Sunflower approached the door and looked it over carefully before working the lock and pushing it open. Beyond it, the stone walls looked similar to the level they had fallen from, a comforting thing to notice. That comfort was broken with a skittering sound in the darkness, a sense of movement beyond the reach of their lights.
Sunflower rushed back to the others and Applejack took the lead. Shale seemed content just following after the group, doing little to assist or hinder in any way. As they pressed onwards down the hall, the movement became more frequent and manic. Applejack came up short as she spotted a pair of malignant red eyes staring at her from the shadows ahead. "Ya can let us pass, or we're goin' through anyway." She stomped a hoof. "Git."
Applejack's attempt at intimidation only brought the diseased-looking corpse forward, hands curling into fists. "I don't know what you are, but your life calls to me. Children, feast!" The sensation of movement returned with a fury as more red eyes joined the first with hungry groans and reaching hands to join it.
Apple Bloom chucked her last bomb at the one in front of Applejack where it exploded with a new intensity, though it did not drop the fell creature. It rocked back from the explosion, flames licking at rotting flesh, then lunged forward, swinging its hands like maces at Applejack. Applejack shuddered even as her armor held true. "That didn't feel right, be careful y'all." She lashed out a hoof, boxing the creature back. "Ah told ya ta git, now we're doin' it the hard way."
Shale looked like she would be just as happy waiting, but one of the undead made the mistake of approaching her. She exposed her teeth, hissing with feline fury in warning, but it came anyway. She nimbly dodged out of the way of its attack, then leaped at it, knocking it to the ground and grinding its fetid form beneath her terrible claws.
Just as Sweetie began to sing, Scootaloo put herself between one of the approaching creatures and the bard. She jabbed fiercely with her burning rapier and ducked under the return swing. The other creatures seemed measurably slower and hesitant than the one Applejack faced, a fact Scootaloo had little problem with.
Sunflower moved to get in the way of another coming in from the side. He had no time to be fancy with his aim, the unholy thing's full attention on him. His mace thudded into the rotting body, and it returned the favor with a strike across the face. While that stung, the sudden lethargy that followed it was worse, and Sunflower recoiled away.
"Back up!" Applejack shouted an order as she began to slowly backing away from the creature, lashing out at it when it dared to come closer. They all started a fighting withdrawal, moving back down the hallway they had come from until the creatures were all at one side of the party. Applejack drove her creature to the ground under the weight of both forehooves and crushed its head with a stomp. The other two shuddered, then dove back into battle with renewed fervor, moving with all the speed the first had previously held to itself.
Apple Bloom pulled out a potion she hadn't used before and made a face before swigging it down. Her muscles suddenly doubled in mass as she became almost a caricature of her old self. She grabbed Sweetie's dagger off her belt and charged forward into the battle. Sunflower smiled at her presence, double-teaming the undead between them and quickly knocking it to the ground.
The last undead hissed and took off running down the hallway it came, allowing silence to return.
Applejack let out a loud breath, looking over the group. "Y'all did mighty fine, don't even see a scratch on ya."
Sunflower took his bruising stoically. He wouldn't be the only one griping in the group. He noticed Apple Bloom's muscular appearance and blinked at her. "What happened to you?"
Apple Bloom went red in her cheeks. "Nuthin'..."
Sweetie tilted her head at the Apple Hulk. "That sure doesn't look like nothing. Are you alright?"
Shale looked over Apple Bloom from where she sat. "You are an alchemist, are you not, child?" Apple Bloom nodded at her. "Then that is the effect of a mutagen."
Scootaloo tilted her head. "Muta what? Why didn't you make us some of that?! I wanna be big and strong." She sheathed her rapier away.
Applejack shook her head a little. "Odd lookin'. Sis, will that wear off?"
Apple Bloom quickly nodded. "Should in a little while. Ah don't like using it much. Makes me look all ugly." She smiled at Scootaloo nervously. "It don't work for nopony else, like mah potions used ta. It'll just make ya sick if ya try it, so don't do that."
Scootaloo pouted a bit. "Fine! Keep your awesome juice to yourself." She turned away then, peering into the darkness before casting a spell and having a look around. She approached the first undead and nudged it with a hoof before yanking its cape free. "Magic." She examined the cape, noting it had withstood its unknown amount of time far better than its previous owner. "Should protect you from nasty things like magic, but it won't do anything against a sword."
Applejack approached it, considering a moment before shaking her head. "Ah'd rather one of y'all take it. Ah kin take a whallop better already." Sunflower took it and wrapped it around his shoulders. It quickly adjusted to his smaller stature.
Scootaloo pointed at Sunflower with an arcane word, and the stink of the cape vanished. Sunflower smiled. "Much better, thanks!"
Sweetie looked up at Shale. "Was that the 'figure of death' you mentioned?"
Shale shook her head. "Those were but mere shadows, easily dispatched with your skill and camaraderie."
They resumed their journey, moving cautiously down the hallway to the first door and peeking inside. It looked like an old bedroom of some sort. They were ready to move on when Scootaloo looked around with her magic sight and started into the room. Apple Bloom suddenly hopped on top of her, tackling her to the ground. "Wait a second! Let us check it out before ya get hurt."
Scootaloo wriggled up to her feet and huffed, but let Apple Bloom and Sunflower inspect the room. About halfway in they found a thin trip wire. "See, told ya."
Sunflower soon had the wire disabled, and Scootaloo resumed her search. "Sorry, I just saw something glow in here." She approached the bed and began poking over it before she grabbed the old mattress in her mouth and tossed it to the ground roughly. She pulled her rapier free and cut into it, eventually recovering a lost ring from its mouldering stuffing. "See?"
Apple Bloom clopped her hooves with joy. "Wow, good going, Scoots! What's it do?"
Scootaloo examined the ring before frowning. "Boring. It just makes marks on things that you can't erase easily."
Applejack shrugged from the doorway. "Maybe it's worth somethin' at least. Good going. Let's keep on a'movin'."
The next room was a small study, and their eyes wandered over the rotting books and the old desk within. Sunflower advanced, pulling at the drawer of the desk to find it locked. Working industriously with his tools, he soon had it open with a satisfying click. His reward was a surprisingly well-preserved book. He pulled it free and flipped through it. "Just a bunch of exercise instructions and stuff about food."
Scootaloo peered at it, then clenched her eyes shut with a whimper. "Oh wow! That thing's super bright! It's magic, but don't ask me what kind."
Sweetie tilted her head at the book. "But it's just a book."
Applejack shrugged. "So's Twilight's book, and it's full of right powerful things. Take it with us."
Shale spoke up in agreement, "Knowledge may be one of the more potent forces the universe knows."
Applejack smiled and gestured towards Shale. "See? Now let's get a move on."
Scootaloo giggled softly. "You sound like Cheerilee."
As Sunflower moved to exit the room with the book, the doorway shone brightly. A creature familiar to Applejack abruptly appeared with a whiff of brimstone. It wielded a long iron glaive with a saw-toothed tip and its beard writhed with as much malice as the rest of its reddened body put off. It had two thick horns that jutted backwards from its skull and its stout legs ended in clawed and cloven hooves. It roared with fury and charged for Sunflower. Sunflower squealed in terror and ducked around the door, vanishing past Applejack.
Applejack advanced into it with a scowl. "Ya distracted me while ya hurt two dear friends o' mine last time. Not this time." It brought its glaive down at Applejack, who caught it with a quick swipe of her hoof and knocked it off balance in time for a rapid switch around, bucking it powerfully and forcing it back a few steps.
The infernal creature threw aside its glaive and grabbed for Applejack, seizing her shoulders in its painful claws and thrusting her face into that writhing beard. She hollered in pain and indignation as the filthy thing jabbed into her snout and face. She reared up, boxing it across the nose. "Not today!"
Scootaloo flew over Applejack, catching a raking claw for her trouble, but landing on the other side of the thing and jabbing it with her rapier. The strike wasn't nearly as effective as she would have liked, its flesh refusing to sizzle in the fire and as tough as rock.
The creature laughed with fell amusement as it suddenly grabbed up Scootaloo and dangled her. "Do you fear for this little one?"
Applejack shrank back a little. "Put 'er down, nice and slow."
"As you wish." The creature hurled Scootaloo at Applejack, using her as an improvised projectile. Scootaloo squealed as she was granted involuntary flight. Applejack moved to catch her, but that was all the distraction the creature needed. He grabbed up his glaive and struck forward, piercing Applejack's barrel with a wet slicing sound, blood starting to run free to the ground.
Applejack grunted, dropping Scootaloo safely to the ground. "Bunch o' dirty playin' son of a..." She bashed the glaive free of herself and advanced on him with a scowl. "When ah get finished wit' you..."
Sunflower leaned in close to Apple Bloom. "She's kind of scary when she's serious."
Apple Bloom bobbed her head in reply, but her eyes were fixed on Applejack's battle. She nudged Sweetie. "Ya should sing. Applejack needs tha help."
"Oh yeah!" Sweetie began her song, weaving a tale of their eventual escape from the darkness.
Once Applejack had it pinned into a corner, it abandoned its glaive and they became locked in hoof-to-claw combat, at least until the creature suddenly vanished, leaving an exhausted Applejack behind. Apple Bloom rushed up with a vial in her mouth, waving it. Applejack gave a tired smile before accepting it, drinking it down, but little seemed to happen, and she still bled.
Sweetie's ears fell as she moved up to apply some of her own magic, but it too failed to stop the oozing wound from its course. "What's wrong?"
Apple Bloom began drawing out gauze and fabric from her pouches. "Lay down, sis. We're here for ya. We're gonna have ta do it tha old fashioned way."
Applejack reluctantly sank to the ground, surrendering to the care of her little sister. "Do yer best. Ah'm mighty proud o' ya." She relaxed then, concentrating on keeping her own breathing even, trying not to scare the fillies any more than they already were.