Once Upon a Time, on an Alien Ring World

by Hi World

Chapter 29: Tools, Guns, Keys to Super Weapons

The Library.

Fluttershy looked around in confusion, seeing nothing but white. She couldn't even see her own body. Couldn't even use her own body. She was nothing more than a presence. A presence in nowhere.

There was another presence too, and it spoke to her. "I'm actually quite excited. It's been too long since any sort of event has happened here, and it's good to finally be doing something. Don't you agree, reclaimer?"
"Um, I'm not really sure what you're talking about."
"Yes you do. You're the reclaimer."
"I don't even know what that is."
"Yes you do."
Fluttershy was growing irritated. "... No, actually, I don't."
"Stop fooling around, reclaimer. We have much to do."

Accepting her new title of "reclaimer," the young Mare wondered, "Like what?"
"Like activating Halo's defences and destroying the Flood. To do that, we must retrieve the index... But you know this already."
No, I don't know this already. Fluttershy decided to keep her disagreements to herself for now, and just play along with whatever Spark wanted her to do. Hopefully it wouldn't involve any killing.

One thing she couldn't keep to herself, was her curiosity. "Um, did you just say, we need to activate Halo?"
"I did."
"And that will destroy... the Flood?"
"Mm-hm."
"And the Flood, they're those things. Those, um, monsters, aren't they?"
"Not monsters, but a disease. A disease that can only be eradicated upon activation of the great ring."
Aha! So that's what Halo does. It doesn't wipe out Ponies or Covenant; it was built to take on this "Flood." She wondered if Twilight had discovered this yet.

A strong tingling sensation befell her as she was pieced back together in a tube of gold light. Her vision returned, and she gazed around to observe the bowels of some brooding, Forerunner structure. Everywhere was huge, like it had been built for giants. Maybe the Forerunners were giants... Nah, they couldn't have been; some of their corridors were so confining, they were like air vents.

The swirling motes of light faded away as she was deposited onto the cold, hard floor. Spark was spat out into the air where he hovered and whirred. Fluttershy couldn't help but notice the engraved patterns on his metal body, nor the fact that he was "the monitor of installation 04." It was likely that he was an AI that his creators had left behind, and installation 04 referred to Halo, which he was the monitor of. His design certainly matched that of the Forerunners.

In regards to this specific place, the yellow Pegasus asked, "Where are we?" Staring around in wonderment, she eyed the vivid blue and orange lights, and mysterious, blocky objects.
"Oh, don't you recognise this place? This is the library," informed the AI.
"The library?" It reminded her of Twilight and her love of books.
Spark nodded, "Yes, the library."

The vast interior of the library daunted Fluttershy, and she was even more unnerved when she heard a distant shriek from somewhere within the complex. Scanning the area ahead, she picked out the shapes of bodies, laying still on the floor in puddles of blood. The blood was green, and disturbing protrusions decorated each and every corpse, identifying them as the monsters. As the Flood.

Exploring this giant, grim facility with no company other than a quirky alien AI didn't sit well with her, and she turned to face the monitor. "Index. You said we need something called an "index" to activate Halo."
"Not a index. The index, for there is only one."
"Yes. Um, where is it? Can we just get it and go?"
"Oh no. The index can only be reached by an elevator on the top floor. We are on the bottom."
Another monstrous bellow warbled around the gargantuan cavern, raising Fluttershy's pulse. Panting, she took a swig from her flask, and found that she was running low on water. One more swig and she'd be out.

She was about to respond with a question, but then she noticed something distant walk onto the floor. It was shaded by the darkness, but whatever it was, it was biped. All two-legged aliens encountered so far were hostile, so naturally, Fluttershy got jumpy. Her assaut rifle rattled as she shakily brought it out, replacing her shotgun, and aiming it at the creature.

Stepping into the light, the creature could be identified as something unidentifiable. It was Flood, to be sure, but whatever it had once been was a mystery. Its legs were short and stubby, kinda like a Covenant Grunt's. Unlike a Covenant Grunt, the form was hideous, and grossly inflated. The top half of its body consisted of a big fat bladder with a couple of long, wiry tentacles attached. That bladder pulsed and quivered; something alive inside.

Freaked out by the walking mushroom, Fluttershy fired a burst at it, and caused it to explode, releasing the cluster of infection forms within. What a disgusting way to travel.

She was able to mop up the parasites with her MA5B. Well, all but one. One managed to burrow into one of the prone combat forms, thus resurrecting it. It had once been a Pegasus, and it came galloping in her direction, one wing limp, the other replaced by a blade of flesh.

With a scream, Fluttershy emptied her MA5B into the front of the equine, but it just kept coming. Tension built as she withdrew the rifle and unlimbered the shotgun. As soon as it was out, the monster was up in her face, howling like no pony ever could. One shell was all it took to end the abomination, but Fluttershy decided to give it a second one, just in case.

Fluttershy was hyperventilating again, and her knees were starting to give.
The monitor dismissed her state with a tut and mentioned, "That could have gone better."

Something had heard the ruckus, and it let an incredible shriek tear through the library.
Jittering and sweaty, Fluttershy reloaded her weapons and pleaded, "Um, can you please do that teleporting thing to take us to that elevator you mentioned, please? I-if it's not too much trouble, that is."
"Well, I could, but I'd like to see if you're worthy first."
Derpstruck, Fluttershy paused before raising a hoof. "... Um... I beg your pardon?"

"Activating my installation is a very prestigious task indeed. No random mortal can just waltz in and activate it. It is something you must earn the right to do."
"Really?" Fluttershy was bewildered, and also quite fed up. She was tired too. "But, I've already been through so much on this ring. Is... isn't there some way you can just... um... bend the rules... just a little... please? I... really need to get back to my friends." She inhaled when the shriek sounded off again, closer.
"Rules?" the floating ball sounded quite puzzled. "Oh, it's not in the rules that I do this. I'd just like to get to know who is activating my precious installation."
"It... it's not in the rules?"

This Guilty Spark guy made it clear that stopping the Flood was the number one priority, and here he was, saying that he'd like to watch her roam the bowels of his infested library to "see if she's worthy." It wound her up, and she gritted her teeth behind her mouth.

"Well if it isn't in the rules, then why are we doing this?" she snorted aggressively. It was amazing what violence and sleep deprivation could do to a Pony.
"It's my own little test," answered Spark, oblivious to the Pony's annoyance.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but we don't have time for little tests!" She wasn't shouting, but the anger in her tone was very clear. "You said we have to stop the Flood, and now we're messing about doing little tests?!" It took a lot to get Fluttershy angry, and the Mare stretched her neck to get up close and personal with the talking machine.

"Er..."
"Ever since I landed on this ring, I've faced all sorts of danger, and I've always come out on top! I think I'm worthy! Now if you don't mind, I'd really like to regroup with my friends!" Her eyes drilled deep into the monitor's lens as she stared into him.

It wasn't just any stare; this was the stare she used to set disruptive animals straight. She had no control over it, it just sort of happened when she got mad. She also wasn't sure if it would work on a Forerunner AI, but judging from the way he lowered and cowered under her piercing glare, it was doing the trick.

"So I'm asking you nicely; please teleport us to the index so we can activate Halo, stop the Flood, and then me and the rest of my kind will be on our way."
Were Spark organic, he would be sweating in buckets. "Um... er..."
"Well?" She loomed over him.
"I... I can't take you directly to the index, but I can take you as far as the other reclaimer."
Backing off, she raised an eyebrow. "Other reclaimer?"
"This way."
Once again, that gold light encased the two of them, and Fluttershy's vision turned to white, just as she saw a whole lota shadows run up on the far wall.

A few seconds later, she found herself beholding a massive Forerunner door, somewhere else inside the library. As the gold light disipated, she realised she was surrounded by the corpses of the Flood. They lay twisted and distorted, huge protusions sticking up like plants from their gangrenous bodies. Ponies were among the infected, and it puzzled Fluttershy almost as much as it scared her.

Randomly, 343 Guilty Spark announced, "In order to retrieve the index, all ten doors must be opened. Luckily for you, the other reclaimer managed to open nine of them. This is the final door you see here."
"What happened to the other reclaimer?" Fluttershy quizzed.
For the record, what is a reclaimer?

Answering Fluttershy's question, the monitor said, "She came this far before being defeated by the Flood. A pity; she'd done so well."
She...? Uh oh. Things were starting to piece together.

Rainbow Dash had mentioned that Pinkie Pie had dissappeared in a golden flash, and as Fluttershy looked around, she could see the trail of destruction often left in the pink one's wake. She'd done it on the Filly of Autumn, at the cartographer, and it would seem she'd done it here too.

Stammering, Fluutershy asked, "Um... she... How... What happened to her exactly?"
Hopefully there would be no body. When it came to Pinkie, no body meant no death, and she would just be MIA again.
But then the monitor zipped around to hover over a body in the corner. "See for yourself."
That made Fluttershy gulp.

As she aproached the body on the floor, she noticed a patch of short pink fur under the ruined UPSC armour. The pink quadruped laid on her side in a large puddle of red blood, and her blue eyes were open wide, as if still seeing, still experiencing the pain of whatever had reduced her. One of her forelegs had been sliced off, and it laid seperate to her.

Fluttershy cried, "Pinkie!" and knelt down by her side, wrapping her hooves around her. "Oh, Pinkie... Why... Aha-aha-aha-ahaa!" Her lamentation echoed solefully around the cold library, and tears ran down her face to drip onto Pinkie's scuffed up coat.
In the background, Spark asked, "What are you doing?" as if he had no concept of feelings.
Fluttershy ignored him and cuddled up to her silent friend, taking a moment to close her eyelids.

This really was Pinkie. She had been presumed dead before, but this was the real deal. There was no guessing, no possibility that she could still be alive, and no hope. She was here, and she was dead, end of.

A sudden clang made Fluttershy jump, and she flicked her head to face the huge opening door behind her. Parting, it revealed intense blue light racing up in a concentrated beam through a hole in the centre of a vast metal disc. Forerunner patterns engraved the disc, and were illuminated in blue.

Humming a tune, 343 Guilty Spark whizzed away into the incredible chamber, leaving the despondent Fluttershy on her own. Not knowing what to do, she held onto Pinkie, nuzzling her fluffy pink mane and stroking her, shuddering with every sob.

"We have no time for this, reclaimer," Spark chirped, waiting for the shy. If he had feet, he'd be tapping one on the ground. "The Flood must be stopped."
Giving Pinkie one last cuddle, which lasted longer than planned, Fluttershy trotted after the one who'd lead her friend to her fate, feeling a rational hatred rooting into her veins like weeds.

She felt bad just leaving Pinkie's body behind, but what was she to do? She couldn't carry her everywhere. And she felt even worse when she realised Pinkie's body would likely be recruited by the Flood. Pausing, she turned to give her dearest friend one last look, teeth on lip, and actually waved goodbye.

Back to following the monitor, she shielded her watering eyes in the vibrant blue light. Sunglasses would be a blessing here.

Hovering over the giant platform, Spark explained, "The energy barrier surrounding the index will deactivate when we reach the ground floor."
Unsure, Fluttershy stepped up onto the platform, and felt a jerk as the whole thing dropped down. It was one big elevator, as it turned out.

The elevator descended slowly, giving Fluttershy some time to reflect on all the things she'd been through with Pinkie Pie. The happy pink Mare cheered her up when she was down, reassured her when she was in doubt, protected her when she was in danger. They'd grown up together in Ponyville, hung out almost everyday, shared smiles, laughs and happy tears. And now she was gone. The only tears coming from Fluttershy were of sorrow, and she hunkered down with her face buried in her hooves and mane.

Riding the platform down and down into the library, the young Mare peered up at the centre of the platform where the monitor was floating, and witnessed a compact block rise up through the central hole. The elevator came to a harsh stop, and the mysterious block held its position.

Sniffling, Fluttershy got up and made her jittery way towards the thing. Observing, she discovered the block was made up of multiple blocks that shifted and orbited around a "T" shaped icon.
"You may now retrieve the index!" elated Spark, bobbing up and down in the air.

Getting up close to the whirring formation of silver metal, Fluttershy witnessed the blocks lock in tight around the T, like they were unwilling to let anypony take it. That T then rose up out of its tubular sheath, beconing to be taken.
"Th... this is the index?" she questioned, voice warbling, still in a state. She'd expected more. "This is what we need to stop the Flood?"
Spark sighed, "Yes, reclaimer. You know this."
Do I? What else do I know?

Inspecting the glowing green talisman, Fluttershy grasped it with her teeth and yanked it free. She was just about to conceal it in her saddle bag when a sudden spark of electricity shot into her mouth and scared the living daylights out of her. 343 Guilty Spark was the culprit, and the zigzags of light acted as an arm reaching out to grab the index right out of her chops.

Storing the object somewhere in his round metal casing, he spoke patronisingly, "As you know reclaimer, protocol requires that I take possession of the index for transport. Your organic form renders you vulnerable to infection. The index must not fall into the hands of the Flood before we reach the control room and activate the installation."
"Oh, we're going to the control room now?" A miniscule drop of delight dripped into her weary, sorrowful soul as she wiped away a tear. Her other friend, Twilight, would be at the control room... unless something bad had happened to her too.

"Indeed," Spark replied joyfully. "Now come! The Flood is spreading further by the minute!" He engaged his teleporting ability.
Fluttershy wondered how far the Flood had spread, if her friends were ok, if the Truth and Reconciliation was safe. The Covenant finding their stolen craft was bad enough, but the thought of the nightmares getting on board made Fluttershy panic.

Just like before, golden light consumed her, and her body faded away into nothingness.

Author's Note:

USE MEDIUM DARK BACKGROUND.

One chapter! Booyah! One chapter is all it takes to get through The Library. Take that. It aint even a four thousander. It aint even a three thousander! Title for shortest chapter (apart from Prologue) goes to this one.

Oh yeah, Pinkie is dead now :( And she's confirmed dead, not just dissapearing and presumed dead like before... Like Rarity... I'm gonna miss Pinkie. At least we'll see the return of Twilight Sparkle in the next chapter. Onwards to Two Betrayals!

13th May 2014. It's the start of a new level! It's also the end of a new level, so I have to ask this twice: Where'd Berry Punch go? Where'd Berry Punch go?

4th January 2015, Publishing Day. Cover art updated, and because the previous cover art didn't last that long, I've decided to put the cover art in these notes each mission.

Happy new year yo! Y'know, this time last year, I was typing up Filly of Autumn. It was 2013 when I started typing the Prologue. This story is officially over one year in the making.

"Hold me, I'm scared."

Comments

[NobleLeader6]

Welp, Pinkie is confirmed dead. At least she wasn't infected yet. This chapter was pretty short. Like, it skipped practically the entire mission, even the massive onslaught of flood at the last part.

[Hi World]

5462896 It was :D Expected longer? The Library is a mission longer than need be since all you're doing is getting the index n' leaving. And the final Flood onslaught would've killed the mood after Pinkie's death. Pinkie's death, getting the index and introducing carrier forms were the key things >;)

[NobleLeader6]

5462913 Well, whatever works.I know they ain't gonna be using the elements of harmony now especially. Shit.

[Hi World]

5462923 Nope :D Elements o' harmony never even crossed my mind lol. That's be a great way to stop the Flood

[NobleLeader6]

5464098 ... They wouldn't do jack-shit, and you know it. There is nothing to harmonize about the flood, because, in a sick and twisted way, they are harmonized. All flood strive towards two goals: Consumption, and revenge on the Forerunners. If you don't know the latter reason, I suggest you read The Forerunner Trilogy, starting with the book Cryptum. It tries to go into the events leading up to the activation of the HALO Array, and the demise of the Forerunners.

[Hi World]

5464144 I'll for sure give them books a read. But maybe the helements of armory would banish all the flood to some moon or turn em all to stone, like with NMM n' Discord