{*First Person View, Main Character*}
My ears popped as the air pressure changed in the entrance chamber me and Twilight were situated in. The dull hum of electricity rang overhead. I looked up to see an orb of light giving off a dim glow, sufficiently lighting up our surroundings. The clanks and titters of gears could be heard beyond the door in front of us. The walls were made of pure metal, but not in the fashion that you would see in a futuristic movie, and instead formed with sheets of aluminum hammered together in a crude manner. I had a slight moment of panic due to the sudden change from the loud and dangerous outside world to a creepy metallic house. A moan behind me knocked me to my senses and caused me to turn around to see Twilight sprawled out on the ground. Her horn was no longer glowing, but instead shooting purple sparks.
"Griffin..." I heard her mutter before her head fell to the cold metal floor.
"Twilight!" I cried out, getting to my knees and grabbing a hold of the mare's body. Flipping her from her stomach to her back, I shook her head lightly and tapped on her temples. "Twilight? Twilight! Wake up!" I tried prodding on her ribs. No response. I tried messaging her ears. No response. I even tried tickling her stomach, but still nothing! I slid her right eyelid open. It dilated, but otherwise I didn’t notice any other changes. She was knocked out cold.
What was I supposed to do? She was the one that knew Ponyville! And what was I going to do without someone to watch my back, especially if there's another paranoid pony in this establishment! I don't think they'll take kindly to creatures they've never seen before. Is she even ok? She was still breathing, which is a good sign, but her sputtering horn didn’t look too good! Maybe she's sick! Oh man, now that would be bad! I wouldn't know how to treat horse sicknesses! Twilight, for the love of god, please wake up!
I tried brushing her bangs out of her face and ended up smacking her horn with the back of my hand. Bad move. As soon as I pulled away, a spray of bright, sizzling sparks sprayed in my face. Turns out that sparks, no matter whether they’re from heat or magic, are hot. Really, steaming hot.
"OH GOD! AHH, HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT!!!"
My face thoroughly stung as I tried to brush off the pieces of energy. The end result gave me injured hands, a pained mental conscious and a slightly melted face to boot. I realized that my scream of utter agony and shock was so loud that anyone living in the building probably heard me. Heck, that shout could have woken the dead! Jesus Christ, why did that have to happen to me? Haven’t I already gotten through enough shit and piss without having a miniature volcano shower all over the front of my skull? I think my eyebrows were singed off! Fuck this!
“Grrrr!” I growled out loud, shooting off some steam. It seemed like one bad thing after another. My life had turned a complete three-sixty, going from relatively peaceful high-school life to running-in-the-midst-of-an-armageddon life! What the fuck, destiny, what the fuck!
Man…
…
…This rage wasn’t getting me anywhere. I needed to calm down. Taking a deep breath, I relaxed, closed my eyes and let myself simply listen to the surrounding ambience for a few seconds.
However, amidst the various clanks and hums, there was the sound of breathing.
I opened my eyes and let my gaze fall to the pretty little unicorn lying in front of me. Her face was slightly wincing, an odd sight for one who is unconscious. I couldn’t take that as a good thing, considering when she was asleep in the Sugarcube Corner she didn’t look as nearly disturbed as she was here. At least her horn stopped sparking, but that might necessarily not have been a good thing. I couldn’t tell what would be considered ‘good’ for a unicorn’s health. I’m no god damn pony doctor.
Twilight. Poor, poor Twilight. She keeps trying and trying to save everyone she cares about, and yet she can’t. Every time, her friends are barely out of her reach, taunting her until she’s lost them for good. How many ponies have died that Twilight has known? How many have died without Twilight’s knowledge? That lavender mare was fighting for lives, a fight she was sure losing. It didn’t matter to her if her life was on the line, as long as she had a chance to save someone, she took it. She may have acted like a hero, but she’s just one unicorn. She’s one unicorn against the world, against odds that are well stacked against her, against threats that are far beyond her understanding! She tried to save Rarity and Sweetie Belle! She tried to save Pinkie Pie and the twins! She tried! She honest to god tried!
And yet, she’s only successfully saved one.
Me.
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{*Omniscient point of view, Lockdown's Bunker*}
Carrot Top manically rushed from the top of her outpost to the bottom entrance of Lockdown’s steel abode. Her breath was laboured as she dashed through yet another metal hallway, trying her best to remember the inner workings of the complex. All the halls looked alike, and with several floors of white-painted iron halls, it was very difficult for her to keep track where she was. However, one resolve kept her going. It was a reason to keep running without stopping, and a reason to keep working until she found the entrance!
It was the reason that she found Twilight Sparkle.
And not only that, it was the reason that she was in grave danger! For not only was she fighting the elements of the storm, the cold and the black hole, but also she was being followed but a horrible, hideous monster that wanted nothing to eat the unassuming magician! There was only one pony that could save her! Well, technically two, but that detail did not concern the orange mare! It was Carrot Top (the otherwise useless farm pony) to the rescue!
After turning another corner, she spotted what she was looking for. The front entrance never looked better, with its shiny metal exterior flashing against the inside lights of the rectangular room. She hopped over the metal doorway and spotted her assistant, Time Turner working the controls to the entrance behind a console of buttons, switches and sliders that she had absolutely no understanding of. The brown stallion seemed to press and flip in a panic, desperately watching a glass screen (which she heard Lockdown call a ‘monitor’) with a careful eye.
Carrot Top voiced her thoughts. “Has she arrived yet? Is she safe?”
“She’s entered the stabilization chamber. I’m just levelling out the air pressure and locking up the front door.” He steadily answered with an accent that for the life of her, she could not place. Carrot Top simply nodded in response, having no idea what he just said. She bit her lip nervously, watching the cogs that attached to the door turn. The system of gears, chains and other moving parts attached to the entrance door ran along the wall and extended to the main control console Time Turner was working at. The mechanized system seemed to work well enough, if not a bit uncontrollable in some situations.
There was a large blast of air that exhaled from the stabilization chamber. The door gradually opened with a loud disruptive squeak that bounced around the room’s flat and round surfaces. Carrot Top couldn’t tell who was inside; the entrance chamber was too dark to determine anything. Suddenly a figure entered through the doorway. Carrot Top gasped at the unconscious form of Twilight, but was more shocked and frightened at the one who was carrying her body.
“Eek!” she squealed, racing over the console of controls and hiding behind a stunned brown stallion. “Time Turner you goof! You let the monster in!”
“What monster? I don’t see any monster.” he innocently responded.
“What, are you kidding me? Look at the size of that THING!” she shouted, pointing at the confused human.
Time Turner tried to defuse the situation before Carrot Top said anything she would regret. Looking towards the tall organism, he said “Now before you do anything, calm down. She didn’t mean anything when she said-”
“Wha-what have you done to Twilight?” Carrot Top demanded, shakily stepping away from Time Turner and moving around the console. She approached and stood in the center of the room, her legs still shaking and threatening to collapse with fright. “P-put down Twilight this instant! Or-or else!” she demanded, stomping on the ground for extra effect. Time Turner was about to interject when he noticed the expression on the bipedal. The old earth pony made a neutral expression, lowered his head and allowed the situation to unravel.
Carrot Top was surprised at the look the ‘monster’ was giving. His frown was so emotional… So full of feelings… So… ponylike. It shook her attention for a moment, but her hard gaze returned when she recalled who she was dealing with. A monster was a monster, no matter how many ways you slice the carrot. It would still rampage, it would still create chaos and it would still devour, even if it just looked a little bit different than the average monster. More so, if said monster was threatening a life, well there was no excuse! That monster had to be dealt with and dealt with quickly!
She saw a single tear slide down its face. Her protective look was replaced with shock.
“Please…” it muttered, taking one step before falling to its knees.
Carrot took a timid step back.
“Please, save her.” he pleaded, holding out Twilight’s body. His tears were freely streaming over his face.
(WHAT???) the mare yelled in her head, her jaw dropping.
“Please, I don’t know what’s wrong with her, but you have to save her.” He asked, shuffling a bit closer to Carrot.
“I…I…” Carrot stuttered, unsure how to respond.
“For the love of god, please…” he continued. “She has helped me through thick and thin. She had supported me as I have supported her. She has kept me company through this whole ordeal. So please, I beg of you, save Twilight Sparkle!”
Carrot couldn’t answer. She was completely taken aback by his request, as well as his actions and physical movements. Monsters didn’t cry! Monsters didn’t care for others! So why did this one?
“Certainly.”
Both the orange mare and the human directed their attention to Time Turner, who, with a serious expression, pushed a stretcher through a door that was behind the console. He directed the bed-on-wheels to the center of the room, ignoring Carrot Top’s appalled stature and strolled right on up to the monster in question.
“Put her on here, I’ll rush her to the medical ward right away.” he stated.
“Thank you…” the creature replied with a smile. He hoisted the unmoving prodigy onto the stretcher. "Thank you so much..."
Time Turner strapped Twilight onto the device then took a hold on the side, ready to move. “Are you going to help or what?” he forcefully quizzed. It took a few moments for Carrot Top to register that the question was directed to her. Her head snapped back to reality as she took a look at Twilight, unconscious and lying on the stretcher. A sudden feeling inside of her told her to take action. A calming warmth filled her belly, rejuvenating the earth pony with a newfound strength and resolve. Taking a breath, she grabbed the other side and shot Time Turner a nod.
“Ok. Let’s go.”
The two were off, down the hall and well on their way to the medical ward. Carrot Top actually had no idea where that was, but trusted the clock engineer to guide their patient to the correct room. She yelped when a burst of speed suddenly overcome the rolling stretcher. While still galloping, she glanced behind her to see the monster push from behind, his strength easily creating enough momentum to propel all three ponies. Even though tears ran from his cheeks, his goal would not deter him, as his expression showed. Carrot turned back and took a right. They carried Twilight down the hall with a burst of speed. With the human at their backs, there was no way they would be slowing down. Right. Left. Left. Right. Right. That was the route that Time Turner directed them to. Shut doors, slight moist pipes and hanging lights all pasted by them as they zoomed through the halls.
Eventually they came to a stop at a large circular room. The ceiling stretched four stories tall, each story with two dozen door litters around the wall. A large light was posted at the very top, shining down all the way to the bottom. Several smaller lights were adorning the walkways on the different floors. There were three exits to the room: one behind them and two on the east and west sides of the wall. Carrot remembered the chamber as the main hub for all the dorms that the ponies housed in. Hundreds upon hundreds of ponies had taken refuge in Lockdown’s home when they believed that the end of the world was coming during the great thunderstorm. Many cried on his doorstep, begging for forgiveness for when they mocked the old stallion for making up such uncanny foresights of doom. Carrot could remember seeing Lockdown smirk, chuckle and then let everypony in. When she asked what made him let them in, he replied “If I didn’, then I would’ave made a bunker fer nuthin’!”
“Over there.” Time Turner instructed, pointing towards the corridor to his right. All three began pushing that direction, but hastily stopped to avoid a collision with a certain cyan Pegasus. Rainbow Dash came flying down the hallway and burst into the room. Spotting Carrot top, the athlete went into a moment of excitement and giddiness.
“I heard Twilight was here! Where is she?” she asked desperately. When she saw the mare sleeping on the stretcher, her posture wilted. However, when she saw what was pushing said stretcher from behind…
“You…” she spoke, her voice a deadly tone as her eye narrowed and her breath quickened.
(Oh no…) Griffin thought.