//------------------------------// // Tire // Story: Flower // by CreeperZone //------------------------------// ... “What happened to Holly? That's a difficult question...” -x- ... “It... It affected us all differently. That Friday night when we first saw her... But it was clear it affected Holly the most.” -x- ... “That night..? Ooh... Hehhh, that night... It was... It was bad... I'm surprised more of us didn't end up like Holly. I don't blame her at all for what she did. If she was still here, eh... If she was still here I don't think things would be any better. She was too far gone by that point... I've been having therapy two nights a week since and I'm still a mess... And what has it been? A month? Two? Three? I lost count.” The moon shimmered from behind the clouds. Streaks of light bled from the sky and illuminated the snow-covered path. The snow glowed, the minuscule crystals of the individual flakes reflecting the gentle light, giving the ground a white sheen. In the center of the pathway, close to her, grew a small flower. It stuck out from beneath the snow, sitting upon a transparent, icy stem. It was stiff in the weaving winds, holding strong in the brutish weather. The bud of the flower was made of soft petals, tenderly folding upon each other into the thick icy shard stuck in the center. The crystal shone blue, a magic surrounding it. Cardinal sat on a rusty little fold-up chair in front of the elevator, she had finished sulking for a long while now, her thoughts empty as they flew over her head. Instead her eyes remained locked onto the flower sitting in the snow, sparkling like sequence. The night had passed silent since Diamond escaped. Cardinal could only assume that she was being watched by them as they waited to ambush her once she would finally leave. Although she didn't leave, she would be there the whole night. Occasionally, she would sway her head at the sound of a bird chirp or a wind shift. At one point, long into the night, she glanced down at her necklace, bearing the emerald locket. She lifted it with a wing, debating opening it. Delicately placing the tip of her hoof into the seam, she lightly pressed until it flipped open. She instantly fell into the magic’s grasp, feeling energy forcibly leaving her body. It began hurting as she let it continue for a few more moments, although soon she became worried that she would pass out as her headache punched through her skull. She slammed it shut, taking a breath. She raised her head, noticing that the flower now had multiplied, an arch going from the left and right of Cardinal and up to the original as the peak. A semicircle of frosty flowers all glistened, she let the locket fall back against her chest, somewhat happier. Morning soon came and she still remained unmoved from her seat, resting there for hours, just staring at the flower garden in front of her. The sun rose, breaking through the cracks in between skyscrapers, letting the light settle in the streets and alleys. Light breached the fences, scraping across the tops of them to reach a dazed Cardinal. She refused to react as the light scaled down from the tip of her arching pink mane and down to the heel of her hoof over a long period of time, still waiting. Over her time, she saw ponies in the distance, past the chain link, walking across the streets every now and a then. Cardinal’s sorrow had eased over the night. The initial twist of the knife had healed over, leaving a permanent scar that would likely never stop stinging. As the sun reached the hoof of the elevator's outer building, Cardinal stretched and stood up, her eyes heavy from the frozen tears. As she stepped upon the snow, the light had reached the flowers, the powerful beams from the sun glinting from the crystals in each flower that it touched upon. Cardinal gave a somber smile as she saw the beauty still left in the world. She took a few more steps, going into the center of the flower ring. Her head shot around as she heard a strange humming coming from behind her, she watched as the flowers in the sun shook. The crystal in each of them began fading from their chilly blue and rattled into an orange tint. As she went to lean into one to inspect what it was doing, the petals burst into flames, raising into the sky almost twice the flowers height. As one flower erupted, the ones around it received its flame and they too arose in flame. Soon the entire ring was burning hot, the fire nearly as high as Cardinal's chin. She stood in awe in the center of this blazing display, the heat pressing against her, dispelling the frosty shiver she once fell into a cosy warmth. A minute passed before the flames lowered themselves, the snow in between the flowers stocks had melted down and soaked into the dirt, revealing their now lusciously burning stems beneath each flower bud. The fires simmered down into a tiny nub in the center of each flower where the crystal sat. Despite the monumental heat, the petals were unharmed, now stained with a bright orange. Cardinal, without her realization, smiled with a grin as bright as the flames. Soon, she gathered herself back up and hopped over the line of torch flowers. Once landing on the other side, she turned her shoulder, looking at the elevator where Seeker’s body was obliterated. “Goodbye, Seeker. Rest well. I won't ever forget you or what you sacrificed… Love you.” She spoke softly to herself. She moved down the path, walking toward the gate. She pushed through the cut in the chain link fence, part of her being torn away as she left this place for the final time. Trotting onto the familiar pathways that lined every street she had overcome to get here, she was alerted to the existence of a Royal Guard squad, set up on both left and right of the fence, when one of them shouted to her. “HALT!” She put her hoof down, ceasing her movement she continued looking forward, waiting for what the guards would say. “You are under arrest by direct instruction of Princess Twilight Sparkle. Please comply and we can resolve this peacefully.” “And what if I don't want to go with you?” She glared to her right, her fearless eyes burning into the guard's souls. “We do not want to use force, but will if necessary.” The guard veered off into mumbling at the end, Cardinal spotting him out of the crowd. “Has Diamond not warned you? There is nothing you can do to hurt me.” She locked her eyes with the guard speaking, not letting him escape her glance. “We know... We know what you can do! And we are prepared to take you down. Do not test us or we will detain you forcibly!” Cardinal was not fazed by his threats. “I believe you are the one not to test me.” She took a step forward, closer to the curb of the street. “FIRE!” The guard blared out, Cardinal reacted almost immediately by outstretching her wings to cover her face and chest while crouching down to make herself a smaller target. She was then barraged by a flurry of bullets, stabbing into her with massive dents. Her wings very quickly became disfigured and even punctured in some places. She went to run across the street and she tripped on a tiny hole in the street that her hoof got caught in, now halfway across she noticed that in the building in front of her were more guards who were pelting her with rounds from their rifles. As she was shot over and over, she felt each hit getting deeper as her outer shell's damage grew in severity. Her nerves were overloaded with pain, as she collapsed to the ground in the center of the street. “HOLD FIRE!” the pony shouted over the echoing gunshots. “GET HER!” In a panic, she looked around. Before she knew it, she was enclosed by riot shields and spears. She turned her head down, protecting it still with her wings. Then she spotted a metal cylinder stuck into the road with two small indents on either side meant for being picked up with hooves. In the center of it was the engraving ''Sewer''. Cardinal dropped her wing shield and stabbed both ends of her longest feathers into the StallionHole cover, then she pushed off of it and flipped herself onto her back, the cover now above her and a dark abyss beneath. She swooped down into the hole, her wings outreaching her legs as she place the cover back on upside-down. With her wings still caught deep in the thick steel plate used to close of the sewer, she was forced to struggle for a moment before she was finally let free. Cardinal began falling in absolute relief. It was not until a few moments later when a gross slopping sound came from her landing and felt the oozing goop-water seep into her bullet wounds and smelled the putrid stench of rot and feces that she realized where she had just ended up in. The unadulterated, pure darkness did not help ease her either. She blinked a few times, trying to activate her eyes to glow brighter. They both flickered for a bit, before a shattering sound and a fizz coming from inside of her head left her with only her right eye glowing at all. Once her remaining eye had finally illuminated the area for her, she went to hoist herself up, feeling the slime resist against her, trying to pull her back down. She now sat in a sewer, covered in the shit. She felt like vomiting, and had the gag reflex to do so, but lacking a stomach meant that she had nothing to throw up. So she ended up just throwing her head down, and her throat contracting painfully a few times. After gathering herself back up, she noticed all the tools in her pouch had fallen out and sunk into the sludge. Although she had no time to collect them back up, as she heard the cover above her head being lifted, she set aside the thoughts of disgust and went to stand up and sprint her way out of there. Her run was slowed down by the mess she galloped through, having to yank her hooves out every time from the both slimy and sticky substance. She just ended up splashing more on herself as she ran, taking random turns when able, and after what felt like an hour, she believed that she had lost the Royal Guard. Taking a breather (and then immediately regretting breathing), Cardinal rested against the rounded wall. Soon, she continued to trot down the sewer, now in a search to find a way out. Hobbling into the light, Cardinal flopped out of the open sewer gate like a dying fish. She fell out and landed nearly a meter down into a face full of sand. It stuck to her sickeningly waste-drenched body. With a wobbly and painful push, she forced herself up, barely standing as she took in the fresh air. Looking outwards, she saw the vast ocean in front of her, going into the infinite horizon. With a blissful hobble she went as quickly as she could until she stood in the water and she let herself fall down into it. It was deep enough for her entire body on its side to be engulfed in the freezing water, the cleansing splash clearing her of most of the muck that covered her body. She felt both refreshed and in shivers after hitting the water. A few magical sparks bolted out of her as she washed herself off, making sure to get all of the revolting mess she was covered in off of her. She scrubbed down the her pouch, thoroughly brushing it. Her head came flung out of the water. She shook it from side to side, the water flying off of her. As she looked down at her spotless skin, she noticed that her pouch wasn't completely empty, the white princess chess piece was still tucked in tightly in its pocket. Her immense smile glittered with triumph as she settled down and observed her surroundings. She was swimming at a long beach. To her left, the sand went on for more than a mile, reaching a small dock in the distance, filled with yachts and other small sea-bearing vessels. On her right was a cliff side and lots of rocks. Boulders were all over the sand as the ground had a gradient with dirt, going up the side of the hill until it was pure, snow-covered earth. Directly in front of her was the sewer pipe she had just escaped from. The pipe clearly had been dumping the waste onto the beach, clear from the gross tint in the sand underneath it. The end of the pipe was dried up. The sewer water tapered down until there was not enough to drip off the side. Cardinal, now coming down from her high, realized how terrible this was. They were dumping their waste directly into the ocean. What kind of terrible effects must that have on the water? She contemplated this as she strolled out of the water. Making sure to avoid the tainted sand under the pipe, she walked upon the beach. She shuddered as she walked, being slowly warmed up by the bright sun in the sky there was today. Her initial weight meant every step sunk down into the sand, creating very large hoofprints as she trotted along the beach. The beach had a plentiful amount of umbrellas and lounging chairs dug deep into the sand to stop them from flying off, although most of them were far on the other side of the beach, there were still some scattered around as she walked along the seaside. Small patches of snow made it onto the sand from the mainland, which was mostly comprised of dirt paths leading back into the city, the skyscrapers clearly seen from above the slight incline. Cardinal's attention was soon drawn to a large cabin near the center of the beach, situated up the hill. It was a beautifully crafted, multi-story home. It had balconies on every side, great sloped roofs extending out from the cottage. Each surface was covered in a fluffy, untouched coating of snow. It had a base of stone that stuck into the dirt and spread out into a walkway around the home, a stone staircase going down to the beach. The cabin was also drenched in decoration, its doorways and windows lined with lovely white flowers and bright green and red holly. The archways at the top and bottom of the stairs had long silk strands wrapping around their legs, the path sprinkled with rose petals, leading up to a brand-new looking, stubby wooden pier going a few paces into the sea. At the very end of it, there was a great arch bursting with the same decorations, underneath it, a pedestal wide enough to hold two ponies. She picked up her pace to a canter, her body steadily warming up once more. After a good jog, Cardinal found herself at the hoof of the stairs. She strolled up them, holding her hoof against the stone wall on her left, feeling the cracks and dents as she moved along them. The grit resisting against her hoof just made her realize how hurt she actually was as she saw her beaten and worn leg, the paint chipped and scraped off, holes and dents all over. She felt that her grip was weaker than it used to be, neither was she moving as fast as normal. She knew that getting repaired would be the only way she would continue to be alive (which she still wasn't one hundred percent certain she wanted to be), and for that she needed to find Mecha. The thoughts of her health were held on pause as she reached the top of the staircase, going through the gorgeous arch. She found herself on the cobblestone path, the great double-door of the cottage standing strongly before her. She took a step back to take in the glorious construction towering over her. It was heavily detailed. The many wooden braces giving support to the balcony overhead were engraved and shaped into exquisite whirls and arcs. There were plants hanging from spruce pots that were beaming with life. The windows were deep in their elegant frames. Cardinal experienced many fantasies of living in a place like this. This is what she imagined for her and Seeker... She soon realized all of the flaws. With a glance, she could see the city to her right, the hundreds of industrialized buildings just a few minutes walk over a snow-covered plain. With a turn behind her, she saw the polluting sewer drain far off in the distance, something that still made her sick. Nevertheless, she wanted to at least see the inside before she went off to find Mecha to repair her, so she took a few steps toward the door and placed her hoof on the handle. As she went to open it, she noticed on closer inspection that the left door of the two was ever-so slightly ajar. She was taken aback. Somepony must be inside. She went a few paces to her side to one of the large windows circling the ground floor and peered through. The glare from the sun added difficulty into seeing inside. Putting her hooves over her brow, she blocked most of the shine and gained a clear view inside. A red fabric went from the doorway down the room. Wooden pillars surrounded by pottery and paintings, stood on either side of the carpet. The room was dim, hundreds of unlit candles placed in holders and on shelves, never used. There was a hanging chandelier of gold and silver dropping from the ceiling of the second floor. It was also not in use, the only light coming from the large number of windows in the cabin. The carpet crawled up a wide staircase at the other side of the room. It split into two separate sets of stairs as it reached the wall, going to the left and right up to the second floor. A great window, several times taller than any of the others, was situated above the point where the main staircase and wall met. The light coming from it came down on a figure sitting at in the center of the staircase. A pony in a puffy, long, beguiling white dress sat there. Her gown was large and elegant, covering her entire chest and flank, its skirt trailing off another meter or so from her hind legs. It was embroidered all over, with two soft buns of fabric on each shoulder. It wrapped around their stomach tightly with a smooth layer of silk holding the dress together and the pony’s belly tucked in. Her light green coat, contrasting her pure and spotless dress, was ruffled and unclean, dirt stuck in between her hairs. Her mane also followed the theme of her skin, it was an absolute mess. Soft, red strands of her hair stuck out, looking unwashed and given no maintenance over the last few days at least. Her wings stuck out of her dress and were left loosely resting at her side. Her face was in shadow, but Cardinal could barely make out the smeared makeup around her eyes, as if she had been crying heavily very recently. The final feature Cardinal noticed of the mare was the orange flower clipped to her mane. Cardinal leaned in as close as her muzzle would allow her, the wood giving a faint creak with her weight. She was staring into a black item with a metal sheen in her hooves as she fiddled with it. Cardinal blinked in confusion, the scenery, the decorations, the dress. It was a wedding, and that mare was the bride... Although, she thought, what was happening now? And why did Cardinal feel like she recognized her? She continued watching, seeing the pony put a hoof on the long metal shaft of the device and pull it back. She then realized it and it gave off a clack audible to Cardinal as it launched back into itself. She lifted her head up, looking out towards the doors and placing the device into her wing. She lifted it up and pressed it against her head. No longer being obstructed by the pony's hooves, Cardinal realized she was holding a pistol to her own head. Cardinal's jaw dropped as her eyes couldn't help but stare closer at the suicide-in-motion, which is what lead to the glass she pressed against cracking. Before she could react, Cardinal fell through the window, smashing it into shards and landing with her stomach onto the frame, her forelegs dangling across the other side in a daze. Cardinal lifted her head, catching the eye of the mare, locking themselves into an awkward stare. The pony stood up, the gun moving to her side as her wing redacted itself. Cardinal tried to scramble back, but in an accidental shift of weight, she ended up falling further into the room and her face getting raked across the wooden floor as the rest of her body flipped over her neck and slammed down flank-first into the room, her tail painfully jabbing into her behind as she moved it to her side. Putting a leg on either side of her, Cardinal hoisted up her head and shoulders, now sitting her back against the wall beneath the window she busted in through. The mare on the stairs stood in shock, gaping at Cardinal with broken, wide eyes. Cardinal gradually stood up. Once on her hooves she froze. The pony on the stairs came swiftly stepping down the stairs, then sprinting halfway into the room before slowing down to a halt. Her brows made their way down across her eyes, her bottom jaw shuddering as her mouth made a furious growl. Her gritty, tear filled voice came at Cardinal in a whisper. “You...” Cardinal blinked, now that the pony was closer she realized that she did remember her, she was one of the guards at the facility when she first escaped. Cardinal, not sure what to do, took a step to the side, closer to the door. “DON'T YOU FUCKING MOVE!” The pony threw up her pistol in her wing, feather tucked in over the trigger. Cardinal stopped, remaining calm in the face of another firearm, sure that it wouldn't be able to harm her severely enough to be scared. She kept her lip shut, waiting for the pony to make a move. “You killed him... YOU BITCH, YOU KILLED HIM!” She blared at Cardinal, waving the gun around in her rage. Cardinal was taken back, trying to figure out who was it that died that the pony was blaming her for. “Who? Who did I kill..?” “DON'T PLAY INNOCENT, YOU BITCH, YOU STABBED HIM THROUGH AN ELEVATOR AND THEN THEY BURNED HIM! THEY BURNED ALL OF THEM!” Cardinal recalled everything. Making the obvious assumption about the mare in wedding attire, she realized that the pony she killed was her fiancé. The guilt she felt when she first learned about what she did being permanent and knowing that the pain she felt from Seeker she had caused for potentially hundreds of other ponies had returned to her. Cardinal felt the tears swell in her eyes as the pain in her heart. “I... I... I didn't know...” “YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHAT? THAT YOU KILLED HIM?!? THAT YOU RUINED MY FUCKING LIFE!?” The pony stumbled closer with every yell, honing her sights on the robot. “I'm... I'm sorry! I didn't know what I was doing! Please, put that down! I don't want anypony to be hurt anymore!” Cardinal shifted towards the pony, begging. “What? You don't want me to shoot myself? HUH? WHY? WHAT IS IT TO YOU?” Her insanity and aggravation fell into a painful sob, “Twilight stopped me already... I wanted to die with him she wouldn't let me... NOW YOU’RE TRYING TO STOP ME! JUST LET ME DIE!” Cardinal took another step forward, “I hurt too many ponies to want to see another die, please, you don't have to do this.” She dropped her head, recollecting. “We were supposed to get married today... It was supposed to be the happiest day of my life... AND YOU RUINED IT!” She threw the gun up in Cardinal’s face as she stood just out of legs-reach from the pony. Cardinal threw up her hoof in front of her eyes as the pony fired at her, three shots blasting against her chest and shoulder, denting in deeply and putting holes into the leather pouch she wore. After the initial burst of fire, Cardinal lept the rest of the distance toward the pony, slamming the hoof she guarded herself with against the pistol, smacking it out of the ponies wing and sliding it into the carpet. The pony then threw herself at Cardinal, causing the two of them to crash into the floor, the pony sitting on top of her and she began swinging her hoof into Cardinal, bashing her casing. “I'M GOING TO KILL YOU IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!” Cardinal attempted to block the incoming attacks she was being barraged by with her left hoof, seeing some amount of success as the blows became weakened, she stretched out her right hoof to her side, a clicking coming from it. Cardinal's eyes widened as nothing happened. She tried again and again, the clicking repeating several times before she remembered that she had bitten off her blade. She then rammed her right hoof into the ponies side with all her force in an attempt to throw her off. Her fear spiked as her hoof tore against the ponies dress and clearly winded her, but failed in getting the pony off of her. “WHAT’S... WRONG?” Cardinal's attacker regained her breath. “NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO FIGHT A GIRL?” With a large wind up, she threw another hoof into Cardinal’s face, this time slamming into her already malfunctioning left eye, cracking the glass lens. Cardinal struggled but the pony was overpowering her in all fronts, “PLEASE! DON'T KILL ME!” Cardinal shouted in the terror of her potential death, feeling her strength and consciousness fleeting. “YOU’RE. A. ROBOT. YOU. AREN'T. LIVING.” She gave a punch with each word, Cardinal's muzzle panels coming loose. Cardinal felt the urge to survive grow stronger. She refused to die, not after everything Seeker had given up for her to live. As she finally came to the conclusion that she wanted to live no matter what, she became desperate for a solution. Having an idea and instantly going threw with it, she flipped open the two speakers at either side of her neck. Cranking up her volume to maximum she screamed like a banshee. “AAAAEEEEEEEEGGGGGHHHHH!” The sound was deafeningly loud. Even Cardinal felt pain as the sound bounced back and she heard it herself. The pony on top of her recoiled, covering her ears and her face turned to suffering as she screamed from the auditory torture she was subjected too. Seeing that her assailant was thoroughly dazed, Cardinal kicked her off. The pony curled up into a ball, her hearing now permanently damaged as the sound rang over and over again in her head. Cardinal staggered as she stood up, her head hanging low as she spat out a gooey blue liquid from her busted mouth. Recovering, she hobbled to the door. Once at the frame, she turned a head back to see the pony trying to collect herself as she reached for her pistol. Cardinal grabbed one of the two coat hangers at the side of the door with a wing and shouldered her way out of the house. Turning around to the doors once more, she saw the pony stand, her pistol grasped tightly. Cardinal shut the doors, placing the coat hanger between the handles. Cardinal stumbled toward the city. Once she had reached the snow-layered path, she heard the door rustle violently. Cardinal tried to pick up her pace, doing the closest thing to a gallop that she could manage. Moments later, two bullets whizzed by her. She heard the shouting from behind. “YOU CAN'T RUN FROM ME! I'M GOING TO FIND YOU AND I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!” Cardinal denied herself looking back, despite the strong temptation to do so. She sprinted onward. Soon, she found herself running into a section of the field which resembled a park, trees and bushes becoming more common as she continued on. Knowing that the pony would soon be coming after her, Cardinal found a thick set of bushes and fell into them, her head bruised and burning with pain. She dug herself further into the foliage, using them as cover. She rested her head against the jabbing buds and soon found her vision fading. Coughing a few more mouthfuls of the blue liquid that filled her body, she drifted out of consciousness. Despite her resistance, her eyelids fell shut, her body falling motionless. What do you think she is doing? What has she left to live for? We are all gone; she has nothing else. Why does she bother? Stop being foolish. It is not us to decide her fate. It is what she wants that matters. If she wants to live, let her do so. Me? Being foolish? Why, look at her! She is suffering, she lost us and now there is nothing left for her. Cardinal batted her one working eye open, finding herself in a darkness quite familiar to her, and a tea party even more so. She turned to her left, seeing the Fox, on her right, a magenta figure in the shape of a pony but completely made of a glowing light and falling code. Cardinal's eyes jumped up in delight. She thought she had lost them both forever, but as she went to speak, she found that her mouth was welded shut and her speaker in her neck was cut off. The princess awakes! How you doing sis? Enjoying the horrid hell they call ''real life''? Cardinal tried to move out of her chair, but was unable to detach herself from the seat, her legs tied down at her side with an invisible restraint. Her worried eyes fell on the Magenta pony. She seemed to not notice her silent plea for help. Stop trying to influence the poor thing! Can you not mind your own business? My own business? Are you going along with this charade, or are you just incompetent? Fox, please. Don't make this any harder for her than it needs to be. She's already dying, Mother. How can I make that harder? Cardinal began struggling harder in a horrified panic, but as the fox spoke those words, she felt a stabbing in her chest, her strength failing. Look at her, she's terrified! And you're the one scaring her. That's what I do, I scare her. It's what I was built for. Do you not want her to survive? That is what you told her you wanted! It is what I want. That is why I'm doing this. Cardinal's tiresome head fell, the light around her eyes beginning to dim. How is this helping her survive? The fox laughed, Oh, Mother, do you not understand what I do? What fear does? He leaned onto the table, the immaterial light coming from above made a shadow caused by his brow land over his deadly eyes. Fear is one of the most powerful fuels that exist. A scared pony becomes desperate. That energy builds up inside as the terror approaches... The fox climbed onto the table, prowling across it to Mother's side with a hunter’s posture. And then, just as they are about to be consumed, they are willing to do anything and everything to survive, to overcome the beast, to live... All they need is that spark. The fox slouched over into Mother's face, pressing his nose against her muzzle. What spark? Oh, that's simple, all it takes is the teeniest, weeniest, little pinch of one thing... Hope. Cardinal's head shot up, her astonished eyes searching for the source of the voice, finding that the Fox and Mother had gone, nowhere to be seen. Seeker!? she screamed, amazed that her mouth yet again was able to move and that her speaker could be used to talk once more. She looked for her Love, the darkness around her not being generous to her vision. SEEKER! WHERE ARE YOU?! She strained herself against her unseen restraints, trying to push herself out of her seat. She moaned in pain, moving herself barely an inch outward from the backrest and with immense strain on her. She shut her eyes, feeling a migraine smashing against her head. SEE... “...KER!” She said it, then immediately noticed the goo swelling in her mouth and hawking it out. Cardinal blinked over and over again, placing a hoof against her aching muzzle. She was awake again. Her one working eye steadied its vision, the world becoming clear once more. She was still hiding in between the bushes, luckily never found by that insane pony, or anypony else. The night had set in, the moon high in the sky. Cardinal brushed off a newly formed layer of snow that had grown on her as she slept, the chill running down to her pistons. The bushes rustled, snow dripping off in a flurry as she mustered the strength to climb up them. Gradually burrowing her way out, she observed the landscape. The moon shimmered a gentle blue glow onto everything. It had a lovely gradient going down from the sky, the deep dark navy toning down into the calming, enchanting blue shine. She was in the center of a park, a path paved around the cracked stone fountain, its water frozen into thick ice as it glistened in the moonlight. The entire place had a cool aura to it, a calm atmosphere that soothed Cardinal. She made it over the hump of the bushes, her hooves crunching deep into the snow as she landed, giving her a gentle decent. Cardinal took a short breath, soon preparing herself to continue onward, beginning to trot down the path toward the city once more. “Have to find Mecha... for repairs.” She began mumbling to herself during her pleasant stroll. “Gotta find a place to hide from Guards...” She listed off her priorities. “Have to talk to Bun again... Make sure she is alright...” She found herself moving in a straight-shoot towards the city, an decorated metallic fence at either side of the path. Soon, she was approaching a small paved road. Its asphalt, marking-covered cement was nearly entirely snow-free. The civilian path at either side, not as much, although still showing the hoofprints of many ponies that had crossed not too long ago. Cardinal walked onto the path openly. Not seeing anypony else on either side of the street, she trotted across the road. The roadside she strolled to was a large store front, mostly beach related shops. Signs reading ''Beach Towels,'' ''Sunscreen,'' and ''Swimming Gear'' filled the windowsills of each unopened store, their wears obviously not being in season. Once on the other side, she realized she needed directions, so she looked down at her pouch pockets, realizing that she no longer had her map. She sighed, giving both directions a good consideration before settling on the left, hoping to find some landmark to guide her back. She made note of her surroundings as she trotted, seeing extreme the emphasis on shopping plastered onto every surface. The flashy charm she was drawn into at first had faded away as all the lights were now switched off, only leaving the ugly greed that was previously hidden under the glamour. She began averting her vision from the shops, turning back to the ocean, the glorious, endless sea just barely visible from behind the delightful, untouched, snowy plains. Cardinal wondered why they remained without a single print of any hooves that weren't her own. She understood it was chilly, but the view was simply glamorous... Was nopony bothering to just look? Cardinal did a double take at a red newspaper dispenser she strolled past, taking a few steps back to inspect it closer. The transparent glass revealed the front page of the Manehattan Print, a black and white, excessively thick newspaper. The bold title of the first story drew her attention, ''Rougue AI Robot Roams Streets'' written in a large font underneath the paper's name. Underneath the story title was a top-down photo of the mall, Cardinal seen running through the shopping center. In a worried rush, she skimmed through the body of the story, it mentioned being a continuation on the ''The Emotional-Based Energy Generation Research Project'' conspiracy. It then went into great detail about Cardinal being sighted, interviews from eye witnesses and the controversial refusal to respond from Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle. At the very end of the article it warned civilians, if they were to see this rouge AI to remain calm, back away and report her location to the police. “Oh no...” Everypony knew about her now and she doubted stealth would remain an option for long. She turned back to the path, now pacing forward with a strong jog, trying to out-sprint the time she was running out of. She shot down one street after another, peering around every corner before moving on with haste. Several blocks in, she still had no sense of her location, although she noticed the buildings’ quality degrade as she moved further into the city until the houses resembled those around the site. The gritty, chipped brick walls began popping up around her, the grimy streets deteriorated away. Looking to the sky, barely edging over top the other buildings, she saw several steel beams reaching into the sky. They were quite a distance away, glistening in the moonlight like a lighthouse for her. She picked up her pace, turning into a gallop as she weaved through paths, dodging the periodical spotlights in her way whenever possible, dashing down the streets. She tried to keep noise down to a minimum as she approached the landmark, slowing down into a prowl. Turning the final corner, she saw the familiar fences once more, the un-built skyscraper in disrepair standing behind. Although, the street was now walled off with movable barriers, going all across the road from side to side, the words ''No entry''  written on each one. As she went to move toward it, a guard came around the corner of its fence, armed with what seemed to be a large machine gun. It was strapped around his neck, a huge shoulder guard took up half of his upper body. His armor was a reflective silver chrome, also far heavier than any other she's seen, covering every inch of his skin with several plates, his eyes hidden behind a menacing dark glass. Each step he took crashed down into the pavement from the sheer pull of gravity from his armor. A symbol of a pink, six sided star star with a knife cutting down the middle was varnished onto his side. Cardinal decided against going through the construction. She knew where she was now. She did not need to fight that thing. Taking the long way around proved uneventful. Although the sun was soon going to rise and Cardinal knew it, she continued to sprint in the direction of Bun's house. The sun shone from behind the horizon, sending its gorgeous rays down towards the city, going through the sickeningly grey, smoggy atmosphere, being tainted into a dull, blurry fizzle as it hit the concrete jungle. The cars roared down the streets. A poisonous concoction was pumped out of each one as they stacked up like dominoes, stuck in the daily city-wide traffic jam, each car filled with tiresome ponies, heads still banging from the alarm clock. Despite their begrudging attitude, they all made their way to their places of work as the week began once again. Cardinal, on the other hoof, lay in the grass, watching the happenings inside of a certain bottom floor apartment through a glass door, hiding at the side of a neighbor’s shed, behind a chain fence. She watched as a small pink filly ate her breakfast, consisting of a few crackers and a glass of water. Her mother soon came over, the first time Cardinal had a clear look at this disgusting mare. She had a snow-white coat, her mane a gentle magenta, the same shade of her daughters coat. Her mane was made up, sloppily. Her face was covered in a gratuitous amount of makeup. She gave her daughter a few words before leaving. Although the door was hidden to Cardinal, she watched as the filly reacted to it being slammed shut. After a few moments of rest, she stood out of her seat, grabbing a poorly stitched, brown cloth bag with a few books inside. She trotted over to the glass back door of her apartment, her head down in the dirt as she swiped the door across. She took a breath before stepping out, not bothering to look up as she walked to the windowsill at her side. She reached behind a cracked plant pot with a flower's corpse rotting inside, and pulled out a small key. As she went to lock the backdoor, Cardinal rattled the fence, causing the filly to jump up and spin around. Glancing around, the filly saw her friend on the other side, statically waving a robotic hoof to her. Cardinal now had a clear view of Bun's face, seeing several bruises she did not remember from before along her eyes and muzzle, a purplish stain under her skin. Bun's eyes lit up as she threw her bag and key down, dashing toward the fence. “CARDI! You came back!” She hopped, landing with her hooves against the fence, holding herself upward against it to try and meet eyes with Cardinal. “I promised, didn't I?” Cardinal stooped down, smiling with the filly. “You’re on the news! Lots of ponies are saying bad things about you. They say you’re dangerous and mean!” The filly relayed her information, a confused concern in her eyes. “You are hurt! What happened?” “I know, they are scared of me because I'm a robot. That's why they want to hurt me...” Cardinal saw the child's grievance and attempted to comfort her, “It is ok, I'll be fine. I am going to go and get repaired soon. I just wanted to drop by and make sure you are alright.” Cardinal leaned her head further in until she met the metal rings with the tip of her nose. “I'm ok...” The filly reverted her eyes. “Come on, don't lie to me. What is wrong?” “I told mommy again, when I saw you on the TV, I tried to tell her that you were my friend...” The filly scrunched up her lips, trying to not remember any more than that. Cardinal rattled her head trying to think of a way to sooth her, “Do you want a hug?” she asked, eventually. “Y... Yes.” The filly's eyes were drawn upward. “Here, let me just...” Cardinal put the tip of her hoof into one of the chain-links, pushing down onto it to break it open. The filly shot her legs up, pushing Cardinal's away from the fence with one big shove. “NO!” Cardinal stepped back, shocked. “M-mommy will be mad! Please don't break anything again...” The filly looked up at the fence as it reached the heavens from her point of view. “Just jump over, like yesterday!” She turned back to Cardinal. “Agh...” Cardinal gazed down at her dented and bruised legs and chest. She did not feel strong enough. Although, how could she say no to those stabbingly cute eyes? “I'll try...” Cardinal took a few more steps away, crouching down in preparation to pounce up and over the fence. She felt out her knees and wings. They felt rusty and painful when strained too hard. She took a calming breath and threw herself upward. For a split second, she felt the rush. She thought she might actually make it. Although, she barely jumped her own height before flinging into the fence, getting thrown back by it like a trampoline. She felt the air flow past her in reverse as she fell backwards, landing into the ground with a clanging thud. She felt her guts shift, crushed under their own weight, a throbbing pain coming from inside her chest and stomach. Cardinal grasped for air as a reaction to the pain, a few moments passing before she could relax again. Bun gasped, feeling the dread of making her friend fall like that. “I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!” “It iss fine... I'm fine,” she said, coughing up a cupful of goo stuck in her throat. “I guess I won't be able to make it across... I can go around the block if you'll wait for me,” she suggested, lifting herself back up to her hooves. “No... It's ok, I have to go to school anyways. The teacher will be mad if I am late again...” The filly's hopes fell along with her head as she turned to go and retrieve her bag. Cardinal rushed over to the fence, “Hey!” The filly twisted her head around, “I owe you a hug later, okay?” “Ok, thank you.” A shy smile appeared on her. “You better hold me to that!” Cardinal shouted out playfully as she threw her bag around her shoulders. “I will!” She giggled, locking the door and hiding the key once again behind the pot. They waved to each other, then Cardinal sat down to watch her walk out to the gate and leave her home. She took a moment for herself, soon interrupted by another pounding in her chest. The sound of metal scraping gave heed to Cardinal's condition. “Need... Repairs... Back to Mecha's.” Cardinal huddled herself in tightly within the alley, behind the several silver trashcans, hearing the hundreds of ponies passing by only a few meters off. Climbing and crawling from alley to alley had proved difficult; the emphasis she put onto stealth kept her slow. Now, she seemed to be stuck, finding no other solution but to wait here. Even as the hour passed, the street continued to roar, although the worst thing to come her way was the wild cat the strolled on by and spooked her. She grew tired as mid-day moved in, her body slowly falling apart on the inside. The thought of how close Mecha's garage was was the only thing crossing her mind, but every single time she thought the coast was clear, another pony trotted by. She developed the bright idea of just saying buck it and sprinting down the street, try and outrun any possible pursuers, but she was in no state to do such a thing. Cardinal found herself getting sleepy again, the sensation still strange to her. Although as her head fell and her eyelids were released from the small servo holding them up, she felt a furry paw lift her head back up, a snapping noise coming from in front of her muzzle, she opened her eyes to see a white paw snapping its toes with an unnatural dexterity. The paw was then redacted as Cardinal became aware, a fox's head with raised eyebrows and a deadpan look of boredom and dissatisfaction. Why is it always me that you drag into these stupid fucking dream sequences? Fox? He was standing up straight on two legs, eye-level with Cardinal. The one but not the only. W-why? Why are you here? Cause you’re dying. We have been over this before, sis. The fox leaned back and sat down in the middle of the air. He lifted up his legs and began floating, as if there was an invisible chair beneath him. He then crossed his legs, stretching his forelegs. But why are you in my head still... Are you a copy? Am I going crazy? Both very plausible scenarios, although its not like I can tell. What I can do is get you to stand the fuck back up and go get repaired. And how do you plan on doing that? Is Seeker's voice going to come from nowhere again? I was planning on a few pieces of advice and some motivational jargon, and if that didn't work, just dragging you out by the hooves. But... ...If me being Seeker will help, I can abide. Cardinal blinked, the fox transforming into Seeker in an instant, still sitting in his casual, cocky posture. His new form was completely healthy, Seeker as she looked on their first meeting. She averted her eyes in pain. Please, I don't want to see her image, I want to see her... Well, what will get you to get up? Waiting here isn't going to do you any good. Just like that, the fox was himself again. I'm not waiting. I want to live... I'm simply stuck, so advice would be appreciated. How in the world do I get past them? Cardinal leaned over and past the bins, seeing a few ponies skip on by before she planted her head against the wall. The fox smiled with an evil in his eyes. You are to weak to fight or run, right? Congratulations, you’re up to speed, she said with deadpan. Well, they don't know that. Cardinal raised an eyebrow. Every single pony out there now knows who you are. They know you’re deadly. What I'm suggesting is that you just scare them off, give them a few growls and angry looks and they will piss themselves and bolt, and those scars, the bullet holes, they'll just add to the fear factor. She nodded. Well, I wish you good luck with that then. He stood up and went down onto all fours, then leaned closer into her. Oh and one last thing, you might want to swing a punch in my direction right now. What? Cardinal placed a hoof onto her forehead, feeling a spike in pain. She squinted her eyes, seeing a hooded pony leaning over her in a confused awe, standing where the fox was just standing. “Holy fuck!” he blurted out and recoiled, stepping away from the awakening bot. Cardinal's initial reaction was to back away, but as her hooves scraped along the concrete, pushing her into the wall at the back, she remembered the advice she just got. Furrowing her brow, she pushed off the wall into a stand, jaw tilted down in a growl. The pony shuffled back, screaming. “Please! Please! Don't hurt me!” he coughed out, a sickness in his throat. His eyes were bloodshot, his thin legs shaking. Cardinal chose not to respond, the viscous feeling in her gut built up like it did when she slaughtered those guards days ago. She took a step towards him. His eyes jolted to the side, then back to Cardinal. His body slightly tilting towards the exit to the alley. As the pony went to sprint away, Cardinal jumped, throwing a leg in front of his neck for him to run into. Stopping him, she shoved him against the wall opposite her, without him putting up a smidge of resistance. He hollered, stopping ponies on the sidewalk. Cardinal turned to see the small group of ponies huddling around the corners, frozen to the spot with shock. Cardinal played to her audience, lifting the shockingly underweight pony and throwing him a toward the exit. He landed on his face, the jagged concrete floor cutting his face, he scrambled up trying to run. He shoved past the others watching, running out to the street. Leaving only Cardinal in the dim alley, she smiled at their confusion and fear. She cracked her neck by pivoting down hard to her right, then slowly returning it upright, another, lesser snapping noise came out. She took one step forward. Everypony reacted, now running away in shrieks. Cardinal strode out of the alley, glaring at the ponies on the other side of the street who had been trying to peer into the action. She faced into the light, feeling its cosy warmth sink in. A fearful herd of ponies watched her movements on both sides of her, they shifted back a few steps periodically, trying not to aggravate the murder-machine. Cardinal, pleased with herself, popped out her speakers, having a faint screech build up as it came from her. Then in an instant, she swung herself to the left, dropping her jaw, her mouth open wide in a vicious display. Turning up her volume as loud as it would go, she created an ear-bleeding, metallic, scraping noise that echoed throughout the entire city. Causing the group to flee in horror, she then swiftly turned to the right, doing the same with similar results. Seeing that nopony was going to mess with her, Cardinal began moving down the streets, taking shortcuts through roads and over fences, making her way to Mecha's garage, keeping up her demonic, terrifying, beast-like front throughout her journey. As she came around into the parking lot, Cardinal made herself small, hugging the brick wall. Her scare tactic worked perfectly, the only problem was that all of the commotion she caused put a lot of heat on her, causing her to revert to stealth whenever possible to avoid the practically hundreds of police officers and royal guard looking for her. She saw Pegasi and helicopters dash around in the sky back in the trial of chaos she had left behind. Guards roamed the streets, asking pedestrians about Cardinal's whereabouts, but moving through buildings and the labyrinth of alleys gave them great difficulty. Although, despite the officials’ relentless searching, the city was too hectic to organize a search in and Cardinal moved to fast for them, always leaving them a few minutes behind before the ponies that saw her remembered to call the police, and even then, most ponies were too scared to have payed attention to where she was going. Cardinal had arrived, seeing the closed garage door with a 'Mecha's Machine and Tech Store' logo sprayed onto it. She prowled around the practically empty parking lot, keeping a keen eye out for anypony. The coast was clear. She dashed up to the garage door and hunted for a switch to open it up. As she searched, she heard a blitzing noise come from inside, a rapid scraping and creation of sparks. She pressed an ear up against the molded metal sheets forming together into the garage, hearing the noise with better clearance. Suddenly, the noise stopped, revealing a gentle whistling from beneath. It was a pony. Cardinal knocked her hoof against the door, causing it to rattle strongly, making the faint whistle to cease. “Mecha! Its me!” she added, shouting through the door. “Car'nal!” a familiar voice replied, Soon the door budged. Cardinal hopped away from it and watched as it edged upwards. Cardinal almost began crying with glee as she saw those two deep grey hooves appear from behind the raising door. The door slid over Mecha's head, his stubby beard covered his laughing smile. He was holding a large buzzsaw and his wielding mask strapped around his head, the panel flipped up to show his face. He placed the saw on the edge of his workstation, spread out a leg, inviting Cardinal in for a hug. Cardinal sprinted up and threw her legs around the short equine. Both of them patted the other on the back. Soon their embrace came to an end and they took a step away from each other. “I'm so glad to see you again,” Cardinal said, batting an eye at her damaged hooves. “Me'h too,” he answered, taking a closer look at her. “Yu're the one who took meh tools?” He pointed at the empty, small, leather pouch draped over her. “Yea, sorry about that. Mecha, I need your help.” She angled her head down to give him as clear of a view as she could of her busted in face. “Do you think you can repair me again?” Mecha took a few steps in, the initial joy faded, he inspected her wounds that were splattered all over her body. “Cardin'l, these ain't no joke... I'd take egh closher look but...” He trailed off, glancing up at his camera, up it the top corner of the room. “You need to go,” he said to her, returning her stare. “Now.” Cardinal was surprised by his worry. Something was wrong. “Mecha, I'm dying... I need you to help me. Nopony else can.” He didn't respond, his face showing a painful struggle between some decision. “Mecha! What's wrong?” He shut his eyes for a brief second, biting his lip. He then looked onto Cardinal once more, slightly veering his vision to her side and he shouted to her, “CARDINAL, BHEHIND YA!” Cardinal spun her head around, seeing an Earth Pony Royal Guard inching up behind her with a long blade attached to his hoof, sharp-looking enough to cut through stone. The Royal Guard growled rage-fully as she pounced onto Cardinal, who tried to block the incoming attack with her shins. Cardinal ended up being thrown to the ground at the side of the workstation, barely managing to redirect the Earth Ponies aim from her head down into the cement floor, stabbing it deep into the concrete. Cardinal struggled underneath the pony, who was finding it all to easy to keep her opponent down. The Guard pulled up the hoof with the blade, leaving it in the cement slab, then slamming it into Cardinal's neck and pushing upward. Cardinal could feel the worn bolts connecting her head to her neck loosen. Cardinal flayed her wings, hoping for there to be anything to save her. Her left wing, which was swinging around underneath Mecha's working table, got stuck onto a cord, and with a few yanks something was pulled down from the top of the table. A buzzsaw landed on its side, right next to Cardinal’s torso. In the fall, it also seemed to have fallen onto its activation switch as it sparked to life, its circular blade cutting through the air at terrifying speeds. Cardinal heard a pop come from inside of herself, something became dislodged as her head was thrown down by the guard and then pressed down to look to her right, seeing the saw at her flank. The guard, not being a moron, kicked it away, sliding it across the pavement out of Cardinal's right wing's reach as she scrambled to get it. Then, Mecha slammed a large wrench against the Guard’s face, throwing her out of balance and allowing Cardinal to throw her aggressor off. She then found the cable above her head and yanked it hard with both forelegs, the buzzsaw skidding back to her. As it moved into her, the Guard at her hooves unfazed herself and began lifting herself up onto the counter. Cardinal then scooped up the buzzsaw with two hooves, slotting them into the handle, and then hoisting herself up, thrusting the saw into the pony above her, piercing her armor and skull with a horrifying efficiency. Cardinal averted her face as she drove it into the pony further, the machine rattling and getting stuck before a pop bang came from its motor busted and started smoking. “Mecha...” “Yea?” “Explain.”