A flash lit the wall in front of Fireshade as she meticulously soldered together the components of the device on the bench in front of her. She lightly blew a puff of air towards her work, diverting the acrid smoke away from her face. Without so much as glancing away from her delicate task, the yellow mare spoke with a lethargic, monotone utterance, “Hi, Twilight.”

“You missed the ceremony,” Twilight unhappily deadpanned as she stepped forward to look over the shoulder of her assistant.

“D-did I?”

Twilight watched for a moment as Fireshade carefully melted a short length of wire to the circuit board with a glob of solder using her magic to connect the tiny pieces of circuitry.

“Yes, you did,” Twilight said flatly.

Several seconds passed before an empty response crossed Fireshade’s lips. “Huh...”

Now fuming, Twilight stepped back and snapped at the mage before her. “That’s it? All you have to say is ‘huh’? What were you thinking to just not be there?”

Fireshade shrugged, still not turning from her work. “I was busy. I’m still bus—woah!”

The stool upon which she sat turned completely around as it screeched across the stone floor until two viciously glowing, magenta eyes filled her vision. The yellow mare tried to look away, but the intensity of Twilight’s gaze made sure that Fireshade was unable to break eye contact.

“You have no idea of the ramifications of your absence!” Twilight yelled, stomping a hoof at the end for emphasis. “You’ve put us both in danger!”

“H-how is that? It’s not out of the ordinary for me to not show up some”—Fireshade paused mid-sentence to yawn loudly—“w-where that I’m supposed to be.”

“Arcana was very interested in where you were and what you might be doing. He even went so far as to suggest that I may have you working on illegal experiments!”

A quiet chuckle passed Fireshade’s lips. “W-w-well, that’s pretty much what I’m doing.” She slightly rolled her eyes. “What you have me doing,” she corrected. “You and I both know that we can’t keep this up forever.”

“Obviously. But the more time we have, the better.” Twilight blinked her eyes, and they dimmed to their normal lavender hue while at the same time they narrowed at the mare before her. She carefully studied the more-unkempt-than-usual mane and dark circles under Fireshade’s eyes. “You look awful. When’s the last time you slept?”

Fireshade glanced around the room before answering. “Uh, I-I’m not sure. Two days... maybe th-three?”

She’s useless to us like this.

“Go home, Fire,” Twilight commanded.

Fireshade’s eyes suddenly gained a sheen of lucidity. “What!? But I’m al-almost ready for the next test!”

Twilight slowly shook her head. “You haven’t slept in three days. You can’t possibly believe that you’re in any state of mind to be conducting live experimentation.”

“B-b-b-but I’m fine!” objected the exhausted mare.

“You can’t even speak properly. How do you expect me to believe that you’re fine?” Twilight stepped around her assistant and inspected the inner-workings of the transfer device. “Are the storage devices fully charged?”

Fireshade turned around. “Yes,” she answered dejectedly.

Twilight turned to look back at Fireshade. “Good. Finish putting this together, and then go sleep. I’ll check your work and take care of the testing.”

Hopping down from the stool, the yellow mare levitated the piece of furniture back to its original position near the workbench. As she reclaimed her place on the seat, she asked, “This is still going to take a couple hours. What are you going to do until then?”

“I’m going to study,” replied Twilight with a smile. She then walked to the bookshelf storing her collection of forbidden knowledge and pulled down a tome titled Theory and Application of Temporal Manipulation: Volume 2.

The clock’s hour hand had just passed two when Twilight pushed aside the research notes that Fireshade had made detailing the latest iteration of the energy transfer device. She lifted the small box off of the bench and held it before her face in a telekinetic field. The back of the metal box glinted dully in the drab lighting of her dungeon laboratory. Slowly turning it to show the underside, the mage inspected the six blunt protrusions that extended from the smooth surface.

Twilight glanced to her right at the pile of notes, wondering if the solution really was that simple. “The numbers work...” she muttered to herself.

As the purple glow around the box dissipated, it landed gently on the workbench. One of the two fully-charged magical batteries then slid from her left and stopped next to the transfer device. “...but if theory always worked in practice, there would be no need for testing and experimentation.”

The purple mare stood up and stretched her front legs out. Fireshade’s newest testing block levitated from across the room and alighted on the floor next to the door of the cell housing her current test subject. Twilight turned and slowly walked towards the same cell while continuing to speak to herself. “It works on paper. It always works on paper.”

Hooves struck iron, and the resulting clang echoed throughout the room and hallway as she propped herself up to look into the cell. A small-framed unicorn mare lay on her side in the back corner of the cramped room. “I understand the mechanics of how it works.”

Inserting the key and turning it in the lock with telekinesis, Twilight placed all four hooves back on the floor and pushed the door open. “I can see it in my mind. I don’t need to make the calculations.”

“Wake up, Subject Three,” Twilight commanded sternly as she walked towards the maneless mare lying in the cell.

She stopped just short of bumping into the test subject and looked down at the motionless pony. Staring for more than a moment, Twilight finally closed her eyes and released a deep sigh.

What in the world am I doing? She opened her eyes to the sleeping mare once again.

We are doing what is necessary.

But why is this necessary?

You know exactly why. We are very powerful, but still no match for Celestia. If we cannot increase our power and teach ourself at least some of the offensive spells that we’ve obtained, learning the truth through a direct confrontation will be a death sentence. We do this for the good of Equestria

A tear rolled down Twilight’s cheek. It is necessary.

She lifted a front hoof and slowly nudged the pink mare in an attempt to rouse her. “Number Three, it’s time to wake up.”

I hope it’s not already dead, she thought to herself. “That would be less than convenient,” she whispered out loud as she prodded the prone mare once again.

Twilight’s test subject groaned and errantly swatted behind her back, attempting to shoo away the disruption.

“Come on. It’s time,” Twilight said with a deliberate intensity while beginning to press a bit harder into the mare’s ribcage.

“Daisy,” came the reply as the mare lifted her head.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “What?”

“My name. It’s Daisy.” With that, a dull pink glow enveloped the captive’s horn.

The shimmering horn registered quickly in Twilight’s mind, but she barely had enough time to think before an unseen force slammed into her.

The telekinetic blast sent Twilight sailing to the far wall, shaking loose a cloud of dust from the mortar between the bricks on impact. As she slid down to the floor, Twilight gasped, trying in vain to reintroduce air into her lungs. She landed hard on her haunches and coughed, glaring with abject rage at the pink mare running past her.

“You can’t leave!” Twilight screamed in the direction of the frightened pony as she pulled herself back up to her hooves. She quickly turned around and dashed out of the cell, just in time to see Daisy slam against the doorway in a frantic attempt to get through to the endless labyrinth of corridors beneath Canterlot Castle.

The pink mare fumbled futilely with the sealed door’s latch as Twilight casually walked up behind her.

A threatening grin etched its way across Twilight’s face. “I told you that you can’t leave. We have things to do.”

Heavily panting, Daisy spun around to face her captor. “J-j-just let me go. P-please.”

“You know I can’t allow that, Number Three,” Twilight responded, simply. “At least, not in your current condition. I cannot afford letting anypony know about what’s happening here.”

Daisy quickly realized the gravity of the situation. She would not survive this encounter if she didn’t force her way out of the dungeon laboratory. In that moment, the mare’s eyes darted around the room, trying to find something, anything, to use as a weapon or a means of escape. The massive data manipulator occupying the corner of the room fell into her view.

She looked Twilight square in the eyes and saw the pink reflection of her magic. The mage’s eyes suddenly opened wide with surprise as a shrill, metallic screech sounded from behind her.

Twilight turned her head to source of the noise and witnessed the data manipulator slowly inching across the stone floor. She turned back to Daisy, unimpressed and quietly laughed. “I’m not sure what you think you’re trying to do. You wouldn’t believe how difficult it was just to move that thing down here.”

A magenta aura surrounded Daisy as she lifted from the ground.

“That’s enough. We have work to do,” Twilight said, turning towards the devices lying on the workbench while she held the pink mare.

Maintaining the telekinesis spell, she picked up the small, spiked box and turned back to her test subject just in time to see a blinding, pink flash.

Daisy fell to the floor, surrounded in a translucent, pink bubble. She quickly regained her footing and rushed towards the lavender mare as fast as her hooves would carry her.

A second, magenta bubble appeared around the mage before Daisy had closed half of the distance between them. Digging her hooves into the floor to brace for the impact of the two shields, Twilight put all of her focus into the barrier.

However, to the mage’s horrified surprise, the impact did not come as it should have. Instead, the pink bubble slipped through the magenta barrier, enveloping Twilight with the mare.

Daisy lifted a hoof high above her head and came down with all the force she could muster.

The mage’s head started to move to dodge, but it was far too late. The impact of the pink hoof against the side of her face was enough to break her concentration and what was left of her impotent barrier fell immediately. Twilight’s vision swam with stars as she tumbled, slamming hard on the stone floor.

Get up! We need to restrain her!

Twilight opened her eyes and spit a concoction of blood and saliva onto the floor. She turned her head just in time to witness a second pink hoof fill her vision. The limb connected hard with its target, colliding with the mare’s head, just below her horn.

Standing over Twilight, Daisy pulled her hoof back once again to punch the bleeding, purple face one more time.

Twilight’s horn was glowing ineffectively, attempting to hold back her attacker's hooves with telekinesis. She looked up to the pink mare above her, still enveloped in a pink barrier.

This isn’t a physical barrier.

The pink mare mare let loose a primal scream as her hoof came down again with murderous intent.

She shouldn’t have been able to do that!

She shouldn’t have been able to do that...

She’s stopping my magic!

She’s stopping our magic...

The realization came to Twilight a split-second too late. An explosion of pain shot through the side of her head, and the edges of her vision dimmed to blackness momentarily.

It’s a repulsion spell. She’s cancelling out our magic with her own.

Panic overwhelmed the mage as she realized her magic was useless against this opponent. Twilight began thrashing about as hard as she could, flailing her forehooves wildly in an attempt to repel her attacker.

Calm down. It will not help to panic. We have to fight her physically.

What do I do? I don’t know what to do!

Fight her. Stop her.

A random, lavender hoof made contact with the side of Daisy’s muzzle, stunning her momentarily.

Now push her away.

Twilight pulled her rear legs to her chest, and with all her strength, she pushed as hard she could, smashing her hooves devastatingly hard into Daisy’s chest with a sickening crack.

The rose colored mare fell back to her haunches. Wheezing, Daisy leaned back and threw a forehoof to the floor to steady herself as the pink bubble disappeared. She coughed harshly as her opponent stood up, spraying a fine mist of blood on Twilight and the floor.

She’s lost her focus. Now restrain her.

Twilight’s horn burst with an intense, flame-like energy as the pink mare lifted high and fast into the air, crashing against the ceiling with enough force to cause one of the hanging lights to swing listlessly on its cord.

That’s enough! Restrain her!

Twilight flicked her head to the left and simultaneously stopped the spell, flinging Daisy across the room. The test subject tumbled through the air, slamming head first into the wall above the workbench and leaving a splattered painting of crimson fluid on the brick as she fell down the wall. She came to rest on the bench, causing stacks of research notes to erupt from the surface like a paper volcano around the pink mare.

We need to stop!

Letting out a guttural scream, Twilight once again picked up the now unconscious unicorn with her magic and slammed her to the floor.

Twilight Sparkle, we need to stop!

Closing the gap between the two, Twilight stopped short and reared up.

We’re going to kill her!

Two lavender hooves came down mercilessly, and a sickening crunch resounded through the room as Twilight landed on the throat of her target. Silence filled the room, broken only by the mage’s heavy breaths.

What have you done, Twilight Sparkle?

“She-she tried to kill me! She was going to kill me!” Twilight yelled as rivulets of tears began to pour down her cheeks.

She was disabled. We could have simply restrained her.

“No. She wouldn’t have stopped. She would have killed me,” the mage breathed.

Twilight began pacing around the lab, observing the carnage left behind.

We needed her.

“No! There’s more... We can-”—the mage glanced to the lifeless body on the floor— “we can get more.”

We don’t have much time. Arcana is on to us.

“Fireshade can take care of it,” Twilight said, attempting to convince herself that the situation was under control. “Fire’s good at this sort of thing.”

We need to find her.

“Y-yeah, find her.” Twilight nodded weakly to herself several times. “I’ll just... go get Fireshade. She’ll fix this. Like last time.”

The lavender unicorn made several shaky steps towards the exit before stopping and turning back to look at the gruesome scene behind her one last time.

She smiled slightly. Yeah, everything’s fine. Everything’s going to be just fine.

Twilight unlocked the exit and swung the door open. She stepped through the doorway, brushing against the wall to avoid the trap in the middle of the floor. Reaching the main corridor, Twilight sighed and began the long walk to locate her assistant.