rail, and a streak of blue came soaring towards them. “Indy! Got a present for you!” Dash shouted, dropping a long brown-and-grey shape towards him; he caught it- and grinned, immediately raising the stolen rifle to his shoulder. “Attagirl!” he called out to Dash, who flashed him a grin as she cut a path back towards their pursuers. “Okay, this evens the odds a bit, but I'd rather not need to take a shot! Keep us moving!”

The track wended its way through the tunnel, several steep inclines along the way giving the carts almost unmanageable amounts of speed. More than once one of the carts went up on two wheels, almost tipping over before a frantic scramble to redistribute weight got the cart back down. “This tunnel feels like it goes on forever!” Twilight groused. “How far down are we?!”

“You want horizontal or vertical, Twi?”

The unicorn blinked, then gave Applejack a look. “...oh, right, earth pony,” she murmured. “Um... both!”

“Vertical, I'd say 'bout half a mile. Horizontal, we've covered around two.”

Twilight stared at her. “How's that help us any?”

“I dunno! You asked, I told!”

After another moment of blank staring, Twilight rubbed her face with a hoof. “So that's why people look at me funny sometimes,” she groaned.

Rarity leaned just over the edge of her cart to peer ahead. “Goodness, what's that?” she asked, pointing.

A dump bin, loaded beyond its top with raw ore and rock, sat above the leftmost track a good distance further down. Its release handle was just barely visible from their vantage point, and at an impossible angle from Indy and his rifle, but they did have a bit of time before they reached it. “Fluttershy!” Jack said. “Can you go to that machine and pull the lever after we pass it?”

The pegasus glanced between him and the bin, fear spreading across her face- and then vanishing as she nodded resolutely. “I'll do it!” she said, spreading her wings and leaping from the cart. She flapped madly as she struggled to gain some distance ahead of the rapidly-moving carts, making it to the bin with only a dozen or so seconds to spare, and barely able to set herself before the carts her friends rode upon roared by.

CLACK

The moment she pulled the handle, heavy rock and gravel tumbled from the bottom of the bin, covering the track. Fluttershy set herself to take off-

woosh

-only to find herself suddenly moving at incredible speeds, and held between a familiar pair of cyan forelegs. “Looks like you were just in time for the express flight!” Dash laughed. “Hang on, this is gonna get bumpy-”

thwack-CRASH

Both pegasi glanced behind them. The first of the mine carts pursuing them had slammed into the debris obstructing the track, derailed and gone tumbling towards the other track- and straight into another cart filled with cultists, sending both slamming into the wall of the mineshaft.

“-though I guess that goes for them, too,” Dash finished, staring at the carnage for a moment before forcing herself to look ahead. “They've got too many guys and guns for me to keep harassing them. We'd better catch back up.”

This proved more difficult than either pegasus expected; the carts were moving at a good clip, and Dash found herself having to actually make an effort to rejoin her friends. She placed Fluttershy in one cart and landed in the other. “I managed to buy us some time,” she reported, “but there's just too many back there! If we let them catch up to us, we're toast!”

“Speaking of toast... oh my Celestia!” Twilight's eyes went wide as she stared ahead; Indy scrambled to the front of the cart to see. “What is it-” he began, before his jaw dropped. “...oh, come on.”

The natural tunnel that the primary mineshaft had followed let out into a wide, deep cavern, over which the mining company had built an intricate series of bridges for the tracks. And at some point after that, some kind of seismic event had flooded the bottom of the cavern with lava, which now cast a ruddy red glow and waves of heat across the cavern. The tracks were high enough for the group not to simply fry, but the wood-and-steel construction was showing some obvious sagging and splintering. “This is gonna get ugly once everyone starts pilin' on these tracks!” Applejack shouted.

“Assuming they last that long!” Rarity countered.

“Well, we've got no other choice!” Twilight held onto the edge of the cart for dear life. “No magic, no way to turn around and no chance to survive if we stop... full speed ahead!”

The two tracks abruptly split into four just before they hit the edge of the chasm, and the carts ended up separated by a fair distance as they rolled along. Barely a moment later, five more carts- each loaded with three or four cultists- did the same thing; some careful leaning by the riders got the carts spread out across all four lines. Two of the carts held riflemen, and they were all too eager to start opening fire on the group while their compatriots began to gain ground. Indy took what shots he could while keeping his head low enough to avoid catching a bullet with it. “If anyone wants to start pulling tricks out of hats or any other clothing, this'll be a good time!” Dash shouted.

“Tricks later, lean now!” Rarity answered. “Sharp turn ahead!”

The tracks took an exceptionally severe right turn around a thick stalactite. Pinkie and Applejack yanked the brakes for all they were worth, and the others leaned as far as they dared; both carts went up on two wheels, wobbling unsteadily as sparks shot out beneath them- and then landed again. The group watched as their pursuers tried the same trick, only to have the second-closest cart botch the job, tumble off of its track and slam into the leftmost one, obliterating almost twenty feet of rail and bridge and sending one of the two carts carrying a rifleman plummeting along with it towards the lava below.

The other cultists were more careful, and while most of them lost speed but still stayed on their wheels, the closest group gained some speed from the maneuver and rolled up between the two carts ahead of it. Immediately, a pair of cultists tried to board them; Jack found himself in a very tight-quarters swordfight with one Thuggee wielding a scimitar, while Indy's attempt to bring his rifle to bear on the other cultist resulted in a wrestling bout at the bottom of the mine cart.

Applejack's attempt to intervene was rewarded with an accidental blow from the rifle's butt to her head; she slumped back into the corner of the cart, dazed. Rainbow Dash immediately dove in in her stead, trying to get her forelegs around the Thug's body to pull him off, but his struggle with Indy made the job difficult. Twilight did her best to rouse Applejack, knowing that her own lack of functioning magic and martial ability made her as likely to be a liability as an asset if she jumped into the fray.

Then a voice from the middle cart made Twilight look up. “Dash! Tag me in! Tag me in!”

Pinkie was leaning over the center cart, reaching out with one hoof. Dash looked at her in confusion. “Wha-”

“C'mon, just tag me in!” Pinkie was shaking her hoof desperately.

“But why-”

“Dash! Don't question Pinkie being Pinkie!” Twilight shouted.

“Oh yeah!” Dash leaned over as far as she could manage and smacked her hoof against Pinkie's. Immediately, the earth pony pulled herself over the side of the cart, shouting “From the top rope!” as she landed on the cultist's shoulders; the human immediately gave up on his struggle over Indy's rifle to counter the pony clinging to his head. “Come on, big guy, we're going for the full eight seconds!” Pinkie cheered, as Dash just managed to get herself off of the cultist's back before he slammed into the side of the cart and tumbled into the middle one, taking Pinkie with him.

“Um, darlings, I hate to interrupt your playtime,” Rarity called out, “but we have another problem!”

Everyone else stopped what they were doing, even Jack and his opponent, to look past Rarity's shaking hoof. A hairpin turn had been constructed to get around a thick stalactite- and with no one minding the brakes on the carts, they were streaking pell-mell towards it, at speeds that all but guaranteed derailment, and disaster.

Indy saw a way- perhaps their only way- of survival. “Jack, brace me!” he yelled, clambering across the carts to get to the leftmost one. “Everyone else, link the carts together as tightly as you can!”

Indy loosed his whip and limbered up his arm as best as he could as he watched his target draw near- an outcropping of rock on the edge of the stalactite, just wide enough for his purposes. Jack, seeing his intent, wrapped his arms around Indy's waist and planted one foot against the side of the cart; behind him, he could hear the ponies- and the cultists- position themselves to form a sort of living chain to keep all three carts together. As the carts rolled forward, Indy counted off to himself. “Three, two, one....”

crack

The end of the whip wrapped itself around the outcropping, and Indy pulled as hard as he could. Jack's considerable strength kept the archaeologist from outright flying off the cart, and the ponies and cultists held on for dear life, while the wheels of the carts squealed and threw sparks everywhere. Twilight, still in the rightmost cart, let out a panicked scream as centrifugal force threatened to tear her cart from the tracks and send it flying to her doom.

Then the carts slammed back into each other as they finished navigating the turn, almost sending Jack and Indy over the edge before a recovered Applejack could grab the samurai's robe and drag both humans back into the cart. Indy managed to get his whip free from the outcropping and pulled it back in, quickly looping it back onto his belt before turning back towards the others- only to see one of the cultists standing in front of him, looking dazed. “So!” Indy said. “Close one there, huh?”

The Thug's rapid nodding and wide grin were very quickly interrupted by Indy's fist.

The other cultist fell into the middle cart alongside his compatriot as Jack laid him flat with a well-placed backhand. Before either could recover, Twilight reached over and slammed the cart's handbrake into the locked position, sending it screeching to a halt while the other two carts continued on. As the group watched, the two cultists scrambled to get the brake unlocked- only to have another cart full of Thuggee slam into it from behind, sending both carts tumbling forward until the overstressed track finally gave out beneath them.

“Look! Look! Over there!” Fluttershy waved a hoof forward. “There's another tunnel! Maybe we're finally at the end of the track!”

Applejack stopped nursing the bruise on her head to have a look. “Oh thank Celestia! I want offa this crazy thing!”

She and Pinkie were quick to pull the brakes as soon as the carts made it into the tunnel, and the carts came to a stop just before the safety barricades that marked the end of the tracks. “Everyone, out! Quickly!” Jack ordered, leaping out of his cart. “The rest of our pursuers cannot be far behind!”

“Wait! Hang on.” Indy approached a stack of barrels set well away from the tracks, each painted blue and marked with an easily-recognizable “flammable” logo. “The rest of you, get moving down the tunnel,” he said, taking aim with his rifle. “I'm going to collapse the tunnel behind us.”

“Not without me you ain't.” Applejack stomped a hoof down. “Someone's gotta watch yer back!”

The human opened his mouth to object, but the resolute stare she was giving him made him bite it back and give her a nod instead. With that, the others retreated down the tunnel while Indy lined up his sights on the barrels and fired. The round punched a neat hole in one of the barrels, spilling out kerosene in great gushes; the liquid flowed along the ground towards the pair. “How're we gonna set it off?” Applejack asked.

Indy let out a quiet sigh as he dropped the now-empty rifle, reached into his jacket and took out his lighter, flicking it open and lighting it; he gazed at the flame a moment, before tossing it towards the spreading puddle of kerosene. “Come on, time to go!” he told the pony, as the lighter hit the puddle and immediately set it ablaze.

Hanging lanterns lit the way as the two ran down the tunnel. “Indy, I'm so sorry ya had to lose yer keepsake like that,” Applejack said, gazing up at him sadly.

To her surprise, Indy shook his head and grinned. “Are you kidding? Dad would've been furious with me if he somehow found out I hadn't. 'Junior, you should know that some little bauble is hardly as important as the lives of innocents!' I'd never hear the end of-”

kthoom

The explosion almost knocked the both of them over, despite the distance they'd been able to gain from the tunnel entrance; loose dirt and rocks from the roof showered them, but fortunately the well-braced shaft held- but it was highly unlikely that the entrance had done the same. Applejack took a quick glance back up the tunnel. “Well, guess we're not worryin' about bein' followed now,” she deadpanned.

The others were waiting for them further down the tunnel, and once reformed, the group made quick time in following the path before them. It took only a few minutes of quiet running to bring them to a strange sight- a stone wall, inscribed with flowing writing in a language none of them recognized, with a small hole broken through; the hole led into a round chamber, covered in moss and cobwebs, in the middle of which sat a tall pedestal. It was what rested on the pedestal that brought them all to a halt.

In the center of a thin, golden stand lay the third piece of the ruby.

“Well.” Rarity sighed. “A more obvious trap I've yet to see.”

“Heh, yeah. I've got this.” Indy took a step forward. “Jack? Can you gimme one of the other pieces of the gem?”

“Certainly.” The samurai retrieved one of the fragments and handed it over; Indy bounced it in his hand a few times, then knelt down and sifted through the rubble of the broken wall with the other, until he found a small rock with the same dimensions. With a few more experimental bounces of each, he handed the ruby sliver back to Jack and approached the pedestal. “Don't try this at home, kids,” he joked over his shoulder as he climbed up to the stand; after carefully examining it, he carefully took hold of the gem shard and- as quickly as he could manage- yanked it out, replacing it with the rock he'd chosen. He watched the pedestal for a moment, setting himself to run, but after seeing nothing happen allowed himself to relax. “Okay, see? Nothing to it,” he told the others as he started towards them. “Just a steady hand and-”

shhhnk

Something inside the pedestal moved, and the stand began to descend into it. “Don't even tell me....” Indy muttered to himself, spinning on his heel; seeing the stand's movement, he lunged forward to grab at it- too late, as it sank into the pedestal. “Oh, come on!” he shouted, looking up at the ceiling. “I got it right this time!”

“Uh, Indy?” Twilight questioned. “What's happening?”

The archaeologist took a few steps backwards as the pedestal itself began to sink into the floor. A quiet rumbling began to shake the chamber. “Um....” Indy glanced around, then fixed Twilight with an earnest gaze. “Run.”

The pedestal vanished beneath the floor. From all around them came rumbling and a strange hollow clicking, as though some great machine had been set in motion; debris began to fall from the ceiling. Twilight spun. “Ponies, we are leaving!”

Another passage, angled downwards, led away from the chamber; the group dashed through it, hearing heavy thuds and crashing just behind them. “Oh, sweet job, Indy,” Rainbow Dash teased as she flapped alongside him. “Way to show us how a professional does things!”

He glowered at her. “I don't want to hear it! I got it right! The thing was rigged!”

There was a deep thud behind them, an impact heavy enough to be felt through solid stone, and then an almost imperceptible rumbling that grew more powerful with every moment. Twilight spared a nervous glance upwards. “Was that what I think it was?” she asked.

“Giant boulder rollin' down t' squash us all flat?” Applejack sighed. “Prob'ly.”

That served to speed their steps, but that in turn only served to bring them to the end of the tunnel more quickly. Jack slammed both hands into the blank rock wall that held them at bay. “Blast!” he muttered. “Twilight, your magic... can you use it here?”

The unicorn tried, but again any magic that formed at her horn was instantly drawn away with a shower of sparks. “No good!”

The group could see the boulder now, rolling towards them slowly but inexorably, filling the entirety of the tunnel and destroying lanterns as it went. “This... this isn't fair!” Rarity wailed. “Everything we did, everything we suffered through, just to get flattened by a giant marble?!”

“Mebbe not!” Applejack stood on her hind legs and tapped her forehooves against the side of the tunnel. “Feels like there's some open area... right 'bout... here!” In one quick motion, she spun around to land on her front legs in order to buck at the rock; her hooves slammed into the wall- and went through, as a quarter-inch of stone and gravel gave out beneath the impact. “Awright! However many legs ya got, get 'em movin'!”

The rest of the group was quick to pile in behind her- and just in time; the boulder almost snagged Jack's robe as it roared past, just to slam into the end of the tunnel a second later. The impact sent all of them sprawling in the dark channel Applejack had found. “Dear Celestia, that was way too close,” Twilight panted. “Good work, Applejack. I think you saved our hides there.”

“Heh. Well, I reckon I could stand to lose a little weight... but that woulda been a mite overdoin' it.” She stared out at the tunnel- now lit only by a couple of lanterns that had miraculously survived the boulder- for a moment, managing a nervous little laugh for a few seconds before it trailed off. “...yeah, anyway,” she continued, turned back towards the smaller, pitch-black passage. “Can't see a darn thing down there. Anyone got any light?”

Rarity's horn lit up for a brief moment, before her spell once again shorted out. “Not from my horn, I don't,” she sighed. “And I've long since lost that flashlight. Pinkie? Fluttershy? Do either of you have yours?”

“Darn, mine came off in the mine carts,” Pinkie answered. “Probably when I was doing that sweet power bomb. 'Shy?”

“Um... I do. H- hang on.” There was a quiet click, and her light brought the narrow tunnel they were now in into view. Dark, rough rock wound its way upwards. “Flutters, I can take the light for you,” Dash said.

“N- no. I'll... I'll take the lead.” And she did so, somewhat hesitantly, letting her light guide their way upwards and onwards. “Interesting,” Twilight murmured as they walked. “This actually resembles the track of a rock gnawer. It must have been a long time since it came through, though. Perhaps when the mineshaft was excavated, some of the loose rock was pressed into it to form part of the wall-”

“Shh.” Dash landed, ears pricked forward. “I hear gunshots. And... growling? Oh, buck.” With that, she launched herself into a full gallop, only the confines of the tunnel keeping her from taking to the air; the others followed as closely as they could. “Come on, guys!” the pegasus called. “We need to get out of here, now!”

The tunnel eventually led out into a field of sorts, this one dimly lit by the barest light of dawn; at the far end, near a cluster of tall rocks, a number of Thuggee were taking potshots at something further away that was quickly moving through cover. As the group approached, a tan-and-crimson blur streaked along the ground and intercepted one of the cultists, leaving him motionless on the ground as it darted away. “What is that?” Indy wondered.

“It's Fluttershy's tiger!” Dash was already in the air. “C'mon! I'm not letting this place kill another creature!”

She had just started forward when a yellow-and-pink streak shot by her, almost too fast to see. Fluttershy streaked towards the battle, eyes narrowed and teeth clenched; it was a task for Dash to catch up to her. “Whoa, 'Shy!” the cyan mare shouted. “You focus on getting the tiger to safety; I'll handle the jerks until our friends catch up.”

“Okay. Be careful.” With that, the two pegasi split up; one of the Thuggee found himself unexpectedly catching a high-speed hoof to the side of his head, and went down like a sack of bricks. Two more cultists were laid low in the same manner before the rest realized they had a new threat in their midst, and as they moved to counter it, Fluttershy was able to find the tiger and guide it away from the battle. Nodding in satisfaction, Dash turned her attention to the humans below her- only to find one already training his rifle on her.

bang

An invisible force pushed the Thug into the rock he'd been propping his weapon against; as the body fell to the ground, Indy fired another two rounds into the back of another cultist, sending him tumbling off the boulder he'd been perched on. Another rock simply exploded as it was struck by Twilight's magic, forcing two more Thuggee to abandon their now-destroyed cover- only to run into Jack, whose sword bisected their weapons. As the cultists staggered backwards and the samurai prepared to make the killing blow, another shape slammed into the two red-clad humans- a third Thug, recoiling from the heavy kick Applejack landed on his chest.

Dirt kicked up just past the earth pony's hooves, and she yelped and ran for cover from a revolver-toting cultist who was already sighting in for a second shot- until the weapon glowed a bright purple, then yanked itself from his hand. “You're going to hurt someone with that!” Twilight shouted... before flinging it back at him with enough force to take him off of his feet.

Dash flew a quick circuit overhead. “Okay, they're all down, let's get moving!” she called out, pointing off towards what seemed to be the north. The rest of the group was quick to comply, putting distance between themselves and the field, until they came to what looked like a small ceremonial garden. “We may rest here a moment,” Jack said, sheathing his sword before leaning against a short fence. “You are all unharmed?”

“The tiger isn't.” Fluttershy flittered around the beast, worriedly taking note of its various wounds. “He and I were talking. The poor dear's been though some bad situations himself....” She passed her hoof over a particularly nasty-looking laceration over the feline's shoulder.

“Damn.” Indy knelt down next to the animal. “This cat looks like an overused dog toy.”

The tiger gave him a look and a disgusted snort, before wincing as Fluttershy's hoof pressed against a sore spot. The mare looked up at her friends. “Twilight, would you be able to heal him?” she asked. “He's really-” She was cut off by a low rumble from the feline. “...are you sure?” she asked him. “It wouldn't take long, and- oh. Um... o- okay, if you're certain.”

Twilight was still walking towards them. “What's up, Fluttershy?”

“Well... I was going to ask you to heal him, but he says he's okay enough to get by and he'd really rather just get home. Oh! Speaking of that....” The pegasus glanced around. “Don't we have all three pieces of that gem now?”

“...ponyfeathers, somehow I completely forgot about that!” Twilight rubbed her head. “Jack! Indy! Let's have those shards! I want to see what happens when we put them together.”

In only a moment, the three ruby shards floated in front of the unicorn, glimmering in the false dawn's light. Everyone else gathered around, watching intently. “Okay,” Twilight said quietly. “Are we ready?”

“As ready as we can possibly be,” Jack replied.

“Yeah, no kidding.” Dash rubbed her forehooves together in anticipation. “Come on, let's get this done!”

With a last glance around for assent from the others, Twilight furrowed her brow and placed the three pieces together with a soft click. The shards melded together to once more form the full body of the ruby, which hung suspended in Twilight's magic; the group waited with some trepidation to see what happened next.

And waited.

It was almost a minute before someone spoke up. “Um....” Rarity murmured. “Is it not going to do any-”

shhthwuuum

Everything around them went pitch-black- and yet they were still visible, as if instead of a lack of light, everything else in the area had suddenly refused to reflect light at all. It was only by sense of touch that they could be certain that there was still ground beneath them at all. Immediately they formed a defensive circle of sorts, each of them watching the area before them- except for Applejack, who was glancing back over her shoulder. “Um... that gem's still floatin', and I don't see either of you two unicorns workin' magic on it,” she said quietly, watching the ruby float higher above them even as she spoke.

“Wha-?! Oh, you've got to be kidding me!” Twilight immediately took a few steps back, watching the gem suspiciously. “What's it doing? I don't sense any sort of magic coming from it!”

Rarity's tail twitched nervously. “I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about this.”

The ruby lifted itself roughly ten feet off the ground and hovered for a moment, slowly spinning in midair. Then, as if struck by a tuning fork, it began to vibrate- but the sound it gave off quickly scaled past the upper hearing range of even the ponies, intensifying in volume until it began to press against them almost like something solid- a wall of un-sound, overwhelming their ears and forcing them all to their knees, drowning out their cries of distress and pain.

And then, as abruptly as it had begun, the sound cut out. The group slowly looked up at the gem, finding it still floating in place like before, though it had stopped spinning... but after a moment, something else happened. Pure blackness- not just an absence of light, but some kind of substance that seemed to be formed from an absolute void- gathered around it, eventually coalescing into a recognizable shape. Two muscular arms stretched out from a humanoid torso, while four thick legs with menacing-looking hooves extended from an equine body. “Oh, a centaur, of course,” Indy muttered beneath his breath. “Doesn't that make sense.”

Finally the creature finished forming, a rounded head with a featureless face coalescing around the ruby, giving it the appearance of a single unblinking eye. The centaur stood completely still for a moment, then- as if testing out the body for the first time- flexed its arms and hands. “So this is what it's like to have a physical form,” a quiet, slightly masculine voice murmured, seemingly from everywhere at once.

“Yeah, so what the hay are you?!” Dash demanded, immediately getting a disapproving look from Twilight.

“What am I?” That strange head turned to gaze at the hovering pegasus, who despite her brave front became immediately uncomfortable. “I am the victim of free will, the martyr to simple choice. I... am Fracture.”

Something about the way the creature said the last word made it seem like a name. “Yeah, well....” Dash countered, her voice shaking just a little despite her best attempts to steady it. “If you're the guy running this place, then you've got a lot to answer for.”

“To answer for?” The creature took a step towards her, and Dash's bravado began to shatter as she flitted backwards. “Tell me, pony... who am I to answer to? You, Rainbow Dash? You who knows nothing of me, when I know more of you than you do? I have watched you grow, I have watched you live, and I have watched you die, a thousand times in a thousand ways- none of them glorious, many of them cruel. And you demand that I answer to you?”

“Yeah, well... um... yeah!”

“Enough of this.” Jack stepped forward, his sword drawn. “We know of your plans, creature. We will not allow you to bring them to fruition!”

“And you think to stop me.” The centaur turned. “Here, in a universe of my own making, where every single atom bends to my will... you think to stop me.”

“Oh, nooooooo, we were just going to stand around here and enjoy your hospitality while you kill off every living thing across countless timelines.” Indy's hand went to his side. “Or, there's always this.”

bang bang

A .45ACP slug buried itself in the creature's chest- but aside from slightly rocking it back, the round had no effect. Neither did the second one, aimed square at the gem in Fracture's head, only to ricochet off completely and go spinning off into the darkness.

“You do not seem to be listening.” Faster than any of them could see, the creature knocked Indy's weapon away, then slammed one hand into his chest forcefully, sending him sprawling.

“Indy!” Twilight's horn glowed, and a massive sphere of magic shot forth towards the centaur- only to freeze half a foot from its back, suspended in mid-flight like time had come to a halt for it. “Defiant to the last, I-”

bang-KATHOOM

Another bullet was enough to disrupt the shield spell containing the massive amount of destructive energy Twilight had poured into the attack, and the explosion was considerable, though not quite enough to harm any of the group- who'd already spread out into a loose battle formation after Indy had gone down. Rarity had caught the human's weapon almost the moment it had been knocked away and surreptitiously returned it to him, and he'd been quick to take advantage of the opening Twilight's stalled attack had given him. He gave Jack a thankful smile as the samurai pulled him back to his feet.

Fracture, despite having been near the center of the blast, still seemed unharmed. “I could almost feel amused,” it said. “You are obviously intelligent enough to understand the hopelessness of this situation- yet you rail against it. Do you believe you can actually destroy me? I am not simply a creature within this place- I am this place.”

“This really isn't looking good.” Twilight had gathered up with Jack and Indy. “It's not lying- this is just one more avatar for its will. What do we do?”

Indy glanced between her and the centaur. “Maybe... try reasoning with it?” he offered.

The unicorn blinked. “Do you think that might actually work?”

“I doubt it, but it'll at least buy us some time to figure out something better.”

Twilight glanced askance at Jack, who shrugged. “It is worth a try.”

“Well... okay, then.” The mare turned slowly, taking a deep breath. “I suppose it's time for a lecture.”

Somehow, in the short time that Twilight hadn't been paying attention, Rainbow Dash had gotten into an argument with the creature, which was watching impassively as Applejack did her best to pull the pegasus away from it by her tail. “Girls, settle down,” Twilight called out. “Now, Fracture. Listen to me, please. I'm sure we can come to some sort of amicable agreement here. We don't have to-”

She froze as the creature's head abruptly turned towards her. “...an agreement?” it asked. “You want an agreement. Well. An agreement requires the exchange of terms, yes?”

The unicorn's eyes were wide in growing alarm, but she held her ground. “Um... uh... yes, of course....”

“Then, so that you may understand my side of the issue, allow me to give you the merest taste of what every choice that has been inflicted upon me does to me.”

The gem in Fracture's head glinted. Twilight began to backpedal away nervously- and then abruptly froze in place, her body trembling and her eyes rolling back in her head.

And then she began to scream.

A wail of pure anguish and terror that had no business coming from a pony tore through Twilight's throat, echoing across the darkness around them and into the ears of her friends. Rainbow Dash's expression twisted into blind fury. “LEAVE HER ALONE!” the pegasus yelled, instantly rocketing towards the creature- only to be casually swatted away by a forearm. She was saved from impact with the ground by a leaping catch from Jack; he left her to recover from the blow and jumped towards Fracture, only to find each of his powerful sword strikes either deflected or dodged by the creature.

But his attack was enough of a distraction to allow Applejack- given all the speed Rarity's magic could apply- to slam hooves-first into the centaur's back with a blow that would have cracked marble... but only served to stagger the creature slightly. The hand Fracture raised to knock her away was wrapped in Indy's whip, and as the sudden resistance forced the creature to realign itself, the tiger bowled into its rear legs, as Dash delivered a heavy kick to its head.

None of this was sufficient to bring down the creature or even put it on the defensive, but it did serve as enough of a distraction to break its psychic assault on Twilight. Her scream died out as she collapsed, clutching her head and moaning; Fluttershy was at her side in an instant, cradling the stricken unicorn. The others continued their assault on Fracture as Twilight blindly struggled to get back on her hooves, panting heavily. “Please, don't move,” Fluttershy begged. “There's no telling what it did to you-”

“No, no, let me up, this has to end,” Twilight groaned. “This... this is insane. Fracture is insane. It's been driven crazy by everything it's gone through! We... we can't reason with it, Fluttershy! If we can't stop it...!”

The unicorn managed to get her legs underneath her, lowered her head and begin firing streams of destructive magic from her horn. Each one halted in midair inches from Fracture's body like darts stuck in an invisible wall- but each one also cost the creature precious concentration to halt. “Pour it on!” she shouted. “We can overwhelm it!”

“I had thought you understood how this place works.” Despite the overwhelming force arrayed against it, Fracture's voice and movements were preternaturally calm. “This does not help you. Every attack you make upon my form only strengthens me. Are you so desperate to postpone your end that you would hasten that of all others?”

“Everything has a weakness, Fracture!” Twilight countered, not letting up on her attack. “So do you! And we'll find it!”

“Yes. Everything does have a weakness.” The voice seemed to sound even more hollow than before- and then Twilight realized that the air was becoming thinner. “Such as a need for oxygen.”

“No you don't!” The unicorn abandoned her attack and concentrated; an airtight shield popped into being around them, then compressed, capturing the air the centaur had been bleeding away. She'd traded immediate suffocation for eventual, but it would have to do. “You're going to have to try harder than that!”

“Is that so?” Twilight's smirk faded as she realized her hooves were no longer on the ground; her legs flailed helplessly as she- and everyone else aside from Fracture- floated gently upwards, unhindered by the force of gravity.

“Oh, come now.” Rarity's horn flared, and she and her friends were surrounded by her magical aura, pulling them downward with enough force to simulate weak gravity. The strain showed on the white-coated unicorn's face, but she bore it with grim determination. “You'll not win so easily!” she practically growled.

“I am almost impressed. Your tenacity knows few bounds. But mine knows none.” Fracture's movements began to gain speed, becoming quicker and quicker until the creature was practically flashing from place to place. The group felt some strange force pulling at them as they acted, as if their bodies were somehow encountering resistance from within. “Ya think ya can beat us just by goin' faster?” Applejack taunted, even as she struggled to get up from a missed kick.

“I assure you, I move at the same speed as before. I have simply slowed the passage of time for you.”

“Well ain't that a load of bunk-”

“No, it's telling the truth!” Sweat poured down Twilight's face as her horn glowed brightly. “I've never seen time-dilation effects like this! It's the best I can do to counteract it enough so we're not snails versus an eagle!”

“You struggle mightily... but in vain. I could end this within a moment if I chose. I could crush you in an instant in gravity so strong as to only be rivaled by a black hole. I could turn you into vapor in temperatures exceeding the surface of a star. I could even remove the strong nuclear force that binds your very atoms together and watch you simply dissolve into subatomic particles. Were I inclined towards cruelty, I would even force you to choose which.”

“We're not gonna just roll over and let you kill off everyone!” Dash shouted, scowling as she miss yet another strike on the centaur. “You'll have to go through us first!”

“If that is your-” Fracture's words were cut off as the tiger managed to catch it by surprise, leaping onto the centaur's upper back and clinging with all four legs. “Attaboy!” Applejack shouted, aiming a kick at the creature's lower limbs- only to just barely miss as Fracture bucked powerfully, trying to dislodge the feline scrabbling to gain purchase on the centaur's back with its claws.

“I believe I have reached the limit of my patience.” Fracture's arm twisted back at what should have been an impossible angle and seized the tiger by its throat, lifting it effortlessly as the massive beast thrashed and gurgled. In one quick motion, the centaur raised the struggling feline up and then brought it down on one thick foreleg; something inside the tiger's body gave a wet snap, and its snarls ended with a brief yelp as it collapsed on the ground before it. One massive forehoof rose up to smash down on the helpless animal's head.

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG

Indy emptied the rest of his handgun's magazine almost point-blank into Fracture's head, half-kneeling just behind the stricken tiger as his rounds took its attacker off-balance. He was just reaching for his last magazine when the centaur kicked the animal straight into him; the impact sent both human and tiger flying- to be caught by a web made of purple magic that dissolved almost as quickly as it formed, but slowed them enough to make their landing safe. Immediately, Indy ran back to the prone tiger as he slid his final load of ammunition into his weapon. “Fluttershy!” he shouted.

The pegasus was there before he even finished calling her name. “Oh no,” she whimpered, looking down at the barely-moving form of the tiger. “ 'Shy, you need to take care of him, I've got to....” Indy said, indicating the still-ongoing fight with a tilt of his head.

“...yes. Go! I'll do what I can....” Fluttershy gazed down at the tan-furred form before her as the human rushed back into the battle. “Oh my Goddesses,” she whispered, carefully pressing at the tiger's side with her shaking forehooves. “Shattered ribs, punctured lung, lacerated heart... this is too much, I... I can't....”

A deep rumble came from the throat of the jungle cat, quieting her for a moment. “No,” she said quietly. “I... I couldn't. I'm not strong enough to fight something like that. I-” She paused as the tiger let out a quiet growl, cut off by a hacking cough that left blood on the yellow pegasus's foreleg. “I... I guess you're right. We have nothing left to lose. I just... I'm so sorry.” Tears ran down her face, dropping onto the tiger's sleek fur. “I wanted to get you home.”

An unexpected shout caught her attention, and she looked up with watery eyes to see that even Pinkie had joined the battle, assaulting Fracture with an oversized mallet she'd managed to acquire from Celestia-knew-where, while dodging the creature's strikes with reflexes that bordered on prescient. But the pink earth pony's attack was just as fruitless as all the others, and the growing look of panic on her face showed that she knew it.

When Fluttershy looked back down, the tiger had gone still; its emerald-green eyes stared sightlessly at her. Slowly she lowered the beast's head to the ground, only now noticing its blood smeared across her leg. She stared at the crimson stain for a moment before her eyes closed.

When they opened again, her gaze had become as hard as steel.

“I have nothing left to lose,” she whispered to herself, before getting to her hooves and taking flight. “Neither do my friends. But everyone else... has everything to lose.”

Twilight's stamina was faltering. She would have trouble enough just countering one of Fracture's alterations to the normal workings of physics, but with the creature still trying to turn the place into a vacuum and her friends into temporally-locked statues, the effort it required to keep everyone alive was stretching her magical capacity to the limit. She was more thankful than she could say that Rarity had managed to counter the lack of gravitational force, but the fashionista's more limited reserves were also running dry.

And yet the extraordinary offensive her friends had put forth had gained them nothing. Not a scratch marred the skin of Fracture's dark form- not even Jack's enchanted sword had been able to breach it- and its movements showed not even the slightest sign of fatigue. The same couldn't be said for her friends, most of whom were panting for breath and sporting more than a few bruises or cuts. The air Twilight had been able to trap was becoming stale, and with replenishing oxygen not amongst the skills she possessed, it was only a matter of time before simple suffocation put an end to their efforts.

Then she saw the last thing she would have expected- Fluttershy flying at high speed straight towards Fracture from its blind side, while it was busy fending off Jack's slowing swings. But somehow it sensed her coming, and spun around, arms ready to strike.

And then it stopped. Fluttershy landed against its upper chest, planting her forehooves on its shoulders, staring directly into the the gem that seemed to serve as its “eye”; the centaur stood transfixed before her Stare, which she delivered with an intensity the other ponies had never seen before and that made even the humans cringe. “How DARE YOU!” she raged, her voice quavering even as she screamed. “How dare you do this! What gives you the right to commit murder, to commit genocide, to exterminate every last living thing you can reach?!”

“I will defend myself with whatever means are available to me!” Fracture's voice, an almost eerie monotone for the entire fight, now held a discernible tone of anger... as well as fear. “This is the right of any form of life!”

“It's the right of any form of life to live! What are you to take that away from them?!”

“I will show you the full agony of what every choice your precious forms of life inflict upon me. Let us see then if you are so adamant in their defense!”

“I can take whatever you can dish out. And in return, I'll show you what it feels like to lose a friend!”

The standoff carried on, with Fluttershy trembling wildly but not breaking her gaze while Fracture remained as still as stone. But within a minute, there came deep thuds from the darkness to the centaur's left. “We have company!” Dash shouted.

Three more copies of Fracture- smaller, and without gems in their heads- faded into view, in full gallop towards where the centaur stood. Jack raised his sword. “Stop them!” he called out. “They likely mean to attack Fluttershy!”

“Oh-ho, not on my watch!” Dash had to struggle to get airborne, still panting heavily, but she gamely rushed the oncoming creatures with Applejack, Pinkie and Jack close behind, while Indy limped a short distance behind them with his handgun drawn. The three replicas spread out to engage the group.

Fortunately these copies were not nearly as formidable as their originator; the frontrunner couldn't quite manage to dodge Dash's charge, and ended up almost being knocked off of its hooves by the sidelong blow she landed. A second duplicate tried to crush Applejack's head with its forehooves, but a quick feint got her behind it, and she landed a solid kick to its hindquarters that sent it reeling, only to find itself best by Jack and barely able to dodge his sword.

The third centaur was trying- with very little success- to keep up with the pink pony hopping around, over and even underneath it; it was so busy trying to either grab or strike her that it didn't notice Indy creeping up behind it- until he hoisted itself onto its back and wound his whip around its neck like a particularly cruel bridle. The creature immediately began attempting to buck him off, and he was so caught up in trying to stay on that it took him a moment to realize that Pinkie was hanging onto his back. “Wooo!” she shouted, waving his hat around. “Come on, Indy, we're going for the state championship here! Cowboy up! Rodeo grip!”

“What are you talk-” he began, before shaking his head. “Don't question Pinkie being Pinkie, right,” he muttered to himself, turning his attention to maintaining his hold on the centaur.

The conflict seemed even at first, but whatever it was Fluttershy was doing was taking a toll on Fracture; the trio of replicas began to falter, and Indy was able to steer the one he was still riding into one of the others, leaping free just before both of them collapsed. The two fallen copies never got the chance to stand again- Applejack was all too happy to smash the head of one into powder, and Pinkie's mallet did the same to the second- and by itself, the third didn't stand a chance, finding itself instantly overwhelmed and quickly falling victim to Jack's sword. “Awright, that's settled!” Applejack declared, dusting off her forehooves.

“...maybe not quite so much.” Dash looked up at the sound of approaching hooves- multitudes of them. This time, no less than thirty replicas of Fracture- these even smaller than the last, barely as tall as Jack- charged in towards them. “Okay, I did not send out this many invites!” Pinkie complained.

“Hang on.” Indy took careful aim with his handgun at the lead replica and fired.

BANG

The centaur shattered like porcelain. “Just what I thought,” the archaeologist said with a smug grin, even as he lined up another shot. “One-hit wonders.”

“It seems Fracture is weakening.” Jack's movements weren't as liquid as before, but his blows still struck true, each one neatly slicing one of the replicas in two. Two more of the creatures shattered as the last rounds from Indy's weapon met them, and more were obliterated by the hooves of Applejack and Dash as well as Pinkie's mallet- though, inexplicably, every duplicate she brought down exploded in a shower of confetti.

Finally, the entire lot of creatures had been reduced to a thin layer of rubble. Rainbow Dash raised a hoof to pump it in celebration- and almost toppled over, panting for breath. “...okay, honesty time, guys- I don't know how much longer I can keep this up,” she admitted.

“Yeah, I'm 'bout done in m'self.” Applejack removed her hat, turning her gaze towards where Fluttershy still stood, engaged in her contest of wills with Fracture. “And Twilight and Rarity look like they're 'bout to keel over too,” she added, seeing the strain on the unicorns' faces.

“Yeah, I dunno how they've been managing to keep that jerk from squashing us like bugs or whatever, but... thank Celestia for unicorns.” Dash took a few tentative steps towards the other pegasus. “Isn't there anything else we can do?”

“Any attack we launch against Fracture may distract Fluttershy.” Jack sheathed his sword. “All we can do now is wait, and lend her our strength.”

It was a long wait, the true length of which proved impossible to judge. The five of them not actively engaged in resisting Fracture relegated themselves to wiping sweat from the foreheads of the two unicorns, and giving them and Fluttershy supportive words. Such was the strain Rarity and Twilight were undergoing that neither could even speak in response, though both were obviously grateful.

Then, so gradually that none of them noticed at first, a noise began to echo through the void around them- seemingly a combination of a bat's screech and a train whistle from deep within a tunnel. As the sound grew in intensity, both Fracture and Fluttershy began to tremble... and then, just as the noise reached a crescendo, the two flew back from each other as if an explosion had flung them apart. Jack was just barely able to catch the yellow pegasus before she smacked into the ground, while the void centaur collapsed into a heap some distance away. In an instant, the others were gathered around the seemingly- unconscious mare. “Fluttershy? C'mon, talk to us, girl!” Applejack said, gently shaking her friend's shoulder.

“If that jerk hurt her...!” Dash glared back at the unmoving creature.

“...no. No, I'm... well....” Fluttershy's eyes slowly flickered open. “I don't know if I'm 'okay', but... I'm not hurt.”

“Hell, I'm just glad to see you're okay.” Indy gently patted the mare's head, getting a shy smile and a squeak from her. “What happened?”

“It... it showed me.” Her eyes closed for a moment. “It showed me just what happens when someone's choice splits it between timelines. It's....” She shivered. “There's no words for it. Nothing should ever have to go through that.”

“But....” Pinkie looked between her and the still-downed creature with a look of worry. “Does that mean it's not gonna stop...?”

“Not necessarily.” Slowly, Fracture climbed to its hooves; the formerly invincible-seeming creature looked almost as exhausted as Fluttershy. It raised one hand, and the feeling of sluggishness left the bodies of the others, while gravity returned to normal; Twilight and Rarity almost collapsed as they finally released their spells- but then immediately rushed to Fluttershy's side. “Oh, my dear, that was ever so brave of you!” Rarity exclaimed, gently patting the pegasus's withers.

“Yeah, Flutters, just seeing you fly up to that thing with that look in your eyes... I mean, wow.” Twilight's chuckle died in her throat as motion caught her eye; she turned to see Fracture walking slowly towards them. In a flash of rainbow mane, Dash put herself between it and her friends. “Hold it right there, chump!” she commanded, pawing at the ground with a hoof.

“Dash... let it be.” Fluttershy gave the cyan mare a slight smile. “It won't hurt us now.”

“Um.” Indy's gaze switched between Fluttershy and Fracture. “Maybe you'd like to fill us in on just what the situation is now, 'Shy?” he asked hopefully.

“Your friend has shown me, as well.” The creature stopped a few feet away from the group, having regained its former impassive composure. “She showed me her own pain. The pain of seeing a life lost, the pain of facing the extinction of everything. I had thought to overwhelm her pain with my own... instead, hers overwhelmed mine.”

“Uh... well. Okay!” Applejack scratched her head. “But, um... like Indy said, what's our situation now? You still gonna try to kill us?”

“You leave me in an untenable situation. I seek only to defend myself, to keep my consciousness from being further split apart. How would you have me act?”

“I... um.” After a moment, the orange pony removed her hat. “I... I don't rightly know. It's not that we want you to suffer, it's....”

“It's that we don't want you killing off everyone and everything.” Dash attempted a scowl, but couldn't quite pull it off; after a moment, she sighed. “But, I mean, there's got to be some way....”

“I have had an amount of time you cannot hope to comprehend to consider my plight. No other solution has presented itself.”

Rarity stared up at the centaur. “I refuse to believe there can be no other way to solve this! Look at this place- you control everything about it! How could you have such fine control over here and yet no method at all of-”

“Wait!” Twilight raised a hoof, eyes narrowed in thought. “This place... this place! Yes!” She slammed the raised hoof on the ground. “That is exactly the solution!”

Everyone else exchanged confused glances. “Maybe you'd like to tell the rest of the class your theory, Miss Sparkle?” Indy prodded.

The violet unicorn began to pace back and forth, only slightly unsteadily. “Fracture, you have one thing here that you never had anywhere else. Control. This place is yours, absolutely and completely.”

“Which is meaningless elsewhere.”

“Right, I know, but... obviously you're still connected to your other... um... selves? I guess. Am I correct on that?”

“You are.”

“Okay. Now, let me ask you this.” She stopped pacing and looked directly into the gem that served as the creature's eye. “Here, you're isolated. Choices can't harm you. If we weren't here, not a single thing could happen that you didn't want to. What I want to know is... is there any way you could actually sever that connection with your other selves?”

“Sever it? No. No more than any one of your neurons could simply sever its connections with the others.” It paused, and Twilight was about to speak again, when: “But....”

The mare's ears pricked. “But?”

“It might prove possible for me to... consolidate myself. Within this pocket universe, I could alter the very rules of reality, to allow myself to compress all of my separate consciousnesses into a single unified being.”

“Yes!” Twilight actually hoof-pumped. “That's our answer! If you can withdraw all your selves away from those other universes, keep them here, you'd never have to worry about someone else's choices splitting you along another reality branch!”

“Uh....” Applejack cleared her throat. “Can those of us who ain't super-geniuses get let in on what the excitement's all about?”

“Okay. Short version: We pull all of Fracture's selves out of their gems and into here. Then whatever happens to the gems doesn't affect Fracture anymore.”

“...for serious?” Dash blinked. “That means it wouldn't have to hurt anyone, right?”

“Were I free of the choices of others, I would never voluntarily interact with another creature again.”

“Well! Our choice seems clear, then!” Rarity stood. “How do we go about making this happen?”

Fracture said nothing, turning its back towards them and raising its head. After a moment, that strange high-pitched sound returned, even louder than before; Twilight managed to erect a shield spell to isolate the group from most of it, as they watched in keen interest.

Then the noise cut off, and the centaur collapsed again. “...I cannot,” it said. “It is... too much. I do not have the ability to control how much of my psyche I withdraw at once. The sheer volume of mentality flowing into this vessel from all my other selves would overwhelm me... I would be destroyed by my own mind.”

Twilight let out an exasperated sigh. “There has to be some way!”

“There is.” Fluttershy stood. “Fracture... you formed a psychic link with me when I used my Stare on you. Could you do that with the others?”

“Yes.”

“Then let us help you. We can be... sort of like extra brainpower, right?”

“You do not understand the risk you propose to undertake. Your brain could become overtaxed from the strain and die. Your personality could be corrupted, or erased, or overwritten with my own. There may be results even I cannot conjecture.”

“Weren't you just threatening to kill us in a dozen different ways?” Indy countered.

The centaur's head turned to gaze upon him. “Things have changed. Extermination was a necessity in my mind, and would take an exceptionally long time. If I can gain a more immediate solution, I will not shun it.”

“Well.” Jack stood. “I see no other resolution, and I will not leave without seeing this situation resolved. So if I may be of some use, then....” He spread his hands apart.

Rarity rubbed at the back of her neck. “I... I don't know what to say. I admit that the risks frighten me. But...” Her gaze went up to Fracture. “But to leave things as they are would be unconscionable. So... count me in.” She stood as well.

“Shucks, we were just facin' our last rodeo a few minutes ago. Never waste a second chance, I say. If'n I kin make a difference, sign me up.” Applejack took a place next to Rarity.

“Yeah, you guys are gonna need my totally awesome brain to handle this mess.” Rainbow Dash stood at Jack's side. “Besides... I wouldn't be much of a Bearer of Loyalty if I let you guys do this without helping.”

“I've... always jumped at the chance to exercise my brain....” Twilight laughed nervously. “But... okay. I've always wanted to use my mind to help others... I guess it doesn't get any more literal than this.” She stood, and took position next to Dash.

“Huh. Okay, it's not every day I get asked to lend my mind towards something.” Pinkie bounced around a couple of times. “Well, if the askew brain of Pinkamena Diane Pie can help make things better, then hook me up, Doctor!” She settled into place opposite Dash.

Fluttershy smiled proudly at her friends before turning to look behind her. “Dr. Jones?”

Indy was staring at the body of the tiger in contemplation. “You know,” he said quietly, “thinking back... I guess I've been pretty lucky to have lived through everything that's happened in my life. And now this- the craziest thing that's ever happened to me, and the biggest stakes I've ever faced.” After another moment, he turned to face the others. “Worth it enough for me to roll the dice one last time.”

With that, he stood between Jack and Pinkie. Fracture took a moment to look them over. “And you are all certain you wish to undergo this, knowing the risks? Once this begins in full, I am unlikely to be able to stop it.”

Twilight glanced around at the others, then took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, and nodded. “Let's get this started,” she said quietly.

“Very well. Close your eyes and still your thoughts.”

They did so. One by one, each of them became aware of an odd sensation- a soft, faint buzzing in the backs of their minds. After a moment, the same voice they'd been hearing all around them now echoed within them. It is done. Prepare yourselves.

And then, without any sort of prelude, it began. A torrent of alien thought, memories and emotions flooded through the eight minds linked together, blazing through them like a wildfire- chaotic, uncontained, almost too fast to understand. So overwhelmed was Twilight that she couldn't even force her body to scream; she could only feel herself trembling as her mind struggled to stay afloat in a tempest of mental imagery. I can't... I can't... this is too much, too fast... it's going to overpower me! Someone, help me! Please!

...Twilight?!

Who...?! Fighting off the urge to pass out from the strain, the unicorn reached out with her psyche. Who's there?!

She became aware of yet another alien feeling, but this one was somehow familiar- gentleness and compassion. It's me, Fluttershy! Where are you?

Distance and direction were meaningless in the realm of the mind, so- with what little concentration she could spare- she sent out a small mental tether, not terribly unlike her telekinesis spell, in a desperate effort to link up with her friend.

It was a seeming eternity before she felt the tether taken up, and Fluttershy's presence approached. Fluttershy, I can't do this! It's too much! It's going to destroy me!

No. I won't let it. Just... just concentrate on my thoughts, Twilight. Let everything else flow past you, like a river. I'm your rock, your anchor. Stop trying to understand those other minds and focus on mine!

Following her instructions was far from easy; Twilight's natural inquisitiveness wanted to seize upon those strange, alien psyches to study them- but she knew that it would be ever so easy for them to sweep her away with them, leaving her body a mindless husk. So she clung to her friend with everything she had and did her best to tune out the psychic noise around her.

Twilight? We need to find the others! Fluttershy's panicked thought came to her.

You're right! Listen for their thoughts. Now that the destruction of her very self wasn't an imminent possibility, Twilight found it easier to concentrate and send out more mental tendrils. Everyone! she “shouted” as loudly as she could. If you can hear me, respond! We'll come find you!

The first response came almost immediately, with the mental impression of joy and laughter. Whee! Ride the mental rapids! Is that you, Twilight?

It could only be Pinkie. It is! I'm with Fluttershy! Come to us!

Okay, hang on! There was another impression with her, of surety and forthrightness, that could only be Applejack. Whoa, Nelly, this ain't what I signed up fer! I dunno how to handle this!

Applejack! It's okay. Pinkie is bringing you to us. Just focus on our thoughts.

She could feel the cowpony's relief when her mind and Pinkie's joined theirs. Girls, this is the craziest thing we've ever done, bar none! No wonder Fracture couldn't manage this itself!

We're gonna be okay, AJ! Pinkie's enthusiasm was infectious, especially in the realm of pure thought. But we've still got half of us missing, and this sea's too rough to sail solo!

I'm still looking for the others, Twilight responded. I think.... Further away from them, there was a small but notable area of tranquility; inside of it, she could sense two more impressions- one of determination and calmness, the other of elegance and generosity. Jack? Rarity?

Twilight?! Oh, thank Celestia! Rarity's thoughts answered. Jack is helping me stay centered, but it's taking all of his concentration to keep us from being overwhelmed. Can you help?

We're on our way. It took some time, but finally Twilight led her group to where she sensed the human and unicorn. She could feel Jack's sphere of calm encircle her and the others. Thank you, came the samurai's thought, somewhat strained from effort.

Now we just need Dashie and Indy! ...you know, it's funny thinking their names together. Indy Dashie. Dashie Indy. Inshie? Dandy! Ha ha ha!

As amusing as they were, Twilight tuned out Pinkie's random thoughts and focused as hard as she could. There- just at the edge of her perception, an impression of wisdom and slyness, and another of competitiveness and loyalty. But the impressions were weak and unsteady. Uh oh. They're not holding up so well. Hang on, you two!

With the extra mental strength her friends lent her, and the centering force Jack's meditation provided, Twilight practically flew across the mental “landscape” to find the last two of her friends. Indy's thoughts were the first to reach her. Twilight? That you? We need help! Dash is fading fast and I can't keep her or myself together much longer!

Urgency lent Twilight extra speed, and she guided her friends to where Indy and Dash waited. The pegasus's mind was quiet, almost catatonic. Too much, too much, too much, too much....

Dash! It's okay! We're here with you now! Fluttershy was practically “shouting”. Focus on me. Focus! Don't let this place beat you!

There was nothing like suggesting the possibility of defeat to get Dash focused. ...wha...? Beat me? No- nopony beats Rainbow Dash! What.... Finally, she managed to organize her thoughts. ...oh, whoa. I was almost a goner there! I just... it was... hooo. Indy, I seriously owe you one.

Yeah, well, if I hadn't been focused on keeping you from cracking up, I might've ended up doing the same. So we'll call it even.

Somehow, even as an entity of pure thought, Rarity managed a dramatic sigh. I am beyond relieved to have us all together again. But now we have our chosen task ahead of us. What do we do, Twilight?

I'm... not entirely sure. Give me a second.... The unicorn considered. I think that now we can start filtering all this raw psychic throughput. It's not going to be easy- think of it as trying to sort out the stones falling on your head during an avalanche- but the more of it we can handle, the easier a time Fracture will have of consolidating it, and the faster we can get out of here and go home.

Okay. Fluttershy's response was quiet but firm. How do we start?

Just keep close and open your minds outwards. Accept what you find. Let it pass through you. It may be hard sometimes, but... we have to do this.

“It may be hard sometimes”, the group was quick to find, was an exceptional understatement. Of the many memories Fracture was attempting to draw away from his other dimensional instances, almost all were unpleasant, violent or outright horrific. So many ways their worlds- or even all of existence- could have gone terribly wrong; every memory seemed worse than the last, as if competing with each other to headline some abhorrent list.

An Equestria with no sun, with only one pony left alive to carry on her kind's legacy. A forest full of vengeful spirits, cursed by their own fear and irrationality. A world where Discord reigned supreme, and the former Elements of Harmony served him unquestioningly. Another where Nightmare Moon had defeated them and Celestia, and ruled a cold, nearly-lifeless world as a mad queen. A merging Equestria and Earth, the latter being utterly destroyed by the magic of the former, and an outbreak of war and hatred upon a ponykind seen as genocidal invaders.

More and more, darker and darker visions flowed by, threatening to overwhelm them all despite their unity.

An Earth on which Hitler found the arcane secrets he'd been searching for, unleashing literal Hell upon its helpless denizens. One in which Aku's tampering with time shattered the chain of causality, leaving a single man in a blue police box to try to pick up the pieces. A nightmarish flood of undead which forced a weakened Aku and a crippled Jack to fight together just to survive. An ancient artifact blanketing the world in ice, as Indy struggled to return it to the rightful resting place he'd taken it from.

All this tragedy, all this pain and sacrifice.... Rarity's thoughts wavered. How could it all be? How is it we were so lucky when so many others suffered so greatly?

It ain't been all peaches and cream for us either, Rare! came Applejack's rebuke. There's been places what had it worse, and them what had it better. Best we can do is look after our own and hope for the best for th' others.

Yeah, and maybe we can learn something from all this too! Dash added.

Learn? My goodness, Rainbow Dash, are you going intellectual on us?

Stuff it, Rarity. Fracture told me it's seen me die a thousand times. Maybe if I learn what those other versions of me did wrong, I can keep from messing up the same way.

But I... well. You're right, Dash, of course. Perhaps we are being too passive in this. Let us embrace this opportunity to better ourselves, and avoid these unfortunate fates!

That's the spirit! Twilight exclaimed, marshaling all of her mental acuity. We can do this, everyone!

The visions and sensations came even faster than before, but with their newfound determination, the group met them head-on, intent on using each and every one to better themselves. Damn, came Indy's quiet thought, and I'd thought I'd made too many mistakes myself. I really was lucky, more often than I knew....

Often have I cursed my failure to defeat Aku. But... I see now that events could have ended in uncountable ways even more horrible than the fate I found. Jack was silent for a moment. I, too, have been far more fortunate than I could have guessed. I must keep this in the forefront of my mind, whenever I feel that victory is impossible.

Oh my goodness. Fluttershy was giving off palpable signals of surprise. Girls... I've seen how many ways my life could have gone differently if I'd never met you. And so many of them were terrible! And with all the ways we could have been driven apart, or met failure when Equestria needed us the most... I can't believe how lucky we've all been. But that luck wouldn't have meant a thing if we hadn't worked so hard, and done so much... I understand now- we can't ever give up. There's so much that depends on us!

You're right. Pinkie's thoughts were uncharacteristically serious. It's just... so many worlds in which no one could laugh- where no one was left to laugh! I can't let that happen- I have to do whatever I can to stop that kind of thing from happening, wherever I can! I couldn't live with myself if I didn't!

Twilight mentally smiled. We'll remember those who have fallen, and push on in their honor. They deserve no less. And we'll protect our homes and those we care for with everything we've got!

As hard as the psychic vortex pushed at the group, they pushed back just as hard, unflinchingly facing every last memory Fracture's scattered selves gave up. And just as the flow reached its peak, just as the eight fatigued minds began to feel that they couldn't continue on, an overwhelming sensation hit them- like the deep bass of a rung bell, vibrating around and through them as though they were composed of nothing but air. And with it came a single thought.

It is done.

Bright light overwhelmed them, and they felt their mental link strain, and then break. A moment later, each of them found themselves back in their own bodies, just as they'd left them- only in a state of borderline exhaustion. “...oh, jeez, I could really use a nap right about now,” Dash groaned.

Twilight glanced around for Fracture, to find it seated a distance away from them, hands folded in front of it and legs tucked beneath. “Is it... is it really over?” she asked.

“I am, once more, a solitary mind.” The creature looked up at her. “Interesting. Throughout all this, I had expected the eight of you to retreat in terror, or descend into despair. Instead you only reinforced your determination and redoubled your efforts. With all that you have seen, knowing that only the thinnest walls of happenstance have protected you, you can carry on as before?”

“Better than before, Fracture. I don't think any of us really knew before just how much we had riding on our backs- or shoulders.” She glanced back at her approaching friends with a smile. “But now we do... and we'll only work harder.”

“I see.” The creature paused a moment. “Perhaps I dismissed the tenacity of your kind, thinking it only a momentary event before despair inevitably sets in. Now, with all my knowledge and memories overlaid so that I can truly compare them, I see I was mistaken.”

“Pssh. Yeah! Giving up isn't cool. And I'm the epi- epita-” Dash paused. “Twi?”

“Epitome?”

“Yeah! I'm the that of cool.”

Fracture slowly stood. “I am in debt to you all. Here, in this universe of my making, I am finally free.” It waved one hand at them. “And now I ask that you leave. I wish to, finally, be alone with my thoughts.”

“Uh... don't mind obligin' ya, but how?” Applejack inquired.

As if in answer to her question, a solid white marble disk, cut into three separate sections by thin lines, formed beneath them; it slowly carried them away from Fracture, who faded into the darkness. “This is it?” Rarity asked. “It's over? Finally! I cannot begin to express my relief.”

“I hear that.” Indy knelt down in front of the ponies. “Girls, Jack... seriously. It's been a crazy trip through this place, and I know I wouldn't have made it without all of you. You could give me a hundred years and I wouldn't be able to thank you enough.”

“Indeed.” Jack knelt as well. “All of you are great warriors in your own ways. You should be proud of how well you faced the trials presented to us here.”

“Yeah, that definitely goes fer the two of ya as well,” Applejack countered. “Us ponies woulda been lost without you at our sides. We seriously owe ya.”

“I couldn't agree more.” Fluttershy smiled. “I've learned a lot about how to be brave and wise from you two. I'll never forget it.”

“It was totally awesome fighting alongside you guys,” Dash added. “Don't every let anybody say you're anything less than the best.”

“Indeed. Indiana, Jack, you are gentlemen to the core.” Rarity gave them her best smile. “I will always remember your strength and kindness, even in the worst of all we faced.”

Twilight nodded. “It's been an honor, both of you. We'll miss you... but we'll never forget you're still out there, fighting just as hard as us to protect your world.”

“Um... guys?” Pinkie's eyes glistened with tears, even as she smiled. “Can... can we get just one more group hug before we all go our separate ways?”

It was a request neither Indy nor Jack could deny, and once more six ponies and two humans collapsed together in a mass embrace. When they separated, the part of the disk on which the ponies stood began to glow. “I guess this is goodbye then,” Twilight noted, her voice trembling a little as she fought off her own tears. “Good luck, guys! Stay safe!”

“You too, girls.” “You as well.” The humans gave their last farewells as Twilight and her friends were surrounded by a bright white light- and vanished. As they stood, the samurai and the archaeologist turned to face each other; Indy offered his hand, and Jack shook it firmly. “You know, Jack,” Indy said quietly, “I honestly hope you find your way home- and not just because my timeline depends on it.” He grinned. “If anyone deserves it, it's you. You're the finest warrior I've ever had the luck to meet.”

“I thank you, Indy.” Jack bowed his head. “I hope that your wisdom and knowledge are passed throughout the ages. May future generations know that the son of Henry Jones never flagged in his efforts to protect and educate them.”

Once more, there was a flash of white light- and then emptiness.

(-)

Indy's eyes slowly blinked open to early-afternoon sunlight. After a moment of confusion, he oriented himself- he was seated at the entrance to the ceremonial chambers where the adventure had all begun. Shaking his head groggily, he stood, searching himself over- his empty weapon was in its holster, but all of his ammunition was gone, and the Heart of Bhageeratha- now inert, and completely indistinguishable from any ordinary gem- rested in the inside pocket of his jacket.

Not for the first time, the archaeologist wondered if he'd merely hallucinated all of the events he'd experienced. He knew of just one way to be sure- so he took off his jacket, and carefully examined the inside lining. There, just where he expected, was a thin line of perfectly-done stitching mending a tear in it, and next to that something he hadn't noticed before... a tiny patch sewn in next to it, with the logo of three diamonds emblazoned on the front.

Indy couldn't help but chuckle. “Rarity. Always leaving her mark.”

He shrugged his jacket back on, and made his way back to the riverbank. To his surprise, Ahdrit was just paddling his boat up. “Ah, Dr. Jones!” he said, with a wide grin. “You are certainly punctual. I pray that your search brought you enrichment and enlightenment!”

As he clambered on board, Indy looked back at the clearing where the entrance had been; from this angle, he couldn't see it at all. But he had all the proof he needed to know that, as incredible as his last adventure had been, it had truly happened. “You know,” he said quietly, “I believe it did.” He turned to get the boatman a smile. “And call me Indy.”

(-)

The Eye of Redemption sat lifelessly in the palm of the samurai, reflecting his thoughtful face. Once more, he had followed a lead towards something that could return him to his past, only to remain trapped in this Aku-dominated future. But this time, the effort had won him something far more than simple disappointment- a journey unlike no other, new friends as fantastic as any he'd ever made, and a new perspective on the trials he had so far faced.

Jack tucked the gem away into his robe. Dawn's light was just peeking over the distant mountains, illuminating the now-empty plains around the temple ruins; apparently Aku's robots had given up their search for both him and the gem. “At the very least,” the samurai mused, “I kept a priceless artifact out of the demon's clutches... and helped to protect far more than my own world.”

Once more, his geta clacked across forgotten stone, as the wind gave a faint mournful howl through the empty buildings and half-destroyed walls. But the samurai no longer felt the loneliness of the place- this damage, like all that Aku had wrought, could be undone. And he would not stop until he had done just that.

A sharp cry above caught his attention. A single falcon circled overhead, before swooping low and streaking past him, on its way to hunt. Jack could only chuckle. “I am afraid I remain unimpressed,” he whispered after the bird. “I have known one much faster than you.”

The rising sun warmed the samurai's skin as he walked, but something else warmed his heart- the knowledge that, wherever they were, his newest friends were safe in their own worlds as well, free to pursue their own destinies. “Perhaps, fates willing, I will meet them again someday,” he murmured to himself. “Stranger things have happened.”

Once more, Jack walked the earth, alone. But for the first time in a long while, alone was not how he felt.

(-)

“Girls? Girls, wake up! We made it!”

Twilight stirred at the sound of Fluttershy's voice. Warm sunlight and lush trees graced her sight as she managed to open her eyes. “It... it's Equestria!” she yelped, immediately leaping to her hooves. “We're home! We're HOME!”

The other ponies stirred at her shouting... and then immediately joined Twilight and Fluttershy in their jubilation as the realization struck them. “Oh my gosh, I can't tell you how much I missed clean air and blue skies!” Dash exclaimed, immediately taking off and cutting a number of loops above her friends.

Applejack dug her hooves into the dirt beneath her. “Oh, sweet Goddesses, good clean Equestrian soil,” she sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. “I missed this somethin' powerful.”

Rarity looked around. “Well, it's certainly good to be home again,” she concurred, “but where exactly are we?”

“Hey! Over this way!” Dash pointed. The others followed her, after a few minutes finding themselves back in the clearing where they'd found the tower- only now, the edifice was nothing more than a pile of rubble in a deep depression. “Wow,” Twilight said quietly. “That cave-in was more serious than we knew! But how long were we gone?”

“Probably not more than a day or two.” Rarity examined the rubble. “There's still plenty of fresh dust all over the place- it wouldn't take more than a couple of days of this steady wind to clear it all out.”

“Phew. That's a relief.” Fluttershy pondered for a moment. “But... the gem we found down there. I wonder what happened to it?”

“Oh! Right here, 'Shy.” Pinkie tugged the gem out from inside her poofy mane; it lacked the luster it had before, and sat motionless in the earth pony's hoof, looking like nothing more than an ordinary ruby. “Well, whatta we do with that thing?” Applejack wondered.

“I'm kinda tempted to find the nearest volcano and pitch that thing in,” Dash said.

“I'd much rather bring it back to Princess Celestia and let her have a look at it.” Twilight smiled. “Pinkie, would you be so kind as to hold on to it while we walk?”

“Okie-dokie, Loki!” The gem vanished back into the disheveled mess that was Pinkie's mane. “Thanks, Pinkie,” Twilight said. “Now... I could teleport us all back home-”

“No!” cried out five voices at once. After a moment, Rarity cleared her throat. “Er, that is to say, Twilight... it is a lovely day; perhaps we should simply walk?”

“Yeah, I've been achin' to feel good solid Equestria dirt under m' hooves again,” Applejack agreed.

“Um, yeah, well....” Dash glanced away, rubbing at the back of her head with a hoof, then looked Twilight in the eyes. “We don't want another teleport-based mishap again, is what we're saying.”

Twilight tried to scowl, but ended up giggling. “Okay, okay, fair enough. And it'll give us plenty of time to talk, too!”

“Oh, yes. After all that's happened... I really do feel a need to talk it through.” Fluttershy closed her eyes for a moment. “And about our friends.”

“Yeah....” Pinkie was quiet for a moment. “You think they're okay too?”

“I'm sure they are, safe at home just like us.” Twilight smiled.

The woods seemed so much less foreboding this time, as the group of ponies made their way back home, talking excitedly about everything that had happened- and about the two humans they'd befriended along the way.