The next morning seemed like it would never come. But it did. The ponies knew how dangerous living was. They had survived two Hybrid attacks so far, but there were many more to come. The Linkin Ponies knew that as long as they stayed a team, things would be easier.
HyperBlitz stepped out of his own room. It was uncomfortable, because it was a new room to him. They all would have to adjust to changes. Even horrible changes.
The yellow pony took his tattooed hooves to the front of the hall, only a few paces away. He stood by the door that went to the small bathroom. Hyper heard voices from the mainroom, and didn't want to disturb the stallions conversation. They all spoke with concern in their throat.
"We can't do anything without getting attacked," BlazingFlair voiced.
"We just need to get more experience," EchoBeat retorted. "If we do that, we can go against Hybrids easier. Its only going to get worse, like how the sky keeps getting duller."
"We need our own weapons or something like that," FeatherTune suggested.
"Or maybe not go outside at all!" Blazing called.
"It's not like we can stay inside forever. We'll have to go out sometime, to find things," Echo told him.
"I thought we came here prepared!" Argued Blazing.
"We came here as prepared as we could be. Nopony is really prepared in this world anymore."
"We could attack Hybrids first," Feather said.
"That's the stupidest idea ever!" Blazing muttered.
Hyper didn't know why Blazing was being to grumpy, he was the most optimistic of the group.
"Are you calling me stupid?!" The other pony defended.
"Feather, your idea would only work if we could find Hybrids before they see us," Echo told him in a more calm voice. That would work if they were just roaming, and we could attack them from far."
"We can only do that if we throw something, or have the Unicorns use magic," Blazing added.
There was a small moment of silence and Hyper's ears twitched waiting for another sentence.
"I don't think we can do much without getting hurt," FeatherTune feared. "Just look at what happened so far."
"How is it that of all ponies, our two front-ponies got injured?" Blazing mumbled. "Both Hyper and Rhythm lost limbs."
Hyper's heart stopped a bit when he heard his own name.
"It is a bit ironic that our two main ponies had that happen to them. Its just this bad luck..." Echo began. " I think that's why Hybrids made metal parts. All the Hybrids wanted to do was to make life easier, and not to die. They want other to be Hybrids too. If was surrender, we become one of them, if we fight and fail, we die."
Hyper backed away from the wall, for the words that sank in hurt him. He didn't want to hear anymore, even though he already knew a lot of this. He just slowly turned and faced towards his room.
The door had opened next to him. Hyper's brown eyes found CharmingRhythm looking to him. He could only see half of the Unicorn's body with the door covering in front of him. Rhythm's leg had a better clothe on it now, but it was still sickening to see.
"You shouldn't be eavesdropping," Rhythm said.
Hyper just shrugged. "They shouldn't keep information to themselves. This isn't the time to be secretive."
Rhythm shook his head slowly. "I don't think we are going to keep secrets from each other. We live under the same roof now."
"Ya know, I'm glad that I'm with you guys. Out of any ponies I, or any of us, could get stuck with during this shit, I'm glad its with you guys," Hyper admitted.
"We are all good friends, once a band..." Rhythm trailed off.
"Some things change... like most of the world. But it's not like we could have stopped this, or at least not alone."
Rhythm came out from hiding behind the door, but looked to the gray floor. "To think those Hybrids were once like us. They were ponies... now they are monsters.They did it to themselves. Now they want to bring it down on us."
Hyper scanned Rhythm. His eyes kept getting stuck on his friend's lost leg. The Unicorn's dark gaze looked to it too and sighed.
"Rhyth, things change. Losing a part of you doesn't make you less of who you are," Hyper said and Rhythm nodded. "But you're still a Unicorn... I'm only half a Pegasus."
"But it's sorta my own fault I lost half a leg, I tripped into that blue power. I could have been more careful while you couldn't do anything with that Hybrid and your wing."
"Well... If I could have got him away from me... and Feather said you were being chased by a Hybrid." Hyper pointed out.
CharmingRhythm just looked over to the ground and gave a sigh. It didn't seem like he wanted to talk much more. Hyper stretched his foreleg out to show for a hug. Rhythm's brown eyes looked at him for a moment. He then leaned forward and Hyper wrapped his leg around the Unicorn's neck.
"I guess we're stub buddies now."
Rhythm pulled back and look the the Pegasus with no amusement in his eyes, but Hyper didn't seem very amused either. He only left Rhythm to himself now.
HyperBlitz walked down the hall steadily. He saw that the last door on the left was slightly opened. His hooves stopped and he peeked inside. SpinningNote stood on the end of the room. There were boxes stacked around. A red guitar leaned against a box with a snare drum on the floor next to it.
Spinning's black mane was down and covered his eyes as he looked downward. He hadn't even glanced up to Hyper when he came in. In front of the red-violet Unicorn was a turntable, with buttons on the left, and a record below his hoof. He turned the vinyl back and forth slowly. The table was not turned on so it made no sound, yet Spinning still stared down and twisted the disk.
"SpinningNote?" Hyper spoke to him. The pony did not speak nor move his attention. Hyper came forward to him. "Hey Spin, you alright?"
Again, Spinning did not reply. A single tear fell from his muzzle onto the record and he stopped turning it. Though he stopped that movement, he began to shake.
Hyper quickly stepped up to him with concern. The Pegasus placed his red hoof on Spinning's shoulder. "SpinningNote," He spoke with hurt in his voice. "What's wrong?"
"What do you think?" Spinning shuttered out. "Life is what's wrong."
"Aw, Spin, its just that we are going through tough times," Hyper pulled Spinning over and pressed his cheek to the other stallion's. "Shit happens, we just gotta push on. Things will get better better once we figure some stuff out. C'mon Spin, I know you aren't this way. Where's the fun Spinning? I know he's in there, we need him to do this. We all have to-"
"That's exactly what Rhythm said. That Spinning is gone-"
"No he's not. I've seen him the last few days; I know I can see him again," Hyper looked into Spinning's grayish-brown eyes which were filled with uncertainty and tears. "Spinning, you know how we always wanted to help the world? Well, maybe we could do that now... or in a while. Every effort can lead to a change. And we can't be negative to do that."
The Unicorn just bobbed his head for agreement. Hyper then left him alone in the room, he probably could figure things out by himself.
---
HyperBlitz sat down on the cold floor. He went to the underground part of the base to have some time alone. Some time to think. Yet there was always time to think. The cave wasn't as dark as it was when they first arrived because the blue light from the ground was in random spots. IT had not vanished from the day before, and it still gleamed a bright blue. The cellar door had already been boarded up and they decided not to open it.
What is this blue energy? Hyper thought, looking through the cave. Did whoever leave this place know that it was here? This stuff isn't natural. I've never seen something like it before? Was it here even before the Catalyst? Why haven't I seen it anywhere else? It's pretty damn powerful, it blew off Rhythm's leg.
The yellow pony glanced over his right shoulder to see his own lost limb. His wing stub was wrapped up tight in a tan bandage. Hyper tried to move it but it hurt when he did. It still felt as if the whole wing was there. He was depressed that he was only half a Pegasus now, and couldn't fly. But Hyper knew that wasn't the big picture. It was that Hybrids have done this to many ponies and still do it. To think they took so many lives, and the minds of ponies, now barely living, were now inhuman. There was no way to turn a Hybrid back into a normal pony.
It seemed like this was only the beginning. It was. The only way they could stop it was if the races came in numbers, but now they were divided. All of the ponies left were hiding. Hyper noticed that he and his team were hiding now too, and he regretted that, but it was the only safe choice.
Hyper shifted his position for it hurt to be sitting on the cold, hard rocks. He studied the blue lights, which seemed like they wanted to move upwards. There has to be some pony out there that knows what this stuff is. Maybe its only underground. Its pretty effective on Hybrids as much as ponies. Hyper saw that something shone and reflected the blue light. They were metal plates of armor on the floor. It was what was left of the enemies. Metal isn't effected by this power. He observed.
Hyper noticed a blue crystal at the side of him. It wasn't really glowing; they probably had to be in numbers to do that. He tried to comprehend how unnatural they were, but there was to many jumbled thoughts to think of the little crystals. He didn't even feel like sorting through all of what he was thinking. Hyper knew there was one way to clear his mind- to sing.
So he gave a gentle tone and began.
"Give me the strength of the rising Sun,
Give me the truth of the words unsung,
And when the last bells ring,
The poor men sing
'Bring me to kingdom come' ."