private Whisper: The City Of Darkness

[nolongerabout 403]

@@Once In A Blue Moon,

 

Sharp stared at the ships that were undoubtedly carrying away the king and his advisors. He spat out two words far too offensive to divulge, and gave them a parting shout.

"bloody cowards!"

 

He turned to the nearest guard with a musket and pulled it from their grasp. He also opened their cartridge box and snatched a dozen cartridges, pushing them into one of his jacket pockets. This was no time to stand about gaping, not at all.

 

"Right, guards! Get as many ponies as you can out of the city, tell them to go East, fast as they can! Every pony you find. Don't even try to leave with them, or I'll have you shot! Once it's done, head to the castle!"

 

While Sharp waited for the guards to disperse, he flicked up the frizzen of his borrowed musket, to check if it was primed. He doubted that a band of soldiers would be necessary in the castle, and might confuse things were there any forces still loyal to the king inside. A large group would slow them down, and speed was likely the most important virtue anypony could possess at the moment.

 

Sharp looked to Wilhelm, Lavender, Scarlett and the others.

 

"We'd best get up there before we all get blasted off the face of Equestria. And we'd better bloody stop it, 'cause I have a few words for the King next time I see him. Could've at least waited for us, the bugger."

[Dust and Memories 557]

"Okay. There's a side way into the Observatory," Wilhelm said, continuing to keep an eye out for any opposing forces. "If we cut through the plaza three streets ahead, there's a little backstreet that can take us up to the Observatory's service entrance, where the astronomers and researchers would receive shipments and deliveries from Canterlot proper; glass eyepieces, bulk crystal, et cetera. It's much longer than trying to punch through the castle, but the castle's certainly guarded. The side way... probably not. Probably."

 

Wilhelm peered up at the airships overhead, steadily pulling away from the city under full afterburner; going that fast, they'd escape the blast radius, but need to resupply from either a ground ley line or an airborne tanker soon after. If this situation was ended quickly, the King and his cabal could still be tracked down and held accountable for their cowardice. "And as for the King and his forces... well, some of them might be fanatical enough to fight for him still. Others? Well, they just saw their coward ursurper speed off into the ether, leaving them all to die. Not exactly a stallion to fight for, there."

 

Wilhelm relished those words, ones he would not dare say in public before this. Coward ursurper. There were certainly other feelings he could air about his life since Celestia's death, but he swallowed them like venom -- with a wince and a faint full-body shiver. This was not the time for either poisoned or honeyed words; this was time for action. His bow almost seemed to hum in sync with his heartbeat; action. War.

 

Wilhelm's expression curved into a sharp, crescent-like smile, and something undefinable -- that of a pony who has seen service, and fought things most ponies would run away from -- glittered in his eyes. "In any case. Oorah, mes Capitane -- let us write the final act of our story."

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

@@Ethan Sawyer,@@Orion Caelum,@@Unicorncob,@@ForthEorl.

 

 

"And as for the King and his forces... well, some of them might be fanatical enough to fight for him still. Others? Well, they just saw their coward ursurper speed off into the ether, leaving them all to die. Not exactly a stallion to fight for, there."

 

“His majesty left the city yesterday, leaving behind only us local constables and a small unit of troops to oversee the loading of the Third Air Squadron. Then that thing arrived, and they've been locked in the castle ever since," one of the constables volunteered.

 

"That was practically after we left," Bramble commented, "So what's he playing at?"

 

 

 

"Right, guards! Get as many ponies as you can out of the city, tell them to go East, fast as they can! Every pony you find. Don't even try to leave with them, or I'll have you shot! Once it's done, head to the castle!"

 

"Yes sir." One of the ponies galloped to the central guardhouse, another to the main gate whilst the remaining four dispersed into the general population, shepherding the confused citizens of Canterlot towards the East gate.

 

 

 

"Uhhh... I get the feeling we're about to have a bad time..." she murmured.

 

"You could say that," she answered to herself, "Alion... the pony that was once Celestia..." the voice trembled ever so slightly, and Lavender's eyes dampened, "Alion is not the only chaos being here. Crystal Spark, if that is still her name, is up at the castle. It seems that she and Alion had a confrontation - the residue is still there, and I suspect that is one of the reasons that Alion didn't face us directly. That and they almost certainly know what happened to Ab'ahn by now," The voice paused, "Delightful though my conversation is, You do have a city to save you know - are you going to wait for me to open a door for you or what? Get going!"

 

 

 

"Okay. There's a side way into the Observatory," Wilhelm said, continuing to keep an eye out for any opposing forces. "If we cut through the plaza three streets ahead, there's a little backstreet that can take us up to the Observatory's service entrance

 

 

 

 

"We'd best get up there before we all get blasted off the face of Equestria. And we'd better bloody stop it, 'cause I have a few words for the King next time I see him. Could've at least waited for us, the bugger."

 

 

"In any case. Oorah, mes Capitane -- let us write the final act of our story."

 

 

The group practically, and in Orion and Lavender's case literally, flew up the street. Panicked citizens flocked around, with the occasional uniformed pony trying to restore order. As they were approaching the plaza, a cart screeched out of a side road far too fast and tipped over, the harnesses throwing the ponies pulling it onto their sides in a splintered mass of wood. Daring around or over the wreckage and charging through the plaza, they reached the service entrance to the observatory.

 

The entrance was unguarded and slightly ajar, the body of its former guard propping it open with a hoof. The guard was wearing the King's distinctive red and black heraldry, and had apparently been taken unawares as his sword was not drawn. Inside, the body of another guard was slumped against a wall, fresh blood still running down from the wound in the back of her head where it had apparently been smashed against the wall. There was a sudden crash and a quickly cut off cry of pain from somewhere inside.

[Unicorncob 5,679]

"You could say that," she answered to herself, "Alion... the pony that was once Celestia..." the voice trembled ever so slightly, and Lavender's eyes dampened, "Alion is not the only chaos being here. Crystal Spark, if that is still her name, is up at the castle. It seems that she and Alion had a confrontation - the residue is still there, and I suspect that is one of the reasons that Alion didn't face us directly. That and they almost certainly know what happened to Ab'ahn by now," The voice paused, "Delightful though my conversation is, You do have a city to save you know - are you going to wait for me to open a door for you or what? Get going!"

 

Lavender sniffled and wiped a tear from her eye that she didn't even realise was a tear, until she came to her senses and rubbed her eyes. "That was so sad... for some reason...!"

 

She blinked and jolted onto her hooves. "R-right, time to go world-saving! And possibly some regicide, but I hope not!" 

 

 

The group practically, and in Orion and Lavender's case literally, flew up the street. Panicked citizens flocked around, with the occasional uniformed pony trying to restore order. As they were approaching the plaza, a cart screeched out of a side road far too fast and tipped over, the harnesses throwing the ponies pulling it onto their sides in a splintered mass of wood. Daring around or over the wreckage and charging through the plaza, they reached the service entrance to the observatory.

 

The entrance was unguarded and slightly ajar, the body of its former guard propping it open with a hoof. The guard was wearing the King's distinctive red and black heraldry, and had apparently been taken unawares as his sword was not drawn. Inside, the body of another guard was slumped against a wall, fresh blood still running down from the wound in the back of her head where it had apparently been smashed against the wall. There was a sudden crash and a quickly cut off cry of pain from somewhere inside.

 

Once inside, she hovered in the air, frantically looking around for where to go. Though the scream had gotten her attention.

 

"We should probably see what that noise up in there's all about!" She yelped to the others, and was already floating that direction.

[nolongerabout 403]

@@Once In A Blue Moon,

 

Sharp carefully stepped over the body of the first guard, following Lavender in. He looked at the guard who had been thrown against the wall. It took strength to inflict an injury like that, a lot of it. That boded well for whatever was ahead of them. Still, nothing a well-placed musket ball couldn't fix.

"You know," Sharp began, "it's probably best if we-"

 

 

 

"We should probably see what that noise up in there's all about!" She yelped to the others, and was already floating that direction.

 

"Stay quiet."

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

@@Ethan Sawyer,@@Orion Caelum,@@Unicorncob,@@ForthEorl.

"You know," Sharp began, "it's probably best if we-"

"We should probably see what that noise up in there's all about!" She yelped to the others, and was already floating that direction.

"Stay quiet."

 

Inside, the corridor led ahead towards the main observation chamber, and off to the right towards storage and a couple of small lecture rooms. The Catalyst device was being assembled in the central observation chamber, and that was where the commotion was coming from. 

 

There were several more dead guards near the observation chamber. Two of them had managed to draw their weapons this time, but all of them had still apparently been killed by blunt impact from hooves or the wall. Inside the observation chamber itself, the central crystal that had been sitting in the centre of the room had been raised up on scaffolding through the dome on the roof, although there were still numerous magically-charged crystals mounted on the scaffolding.

 

In the middle of the room, Crystal Spark was fighting with six guardponies. Three already lay dead, and with a quick jab and a sickening crunch another guard fell with their head at an unnatural angle. She was horrifying to watch, darting between the guards and delivering a sharp blow to one with hoof or head before spinning away as the closed in and striking at another. The unicorn officer tried to aim his pistol at her but with a flick of Crystal's tail the levitation field collapsed and the pistol clattered to the floor, firing on impact. The shot deflected off the ground and hit Sharp, blood pouring from his neck.

 

"Get to the device, I shall hold off the guards!" Crystal called towards the group, not even looking around at them. 

 

All around the room, the magic-infused crystals were flickering to life, row by row ascending the side of the room like tiny candles beneath a fuel-soaked barrel of gunpowder.

Edited August 5, 2016 by Once In A Blue Moon

[Unicorncob 5,679]

Lavender fluttered into the crystal room with the others, and watched the battle going on with Crystal Spark and the guards. She pricked her ears at her instructions, and looked up at at the machine, and fluttered toward it until something made her halt.

 

She crossed her eyes inward, as if she were concentrating hard, on... something.

 

"Of course I'm not his pet, what's-your-face," she giggled, "I'm not a dog. I don't even have a collar, silly."

[nolongerabout 403]

@@Once In A Blue Moon,

 

The pistol ball slashed along Sharp's jaw, narrowly missing anything vital. It was fairly superficial, but it was bleeding a load. Head wounds always did. He wiped the wound with his sleeve, and leveled his musket on the remaining guards. He ignored the blood pooling on the floor about his hooves.

"Gah, I'm taking some of these overpaid, overdressed bastards. You lot stop the machine."

 

Talking hurt. He smirked. That hurt too.

 

"Besides, I don't have the best track record with these magic crystals. Damn near killed us all last time, and that one's a mite bigger than before."

 

Sharp aimed for the officer who had dropped the pistol, a spot just below his neck. He fired, slung the musket, drew his sword, and leapt through the smoke into the fray.

[Chaton 3,765]

Inside, the corridor led ahead towards the main observation chamber, and off to the right towards storage and a couple of small lecture rooms. The Catalyst device was being assembled in the central observation chamber, and that was where the commotion was coming from. 

 

There were several more dead guards near the observation chamber. Two of them had managed to draw their weapons this time, but all of them had still apparently been killed by blunt impact from hooves or the wall. Inside the observation chamber itself, the central crystal that had been sitting in the centre of the room had been raised up on scaffolding through the dome on the roof, although there were still numerous magically-charged crystals mounted on the scaffolding.

 

In the middle of the room, Crystal Spark was fighting with six guardponies. Three already lay dead, and with a quick jab and a sickening crunch another guard fell with their head at an unnatural angle. She was horrifying to watch, darting between the guards and delivering a sharp blow to one with hoof or head before spinning away as the closed in and striking at another. The unicorn officer tried to aim his pistol at her but with a flick of Crystal's tail the levitation field collapsed and the pistol clattered to the floor, firing on impact. The shot deflected off the ground and hit Sharp, blood pouring from his neck.

Scarlett was drifting behind the group but gets a niggling feeling in her head. She could sense multiple dead bodies in the next room and some ones which would soon be gone. Turning the corner into the room after the group, she see's Crystal kill the rest of the guards and a small grin appears on her face. Death was good.

 

"Get to the device, I shall hold off the guards!" Crystal called towards the group, not even looking around at them. 

 

All around the room, the magic-infused crystals were flickering to life, row by row ascending the side of the room like tiny candles beneath a fuel-soaked barrel of gunpowder.

 

"Destroy the crystals!" she shouts, lighting up her horn in preparation to fire at the crystals. The discharge came earlier than expected and shot off of her horn and hit the wall, destroying a pony-sized portion of it. Death magic. Right.

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

@@Ethan Sawyer,@@Orion Caelum,@@Unicorncob,@@ForthEorl.

 

 

She pricked her ears at her instructions, and looked up at at the machine, and fluttered toward it until something made her halt.   She crossed her eyes inward, as if she were concentrating hard, on... something.  

"Of course I'm not his pet, what's-your-face," she giggled, "I'm not a dog. I don't even have a collar, silly."

 

Somewhere above there was a rather more audible exchange taking place.

 

"... can't even be sure we will hit the target. The unicorn population will extend the range but we're right on the limit, and with too many variables..."

 

"Damn the variables, the demons are already here! For all we know the army is retreating from the blast zone and this is our last chance. Fire the weapon."

"We are about to sacrifice a city to destroy a target that may not even be there? When did your scouts last confirm its location?"

 

 

 

"Destroy the crystals!" she shouts, lighting up her horn in preparation to fire at the crystals. The discharge came earlier than expected and shot off of her horn and hit the wall, destroying a pony-sized portion of it. Death magic. Right.

 

Two of the crystals caught directly in the blast exploded, cracking the surrounding crystals, but the combination of spacing and drained microcrystal slabs spread throughout the lattice prevented a catastrophic chain reaction. 

 

"There is no time left. Fire, and pray to Celestia."

 

The first voice didn't respond, but there was an audible whine as magical energy arced from crystal to crystal around the room. The hole Scarlett had blown in the lattice slowed its progress up towards the roof, but a nimbus of energy was starting to form around the focus crystal at the top.

 

 

 

Sharp aimed for the officer who had dropped the pistol, a spot just below his neck. He fired, slung the musket, drew his sword, and leapt through the smoke into the fray.

 

The whole building shook as Scarlett blasted a hole in the wall and the officer stumbled, and what would have been a lethal shot instead only grazed his shoulder. He glanced towards Sharp, his gaze one of cold fury, and very nearly died from the distraction. Crystal lunged for him across the melee, but he saw her coming just soon enough to flick his sword towards her and drive her away. The remaining guardponies were fighting much more defensively with several of their number already dead, and Crystal was struggling to make good connections with her blows. 

 

As Sharp charged forwards, a barked command from the officer had two of the ponies turn to face him whilst the remainder pressed in on Crystal Spark. One of the attackers died for their efforts, but the Crystal was distracted long enough for the other two to disengage successfully and confront Sharp. The officer stayed on Crystal, but the occasional flicker of his eyes showed that he was still watching Sharp.

[nolongerabout 403]

@@Once In A Blue Moon,

 

Sharp looked at the officer. Lily-livered bastard, to get his ponies to fight for him. An officer should set an example, not cower behind a line of proper soldiers. Sharp kept moving forward and swung his sword in wide, angry arcs to drive back the ponies who came to stop him, shouting at the coward.

 

"You bastard! Fight me! Or are you too afraid of that? rather piss yourself while your soldiers die for you, eh!"

 

He lunged for one of his attackers with his sword, while he swung one of his back legs up at the other, trying to get under their weapon's defence. He called again to the officer. Killing an officer was the same as killing a score of private soldiers, if not more, for without leadership any resistance would crumble in moments.

 

"I've seen dirt in the street that would make a better officer than you! Fight me like a real pony would, officer to officer! A god-damned duel, or are you too scared to face the challenge of a half-bastard gentlepony? You disgust me, coward! I've seen poxed sons-of-whores fight better than you have! If you can't fight me, what chance do you think these poor buggers have?"

 

He continued his relentless assault, wild, haymaker swings that wouldn't give anypony a chance to get in a focused attack, lest they be caught by the wicked blade. Sharp screamed, the fury of battle upon him, powder smoke and blood pungent in the air, inciting him to barbarity.

 

"Fight me!"

[Dust and Memories 557]

Wilhelm, meanwhile, was ignoring the fight to obsess over the focus crystal. "No, no! This is all wrong," he cried. "The energy needs somewhere to go, it needs a release... Celestia damn it!" He flew around the array at top speed, disconnecting thauma transfer wires and shattering delicate focus lattice-matrices with well-placed arrows, but his quiver was running low and the weapon showed no sign of dissipating the existing energy, though it was thoroughly stopped from transferring any further power.

 

The ever-present hum of the restless magic shot to an impossibly high pitch, and Wilhelm finally resigned himself to the observatory being wiped out. But first, he needed that crystal. If he could remove the focus -- and get it to Twilight -- the Catalyst Spell wouldn't activate, and given his thorough disassembly of most other parts of the machine, only this building would go. Quickly, Wilhelm located the focusing crystal through the melee, but -- to his regret -- the crystal was through the battle. Taking a deep breath, Wilhelm closed his wings against his body and dropped into a free-fall dive.

 

An inch before terminal velocity, Wilhelm's wings snapped out to his sides and he shot back up in the air, his hind hooves delivering a resounding buck to one of the traitor Guards' heads as he used them as a springboard. Wilhelm's trajectory took him straight through the central chamber, and he extended his hooves...

 

...To grab the crystal mid-flight, tearing it out of its housing. He slammed into the ground and slid a few feet, but quickly hauled himself off the floor to stand once more. To the others, Wilhelm shouted "Go! It's about to explode!"

 

But while the others were still here, Wilhelm would not leave.

[Unicorncob 5,679]

Lavender looked all around as Scarlett, Sharp and Wilhelm get to work to destroy the machine. With everypony hard at work, she wasn't too sure how she could help aside from moral support - she had even found herself wearing a cheerleading outfit and matching pompoms on her hooves.

 

Upon seeing the number of unicorn soldiers, she cast them away with her magic before leaping in to assist.

 

"If you've got something to take care of these guys with as little bodily harm as possible," she muttered to Discord, "I would be eternally grateful if you used it. Right now. Pretty please with sugar on top? I'll even throw in the cherry?"

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

@@Ethan Sawyer,@@Orion Caelum,@@Unicorncob,@@ForthEorl.

 

 

"If you've got something to take care of these guys with as little bodily harm as possible," she muttered to Discord, "I would be eternally grateful if you used it. Right now. Pretty please with sugar on top? I'll even throw in the cherry?"

 

"Physical violence is so unnecessarily crude, and the constant risk of death makes everyone so serious..." 

 

 

 

He lunged for one of his attackers with his sword, while he swung one of his back legs up at the other, trying to get under their weapon's defence.

 

 

The guard was quick, their blade flashing down to block the blow and their body turning to try and bring their weight to bear. Then Sharp's sword cut through theirs as though it were made of foam, cutting deep into their armour's weak spot by the shoulder and pitching them to the ground coughing blood. 

 

"Oops..."

 

With their swords reduced to harmless foam replicas, the guards were helpless against Crystal Spark. Dealing death with every strike, she butchered them to the last. She stopped in front of the officer, a sickening smile on her face, and as he lashed out at her with his forehoof she bashed it aside. Trying to headbutt her instead, the officer froze in shock as instead of killing him she produced his pistol with a flourish and held it out for him to take.

 

"That Gentlestallion was most impertinent," Crystal said, "And, as an officer, you could never let your honour be besmirched in such a way. A duel on this field of honour it must be," her smug grin made clear both her amused disdain for such matters and her delight in manipulating others. She stepped away from the officer with his loaded pistol and turned towards Sharp, rising onto her hindlegs and giving a mock bow.

 

Seizing the opportunity, the officer raised the pistol in one fluid motion, aiming it not at Sharp but at the back of Crystal Spark.

 

 

...To grab the crystal mid-flight, tearing it out of its housing. He slammed into the ground and slid a few feet, but quickly hauled himself off the floor to stand once more. To the others, Wilhelm shouted "Go! It's about to explode!"

 

 

The crack of the pistol was audible even over the whine of the device, and Crystal rose from the bow with an expression of almost childish glee plastred on her face. Behind her, Wilhelm stiffened as the shot slammed into his side. Crystal turned, whispered something in his ear and then jumped right over him at the officer, who was frantically trying to reload the pistol. Breaking his neck with an almost disdainful backhoof, Crystal gave a lazy salute to the group and cantered off into a side corridor.

[nolongerabout 403]

@@Once In A Blue Moon,

 

Sharp watched in confusion as the mysterious pony handed his enemy a loaded weapon, and cut him down as soon as he fired. The bullet didn't crack off the wall, but thudded into something. Sharp whipped round, and saw Wilhelm stood stock still, as if shocked by a ghost, but couldn't he spot a wound. He turned back to the strange mare, to accuse her of bloody foolishness, but she had disappeared. Damned strange. He wiped the blood off his sword using the coat of one of the dead soldiers, then sheathed it; he quickly loaded his musket and returned it to its holster. The wound on his chin was just starting crust up, he'd clean it later.

 

"Right then, what next?"

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

@@Ethan Sawyer,@@Orion Caelum,@@Unicorncob,@@ForthEorl.

 

 

The wound on his chin was just starting crust up, he'd clean it later.

 

The blood had run down and around the curvature of his neck, drying to form a grim red 'smile' across his throat.   

 

 

 

"Right then, what next?"

 

With a sudden bang, one of the cracked crystals in the scaffolding exploded as raw magic coursed through it, sending molten-hot fragments flying across the room. Two more exploded a moment later, the hole Scarlett had created expanding as more of the damage crystals were blown apart by the magical surge. Part of the scaffolding collapsed, cracking or smashing another dozen crystals as it fell.

 

Magically charged shards of crystal exploded across the floor as the array collapsed. At the top, the arcing magic climbed ever closer to the vacant focus point, where untold kilothaums of magic would be focused into a power well that was no longer there.

[Unicorncob 5,679]

"Physical violence is so unnecessarily crude, and the constant risk of death makes everyone so serious..." 

 

"Well we gotta do something, right?" Lavender argued. "No ponies means no fun, and I really like these ponies!"

 

She floated up into the air with her wings, and looked around to find a way to help. "Uhhh, we gotta do a thing with the crystals. We gotta stop the thing from doing the thing! Any ideas? Shoot it a lot maybe? Bit of pew pew from my head horn lasers?"

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

@@Ethan Sawyer,@@Orion Caelum,@@Unicorncob,@@ForthEorl.

 

 

 

Sharp whipped round, and saw Wilhelm stood stock still, as if shocked by a ghost, but couldn't he spot a wound.

 

A hoof reflexively went up to his side, where it came away with a small spot of blood. Wilhelm staggered slightly, his breathing accelerating and his eyes blinking repeatedly, but he didn't fall and he didn't start coughing blood. 

 

 

 

"Uhhh, we gotta do a thing with the crystals. We gotta stop the thing from doing the thing! Any ideas? Shoot it a lot maybe? Bit of pew pew from my head horn lasers?"

 

"Without the focus crystal the catalyst spell can't be cast, so the city is safe. Of course, the new problem facing us is the imminent explosion of the crystal array, which I reckon should be in... oh... "

 

With an ear-piercing crack, the arcing magic reached the focus point. The primary blast shattered all of the remaining crystals in the room, with the secondary blast filling the observatory with glowing fire as the crystal fragments discharged their remaining magic. With a thunderous crash the observatory and surrounding buildings collapsed, sinking into Canterlot's miles-deep foundations.

 

...

 

Four stone forms lay in the collapsed ruins, burnt black but still intact. One of them, a statue of a unicorn mare with mismatched antlers and wings, cracked slightly. The crack spread, running down the entire length of the statue before the stone shattered to reveal a somewhat disheveled Lavender inside.

 

"I knew that trick would come in handy one day."

 

The remaining 'statues' began to crack open, revealing Wilhelm, Scarlett and Sharp.

 

"If you think that was bad, try a thousand years. You'll need to use quite a bit of skin cream for the next few days and your dandruff will be a bit grey,but there shouldn't be any permanent harm."

 

The group appeared to be in a partially collapsed drainage tunnel, and a large one at that - it was at least twenty meters in diameter, and the stonework underfoot had been washed smooth by hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years of water erosion whilst the 'ceiling' was dotted with stalactites. The ruins of the observatory blocked the tunnel behind the group, whilst the tunnel ahead was pitch black save for the illumination of the unicorns' horns. 

[Unicorncob 5,679]

"Without the focus crystal the catalyst spell can't be cast, so the city is safe. Of course, the new problem facing us is the imminent explosion of the crystal array, which I reckon should be in... oh... "

 

"...oh sh--"

 

 

With an ear-piercing crack, the arcing magic reached the focus point. The primary blast shattered all of the remaining crystals in the room, with the secondary blast filling the observatory with glowing fire as the crystal fragments discharged their remaining magic. With a thunderous crash the observatory and surrounding buildings collapsed, sinking into Canterlot's miles-deep foundations.

 

"--OOOOOOOT!!"

 

 

 

Four stone forms lay in the collapsed ruins, burnt black but still intact. One of them, a statue of a unicorn mare with mismatched antlers and wings, cracked slightly. The crack spread, running down the entire length of the statue before the stone shattered to reveal a somewhat disheveled Lavender inside.

 

"I knew that trick would come in handy one day."

 

Lavender stumbled out of the stone shell, eyes spiralling with dizziness. Her sudden being turned into a statue hadn't sat well with her. "Uuuurrrgh... bad trip..."

 

She swiftly shook her head to get her wits about her. "Brbrbrbr!"

 

 

"If you think that was bad, try a thousand years. You'll need to use quite a bit of skin cream for the next few days and your dandruff will be a bit grey,but there shouldn't be any permanent harm."

 

"Oh, not my delicate lady coat," she snickered, "how will I win Equestria's Next Top Model now?"

 

 

The group appeared to be in a partially collapsed drainage tunnel, and a large one at that - it was at least twenty meters in diameter, and the stonework underfoot had been washed smooth by hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years of water erosion whilst the 'ceiling' was dotted with stalactites. The ruins of the observatory blocked the tunnel behind the group, whilst the tunnel ahead was pitch black save for the illumination of the unicorns' horns. 

 

Using her horn, she glanced around the area with the limited. She blinked, and a frown came over her face.

 

"Oh no, this is awful," she muttered, looking around the drainage tunnel, "we're... we're in a sewer! Everypony knows sewers are the worst!"

[nolongerabout 403]

@@Once In A Blue Moon,

 

Sharp shook some errant concrete dust from his mane, and surveyed his surroundings. It looked a lot like the caves that were under most of Canterlot. He'd been in the caves once before, but hadn't the slightest where this place was. He thought that they didn't run under the castle.

 

He tried to remember the direction he was facing when they fell. If he could do that, then he could probably figure out which way they should head. If they went east, they'd probably head under the mountain, and that might not lead them out in time.

 

"Right, I think that way is south," pointing in the open direction, not entirely sure, "We'd best remember what direction we head. Don't want to end up further underground. And watch your footing, if it's anything like the caves there might be drops hundreds of yards deep."

 

He took a few slow steps forward. "Bloody caves. Managed to bring some weapons down into one chain of 'em when the Changelings invaded. We got lost, spent two days trying to find an exit. We guards are much better above ground, leave spelunking to the damn adventurers." Sharp stopped, and pulled his tobacco pipe out of his jacket. He lit it, hoping the small flame might provide a little light. It was fortunate it hadn't broken in the explosion back in Ponyville.

 

"Afraid I might not be a whole load of use unless we get into a fight."

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

@@Ethan Sawyer,@@Orion Caelum,@@Unicorncob,@@ForthEorl.

 

 

 

Using her horn, she glanced around the area

 

There were still pools of water on the ground and water marks up the side of the tunnel, so there had clearly been water flowing through here recently, but the drains overhead were only producing a small trickle of water so there was no immediate risk of being washed away. Although there had to be access ladders somewhere, there didn't appear to be any nearby.

 

 

 

He tried to remember the direction he was facing when they fell. If he could do that, then he could probably figure out which way they should head. If they went east, they'd probably head under the mountain, and that might not lead them out in time.

 

 

All of the drainage tunnels ran outwards to the edge of the city, and as a faint breeze could be felt it was a safe assumption that the tunnel led out towards the city's edge. In the way, however, was a vertical bend in the tunnel amounting to a sheer drop of about fifteen feet onto solid stone. And somewhere beyond it was a much larger drop off the side of the mountain.

[Unicorncob 5,679]

There were still pools of water on the ground and water marks up the side of the tunnel, so there had clearly been water flowing through here recently, but the drains overhead were only producing a small trickle of water so there was no immediate risk of being washed away. Although there had to be access ladders somewhere, there didn't appear to be any nearby.

 

Lavender took a look around at the dark, murky room, and sighed with a shake of her head. "Sewer levels with no ladders. Not only are they awful, but it's just bad construction decisions. Who builds a sewer with no ladders?"

 

Her ears flicked at the sound of dripping water. "Dark, water everywhere, kinda smelly... now this is what I call dank."

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

@@Ethan Sawyer,@@Orion Caelum,@@Unicorncob,@@ForthEorl.

 

 

Who builds a sewer with no ladders?

 

With a rumbling crash, part of the tunnel collapsed, the rubble forming an impromptu ramp ahead of the group. Behind them the ruins of the observatory shifted slightly, the broken white stone groaning alarmingly.

 

"Ladders? Do you know how many accessibility requirements they violate? Ramps are the way to go. Also, with the ceiling falling in ramps are easier to arrange."

 

Ahead, the tunnel ended abruptly and without ceremony as it reached the edge of the city in a massive drop into the lake far below. The sun and the moon both still sat on the horizon, casting a yellow dawn light on the landscape below, the shadows retreating under the twin lights. 

 

"Pretty and all, but finding a way down should be fun."

[Unicorncob 5,679]

Lavender blinked at the ramp of concrete erected before the group. She shrugged at Discord's logic. "Fair point. Ramps are easier to climb anyway. Seriously, how do ponies climb ladders without falling off?"

 

She walked along the tunnel with the group, and squeaked as she suddenly teetered off the end, peering down at the tunnel. A shudder shot through her at the thought of falling.

 

"Can you give everypony else wings?" She suggested to Discord. "Or maybe some kinda kooky flying machine? The pedal ones usually work."

[Once In A Blue Moon 895]

 

 

"Can you give everypony else wings?" She suggested to Discord. "Or maybe some kinda kooky flying machine? The pedal ones usually work."

 

"You drive disorder out of the city, and then you want me to conjure some chaos out of nowhere? If our dear friend were still around I could have purloined more power from her, but after the stony show and the ceiling collapse..." Discord's voice trailed off, and Lavender's eyes took a more distant focus as he spoke directly into her mind.