//------------------------------// // The Facility // Story: One Can't Escape Their Own Past // by Hazel_Hester777 //------------------------------// Bunny wasn't sure quite how long she'd slept for. She remembered passing out on the meadow. She clearly must have been asleep for a good long while if she had time for all those dreams, although time did seem to work differently in the dream world. As she woke with a yawn, she made a mental note to ask Princess Luna about that whenever she saw her next. The first thing Bunny noticed was that she very much was not still on the meadow. She had clearly been moved to some manner of cage. She became far more problematic. Not only that her new resting place wasn't comfortable, but the method of her relocation raised a few red flags. Bunny opened her eyes slowly, wondering why she hadn't done so already. She remembered the sleeping gas that made them sleep was strong, but she woke up earlier due to her being an alien. To say that the sights around her were unexpected was akin to saying that Fluttershy occasionally read a book or two. Gray stone walls outlined the room she found himself in, illuminated by the light bulb. A certain scent, strange yet pleasant and somewhat familiar, hung in the air as she observed her surroundings through the off-grey bars in front of her. Why were there off-grey bars in front of her? Bunny sat up with a start, looking left and right frantically. It didn't take her very long to realize that she was sitting in a large cage. Where was she and why was she in a cage? She quickly rose to her feet, trying to look through the bars of the cage. She saw all her friends were all each in a separate cage, sleeping soundly. Twilight and Fluttershy were, oddly enough, in the center of the room. On Bunny’s left was Rarity and Pinkie. On her right was Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Infront of her, on the other side of the room, was Spike. She had to do something to wake them up, so she did what she had to. She howled. And not just any howl. This was what aliens called Waking Howl, an ability that wakes all in one room. It was very loud to mortals, but to aliens it was a mere whisper. Bunny remembered the last time she did this, at school practice; she woke every sleeping alien up. She finally stopped howling when she saw that her friends all woke up. “Alright! We’re up!” Spike groaned. “What’s with the big wake up call, Bunny?” “Why don’t you see for yourself?” Spike did get up, much to his annoyance. He then was able to notice being in a cage, so did the others. “What happened?” “I must say, why on earth are we put in these like some common animal?” Rarity groaned. Bunny replied with an “Ahem!” “Sorry, darling, I did not mean you or your race” “Why did we have the military get us?” Pinkie chimed. “Rainbow, are ya‘ll alright?” Applejack asked her lover. The Pegasus got up immediately, and felt her wings to make sure they were intact. “Yeah, I’m fine. My wings are good. How are your hooves, AJ?” The earth pony checked her most valued part in her body. “They’re fine” Twilight then joined in. She looked around frantically, eventually her eyes rested upon the body of a yellow Pegasus. “Fluttershy!” she cried. She was able to get her hooves past the bars of her cage, then Fluttershy’s and eventually reaching the mare’s face. It’s a good thing her arms got longer from becoming a princess! “Flutters wake up!” The Pegasus began to stir; eventually her cerulean eyes met Twilight’s lavender ones. “Twilight? What happened? Where are we?” “I don’t know. All I remember is a military pony wanting to take you away. He had red skin and purple hair, do you know him?” Fluttershy tried to remember, but she felt the sharp pain again. “I guess it’s blocked” “Well, let’s try to break out!” Rainbow said, but instead hitting her head really hard on the cage. “Dashie, are ya‘ll alright?” Applejack got worried. “I’m fine. Did you try?” Applejack then tried to buck at the cage door, but it didn’t work either. Spike then tried to breathe fire against it; but it didn’t even heat. “I already tried, Spike” Bunny chimed. “Is everything okay?” a voice called out. Everypony stopped their struggling as they turned their heads to face the source of the voice. There was the voice from their encounter again, this time accompanied by the sounds of hooves frantically clattering across stone. Fluttershy's jaw dropped as she watched the form of a stallion enter the room through the open doorway. She was so shocked that she didn't even have time to react as the stallion zipped up to the cage, his hooves reaching in and scooping at the mare. She quickly found herself held tightly against the chest of the stallion’s body. “You didn’t get hurt, did you?” the stallion asked. Fluttershy then found herself pulled deeper in the hug. She then tried to struggle as she felt the stallion’s left hoof began to caress her long, pink mane. She hated this, of course. Twilight did too. Finally, Fluttershy managed to pull herself out of the hug and back to Twilight. She then glared at the stallion, baring her teeth. Twilight had never seen her marefriend act like this before, but she knew that signifies her faithfulness to her. “Oh, Slash Wing” The stallion began. “It looks like she groomed you pretty well” Fluttershy shook off another sharp pain in her head, possible from the mention of the name, before raising an eyebrow. “Groomed me? What do you mean?” “Oh goodness! That nasty Alicorn and her terrible magic! She’s brainwashed you good, hasn’t she? Don’t worry, when my scientists have developed the ray and serum to give you back your memories, we’ll work on dispelling those nasty effects” “What?! No! She didn’t brainwash me! I love her and she loves me! Princess Twilight Sparkle would never do such a thing” Fluttershy stood up for the princess, who blushed at her statement. “That’s just what she wants you to think, Slash Wing. Alicorns have always had found spells that can cause affection or love to inferior pony races. Some use them as an advantage to get information. Others use it just for the fun of it. And I wouldn’t be surprised if this new Princess used her advantages to make you love her to just do as she says” Fluttershy tried to shake off that bad feeling. “No, she wouldn’t. I…” “Oh, come on! Did you ever feel like the more vulnerable one whenever she’s around you? That when you look into her eyes, you can’t help but do as she says?” Fluttershy had the last word. “Twilight. Is. Not. Like. That!” The stallion gave up. He had a sad look on his face, but when he saw Fluttershy nuzzling Twilight, he spoke again. “I’ll take it as a way for you punishing me for erasing our times together” “Times together? I don’t even know you!” “My name is Aero, captain of this Institute” Fluttershy flinched again from yet another sharp pain in her head. Bunny looked on upset. “I wish could get out of this cage and remove that pain, Fluttershy” Aero was shocked when he heard Bunny talking. Of course, she looked like a rabbit, and rabbits can’t talk. Turning his attention away from Fluttershy, he neared Bunny’s cage. The alien began to quiver as he neared her. She was scared if he found out about her identity. When he was in range, he grabbed her by the collar. It was really weird, especially since he was practically squishing her face. It then escalated from insult to injury when he grabbed her by the ears. He was pulling her ears too hard as she yelped to fake pain. “Hey! That’s not how you treat my friend Bunny!” Spike yelled from his cage. That caught Aero’s attention; he let go of Bunny’s ears and turned his attention to Spike. “I must admit, I found it weird with her fur color and pattern, and eyes, and tail. But it’s even weirder to see an animal talk!” “She uh…” Spike thought for a bit, and came up with the perfect cover. “She’s a rabbit who had a dye job, wears permanent contact lens, had a tail accident, and was casted upon a Talking Spell” Aero bought it. “Okay, that does explain much. But seriously? Bunny? She’s already a rabbit!” Fluttershy spoke up. “I didn’t name her; she came with the name” Aero was surprised. “You own her?! I guess you picked some weird pet, Slash Wing” Bunny got angry. “Hey! I’m not a pet! I’m a companion! And I’m not weird!” Fluttershy added. “Exactly!” “Alright! Who am I to judge you and your decisions, Slash Wing?” Fluttershy flinched again from the pain. “Why does your head keep hurting any time he mentions Slash Wing?” Pinkie asked. “What kind of name is that?” Rarity groaned. “I thought it was cool” Rainbow added. “Maybe not if your friend keeps getting headaches whenever it’s said” Applejack reprimanded. “I don’t know. All I remember about that name is that it was the name of a Pegasus in military and served in the war. But, one night, she died in a fire with several others in an Institute. I think I read about it when I was a filly in the newspaper” “Really?” Aero asked. “Because as I recall, that mare never really died in the fire. She’s actually just standing beside that Alicorn Princess now” Everypony froze in place for a moment. Was Fluttershy Slash Wing? Did they meet before? Was this all just some dream? Was it a nightmare? Was Bunny playing with her Hallucination spell again? “My name isn’t Slash Wing, it’s Fluttershy” she stated. She knew she was right; that he may have mistaken her for somepony who died in a fire. She may be a shy pony, and he got to caress her mane, but she wasn’t about to change her name without a fight. “Well, I just got word from my scientists that they are almost done with the serum and ray. So once we cure you of that nasty spell, you’ll be grateful about this. Until then, I’ll just have to keep talking to you and hope it takes!” Fluttershy groaned. Twilight glared. Rainbow and Applejack punched the bars of their cages. Pinkie and Rarity yelled out threats. Spike blew another fire ball. And Bunny growled, baring her teeth. Aero just stared there at the group of angry mares, a baby dragon, and a talking rabbit. This was really annoying him now. And just as he was about to speak up, the door creaked and a scientist mare come in. “Sir?” she called out, fear in her voice and hiding behind the door, as if from the eight. “Yes, Clarkia?” Aero spoke back. Clarkia whispered something into Aero’s ears. When it seemed like she finished, he grinned. He and the mare walked out after. Bunny did not like the look of that grin. No, not one bit. “Thanks for giving me a cover, Spike” she said. “Well, I wasn’t about to let my best friend get caught, did I?” Bunny stopped. “Best friend?” “Well, yeah. You seem so much closer to me than any other creature I ever met, except the gang. And you’re even the first alien I met and the only one I’m not afraid of” “Thanks Spike. Atleast we gained something good if we ever got out of here…” Bunny paused before saying the last word. “…alive”