//------------------------------// // Can You Survive the Evil? // Story: Urohringr // by Imploding Colon //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash was the first to emerge in the broad chamber full of vines and thorny branches. Her ruby pendant glowed off the sickly carapace of the large deceased plant in the center of the compartment. Threading her way over and around the dangling obstructions, she paused halfway and turned to face the hallway from which she emerged. "Quick! This way, guys! Just up the steps and—" "Look out!" a pony's voice shrieked. Josho, Props, and a few other survivors had already emerged, but they all dove for the floor as something streaked past them, dripping with purple slime. Rainbow gasped. The lone, speeding pegasus pinballed off two vines and rose towards the looming ceiling. Its bony feathers dribbled acidic slime as it spiraled about, hissed, and dove suicidally towards the helpless group below. Josho could barely aim at the thing to get a shot off. "Hnnnngh!" Rainbow Dash courageously threw her shoulder into the body of the undead beast. The two went ricocheting off the floor, crashing wetly through a wooden shelf full of moldy scrolls and ancient texts. "Rainbow!" Josho shouted. "Watch it!" "Don't let the damn thing splatter all over you!" Seclorum added, emerging and cocking his crossbow. Waking up to the danger, Rainbow gaped at the puddle forming between her and the creature. She snapped out of it at the last second, ducking as the thing's mouth snapped violently at her scalp. Right then, Razzar and two other Lounge members emerged. "Move aside." Razzar squatted and fired without hesitation. Ka-p-pow! Yellow manafire flew in Rainbow's direction. Thinking fast, she rolled to the side, spiraling out of reach of the zombie pegasus' exploding innards. Purple slime coated the far walls of the granite compartment, sending smoke and steam billowing ceilingwards. "Dammit, lizard!" Josho grunted as he telekinetically shoved more ponies ahead, boosting them towards their destination. "I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but shooting madly isn't helping!" "Speak for yourself," Razzar droned. Right then, the thumping beat intensified, echoing throughout the whole chamber. "They are overcoming us! Brothers—" The other three Lounge members had already formed a phalanx, aiming their manarifles at the tunnel exit. The last stumbling equines gasped, their eyes lit up by the weapons' light. Arcshod and Seclorum hoisted them out of the way just milliseconds before a wall of pulsating purple slime poured out, splashing outward in every direction. "Fire!" Razzar howled, and then the room filled with thunder. Solid waves of yellow energy surged into the corridor, roasting every square inch of the door-frame. The bubbling ooze rolled back, undulated, and splashed forward with greater speed and viscosity. The Lounge members adjusted their weapons, intensifying the mana output as they collectively struggled to beat the deadly solution back. In the meanwhile, Razzar turned, snarled, and shoved several ponies towards the far end of the room. "You wish to go?! Then go!" his voice crackled loudly through the mask. "We'll hold them back as best as we can!" "Throw yourselves at 'em while you're at it," Seclorum grumbled, then galloped up the stairs, ushering several fellow survivors along in the process. "Keep moving! Head for the door at the top of the stairwell!" "Move it!" Josho added. He glanced upwards in mid gallop. "Rainbow Dash—" "I could use some cover!" Rainbow hollered, watching in horror as two pegasi violently slipped past the Lounge's blockade. Set ablaze by manafire, the undead creatures stumbled their way through the vines and dove at a train of galloping ponies, their mouths drooling with lavender acid. Josho's eyes darted upwards. He aimed his shotgun and blasted at a length of plant branches. P-Pow! A length of vines fell. "Paint bucket—" "Got it!" Rainbow twirled sideways, spun, and grabbed the loose end of the falling vine in her mouth. Swinging her body around, she flew in a wide arc and clotheslined the two pegasi with the thorny branch. Both creatures twirled from the blow and slammed into a far wall, exploding into wet puddles awash with fluttering eyeballs. "Quezaat spare us!" a naga's voice could be heard shouting. Rainbow spun a glance over her shoulder. She saw Razzar's phalanx buckling, stumbling backwards as the dense flood of slime finally emerged from the corridor. With deadly splashes, one equine after another galloped out of the mess, charging the valiant defenders. Manafire converged on the undead hoard, sending them collapsing to the floor in wet splashes, spreading the slime thicker and thicker across the ancient granite. "Retreat, my brothers!" Razzar shouted, nudging the other cloaked figures along. "I shall give you cover—" Just as he said this, a bipedal shape leapt out of the slime, lunging towards him. Holding his breath, Razzar ducked while the creature soared over his scalp. Props gasped as she and Arcshod jumped in opposite directions. The thrashing creature collapsed against the large plant in the center of the room, a large thick tail whipping as it gnashed blindly at the air with a scaled mouth. "Nagu'n!" Arcshod sputtered. "Is that one of the Lounge?" a pony breathlessly stammered from the stairs. "But... it d-died just minutes ago—" "Hressssshhhh!" The slime covered monster lunged at the ponies. "Mmmmffnnngh!" Rainbow Dash dove down and slammed into the thing's chest. "It's looking pretty darn alive now!" "Rainbow, watch out!" Props' voice cracked. The beast propped itself up on its necrotic tail, swinging a fist full of claws at the pegasus' face. Rainbow ducked, then flapped her wings so she could backstep from its second lunge. Sliiiink! The monster's claws grazed the carapace of the plant, spilling bright orange fluid all across the floor. Rainbow Dash inadvertently slipped on the juice, falling awkwardy to her spine. The reptile spun, vomited purple ooze, and pounced towards the mare. Rainbow flinched— Pffft-Thunk! A single crossbolt sailed into the thing's neck, pinning it—dangling—to the trunk of the plant. The dead naga hung there above Rainbow Dash, twitching and convulsing. Then, with a sickening pop, its tail snapped clean from its body and fell to the ground with a splash of surging purple slime. Spluttt! A dollop of the ooze splattered across the room... and caught Props tail. The mare gasped, collapsing breathlessly to the floor as the slime coagulated, spreading through her blonde hairs. "D-Dashie!" Props whimpered, goggled eyes wide. "Props!" Rainbow shouted. Schiiing! Arcshod unsheathed his scimitar. In one massive stride, he swung the blade at full force, cutting off the last third of Props' tail hairs. The mare gasped, scrambling away from the puddle. Rainbow grabbed her forelimbs and yanked her safely away while three more undead pegasi galloped up. "Raaaaaaaugh!" Arcshod howled in fury, lopping two heads off in one swing and skewering the chest of another. The last living corpse stuck itself on his blade, dribbling blood and slime that crept like animated mold up the sword. Realizing that it was a lost cause to salvage the weapon, Arcshod kicked away at the blade's hilt and levitated his crossbolt, skewering the skull of the impaled beast and the advancing pegasi behind it. The muscular Xonan joined the Lounge as they marched backwards up the stairs, firing potshots at the flood of equine death and slime spreading rapidly across the stairs and crawling up the steps after the survivors. Meanwhile, up above, Rainbow Dash deposited Props' frazzled body besides Josho at the top of the stairs as they all went charging through the doorway and into the immense stairwell beyond.