Nopony Has To Die
Scootaloo blinked. She tried to move, but it felt like she was buried under concrete. Her head was aching and her vision was blurry. Not that there was much to see – metal ceiling above her was spinning slowly, small lights shining from it.
“Did I die?” Scootaloo muttered, trying to roll back on her hooves. It took her a few attempts, but finally she stood up and looked around.
The room was small and cosy. There was a desk at the wall, with a chair standing in front of it. On the desk, there was some kind of machine with several screens, as well as a few knobs. On the opposite side of the room, there was a door. Scootaloo trotted to it and pushed it, only to find out that the door was closed.
“Of course...” Scootaloo sighed, sitting by the door and rubbing her temples. “What’s going on? Did anyone else die?” She banged at the door, but nothing happened.
“Is anypony here?” Scootaloo asked. Her voice echoed through the room, but no other sound could be heard. “Is that some test? Answer me!”
One of the lights on the console under the screens lit up. Scootaloo looked at it unsurely and walked to it. She sat on the chair and focused on the small, red point in the middle of the desk. It looked normal, but Scootaloo was still looking at it askew.
After a while, Scootaloo looked at the ceiling again. “If I touch it, it’s gonna kill me, huh?”
No answer. Scootaloo shrugged and looked at the button again. There were some scratches around it, but nothing indicated that someone there died a cruel and painful death. It occurred to Scootaloo that even if someone did, she wouldn’t be able to recognise it anyway.
Scootaloo looked at her reflection in the screen in front of her – she was covered in a mixture of grease, sweat, dirt, and dry blood. Her ribs could be seen under her skin and her mane was a long and messy mass over her eyes. She reached to it and yanked a tuft of her hair out almost effortlessly. Her eyes were red; she looked down on her hooves and noticed a net of scratches and cuts. Some of them looked like they were infected.
“Okay, I’m gonna touch it.” Scootaloo muttered to herself. “Maybe it’ll be better to end it quickly.” She reached her hoof and pushed the button.
At first it seemed that nothing was going to happen. Then, the screens lit up, almost blinding Scootaloo. She groaned, lowering her head and rubbing her eyes. When she lifted her head, she saw that the screens were showing images from cameras placed in some corridor. She could see concrete walls and massive iron gates placed there for some reason. All of them were open, but she could imagine them closing with destructive force, crushing everything on their way.
Scootaloo saw some movement in the corridors. She turned to one of the screens and saw Silver Spoon standing in the corridor and looking at one of the gates, just a few metres in front of her.
“Silver?” Scootaloo asked. To her surprise, Silver Spoon lifted her head.
“Scootaloo? Where are you?” Silver Spoon’s voice was slightly distorted, but Scootaloo could hear it clearly.
“I don’t know,” Scootaloo replied. “It seems like some kind of control centre or something...”
“Maybe you can get us out of here?” Silver Spoon looked straight into the camera and Scootaloo realised that she was in the same condition as her – dirty, wounded, and sick. She started to wonder why she only noticed that now.
“Dunno,” Scootaloo replied. “Can you see the rest?”
“Oh, we can hear you,” Diamond Tiara’s voice joined them. Scootaloo looked at the screens and spotted Diamond Tiara at the bottom right one, standing in the corridor that seemed like a mirrored version of the one Silver Spoon was in.
“I’m next to some door,” Boysenberry said. “But I can’t open it.”
“Maybe that’s where I am,” Scootaloo muttered. She discovered that by manipulating the levers she could rotate cameras – soon she found Boysenberry, standing in front of a large door. A quick look was more than enough to see that it was the door to the room Scootaloo was in.
“Okay,” Scootaloo said. “I guess it’d be the best if you all went to Boysenberry... Maybe you’d find the way to open the door.”
Boysenberry rubbed her temples. “It won’t be that easy...” she muttered.
“Why?” Scootaloo asked. Suddenly, she felt cold. Frantically, she stared at the screens. Finally, she found it: a ball of magic appeared in the middle of the corridor and exploded, engulfing it in rapidly-spreading flames.
“Fire?” Scootaloo exclaimed, banging her hooves at the console. “How can it burn? There’s nothing but fucking concrete in there!”
She sighed, lowering her head. Suddenly, she saw that the lights on the console blinked, so she lifted her head.
The view on the middle screen was replaced by a map of the corridor. It had the shape of the letter T, with simplified pictures of ponies on it. Scootaloo shuddered, looking at them – they looked like the creature who drew them had a basic knowledge about ponies, but completely no idea how they behaved. The expressions were so wrong that if it wasn’t for the situation, Scootaloo would’ve laughed. Now, however, she looked at the plan, assessing the situation.
Boysenberry stood at the bottom of the T, far away from the fire burning in the middle of the letter. However, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were on both sides of the cross of it, much closer to the inferno.
“What am I supposed to do?!” Scootaloo yelled, watching as the fire slowly engulfed walls, spreading towards her friends.
One of the screens blinked. Scootaloo groaned and looked at it.
Fire on floor B3. One casualty unavoidable.
“What?” Scootaloo exclaimed. She looked at the plan of the floor again and saw that massive iron doors were also marked on it. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon stood behind each of them.
“I can save you!” Scootaloo looked at the console in front of her. There were two knobs there, marked “Door A” and “Door B”. Next to them, there was a lever labelled “fire suppression system.”
“You’d better hurry!” Silver Spoon screamed, her voice almost unrecognisable. “I... I can smell the smoke from here!”
Scootaloo looked at the screen and saw Silver Spoon running away to the furthest point of the corridor. Without hesitation, she pulled a lever of fire suppression system.
Boysenberry’s scream filled the speakers. Scootaloo looked at the cameras and saw the water flooding the whole corridor on Boysenberry’s side – the filly was swimming in it, but the water was still coming, filling the hall almost to the ceiling.
Scootaloo cursed under her breath and turned off the fire suppression system. The water was drained almost as quickly as it appeared before. Boysenberry was sucked into the whirlpool, but soon emerged again, panting on the wet floor.
“Are you okay, Boysenberry?” Scootaloo asked. “First fire, now floods! That’s insane!”
“I’m soaked,” Boysenberry muttered. “But at least the fire doesn’t spread towards me anymore...”
“Then where it... Oh shit!” Scootaloo looked at the map and saw that the part she’d previously flooded was now marked in blue colour. However, the upper half of the T was getting red – the colour was creeping towards Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
“Close the door!” Diamond Tiara exclaimed. “The fire is getting closer!”
Scootaloo pushed the knob marked as “Door A”. The door to the part where Silver Spoon was closed slowly, accompanied by the sound of rusty metal parts rubbing against each other. Scootaloo smirked and pushed the Door B.
The door closed... but at the same time, the first door opened again. After a few seconds, the second door also opened.
“What the–” Silver Spoon’s voice caused feedback in the speakers. “Close the door! Close the door, please!”
“I can’t...” Scootaloo’s voice faltered. “I... It seems that I can only close one door at a time...” She groaned. One casualty unavoidable. There was no other way.
“Well, that’s clear now,” Diamond Tiara said. “Close Silver’s door.”
“What? No!” Silver Spoon exclaimed. “S-so many ponies died because of me... You can’t be the next one, Diamond!”
“I couldn’t live with the thought that I killed you, Silver.” Diamond Tiara’s voice was loud and clear.
“What?” Silver Spoon shuddered visibly. Even on a small image from the camera Scootaloo could see her trembling. “I a-also don’t wanna live if y-you are dead, Diamond... Scootaloo, please... Save Diamond.”
Scootaloo’s hoof moved over the knobs. She looked at the screens – the red line was almost at the intersection of the T. Diamond Tiara was standing motionlessly at the end of the corridor, staring at the incoming fire. On the other side, Silver Spoon was cowering on the ground, her eyes closed.
“C’mon, Scootaloo,” Diamond Tiara muttered. “It’s getting hot in here and I don’t want Silver to get burned.”
“I... I can’t...” Scootaloo felt that her throat was dry. Even though she was far away from the fire, she was sweating profusely.
“If you don’t choose, we’ll both die!” Diamond Tiara shouted. “Is that what you want? Come on! That’s your one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to kill me! A chance Apple Bloom dreamed about!”
“She never wanted to kill you!” Scootaloo cried. “And I don’t want it too!”
“If you’re hesitating, then I’m walking out of here.” Diamond Tiara sighed. “That’ll make your choice easier.”
“No!” Silver Spoon shouted. “If you don’t save Diamond, I’ll kill myself too.” She walked to the door, staring at the cameras. “Please, Diamond, don’t do that... You... You have to live...”
“It’s you who has to live, Silver Spoon,” Diamond Tiara replied. “You’re a far better pony than I’ll ever be...”
“Me?” Silver Spoon asked. “There’s nopony better than you, Diamond.”
The fire roared between them – Scootaloo could hear it in the speakers. Some of the screens went blank after the cameras were burned, but she could still see Boysenberry standing helplessly in her spot, as well as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, standing by their doors.
“I can’t do that...” Scootaloo muttered, tears flowing from her eyes. “I... I just can’t choose...”
“You have to,” Boysenberry said, turning to the camera. “Please, don’t kill them both... They won’t like it.”
“Who?”
“They.” Boysenberry shuddered. “They don’t like when their experiments go wrong.”
“What if we mess with them on purpose and–” Scootaloo shivered. “What am I... There are Diamond and Silver there... If I mess with–” She looked at the cameras and bit her lips so hard that she felt the taste of blood in her mouth.
Slowly, Scootaloo lifted her hoof over the console. It trembled, stopping halfway through, between the two knobs. She looked at the screens, to see fire approaching Diamond and Silver. It seemed like the courage left them; they were both running away to the ends of their respective corridors.
Scootaloo closed her eyes. She inhaled sharply and raised her hoof. The chair fell backwards and Scootaloo landed on the desk, pushing one of the knobs. The sound of door closing caused her to open her eyes.
She looked at the small silhouette cowering in front of the roaring wall of fire.
She really wanted to turn her gaze away.
She blinked and opened her eyes. “Am I dead?” she muttered.
A touch of cold floor felt too real for her question to be true. She stood up slowly and looked at her body. It was still there, dirty, beaten, and emaciated. She shuddered, wondering why it didn’t break yet. Then she looked around.
The door was there, protecting her from the flames. At first she smirked, realising that she was safe.
The thought hit her suddenly, like a punch in the stomach. She fell down on her knees, retching. “No...” she muttered. “Scootaloo, what did you do...” She rushed to the door and hit it with her hoof. It was still hot, burning her leg, but she didn’t care. “Scootaloo, you killed her!”
There was no answer. She gave out a powerful cry, banging against the door. “Scootaloo, open it, or–” She fell on her knees, wailing. “W-why did you have to...”
She heard hissing coming from behind the door. Some steam seeped in through the gaps between the door and the walls and she realised that the fire was being extinguished. She crawled away from the door and rolled on her back, too tired to move.
After a few minutes that felt like centuries, the door opened. She stood up and darted out of the corridor, galloping to the other side. Her hoofsteps echoed through the empty spaces. The vein on her forehead was pulsating, giving her a headrush, but she didn’t care. Swallowing her tears, she kept running through wet halls.
It was where she thought it too be. After death it was oddly small. All the fur was gone, just like the mane and tail. Most of the muscles fell off, showing bare bones hidden under them. The whole body was black, stiff, and shrunken. It was also soaked in water from the fire suppression system.
She sobbed, hugging the body. Charred tissues fell apart under her touch, but she didn’t back off, holding the body tightly. Finally, she let it go and walked a few steps away, wiping tears and ashes from her fur.
She noticed something on the floor and picked it up. A shapeless mold of blue plastic was still warm, despite lying in a small puddle of water.
Diamond Tiara shuddered when she imagined Silver Spoon throwing her glasses away at the last moment so she couldn’t see the incoming doom.
Slowly and silently, Diamond Tiara walked down the corridor. The walls were scorched and the water was still dripping from the ceiling, but she couldn’t see it. Each step was taking her away from Silver Spoon. Blood was boiling in her veins; all she wanted was revenge.
Boysenberry was nowhere to be seen, but when Diamond Tiara reached the end of the corridor, she saw that the door was slightly ajar. Barely able to breathe, she pulled it and marched into the room.
“How could you?” Diamond Tiara yelled, kicking the chair which smashed against the wall. “I told you to spare her, but you–” She paused, staring at the corner of the room. Boysenberry was sitting there, holding Scootaloo in her hooves. “What happened to her?”
Boysenberry shrugged, pointing at Scootaloo. The pegasus was staring blankly at the wall, breathing quickly. When Boysenberry let go of her, she dropped on the ground numbly and cowered there.
“How convenient...” Diamond Tiara muttered. She walked to Scootaloo and smacked her in the face. Scootaloo rolled on the ground, but didn’t make even a faintest sound. Diamond Tiara raised her hoof again, but Boysenberry grabbed her.
“What?” Diamond Tiara shouted. “She killed my friend!”
Boysenberry held her firmly.
“You’re not talking again?” Diamond Tiara sighed. “What the fuck is wrong with all of you?” She pushed Boysenberry away, grabbed a piece of the chair and threw it at one of the screens. It broke, exploding in a torrent of sparkles. Diamond Tiara picked another fragment, but Boysenberry grabbed her hoof again.
“Wait,” Boysenberry said, pointing at one of the screens. The image from one of the few surviving cameras was showing a door that hadn’t been there just a few minutes ago.
“And what do you think awaits us there?” Diamond Tiara sobbed. “More death!” She lowered her head. “I’d rather stay here and die with Silver...”
“Whatever you want.” Boysenberry walked to Scootaloo and helped her up. Scootaloo still didn’t make a smallest move and Boysenberry had to practically drag her out of the room.
“What?” Diamond Tiara exclaimed. “You’re leaving me?”
“You wanted to stay here,” Boysenberry said. “They want us to stay together, but after that I’m done listening to them...” She groaned and rubbed her temples, almost dropping Scootaloo.
“Wait...” Diamond Tiara trotted to her. “I... I can’t stay here all alone... T-they can do something to you...”
“They’ll kill us anyway.” Boysenberry winced and closed her eyes.
“Yes, but...” Diamond Tiara lowered her gaze. “After Silver... I just want it to end quickly...”
Boysenberry only sighed and shook her head. Diamond Tiara grabbed Scootaloo’s other hoof and together they walked through the door and into the dark tunnel behind it.
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Well shoot, I thought Silver Spoony would be the chosen one.
Calling it now, DT will be the one survivor who snap and try to kill the other. Quite fitting considering your other works.
6541510
Yep, there were some weird things going around Silver, weren't they? And about Diamond – we'll see...
6541599 I believe ponies willing to sacrifice their life in order to save a loved one tends to survive more easily.
Amazing chapter! I find your writings skills great!
6655487
There will be some ;)
Nopony has to know reference of this chapter
6874226
Oh yeah. I don't think many people caught that one...
Scoots will survive. Knowing Samey, Diamond Tiara will be killed in the most heart wrenching way, and people who wanted DT to survive are let down, but are happy because right off the bat, we knew DT or Scoots would survive. And Boysenberry will listen to the walls and kill herself.
7095255
Kinda... with characters slightly swapped. Also, don't be fooled by the date of last release, I'm planning to finish it.
Four little fillies, falling in a pit.
Two portals open, Causing certent pain.
One filly burns, to a blackend crisp.
A cliffhanger will kill me,
SO WRITE YOU PEICE OF SHIT
LOL PLEASE WRITE FASTERER
This story currently has 666 views. Holy shit.
7486219
Not bad. I guess it's time to update it or something (the next chapter is stuck at 846 words since April).