//------------------------------// // Chapter Forty Six: Truth 2.0 // Story: We don't go to Sub-Level Five // by RadBunny //------------------------------// As Astral strapped on his armor the oddest sensation flooded the Thestral’s frame. Pride. It was enough to make him physically pause, a harsh realization melting away. When was the last time I was proud of myself? Genuinely? When was the last time I thought that I was a good pony? Accepted it? The impact from saving Sassi had made a bit of an impact. For the oddest reason, suiting up after comforting Sassi nailed it home. What kind of monster protects creatures? Is that really a monster at all? Astral wasn’t stupid, and a caring smile twitched at his face. There was a singular individual who had helped jar those silly notions loose. The smile settled into a determined grin, green eyes narrowing. He had once been labeled a monster due to misinformation, hateful bias, and selfish greed. Entire cities turned him away just because the Thestral had tried to help. Yet now, Astral realized that perhaps being a monster to some wasn’t a bad thing. Maybe a monster can be a good thing at times. Every time the thought crept into his mind, Astral began to understand very quickly that there was one entity he wanted to be seen as a monster by. If the Stairways company grew to think he was a monster, then Astral could rest a lot easier. And he was going to put the work into it if that is what it took to bring the Company down. He had memorized the names and photographs of the owners. To what end, Astral wasn’t sure. But he had settled on hog-tying any of them without question. Whether he’d leave them to the Skitters was an internal battle. But the fact he was even considering it still made him feel…off. It forced him to acknowledge things that, until now, Astral had managed to ignore. A darker side to the pride he felt now. His fears had surfaced in the few counseling sessions he had started after the Case, but the Thestral had never delved into it. It wasn’t the fact that he was labeled a monster that was part of the root issue. It was that he had to acknowledge that on some basic level, they were right. That had been the hardest part. He could feel his hooves quivering at the thought. Such a thing had never been voiced, not out loud. But he knew it was true. There was a side of the Thestral he had never fully understood or delved into, but always there. It had surged out when he had confronted the two stallions that one night. No moral boundaries, simply a ferocious, horrific fire as he tore into the two attackers. Barely guided, only the simple thought of intervening regardless of the severity. Before that, he had never really needed to make a choice. Rescuing ponies after a building collapse was different. This was actively putting his own life at risk in combat, all to save somepony he didn’t know. That decision had ignited something that had previously been buried. And it still burned, flaring up more often down here. Yet as good as his intentions and, ultimately, actions were, Astral had his own deep-seated fears. If the stallion let it, that same fire would consume him. He could feel it. It tested the limits of his thoughts that he didn’t realize were there. Snapshots of what he could do to the creatures who had caused so much death and pain in these Silos. What an increasingly large part of him wanted to do. To strike out against an evil that polluted everything it touched. Then there was an immediate mental recoiling in horror. Eventually, he’d have to confront it all. And yet there was a different force, a concentrating force that refined all-consuming inferno into a welder’s torch. While the stars had always been his passion, there had been a consistent undercurrent, a powerful tide that surged when needed. Saving the foal from the collapsed building, and now helping Sassi. But now a temporary tide had become a tsunami. The stars could wait. Realizing how much of an impact he was having with somepony; it was a bit overwhelming. He could do something about this broken world. That feeling focused and utilized the previous anger, the surge of hatred at confronting the evils of a world that was portrayed as largely happy and peaceful. The anger eventually burned away, a simple, guttering flame of simply wanting to be the good thing in a world that was so very wrong. Sassi wasn’t the only one battling within her mind. It made Astral wince ever so slightly, but the train of thought quickly settled down. It was both empowering and frightening that he could make a difference that way. To battle against something so vile and see the results. It was all too much when he tried to put it in perspective. He wanted to help, but the world was so broken. Yet Astral wasn’t trying to save hundreds or thousands, that was too much pressure. He could help save one pony. “You alright, Astral?” Sassi’s voice snapped him out of it, Astral letting a slight but genuine smile on his face. Just one. I can do that. Just one. As he tightened the straps, he saw the mare look at the Thestral curiously. “Sorry. You’re not the only one realizing things. Trying to figure stuff out internally,” he replied. “I’m just happy I can help, in a nutshell. I’ll see if I can explain later.” She seemed to accept that answer, the two of them double-checking the room and cameras. As far as they could tell, the floor was clear. “On to the elevators,” Astral said firmly. Looking down at one of his hooves, he noticed there wasn’t a tremor to be found, and the lack of fear in his voice had made Sassi’s ears perk up. Was that a blush on her cheeks? He had to abruptly clench his jaw as a warmth bubbled up in his chest. There was a curiosity, an affection in Sassi’s gaze that threatened to rip apart the carefully placed barriers in his mind. The emotion that flickered in her eyes made a few burning tears edge into his gaze before the stallion tossed them away. He had seen that gaze before. Covered in dust and scrapes, the young filly in his arms had looked up at him as Astral had yanked them to safety from the collapsed building. Their tearful eyes had only held a single emotion, one that punched into Astral’s heart even in recollection. Hope. For a split second, Sassi’s gaze held that same unwavering, desperate emotion. Just one. The two of them entered the elevators, the car whisking them downwards. It was a short trip, only one floor. As they silently cleared the lobby, Astral saw Sassi stiffen. “See something?” “No. Just…I know this floor,” she said softly, “not in a good way.” “We’ll make this quick then. Lead on. There are a few branching hallways.” Following Sassi down a cream-tiled hallway, Astral saw her hesitate before continuing to walk. There was a large locker room, showers, and then what appeared to be more training areas…. That was when he saw the large glass rooms, examination tables visible in their centers. Judging from the robotic arms holding a nightmarish array of instruments, this was a floor that was soaked in literal and figurative blood. Sassi’s head turned briefly, the mare shaking her head before focusing straight ahead. No wonder she’s antsy. I wonder if this is a floor where they did the modifications. Just the thought of it made Astral’s anger spike. He took a few deep breaths, focusing on the current task. Clearly bypassing the locker room, Sassi led him down a smaller hallway, one that wound between some office cubicles and sealed evaluation rooms. The blue tiles on the walls contrasted against the cream ones on the floor, clearly the area designed to make cleaning easier. Large pipes ran along the right hallway wall, the thick metal carrying something or other out from this floor and into the ceiling. There was a soft clanking in the air ducts again, the two of them pausing. “Stay close,” she whispered, picking up the pace. Passing through a small locker room, the two aimed their guns upwards as the rattling intensified in the ceiling. “If you see it, shoot it,” Sassi hissed, “what is it doing…?” The sound faded, the mare taking the lead with a huff. “Leaving for now. I guess it-” *BANG!* With a screech of metal and the shattering of tile, a fleshy, clawed, and bony arm punched through the wall. Even as Sassi fired off two quick shots, it was clear she had never been the target. A pressurized mist shot from the ruptured pipes, immediately igniting in contact with the air and making the entire floor shake with multiple breaches. The mysterious creature let out a loud, warbling moan as Sassi fired into the vents. She clearly hit the assailant because it made the ceiling vibrate with its frantic movements as it fled. A few drops of dark blue blood trickled from the bullet holes in the metal. The pipe continued to belch flames, blocking their path. That was when Astral noticed Sassi cradling her right forelimb with a hiss. “Sassi! You ok?” “Can you get me one of the gauze wraps? Not magically enhanced, just a simple one,” she replied, answering his question easy enough. He dug out one of the rolls from the kit in his saddlebags, tossing it over to the mare as she gestured for it. Wrapping it over her forelimb, she let out an annoyed snort as she put weight on it. “Nothing too serious. That was annoying,” Sassi muttered, “we have to go through the other hallways. Let’s go.” Her voice was more clipped and forceful than before. Then again, a burn would do that. Astral simply nodded and followed her. The mare was clearly unsettled as they walked through the locker room, her fast pace nearly leaving Astral behind. “Can you slow down?” he asked, the other Thestral reluctantly slowing. “Sorry. Just don’t want to be here any longer than we have to.” Something had changed; that much Astral had picked up on. He nearly fell over, a bunch of metal making his hooves slide. “Careful!” The ruptured gas line had shaken the lockers in the adjacent room enough so that all of their nameplates had abruptly fallen off. They now littered the floor, Astral picking his way through them. “Hold on. I hear something,” Sassi muttered, crouching down at the end of the hallway. Sassi’s heart was nearly beating out of her chest. Genuine panic was coursing through her veins, yet she still held it together. I’m going to rip that thing’s head off with my hooves. The sound faded, the creature keeping its distance for now. Sassi glanced back to Astral, the stallion looking around curiously. His gaze lingered on some of the name tags for a few moments, but his eyes then went back to her, the Thestral waiting for her to lead. We’re almost out. Sassi felt her right forelimb itch, and the mare looked down and quickly tightened the bandage. The burn had barely touched her skin, the sore spot already healing despite having singed off almost all of the fur. That wasn’t the issue. Her eyes darted down again and the sight made the mare’s skin crawl with anxiety. The mare's heart jumped into her throat. Now barely hidden by the gauze wrap on her forelimb was a large, intricate bar code.