Chapter Two: Out of the pan and into the fire
I woke up slowly to the sound of my PipBuck alarm going off, thankfully the thing was set to go off every morning at 8am. Groaning I slapped it against my face, unsuccessfully trying to shut it off with my nose. After a few brutal misses, the alarm finally chirped to a stop. I sighed and rolled out of bed, my determination from yesterday all but forgotten and replaced with nausea and uncertainty.
The night had been terrible, what little sleep I actually got was spent with worrisome nightmares. I was convinced that even if we did escape, there would be nothing but a radioactive hellhole outside. I shook my head to clear the horrible thought -- no sense bogging myself down, not while there were things to do.
With a stretch of my wings and limbs, I finally trotted over to my closet. Inside, there was the embarrassingly small amount of my possessions. Like I said earlier, my parents had passed away leaving me with little behind, I wasn’t exactly rolling in cash here. I grabbed one of my Stable-Tec standard issue jumpsuits and began putting it on, the things were seriously over-engineered -- like everything else in the stable -- sporting thick fabric and even minor protection from radiation. Whoever decided to issue this to every pony in the Stable was either thinking far ahead, or had too much money on their hooves. These clothes weren’t even close to the barding that the Security ponies had however, but anything acting as a barrier between myself and whatever lay outside was well appreciated.
Rolling my shoulders with the fit of the jumpsuit, I grabbed my single saddle bag and slung it across my back. I took a quick look around the closet for anything that I figured would be useful in a post-apocalyptic survival situation, I opted to bring a small first-aid kit, a pocket knife and a hoof towel. Yeah. That’ll do it Midnight.
Leaving the closet door open behind me, as if I’d ever return to it, I trotted over to the kitchenette and selected any food I could find; apples, boxed preserved snacks, whatever, all into the saddle bag. With one final sweep of the room, I was satisfied with the fact that I had absolutely butt-fuck nothing, and I would die the first day outside of the Stable. Rolling my eyes, I cantered out the door and headed straight for the main entrance of the Stable.
Now, the thing was, I’ve never really been to the main entrance, there really wasn’t a need to. But I knew if I kept on going up, I’d eventually reach it. I passed closed door after closed door as I made my way through the living quarters, most ponies happily asleep over the weekend. None of them remotely aware that two of their fellow stable residents were about to run away from the concrete sarcophagus we called home.
Not like they’ll be missing the pegabat clown anyway. I furrowed my eyebrows and pressed forward. Leaving the stable was starting to sound like a better idea afterall.
I wound my way through the seemingly endless corridors, taking stairs when the hallways came to an end, and slowly approaching the surface level of the stable. I was in completely unfamiliar territory, the walls began to loose their bright grey color, and more signs of ware began to show on the floors. Soon, there were no rooms at all, and I found myself walking up a slightly inclined hallway. I was close, the rusty air felt damp, and I could almost feel the presence of the surface nearby. I shuffled my wings and started cantering, my anxiety taken over by determination. I was not going to die today.
The hallway came to a dead-end, a single reinforced door sat silently at it’s source. The heavy steel was caked in dust and grime, clearly it had seen little use. Above it, a sign illuminated from behind simply read Vault Door. Like Scarlet and I had predicted, there were no Security ponies at the door, instead sat the red maned mare herself, busily poking away at her pipbuck.
“Took you long enough.” Scarlet smirked, lowering her foreleg with a toss of her mane.
She too had a single saddlebag on, it was bulging with supplies. Being the sister of the Overmare probably gave her a lot more access to random supplies in the Stable. Instead of wearing the Stable jumpsuit like myself, she instead wore a warm jacket, it was the standard blue with yellow trim of everything from Stable-tec. It only covered her front half however, so it was cozy, but far from practical. Her red mane was tied back behind her ears with a single plain navy bow, something she hadn’t been wearing earlier.
I rolled my eyes and came to a stop before her. “Going out for a stroll in the winter are we?” I poked back, looking her over.
“It’s autumn in the orchard, so it’s probably autumn out there.” She pointed to the door, “Better warm than sorry.” With a sigh she faced the door “Now that we’ve had our banter, are you ready?”
“Right, as if I’d be rushing head-first into my potential demise.” I replied sarcastically, the words fell hollow halfway through the sentence. The gravity of our situation was more pressing than I could hope to make light of.
We sat quietly a few moments, our bitter humor faded as we both stared at the floor in silence.
“I don’t want to die.” Scarlet softly broke the silence, eyes locked on the floor.
“We won’t.” I paused as she lifted her head and matched my eyes. “Whatever lies outside, we’ll face. We’ll survive.” The words felt empty leaving my mouth, how could I expect to comfort her when I didn’t believe them myself?
“Right.” She nodded, taking a breath. “I believe my sister is waiting inside, we’ll take the first opportunity we can to overpower her and escape this Lunaforsaken place.” She flipped like a switch, whatever emotions she had were buried and replaced with cold hearted strategy.
“Let’s do it then.” I nodded, taking her example and bracing myself to charge in the room, planning to tackle Night Shade the moment I saw her.
With one final nod and breath, Scarlet reached forward and tapped the door release button on the frame. The thick reinforced barrier let out a mechanical groan as it quickly lifted. I tensed my legs and wings, ready to pounce forward at any moment.
Just as the door cleared my muzzle, I saw her. Standing patiently, looking perfectly like the evil villain in a story waiting for the heros. As expected, she was alone, pistol holstered on a leg strap. I wasted no time and spread my wings, locking onto my target. I pushed as hard as I could, boosting my legs as I shot forward, faster than any Thestral could without feathers.
Suddenly I felt as if I slammed headfirst into a concrete wall. The air was knocked out of me as I tumbled across the floor of the entrance, slipping down a few shallow steps that stood before a massive cog shaped door. Completely dazed, I stagged trying to raise to my hooves, only to be lifted up by my collar and pinned against a wall.
Scarlet let out a yelp and was placed in a similar situation next to me, we were pinned by two huge Security ponies dressed in full riot gear. Four more of the bastards were waiting for us on either side of the door, having ambushed our ambush. Looking through my blurred vision I spotted the pony who I had bumped into earlier in the atrium, his sinister glare masked by his shaded riot helmet. I guess we finally met those “allies” that Shade was boasting about.
Night Shade sauntered over to us tsking her tongue. She reached down and unbuttoned the flap on her holster, her pistol’s mouth piece gleamed in the fluorescent light.
“And you thought I was going t-” Night Shade began,
“Yeah, fuck you.” I spat.
Only I got the dramatic monologues. Not this bitch.
I was quickly greeted by a hoof to the face. I clenched my teeth and shook my head, matching eyes with Night Shade.
She slaps like a bitch too.
“Just let us go Shade, what’s the bloody difference to you if we leave or not?” Scarlet piped up.
“The difference is, here I get to know for certain that you two have been put down.” Night Shade spoke, wiping my spit off her hoof onto my chest. “If I let you two waltz out of the stable together, you might actually stand a chance to live. How could I ever go about life knowing that?” She pouted sarcastically.
My ears flicked. “What the hell are you talking about? We stand no chance out there anyway! At least hold your end of the bargain!” I seethed.
“I am though. I never promised you two that I would let you leave, I merely suggested it.” Night Shade smiled, flicking her ears and grabbing her pistol.
I struggled against the Security pony holding me down, managing to drop to all fours before being powerfully slammed with my side against the wall. I felt my ears flick again as I glared at the demon mare before me, pistol in mouth.
“So, goodbye once and for all, and say hello to your new Overmare.” She muttered around her pistol grip, ears flicking.
I felt my own flick once more, I finally gave into my irritation a quickly looked around me.
Just what the fuck was making that damned noise?!
I locked my eyes onto a security camera in the far corner of the room, it was waving back and forth, it looked like a blue flame was flickering inside the lense. When I matched its gaze, the camera turned and focused on a console lying behind Night Shade. The ancient console had a simple button and lever with a pipbuck connection cable hanging loosely off the side. Along the wall, several security terminals displayed camera footage from around the stable.
I spotted us in the Stable entrance, and most particularly, the hallway just beyond the now closed door that we came through. Stacked up in a line, three Security ponies sat beyond the door, shotguns drawn. The remaining of the security team. I quickly looked to my right and met eyes with Scarlet, fear shown in her eyes, I had a plan.
“Wait!” I exclaimed, trying to buy enough time. “Before you shoot us, can we at least say our last words?” I asked sheepishly.
“What?! Are you bloody daft?” Scarlet blurted.
Night Shade furrowed her brow and pointed the gun right at my head. “Well I don’t see why not?”
“Perfect!” I laughed nervously, stealing a glance at Scarlet, trying to tell her with my eyes that something was about the happen. “W-well you see, a long time ago in the land of Equestria, there lived two princesses-” I began quoting ‘A Brief History of Equestria’.
“Okay, time’s up.” Night Shade rolled her eyes and cocked the hammer of her pistol.
Without warning the door to the Stable opened up; two cylinders rolled into the room and exploded. Blinded by the blast and with my ears ringing painfully, I took the opportunity to drop straight to the floor. The pony holding me had flinched just long enough for me to make my escape and roll away. Moments after the explosions, a chorus of gunfire opened up above me. Each roar of a shotgun caused me to twitch my eyes closed, but not stop me from tackling Night Shade.
She yelped as I smacked my hoof against her face and slammed her to the ground, the mare was barely strong enough to resist. I kicked the pistol out of her mouth and picked it up, pointing it directly between her pleading eyes. Behind me I could barely hear Scarlet screaming my name over the shots being exchanged, yelps of ponies being hit or killed hung beneath.
I glared right into the terrified eyes of Night Shade and felt my grip tighten around the firing bit. I could have ended her right there. But something told me not to. Clenching my eyes and swearing I would regret this decision, I leapt off of her and dove to the control console.Scarlet was already crouching next to it, pipbuck cable in her hooves.
Good she somehow got the memo.
I took a quick peek behind me and saw that of the three security ponies trying to liberate us, only one was left still standing, the others sat in pools of blood, their eyes glazed over. I turned around, my stomach lurching with fear, struggling to guide the cable into the dock of my pipbuck. The cable finally found home, and a BIOS screen popped up onto the device.
-Welcome Overpony. Exterior climate: suitable.
-Stable door release override: would you like to open the door? Y/N
I looked over my shoulder once more, the last security pony was just slouched over just behind me, blood pouring out of a leg. Four of Shade’s henchstallions were still alive, but taking cover from the pony's barrage of shotgun blasts. The shotgun clicked empty, and the pony tossed it aside, drawing a pistol. For a moment the pony looked back at me, under the visor I could see it was a mare, fiery determination in her eyes.
“Get the fuck outa here, what are you waiting for?!” She hollered around her firing bit, turning back and landing a bullet on the head of one of the other Security ponies, the shaded visor of his riot helmet shattered and he promptly slouched over limp.
I mashed the button on my pipbuck, and the screen lit up green with a smiling cartoon stallion in Stable-tec apparel. The console lit up with green lights, and I jumped up, hitting the only button on the panel, and yanking the lever. To my left a massive crane swung over the heads of the corrupt Security ponies and latched onto the cog door. Klaxons blared and a twirling yellow light bathed us all in a pulsing glow. With an ear splitting screech, the cog shaped hatch was dragged from its housing, sparks igniting in the air all around it.
I quickly grabbed Scarlet by her waist and spread my wings, stealing a glance at the mare behind me. She had been hit in the head by a shotgun, I closed my eyes and felt my stomach turn in rage and grief. That mare had bought us precious time, she deserved more than this.
“Stop them!” Night Shade howled as her Security ponies began to aim at me.
Amid Scarlet’s protests, I held her tightly against my stomach and pushed with my wings, taking off like lightning. Adrenaline pumped through my veins and fueled my muscles, I shot past the ponies beneath me and made my way for the now opening cog door. The cog wheeled along a track at a painstaking pace, barely opening enough for a pony to walk through. With the grace of a pegasus, I flipped into barrel roll and hugged my wingtips in a tight span, diving through the narrow gap sidweways and rolling back level on the other side.
Behind me a hail of shotgun blasts erupted, only to spark harmlessly off the narrow opening. I pumped my wings harder and harder as I dragged myself and Scarlet through a tight tunnel carved into the rock. Off the corner of my vision I saw a Pipbuck notification display seemingly in my head.
-Overseer has left the premises. Evacuation complete, sealing Stable.
The massive cog door stopped with a howl, and quickly began rolling back to its original place. I could faintly hear the screams of Night Shade furiously crying out at us just before the cog slid back into its housing with a solid bang. I sighed in relief and finally looked forward again, only to hear Scarlet let out a scream as I widened my eyes in realization, smashing headfirst into rotten wooden paneling.
We both tumbled through the cave and I felt my wing catch something, hearing a sickening pop. Pain flared up my entire side shortly before feeling a sensation of freefall, and a solid hit to my head. I began to lose unconscious the moment my body came to a rest, the last cognitive sensation I remembered was the gentle whispering of wind through my mane.
***
“Midnight.”
“Who’s there?” I cried out, my voice died off into wood around me.
I had woken up in a forest, or at least what I thought a non-apple-orchard forest was supposed to look like. Tall ancient trees surrounded me, all bare and black. Through the canopy far above, I could see it was daytime, but thickly overcast with clouds. I watched as my white breath was carried gently away in the frigid breeze. The air was cold and light, it was sometime between autumn and winter. Small white flakes danced around me as the wind picked up, rushing through my coat.
I struggled to peer through the whipping wind, my cheeks and nose stinging from the sharp snowflakes. Before me, the flurry gathered and seemingly took into a canine shape.
“Follow me.” I shook my head as the male voice echoed inside of me.
The canine-snow-figure stood up and began trotting down a path into the frigid forest.
Huh, that wasn’t there before. I scoffed internally, as I too rose to all fours.
Something felt wrong, I was lighter than before -- not that I was fat or anything. I looked down at my hoov-- my paws. I had paws.
“Gah, what the hell?!” I hollard as I once more fell upon my haunches, the snowflake-wolf-thing stopped briefly and watched me.
Where my hooves and pony-forelegs used to be, two thin muscular legs with paws and sharp nails took their place. I quickly stood up and turned a circle, looking myself over. I was a wolf, that was for sure. My former lithe coat was replaced by thick blue fur, my tail: large and fluffed. I felt around my mouth, gingerly scraping the tips of razor sharp fangs, not too different from my usual two fangs, but still different nonetheless. What broke my heart entirely however, was my lack of wings. I tried desperately to move muscles that simply weren’t there, it was an entirely bizarre sensation that left me feeling exposed.
“Do not worry Midnight, your body is not lost. Follow me, I will attempt to explain everything.” The voice echoed in my head once more, this time I was certain it was the snow-pup in front of me.
With a trepidatious nod, I trotted forward. Instead of the usual hoof clops, my large paws made soft pats as I moved across the dead leaves on the ground. The flurry-dog led me through the forest, winding a narrow path. As we trudged along, we came upon a cliff to my left. Spanning across for miles, the forest continued hundreds of hooves beneath the sheer ledge. I gulped, fully aware that if I fell I wouldn’t have my wings to catch myself. However, despite the danger, the magic-wolf-snow-thing continued across the ledge, myself not far behind.
As we continued along the cliff I began to spot ruins along the forested growth far beneath me. Seemingly ancient buildings made of stone rose out of the trees. Where possibly a beautiful city once stood, rubble and lumps of stone took its place. A somber tone fell upon the land, whatever the fate of that civilization, it was not simply age that took it. I frowned as I remembered the war before the Stables were built, perhaps this was the result?
“We are not in Equestria.” The wolf before me spoke into my head, not looking back. “Though, your prediction is not far off.”
Great so the thing can read my mind I thought, rolling my eyes as we trotted along.
“And I could hear that too.” The voice chuckled. “You may address this ‘thing’ as Ignis.” Though it had no facial features, I was certain the snowflake-wolf was smiling.
“Okay ‘Ignis’, so tell me what’s going on. Where are you leading me?” I asked. Ignis took a path leading away from the cliff into to forest once more, we began a slow ascension up a hill.
“One moment please.” Ignis replied stopping atop the hill.
We were in a small clearing in the forest, a single ancient tree twisted up into the canopy, it looked far older than anything else in the forest. Just to the right of it, an unlit stone fire-cauldron sat atop a pedestal.
Without warning, the wolf-shape erupted in a mass of brilliant blue fire. I let out a yelp and fell back on my haunches, back pedaling with my forelegs until I came to rest against a tree. Out of the flames, stepped a white wolf, his spectacular blue eyes seemingly staring directly into my soul. With a whoosh the flames collected itself into a ball and shot over to the cauldron, igniting it and bathing us in a cool blue glow.
“This is perhaps a better way to address you?” Ignis smiled, for once actually physically speaking to me.
I scrambled to my legs and shook my coat of the dead leaves that clung to it, shooting him a glare. “Yeah, you could have done that earlier! What’s with the theatrics huh?” I spat, embarrassed by my own reaction.
Ignis sighed and sat down next to the cauldron of fire, beckoning I come closer with a paw. “You see, I could not have shown my true self until this point.” He flicked his muzzle toward the flame beside him. “As I promised, I will attempt to explain some things, however the rest will have to come later. We have a pressing matter we must discuss.”
I didn’t trust the guy one bit, sure he hadn’t attacked me, but the whole pony-turned-wolf thing was creeping me out. However, choosing to humor him and perhaps get some answers, I nodded and took a seat before him, keeping my distance.
“Right,” Ignis sighed. “To begin, you’re not in Equestria.”
“I figured, you already told me.” I rolled my eyes, couldn’t he just cut to the chase?
“Do you want answers or not?” Ignis frowned, “As I was saying, you are not in your native land. Not even the same world or universe. This land is known as Lupus to the inhabitants.” Sighing, he looked past me into the part of the forest we came through “I could not reveal my body earlier because the forest we just traversed marks the distance between Equestria and Lupus. Had I done so, terrible consequences may have unfolded.”
Vague, but okay, he’s a universe traveling dog.
“I am no mere dog Midnight.” Ignis growled, locking his piercing eyes with my own. “Dogs are animals of simplistic nature, they follow commands and appease their masters. I am a wolf of Lupus, we are not very different, you and I.”
“So that explains the magic fireballs?” I asked, flushed with embarrassment that he had heard my inner comment.
“Precisely, and our magic is not limited to such spells.” Ignis blinked, “I digress, as I had mentioned before, there are more pressing matters to discuss.”
“So then tell me, why am I here?”
“I took the opportunity of your unconsciousness to summon your spirit. I wish to not reveal the exact reason why, and I pray that you may never need to know. However, you must be aware that your spirit, and that of those around you, are intertwined closely with what became of this world and what may become of your own.” Ignis explained cryptically.
“Who are you? How do you know me?” I pressed, standing up, anxious to grasp the situation.
“Just know that I am watching you, and that no matter the cost, you must protect the scarlet maned Thestral. In your world, there are those who wish to do her harm. I do not know their intentions yet, but I am beginning to think that they are precisely who I think they are. Take caution.” Ignis frowned looking up at the sky.
Above, the clouds began swirling, darkening by the second.
“Since this is your first visit, and I have not yet taught you, I have to supply this spell with my own strength. I grow weak holding it, and you must return to your conscious body.” Ignis explained quickly, “Keep a careful eye for me, if I wish to speak to you, you will know.”
Ignis’ voice began to fade, I looked around myself and saw that I was starting to become transparent, swirling blue flames began crawling up my legs. I glanced up at Ignis, terror in my eyes.
“I apologize this meeting was so brief, we will discuss more in the future.” Ignis’ voice died as I felt my stomach lurch, the world around me faded to black, the sound of rushing wind battered my ears. Feeling nauseous I shut my eyes tightly.
Suddenly, the wind died down to a quiet breeze. All that could be heard was autumn leaves rustling in the wind as I felt myself fall seemingly through nothing.
xxx