//------------------------------// // Chapter Eight: When Cockatrices Attack! // Story: Star Flight // by Dainbow Rash //------------------------------// "You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you? The perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility. ... I admire its purity. A survivor ... unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality." Alien - Primus Galaxy, Starship Raptorian, Primus Year 269230769W “All of them!?” Versos asked in shock. “Yes!” Pinkie Pie confirmed frantically. “There’s hundreds of them in that room!” She pointed a hoof to the closed hatch on the other end of the bathroom. The banging of the cockatrices became fainter and fainter. “The chemicals they were treated with...” Versos started with a very worried look on his face. “It made them... we have to go. To the steamworks, now!” Starflight and Rainbow Dash looked on in confusion. Pinkie Pie was deeply worried. Versos trotted swiftly out of the room. “What’s going on?” Starflight whispered to Pinkie Pie. “No no no no, it’s nothing!” she assured with a very bad forced smile. “Just the professor being silly. That’s all!” She quickly galloped after Versos, Rainbow Dash tailed her. “I know that look!” She glared at a still nervous Pinkie Pie. “What exactly is up?” The pink mare’s face strained, Rainbow Dash moved in closer. “Alright!” she yelped under the pressure. “I’ll tell you! Just make it stop!” “That’s my Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash laughed. “Now, spill!” “The Primus military altered those cockatrices with chemicals.” Pinkie explained, defeated. “It was an experiment. The professor has a sneaking suspicion that...” She stopped. “Go on...” Starflight pushed. He always had the idea that the military was keeping something from the majority of the soldiers, but chemical testing was normal, there had to be more. The three ponies reached the bridge, Versos had already moved on, so they kept walking. “He thinks the chemicals are going to be used on Primus soldiers, to enhance them!” Pinkie Pie lowered her voice to a whisper. “To make them into super-soldiers!” Something about that term sparked understanding in Starflight’s mind. Could this chemical be the first step the military would go through on their way to becoming the tanks Starflight saw on Equestria? How far along were they already? “They might be!” Pinkie Pie quickly corrected. “We don’t know anything yet!” They reached the bridge’s exit just as the door slid open. Versos stood beyond it. “Let’s go! We are in a hurry here!” Pinkie Pie looked nervously at Starflight. She slid her hoof across her mouth, making a zipping motion. Starflight nodded. “The steamworks entrance is just down there!” Versos lead them back to the spiraling energy drive. “Get your weapons ready, there's no more time to waste.” “I trust you’ll keep me informed on the information you find?” Starflight asked as they walked. “That’s the only reason I’m helping you out. Remember that.” “Of course!” Versos assured. “I’ll tell you everything you want to know!” - The four ponies reached the door to the steamworks. It slid open to reveal a large, dark room with steam bursting out of various machines and pipes. The larger pipes were grouped together above and below the catwalk that the door opened up to. The steam limited the visibility inside. A small group of cockatrices roamed around the area, clucking and squawking aimlessly. Upon deciding that these weren’t chemically enhanced, Versos instructed Starflight to take them out. The group moved forward along the catwalks. Rainbow Dash in particular was not having very much fun. The humidity created by the steam caused her to sweat profusely and her hind legs felt unusually stiff. She limped along with the rest, falling behind more than once. “Rainbow Dash?” Starflight tried after she fell behind for the fifth time. “Yeah?” She already expected the conversation to be about her. She didn’t have enough energy left in her to argue, though. “Are you okay?” he asked carefully. “You look... sick” “I’m fine.” she panted. It was a lie. “Are you sure?” Starflight pressed. “Do you need to--” “I’m fine.” she panted again, with the same tone. She just wanted the conversation to end. Starflight was silent. The group continued to move forward without speaking, until the electrical sparking of a nearby machine became apparent and echoed through the steamy room. “What was that?” Pinkie Pie asked when she noticed everypony could hear it. Versos peeked around a corner. “Over there!” He pointed a hoof at a mess of machine. One of the pipes broke and was blowing blinding amounts of steam. The computer that monitored it sparked and hissed. “It’s blocking our path!” Starflight stated. “Thank you, First-lieutenant Obvious.” Versos said thoughtfully. He looked as though an idea popped into his head when he glanced at the ceiling. “Up there!” he pointed to an opened pipe that didn’t seem to be active. “That pipe is big enough for ponies to fit through. But we can’t reach it! We need wings!” He looked to Starflight and Rainbow Dash expectantly. “Got it.” Starflight replied with no enthusiasm. “Rainbow Dash! Let’s go.” he said, and took off. Rainbow Dash lifted herself much slower, her wings flapped tiredly. “Right behind you.” she panted again, barely making it to the pipe. Starflight crouched and shimmied through the small space, moving quickly and efficiently. Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, dragged herself forward with her front legs, unable to move the others. “Good!” Versos called from below. “Now tell me what you see when you get to the other side! There will most likely be a switch to shut off the pipe!” “Okay!” he called back. “Leave it to the pegasi to do the grunt work, am I right?” He chuckled, speaking more quietly to Rainbow Dash. The filly fell far behind, barely making it five steps past the opening. Every time she pulled herself across the floor, she stopped for a deep breath. “Rainbow Dash?” he asked, far more worried now. “We need to get you to a doctor! You look... awful!” “No...” she panted again, sweat dripping from her face. “No. I’m fine... just keep moving.” “When we get back down...” Starflight started with little surety. “I’m going to have the professor take a look at you. This isn’t natural. No buts!” Starflight, who was yards ahead, stopped again. “I found another opening!” he called back. Looking down into the steamworks, he tried to spot any potential hazards. Rainbow Dash grunted and continued to drag herself along the warm metal tube. - Back on the ground Versos glared at Pinkie Pie nervously. “You haven’t told them anything, have you?” “Nope!” she lied to ease his mind. “I’d never go against the orders of a magnificent master of science like yourself!” “I’m flattered.” he replied dryly. “Good. You can’t tell them about when we meet. Don’t tell them anything about the magisters or Equestria. Just keep your mouth shut until we can get out of here.” “Okey Dokey Lokey...” she said, his words stung. Sensing this, Versos comforted, “Don’t worry, Pinkie Pie. You can tell our Starflight and Rainbow Dash all about it when we get back to The Sanctuary.” Starflight leaped out of the shaft and took a look around the hallway. Steam continued to limit his visibility. Waiting for Rainbow Dash, he peered through the opened pipe. With great difficulty, the filly slowly floated herself to the floor, still panting heavily. “Rainbow Dash...” He lost count of how many times he started a sentence like that in the past ten minutes. “Something is definitely--” Starflight was cut off when a large mass lunged at him, knocking him over. The wind was knocked out of him, his head swam as he gasped for breath. In an attempt to neutralize whatever enemy attacked him, he grasped at his pistol, which was no longer there. It slid across the metal floor in the direction of Rainbow Dash. Seeing it sent electric adrenaline through her veins. Forgetting her exhaustion, she leapt for the pistol and held it in her hooves. Stumbling to his hooves, Starflight shouted to Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow Dash, don’t!” He was cut off again when the same shadowy mass rammed into him. This time, it stood over him with a familiar squawk. The cockatrice glared at him with his blood red eyes, Starflight felt his whole getting stiff. Rainbow Dash smiled widely as she raised the pistol to her mouth and pulled the trigger, hitting the cockatrice that had Starflight pinned down dead-on. It slammed into the nearest wall with a bang and collapsed lifelessly onto the floor. A chorus of angry squawking sounded from somewhere out of sight. “Drop the gun!” Starflight remained on the floor, covering his head with his hooves. Rainbow Dash just chuckled cruelly through the pistol in her mouth. She galloped in Starflight’s direction, he glanced at her as she did so, and noticed something odd. As she took to the air over him and zoomed into the steamy unknown, Starflight caught a glimpse of her hind hooves, the bottom of which had a strange grey quality to them, as if she had stepped in wet cement. The steam flashed red, the sounds of death-squawks and the insane laughter of Rainbow Dash filled the air. Starflight stared worriedly into the abyss. What has gotten into that girl? The lights and sound became fainter and fainter, Rainbow Dash’s deranged cackling echoed in the distance, until it silenced completely. Starflight cautiously raised himself up and hovered into the steam. It was dark and twice as humid. He listened for Rainbow Dash as a warning of protection from her erratic aim. Starflight stopped when he saw a shape through the dense fog. Quickly backing away into the clear, he planted his hooves back on the ground. If it was a cockatrice that Rainbow Dash happened to miss, then he had hoof-fight to look forward to. “Your stupid gun is out of ammo.” Rainbow Dash complained, emerging from the steam and throwing the gun onto the ground. Starflight breathed a sigh of relief. “Rainbow Dash...” he started again. Remembering what he saw, he looked at her hind legs again. The grey quality remained, but what had caused it? He looked to his own hooves, still white. “Your back hooves...” Rainbow Dash looked confused. Cautiously, he glanced under herself, inspecting the anomaly. Starflight appeared next to her, he lowered himself and tapped on the affected area. Stone. “Oh my god!” Starflight gasped. “Wha? What is it” Rainbow Dash swayed dizzily. “I... just need... sit down... for a...” She hit the floor like a sack of bricks. “Not good!” Starflight looked around the hallway frantically for a way to get Versos and Pinkie Pie through the inaccessible section of the steamworks. His eyes moved along the wall until he spotted a switch. Without inspecting it further, he flew to it and pulled it down. The steam that burst from the broken pipe subsided all at once, revealing a couple of waiting ponies. “Great!” Versos cheered. “Now, we’re about halfway--” “Professor” Starflight interrupted. Versos stopped to see the downed Rainbow Dash. He corrected his glasses and took a closer look. “Oh dear,” he said worriedly. “What’s happened to her?” “I think...” Starflight gulped. He didn’t want his suspicions to be true. “She may have been affected by... the stare...” But, Starflight thought, cockatrice venom worked much faster than this, it had to be something else! “Oh! Well,” Versos stuttered for a second. After weighing the options in his mind, he sat on his haunches and grimaced. “This is not good. It’s very not good. It’s bad!” “Professor?” Pinkie Pie had a pained expression on his face. “You can help her... right?” The pink mare’s mane seemed to straighten before their eyes. She looked as if she was about to cry. “This is advanced poisoning...” Versos observed. “It progresses much slower than the natural cockatrice poison, but once she is completely petrified...” he looked grimly to the two worried ponies. “There’s no going back...” Starflight concluded. Versos nodded. “We do have one hope, however.” The unicorn wrapped his aura around the unconscious Rainbow Dash and dropped him onto Starflight’s back. “The Primus Military is foalish, yes. But if they have taken the proper precautions...” he began to walk forward, “they’ll have an anti-venom onboard.” Starflight and Pinkie Pie drew a simultaneous sigh of relief. “Let’s go, swiftly!” Versos gestured for them to follow. “If I can hack into the mainframe in the holding cell room I can almost surely find the serum!” he finished more cheerfully. - The captain of the Starship Raptorian limped along a dark corridor. His right hind-leg was broken, his head was bleeding, and his eyesight was failing him. He drew deep, painful breath after deep, painful breath has he looked for a last hope in saving the ship. The tormenting shrieks of the cockatrices had subsided, but that gave the captain no peace of mind. These creatures had become more clever than they were before they were treated with the chemical compound. He found peace in knowing that the ship was to be destroyed in less than three hours anyway, so no matter the outcome of his terminal mission, the galaxy would be safe from the secrets of the Raptorian. He found himself in front of a computer. Still panting heavily, he tapped the keyboard and ordered the computer to scan for life on the ship. The biological scanner displayed a map of the ship with glowing green dots that indicated the location of a lifeform. There were a few in the cryolab, a few in the robotics department, and a few in the steamworks moving towards the holding cells. The holding cells! The entire section of the map was covered in a giant mass of green. The captain decided that the cockatrices had their base of operations there. He stared closer at his location. Through his dizziness and blurry vision, he could see his own dot was a bit oblong. He strained his eyes to get a better look. His own dot wasn’t misshapen at all... … there was a cockatrice right behind him! He turned around quickly but his last gasp was cut short by a gurgle. And then silence. - The three ponies stepped into the main room of the holding cells. The pale wall glowed with blue light that illuminated down the narrow hallway. It was quiet, no sign of enemies anywhere. “We made it!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “And I thought Dashie was going to die!” she laughed loudly at the incredulity of her words. Starflight was stunned at Pinkie’s bluntness. “That’s not funny...” “I know!” Pinkie Pie bounced in a circle around him. “But she’s going to be fine, so it’s not sad! So why not be happy about it?” “She might be fine...” Versos corrected as he trotted ahead. “We need to get to that mainframe as soon as possible.” Starflight decided not to question Pinkie’s emotional responses any further. “So you said something about the Magisters, right?” he asked the pink mare when Versos was out of earshot. “You never got the chance to finish telling me about them!” Pinkie Pie stopped bouncing, she looked nervous again. “Oh no...” She looked as though she was going to begin sweating from the pressure. “Don’t make me do that, Starflight! Please!” Starflight was surprised by her desperation. “It’s okay!” he soothed, and then added as sweetly as possible, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t feel comfortable” but I’ll get the answers out of you eventually. Versos gasped from beyond the corridor. Upon hearing this, Starflight, weighed down by Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie ran to his side. He was standing at the doorway of one of the holding cells. He stood frozen, staring across the small room. When Starflight’s own gazed followed the professor’s he gasped as well. The cell was filled with the dead bodies of the ship’s crew. They sat there, some on their sides, some missing limbs, heads or other external appendages, and some standing up... … and they were stone. There was no blood, just the morbid statues of once living ponies with their mouths formed into expressions of terror. Starflight slowly inched towards them, inspecting them closely. Without a word, he grabbed his Up-link out of his bag and began scanning. No sign of life. “They’re dead.” Versos confirmed from the doorway. “Struck with the advanced venom... these must be the crew members that didn’t make it out.” “Maybe they’re still hunting...” Looking at the sick sculpture garden in the cell renewed Starflight’s sense of urgency. Acharis hadn’t hinted that the situation was this bad. He turned his head grimly to the pony on his back, both of her hind legs were completely stone now. “Find the mainframe, professor. Get the cure.” Versos nodded and trotted swiftly out the door. Pinkie Pie looked worriedly to Rainbow Dash, who slept with a pained expression. Something told Starflight that the pink mare wasn’t used to being so unhappy. Starflight gulped and clopped across the main room to where Versos stood. He had found the mainframe. Starflight didn’t stop holding his breath just yet, however. Lowering Rainbow Dash gently to the steel floor, Starflight sat on his haunches beside the professor. “What have you found?” he inquired after a moment of silence. “Lot’s of things!” Versos answered happily. “Research on Phoenix Feathers, new armor models, coordinates to planets I’ve never even been to! But...” Starflight grimaced when Versos lowered his voice. “No anti-venom...” he assured grimly. Pinkie Pie lowered herself to Rainbow Dash. She brushed her mane slowly and sadly. “Wake up...” she pleaded quietly as she softly nudged her unmoving body. Starflight was sure at that moment that Pinkie’s was not a face that was meant to be sad. Much to Starflight and Pinkie Pie’s amazement, Rainbow Dash opened her eyes! She massaged her forehead with her hoof and groaned, shying away from the light that really wasn’t very bright. “Where am I?” “Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie Pie and Starflight cried in unison. They rushed to her and wrapped their forelegs around her, squeezing her tightly. She pushed them away quickly with a blank expression on her face. “My legs...” she said in a terrified tone. “I can’t feel them!” Starflight grimaced again. Versos gestured for Pinkie Pie and Starflight to gather around him. They let go of Rainbow Dash and trotted to him. “Hey!” Rainbow Dash struggled to lift her heavy stone legs. She could see the ponies huddled up and whispering to each other. “Guys! Help me up!” They ignored her for the time being. Starflight was being very expressive, he gestured with his hooves and occasionally raised his voice above a whisper. Pinkie Pie just smiled happily as they talked. Versos dismissed them and they zoomed back to Rainbow Dash, who was squirming on the floor. “Rainbow Dash!” Starflight said in the cheerful voice a doctor used when he was about to stick his patient with a needle. “Sometimes out here in space... we have to do crazy things...” Starflight began thoughtfully. “...for survival.” “That’s the thing...” Starflight started glumly. “If we don’t do something crazy to you... you could... die.” The last word was almost inaudible. Rainbow Dash lost her balance and fell face first into the floor. Starflight attempted to help her into a sitting position but she shoved him away. “Die!?” she yelped. “I don’t want to die! What crazy thing are you going to do? Cut my legs off!? I need my legs, man!” Rainbow Dash threw herself back and buried her face in her hooves. “We’re not going to cut off your legs!” Starflight exclaimed. Rainbow Dash looked up hopefully through her watery eyes. Starflight took a deep breath and prepared his proposal. “We’re gonna freeze ya!” Pinkie Pie interjected with glee. “You’re going to be like a Rainbow popsicle!” She made a popping sound with her lips. “Mmm!” Rainbow Dash’s eyes seemed to sink into the back of her head. “Freeze me!?” she cried. “Like, with ice!?” “Well, no...” Versos explained, still clicking away at the mainframe. “With liquid nitrogen. It’s in the cryolab. And we need to get there fast.” “And what happens then?” Rainbow Dash tried to slow her breathing. “Are you just going to carry me around like a statue!?” “No, that would be much too dangerous!” Versos said, but before Rainbow Dash had time to be relieved, he continued. “We’re going to keep you in a storage pod!” Rainbow Dash groaned. She flapped her wings furiously in an attempt to lift her heavy legs from the floor. It didn’t work. Pinkie Pie quaked and shivered audibly. “Oh dear...” she tried to hold her violently twitching tail in place, but it was too strong. “My Pinkie sense! Something's gonna fall!” Versos, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie looked up simultaneously, and before Starflight had time to question, they gasped in unison. Versos urgently back away from the mainframe until his rump hit the wall. Looking up, Starflight saw it. A throbbing mass of green and white dotted with red on the ceiling. “Run for your liiife!!!” Pinkie Pie screamed and scurried out the door. Versos followed suit, leaving Starflight staring at the ceiling that was lined with cockatrices. Rainbow Dash helplessly dragged herself across the floor towards the door. Starflight snapped out of his stupor when the first creature dropped from the ceiling and clucked a deep, blood curdling war cry. He jumped into the air and grabbed Rainbow Dash by her forelegs. Straining to carry her increasing weight, they inched painstakingly out the door. More cockatrices fell from the ceiling, waking up from their nap. Layer upon layer covered the ceiling, there seemed to fall a never-ending stream. Starflight furiously flapped his wings, dragging Rainbow Dash’s stone legs across the steel floor, sending sparks and leaving behind scratched polish. The cockatrices seemed reluctant to get too close, staying a fixed distance away from the sparks and cringing when they failed to do so. “The sound!” Starflight yelled to Rainbow Dash over the ear-piercing scraping. “They’re afraid of it! Haha! Stupid birds!” Suddenly, the entire room shifted with a loud boom. Rainbow Dash looked behind her and gasped. “Starflight!!” Rainbow Dash called. “Look!” Looking in the direction of the chasing beasts, Starflight laid eyes upon a cockatrice... but it wasn’t like the others. It’s feathers were black, it’s eyes were angry and it was at least five times the size of the creatures that surrounded it. It winced at the sound of the scraping, and then angrily grabbed two of the surrounding smaller birds in its talons. The smaller ones shrieked in protest, but were silenced when the large one shoved them into each of his ears. “Oh crap!” Starflight flapped even harder, a feat which he didn’t think was possible. The super-cockatrice lumbered towards them, shaking the room with every step. “We just need to make it into the corridor! He can’t fit through!” Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and whispered a quiet prayer to princess Celestia. She realized at that moment that her prayers were useless, Celestia was a normal pony just like her, and the theory was further confirmed when the lumbering behemoth gained on them. Starflight’s body burned. Rainbow Dash was at least twice as heavy as she normally was, and he was already going as fast as he thought was possible. He closed his eyes and took a strained breath. He had to keep trying. As the monster cockatrice caught up to them it became clear that they weren’t going to make it. “I’m sorry Rainbow Dash!” Starflight yelled as he reached the final stretch. Tossing Rainbow Dash into the narrow corridor with the last bit of strength in his body, the large talon of the raging cockatrice sliced into him, cutting deep into his right flank. The force sent him zooming through the the corridor, landing hard and sliding against the cold floor. The super-cockatrice clawed at the passageway, Rainbow Dash was out of reach by inches. Now that the scraping had stopped, the smaller cockatrices that could fit through the hallway rushed towards Rainbow Dash, who was frantically dragging herself across the floor. Starflight was still alive, and better yet, he could still move. Against his burning lungs, he struggled to lift himself up. His knees were wobbly and his right hind-leg was useless, but he was mobile. He limped faster than was healthy towards Rainbow Dash. He saw the terrified look in her eyes, she didn’t look behind her, but Starflight could tell from expression that she knew they were coming to get her. Starflight could almost hear Rainbow Dash hopelessly repeating the words she had said almost minutes earlier before everything was thrown into chaos. I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die! Neither did Starflight. Against every instinct and every shred of common sense, Starflight put weight on his open and bleeding leg. Pain stabbed more deeply on his flank. He probably yelped loudly, but all he could hear was his own heart beating and the muffled clucks of cockatrices. A devastating realization cut through Starflight. He wasn’t going to make it to her on time! The cockatrices had already passed the entryway and were almost on Rainbow Dash. “Stop!” he yelled desperately. “Get away from her!” Starflight’s words were useless. The cockatrices scurried across the small space between the super-cockatrice and Rainbow Dash. The white pegasus continued to frantically hobble in her direction before slipping in his own blood. His chin hit the floor hard, making his head spin. He shut his eyes tight, there was no use in getting up anymore, it was over for both of them, but he definitely didn’t want to watch. The only thoughts that echoed in his head were the ones he found himself saying to the same pony over and over again. I’m sorry. This is my fault. Don’t forgive me. Starflight willed the outside world away, but a sound like the air was being scraped went off directly above him, followed by the familiar death-squawk of a nearby cockatrice. Was this real, or just a trick played by the gods (if there was any) to get him to watch as Rainbow Dash was permanently turned to stone? If it was, he deserved it, so he decided to look up. “A welcome sight” didn’t even begin to describe this situation. Versos stood over Starflight, firing a very advanced looking pistol from his mouth. It sent out a much thicker and faster version of Starflight’s laser. It pierced not one, not two, but three cockatrices at once, disintegrating them on the spot. A glowing pile of red ashes was left behind. Starflight closed his eyes, briefly. Everything was going to be okay. He opened them again when another set of hoofsteps sounded beside him. The super-cockatrice continued to claw at the corridor opening. Pinkie Pie was clearly annoyed by this, so she threw her Rainbow Dash knife directly at it. Starflight chuckled at the thought of something that size even feeling a prick like that. He was surprised when the bladed landed directly between the birds eyes, but the real surprise came when the cockatrice slowed his attack, and then stopped completely. The ceasing of its clawing was followed by another loud boom. The giant cockatrice was dead. - “What. The. Hell?” Starflight gasped for the second time that day as Versos lifted Rainbow Dash back into the steamworks. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou” Rainbow Dash kissed Versos’ hooves, much to his discomfort. “You saved my life!” “Not yet, we haven’t!” Versos responded proudly. “How did your knife...” Starflight stopped there. He couldn’t find the words. “Nanobots!” Pinkie Pie said happily. “The knife’s lined with them!” She leaned over Starflight with a small needle in her mouth. Lowering her head beside the inside of Starflight’s flank, she poked the needle through his skin. Pinkie Pie’s patient jolted slightly, but relaxed. The pain only lasted a split-second. “You’re actually pretty good at that!” Starflight was amazed. “Thank you!” Pinkie Pie shook her tail with glee. “If you told that to Versos about a year ago... he would disagree!” “How long have you been with Versos?” The tone of the conversation changed. Starflight took on the role of interrogator. Pinkie Pie went silent. Her nervous look was back. Starflight immediately felt bad about straining her pretty face with worry. “Uh guys?” Rainbow Dash sounded dizzy. “I know we’re all really happy to be alive right now... but we really need to get to the cryolab!” Rainbow Dash sat up and peeked between her stone legs. “If we don’t hurry... I won’t be able to go to the bathroom anymore... and I definitely won’t be able to--” “We get it! Starflight covered his blush. “Let’s go!” He turned quickly away from the ponies, his leg was feeling better already. Whatever Pinkie injected him with, it was miraculous, and the Primus military obviously hadn’t discovered it yet. “Walk! I was gonna say... walk--” Rainbow Dash promptly lost consciousness once again. - Starflight was stuck with the task of carrying Rainbow Dash, who was two times heavier than normal, on his back as they made their way back to the center of the ship. He glanced occasionally at Pinkie Pie, whose agitation subsided gradually. The only way to get information was through her, but seeing the way it bothered her made it very difficult. “The cryolab is this way.” Versos said hastily. “I should be able to hack into the computer there and access the nitrogen tanks.” “What if there isn’t a cure?” Starflight suggested grimly. “What will we do with Rainbow Dash then?” Versos turned to Starflight but hesitated for a second. “There will be a cure.” The surety in the professor’s voice was almost enough to convince Starflight. Almost. He looked to the pony on his back, whose distress was apparent through her slumber. All he could tell her was that he was sorry, but Starflight knew that wouldn’t be enough. It was never enough. The trio heard the echoing of clucking from behind them. The cockatrices were giving chase from the steamworks! Urgently, Versos wrapped his aura around the sleeping Rainbow Dash and floated her in front of him. “We have to go!” he yelled as the apparent strain of levitating Rainbow Dash took its toll. He fell behind the group just as the cockatrices burst through the steamworks door. Pinkie Pie swerved behind Versos and nudged his rump with her nose. “Hurry professor!” she called frantically. “They’re here!” “Go on ahead, Pinkie Pie!” Versos asserted. “I need you up there making sure Rainbow Dash and Starflight get there safely. And we definitely can’t have you getting hurt.” the professor almost chuckled. Pinkie Pie looked confused, but Versos assured, “We can afford to lose an old shriveled-up stallion like myself,” he continued. “But we cannot lose you three!” Starflight heard this and was naturally confused. “Why not!?” “Not if you die, there won’t!” Starflight grunted. The cockatrices were nipping at the professor’s hooves, and he was just falling farther behind. Bending at his knees, Starflight launched himself into the air and pulled out his laser pistol. Everything slowed, like it did on Equestria about a month earlier. Starflight could see, feel, smell, everything he needed to. When Rainbow Dash went crazy on the cockatrices in the steamworks, she used up his second energy cell, that needed replacing. He felt as if he was moving at normal speed while the world around him moved in slow motion when he reached into his bag, releasing the current cell from the pistol and depositing the new one simultaneously. The tinny sound of the empty energy cell hitting the ground echoed with clarity in his head. He placed the pistol in his mouth, getting it into the perfect position on the first try. His tongue wrapped around the trigger and he pulled it without aiming. The fiery laser zoomed centimeters over the professor’s scalp, penetrating the head of the closest cockatrice and melting it. The next three birds were hit in the same place, one after another, in speedy succession. They were all headless poultry before the two fleeing ponies even realized Starflight had stopped running. The world sped up and Starflight turned back to the ground, landing. Pinkie Pie slammed into the stationary pegasus, knocking him over. “Starflight! Get up!” she yelped. Starflight just smiled and pointed a hoof to barbequed bodies of the cockatrices. “What!?” Versos and Pinkie Pie were dumbfounded. Starflight chuckled and lifted himself up, positioning himself under the floating Rainbow Dash. “I’ll take it from here.” “Looks like you still got it!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “What do you mean “it?” Starflight questioned. Pinkie Pie went silent at Versos’ stern gaze. With a grunt, Starflight turned around and entered the cryolab. Getting answers out of these two was going to be more difficult than he thought. - The cryolab was a two-leveled, dimly lit laboratory. It was freezing inside, the floor was covered in a cold, white fog that emanated from cylindrical chambers placed around the room. Walking through the lab was like walking on ice. Pinkie Pie shifted her weight from one set of hooves to the other. “Cold, cold, cold!” Versos trotted up to one of the chambers and pressed a few buttons on a nearby control pad. He gestured for Starflight to bring Rainbow Dash closer. Starflight positioned her in the tube, strapping her legs down with the professor’s help. When that was done, Versos trotted back to the control pad and began pressing buttons. “One second, professor!” Starflight asserted before any commands could be placed. “If we don’t find that cure... I want to at least say good-bye.” “As you wish.” Versos answered grimly. Starflight stepped closer and placed his hoof on Rainbow Dash’s. “Good-bye...” I’m sorryI’m sorryI’m sorry. No. Apologies didn’t mean anything anymore. He leaned closer to Rainbow Dash troubled face and whispered to her. “I’ll find the antivenom. I’ll save you.” If there was any chance at all that she could hear him, he wanted to be sure of his resolve, instead of apologizing for things he couldn’t change. Planting a gentle kiss on her feverish forehead, he backed away from the chamber and gestured for Versos to continue his work.