Artificial Harmony

by Twisted Fiction

Chapter 2

The ringing alarm bells could be heard throughout every room of the compound warning of the impending invasion. The magic charges running along the ceiling bathing the halls in a sickly green light. Not wasting a moment the master dawned his lab coat and took the strange blue vial from his desk shoving it into the pocket of his lab coat. He reached for a microphone that dangled from the ceiling above his desk and placed it to his mouth, continuing to monitor the invaders all the while.

"Attention!" the microphone carried his voice to every room loud enough that the alarms were mute in comparison. "Canterlot guards are invading the compound. All exits are blocked. Everypony should make their way to the emergency evacuation chamber immediately. Do not engage the enemy or stop for any reason. Do not wait for me! Head straight there and follow procedures. I'll contact you all as soon as I can!" With his announcement over he hastily got to work.

Even as his plans seemed to be falling to ruins, he managed to move with the steady and quick hooves of a surgeon. Undaunted by the urgent situation. He grabbed all manner of gizmos and gadgets from his shelves and shoved them into his coat pockets. He loaded research samples and papers into a satchel that he swiftly threw around his shoulder. Any papers he couldn't carry or believed unnecessary were left burning on the lab floor in mystic green flames. With that, there was only one more thing to take care of.

He looked to a door dead center in the back wall. A large iron slate, sealed tighter than a banks vault. Locks and bolts ran down the side protecting whatever lied beyond. One by one the unicorn unlocked each of them and shoved the door ajar. As it came open a current of ice cold air rushed out as if trying to escape whatever was inside. The room was pitch black only illuminated by the light that leaked in from the lab.

He took a step forward, nopony had set hoof in this room for years and what lied inside was of such importance he didn't even allow his creations to enter. Despite this, the room only held a single object. A black square box roughly the size of a refrigerator. A heavy chain coiled around it covered in its own series of locks. He was forced to choke down his hesitance as he knew it must be done. His green magic gripped hold of the box and lifted it into the air. With a heavy heart, the master sent it away with a teleportation spell. In an instant, the box was gone along with its contents. No matter what came next he could relax knowing what was inside wouldn't be found.

Preparations complete, he returned to lounging in his desk chair to wait. He knew he wouldn't make it to the evacuation chamber without encountering the soldiers and thus decided to wait for his guests to arrive. In the meantime, he would keep an eye on things with the use of his monocle. He made himself comfortable as he watched the events in the compound unfold.

The Compound Upper chambers.

Parallel to his master, the earth pony named Disaster was currently at the peak of the compound inside the elevator room. It was the only room that offered enough space while also being private enough for him to train/play with his new toy. He had spent the last hour kicking the ball against the chamber wall and chasing after it. He enjoyed the game but always told his brothers it was a training exercise, he wasn't about to admit to something as whimsical as playing catch with himself. It wasn't until his master sounded the alarms that he broke away from his game.

“The evacuation chamber?" Disaster scoffed as the elevator gears sprang to life behind him heralding the soldiers' arrival. "sounds like the fun is right here." Regardless of his master's instructions Disaster wasn't about to pass up the opportunity for a real fight with trained soldiers. He'd take out the first wave of troops and then evacuate. That way he could have some fun and still keep the master happy.

The elevator finally reached the bottom bringing with it ironclad ponies baring swords and spears. Upon seeing the earth pony they sprang into action. Leaving the elevator and taking a crescent formation before him. Uncertain as to how this one would respond to them the captain spoke up.

"We are the Equestrian-"

“Soldiers right?" Disaster rudely cut him off. The captain narrowed his gaze as he watched the pony before him, brandish an eager smile that managed to send a shiver down his spine.

“Surrender peacefully and-"

"Surrender?" Disaster threw his head back in laughter. "Haven't gotta smash a soldiers skull in." The words came as a warning to the attack force who braced themselves for battle."Better not disappoint me!" his voice came loud and roaring like thunder with such a passionate intensity it forced the soldiers into a pause.

In the second they were frozen Disaster made his move. He leaped forward with enough force to launch his body much quicker than any normal pony and was upon the guard captain in an instant. Using nothing but his muzzle to knock away the spear. He slid to the captain's side and bit down on his neck. Blood spewing from his mouth as his teeth dug their way into his skin ignoring his armor. The captain was helpless as Disaster lifted him from the ground and brought him down smashing his body onto the cold floor. Disaster raised a hoof and quickly brought it down onto his head. The helmet offered no defense against the ponies sheer might and the captains head caved in under his force. With a final "Snap!" the captains head splattered like an egg

It was over in an instant, to quick even for other soldiers to defend their distressed commander. As soon as they realized what had happened they simultaneously converged on their opponent ready to strike. Disaster prepared himself but was slightly taken off guard when he found his body illuminated by a unicorns telekinesis. Before he could be pulled from the ground he slammed a hoof down onto the floor. The loud bang reverberated from wall to wall until it became a strident roar. It was such a bellowing sound the other ponies couldn't help but stop as their ears began to bleed. Unable to focus the unicorn lost control of its magic and Disaster was free.

Straight away Disaster turned his attention to the unicorn, ramming his head into its own. Despite its sharp point, the earth pony seemed unphased as he pushed it harder and harder until he finally pressed the unicorns horn into the it’s own skull skewering its brain.

The fellow soldiers stood next to them, hooves covering their ears they could only watch in horror. However, seeing the horn jutting out of his allies head gave him the strength he needed. His resolve hardened he uncovered his ears and returned to his hooves. Sword in mouth, he lunged quickly bringing the blade down on his opponent's neck. Jubilation filled his body as the blade connected he couldn't help but feel the relief of the battles end, the glee of avenging his comrades.

The sword struck his target and exploded into small fragments, shattering his will along with his weapon. He couldn't make sense of it. This pony, it moved faster than they could react, was strong enough to break their armor and its hyde was as strong as steel.

“W-What are you?" he shouted out loud and Disaster responded by uppercutting him with a front hoof. His bottom jaw broke to pieces and he was launched into the air doing an entire flip until crashing to the ground with a loud thud.

"Enough!" Called out the First Lieutenant who had just taken up the mantle of captain.

"Givin' up already?" Disaster mocked spitting out a mouthful of the captain's blood.

"I'm going to deal with this one. The rest of you press on with the plan, make for the center of the compound to regroup with the other squads. If there are more ponies like this one you'll need more numbers." As much as they hated the idea they knew their new captain was right. They knew nothing of this adversary, his weaknesses or what he was capable of. If things kept going like this they'd all end up dead. Without argument, they each bolted for the door as their captain covered them he gripped the sword tightly in his mouth as he placed himself between Disaster and his comrades as they disappeared from sight.

He stood still as a statue awaiting Disasters next move. He was assured in his decision ready to face this opponent in his comrades stead. However, when Disaster took a calm slow step forward he found himself stepping back. He never moved his eyes from his adversary awaiting his next attack but as he glared into the ponies eyes the eager brash smile seemed to fade leaving a look of emptiness.

“This is just pathetic." Disaster gritted his teeth, looking to the three corpses slumped on the ground. "You said you were soldiers right? Like military soldiers?" Disaster asked. He got no response as the guard stared at him not daring to blink.

"C'mon if you're a soldier than why don't you come at me? Too scared?" The guard didn't answer, he merely stood silent and motionless.

"Pft, that's what I thought." he scoffed before charging. As he came upon him the captain swung his sword in a vain attempt to win but Disaster grabbed hold of the blade in his own mouth. He jerked tearing the hilt from his opponent's mouth and a few teeth along with it. The next thing he knew Disasters body smashed into him forcing him to the ground. Body limp and vision quickly becoming foggy he could do nothing but flail his limbs to keep Disaster away.

"Is this really how Equestrias strongest warriors do battle?!" Disaster shouted at the top of his lungs as he made his way around the captains thrashing hooves.

"Wheres your advanced combat training!?!" Disaster towered over the crippled pony like a mountain, his voice strong and thundering as an eruption. Raising his hoof Disaster brought it down hard on the soldier's front leg. The force wasn't only strong enough to sever the limb but hurl it feet away. The captain let out a blood-curdling scream that echoed through each dark corner of the compound.

"Wheres your military tactics!?!" He howled fiercely as he brought down another hoof disconnecting the second limb and forcing out more painfilled cries. With the captain relieved of his arms Disaster turned his attention to his legs.

"Did I scare them out of you!?!" he brought down another hoof.

"Protect and serve right!?!" he repeated the action leaving the pony with nothing but bloody stumps. Disappointed he left the moaning pony to bleed out. "No big deal. Not even worth evacuating." The blood-soaked pony leisurely strolled over to retrieve his ball, not bothering to clean the blood and bits of flesh from his body. He wasn't in the mood to continue his game. He had always imagined what it would be like to face the Equestrian royal guard. He imaged a fierce battle that would push him to the brink of his limits and the let down had left him in low spirits. "Guess I'd better get moving before the master gives me an earful." he gripped to himself.

Just as he began to leave a yellow light pierced the shadows behind him. What began as a small glow gradually grew larger and brighter until it was as if the sun itself had descended the shaft. Disaster twisted around to see a radiant figure standing behind him. A tall white pony displaying an impressive wingspan and horn, her rainbow hair flowing like the wind. Her mere presence demanded respect and attention.

Disasters eyes lite up just as the room did. Filled with a newfound vigor he smiled bracing himself for a real battle. Despite never seeing this pony before he knew exactly who she was. Since their very creation, the ponies of the compound had heard stories of the famous ruler of Equestria.

"Now that's more like it." He laughed getting into a fighting stance. He pushed off the ground lunging for her but was quickly subdued by a bolt of gold magic that shot from the Princesses horn. The magic constricted his front hooves as it twisted and contorted into a pair of golden shackles. Gold chains branched out from the cuffs and grabbed hold of the floor pulling Disaster to the ground.

"What!?!" he growled as a matching set restrained his legs. "Bitch fight me with your hooves, don't use some cheap tricks!" she proceeded to strike his mouth with the same magic sealing it shut. Disaster struggled the best he could but even with all of his strength, he was no match for her alicorn magic.

The Princess approached remaining silent as she took in the grizzly scene. Eyes filled with righteous fury she didn't even grant Disaster a passing glance as she walked by intent to apprehend the rest.

Further down, the fleeing ponies had made great progress thanks to their companions sacrifice. Deeper and deeper they traveled guided by the murky light. Desperate to reach the central chambers of the compound where the other squads would be heading. They rounded a corner and came face to face with the bright purple unicorn Madness who had just set hoof outside the cafeteria.

"Oh hey. You guys are those intruders," he said rather casually. A small slender frame and bright colors made this one much less intimidating but the soldiers weren't about to take chances.

A brash young pegasus soldier took charge. Brandishing a sword in her mouth she lifted off as high as she could within the confines of the compound. A quick dive brought the blade swiftly down on Madness's head but seemingly in an instant he had vanished.

She landed on her hooves confused about seeing Madness suddenly sitting and waving to her from further down where the hallway forked into two.

"Missed me."

"Slippery aren't you," she said angrily.

"You're a real go-getter. I like that, bet it makes for good party leaders." Madness
laughed wickedly before trotting down the hallway to his right.

"Careful." warned the Second Lieutenant coming up beside her. "We don't know what this one capable of."

"Right." she agreed, taking a breath to calm her nerves. The squad carefully approached the forked path where Madness had just been sitting. Now they found him in the right side hallway as far as back as they could see, sitting waiting patiently for them. His mouth pulled back in a sickening twisted smile, showing off rows of razor-sharp teeth. Oddly Madness could also be found in the left hallway at the same distance in the same position.

"Hey, would you guys like to play a game? I've had this idea for a fun game for so long but no one ever wants to play with me." The matching unicorns spoke in unison.

"Copies?" asked the pegasus.

"Maybe." the Lieutenant looked from one Madness to the other. "If this one is anything like the last we must be on guard. I want four of you to attack the one on the right, I'll lead the rest of you against the one on the left. Prepare yourself for offensive spells and bizarre powers. If anything should go wrong we should fall back here and take up defensive positions." he instructed.

His soldiers nodded in understanding before they broke off. The pegasus led the charge down the right hall as the Lieutenant took three others down the left.

She didn't fly this time, instead, she stayed low allowing her hooves to carry her to her target. The gleeful look in Madness's eyes never faded as they attacked. She watched for the unicorn to disappear again but this time he simply quick-stepped back as she ran to him.

"Fell for it!" Madness laughed as she came to where he had been sitting. The floor beneath her began to tremble as if about to cave in. Reacting purely on instinct she kicked off the ground just as Madness did, barely avoiding an instant death as the floor beneath her shot skyward smashing into the ceiling. She tumbled into a fighting stance only to see her target seemingly vanished once again leaving her alone in the empty dark hall.

"Are you ok?!" The muffled voice of her teammates could be heard from the other side of the concrete pillar.

"Y-Yeah I'm fine," she responded, backing against the new wall.

"Good. I don't think we'll be able to get past this."

"Whats the status of the Lieutenant?"

"Same thing. Seems that unicorn led us into a trap. We don't know if any of them made it to the other side or not."

"You guys work on finding another way around and regrouping with the team, I'm pursuing the unicorn and join you all as soon as I can."

"Be careful. This one seems to have some tricks up its sleeve." warned her teammates before the soft pitter patter of their leaving hoofprints could be heard.

She began pursuit. Dim light and Madnesses steadily rising cackles led her down the hallways. Every twist and turn seemed to just give way to more halls that stretched on into an endless maze, showing no signs of ending. It was that moment that she wished she had taken more time memorizing their copy of the compound map they had received, which was currently nestled in the pack of their dead captain.

"Alright!" Madnesses voice echoed from somewhere far ahead. "All the players are in place. Let's start the campaign!"

"Campaign...?"

"Lost in a deep dark dungeon, separated from your party members. Now you must press on in search of the exit! clinging to the faint hope of seeing the light of day." he set the scene.

"Is this some kinda game to you?"

"Kinda, yeah," he replied nonchalantly showing he could, in fact, hear her while remaining out of view

"All this destruction and killing. Was just you having fun!?!"

"Dang, I thought Death was a downer." groaned Madness. "Anyways better get ready. Funs about to start," she prepped herself for whatever trick he would throw at her as she continued her way forward to find a way out of the maze.

"The black abyss stretches on infinitely before you, yet you press on undaunted by the odds. All that changes as you encounter a wall of light!"

"Wall of light?" she inspected her surroundings and noticed something peculiar. She had just stepped through what looked like a black frame and for a split second, she could have sworn she saw a beam of twisted light jump from the bottom of the wall to the top.

Something was wrong. She rushed forward pulling the rest of her body through the frame uncertain as to what she was running from. Just as she cleared it, bolts of pure light arched from the top of the frame to the bottom creating a wall of electricity behind her. She vaulted forward making certain she was out of harms way.

She turned to look at the frame, imagining herself being turned to ash in an instant if the unicorn hadn't given her a heads up. Then from the corner of her eye, she saw a quick streak of light bounce around the wall. A quick glance revealed she was standing inside another frame.

Frantically she twisted and flapped her wings to lift off. Another wall of light erupted behind her so close she felt the heat on the end of her tail. She never stopped flying staying in the air as she pushed on through another frame revealing a long series of lightning walls before her. The lightning seemed to chase her down the halls as the frames were positioned closer and closer together the further she got. Eventually, they lighting faded for the last time, she continued flying at high speed for a while longer certain that the unicorn would plant one as a trick somewhere down the line.

The trap never sprang, so she finally worked up the nerve to stop and land to catch her breath.

"Good job, you've got some high DEX," Madness chuckled.

"shut up!" she shouted.

"Hey don't go losing your cool yet, that was only the first obstacle."

She took his words as a warning of more traps to come. She continued, now making sure to keep low carefully examining the entire environment around her before quietly stepping forward.

"Better get ready. You're coming to the next encounter!" proclaimed Madness. She slunk around the corner to a horrific sight. Three hairy black spiders as large as a pony, pulling themselves along the compound floor by their jagged bony legs. The leading one reared back throwing its front legs in the air threateningly. In all her years of service, she had never seen or heard of such creatures. All she could think to do was retreat and gain some distance to think of how to approach them.

"You've encountered three giant spiders! So whatcha gonna do?" asked Madness. The spiders gave chase as the pegasus bolted back around the last corner.

"Fleeing? That's no fun...." Madness moaned. She flattened herself against the wall, lying in wait for the creatures to come close. "Ohhhh, going for an attack of opportunity!" Madness chuckled.

She closed her eyes listening for the pitter patter of the spider's needle-like legs against the metal floors. She stood completely still, listening, envisioning them coming down the hallway as the sound gradually grew louder. Once she was certain they were just around the corner she sprung. Eyes wide open she twisted sending the blade between the leading spider's eyes. Its front legs twitched as it hissed in pain. She pulled the blade as far to the right as she could ripping the right half of the spiders head off and sending the entire thing toppling over. The other two backed up as if intimidated. She didn't hesitate to leap at the next one as it back away from her.

With a flap of her wings to bring her up above the beast, she brought down her blade on the spider's thorax. This attack connected, however, it only pinged off its body as if striking a wall. She had to change plans since the spiders seemed to have a hard protective shells. With another flap of her wings, she landed behind it and twisted, dragging her blades tip along the ground hacking off the back legs. Its body dropped like a rock allowing her to bring her sword down like a guillotine relieving the spider of its head.

Left with only a single adversary. The last one stood motionless, watching her through its eight beady-eyes. She wasn't going to give a chance to attack she swung and the spider lifted a leg as they clashed together. The spider pulled back its leg and thrusted. Seizing the opportunity she moved to dodge as the spider's leg scrapped her side just under her armor, deep enough to draw blood. She dropped to the floor and slide up under the monstrous creature injecting her sword between its fangs and up through the head. She removed the blade from its fleshy sheath dragging a fountain of blood out with it.

She gritted her teeth trying to ignore the pain in her side. She could only hope to reunite with her team soon enough to get treatment before infection.

"Good job. Don't forget the loot," Madness reminded. A small bright green glow appeared on the ground before her, blooming into a flash of light. Once it faded a long gold spear, the same kind used by Equestrian soldiers was left in its place.

"Loot?" she said through panted breaths. "This really is just some game to you." she looked down to the weapon that seemed to have materialized from nowhere. If this unicorn could conjure weapons like this it made her wonder just how much more control he held over this place. With such power he could very well kill her anytime he wanted if he grew bored so she'd best play along. She sheathed her sword and took the spear in her mouth. If this weapon had indeed been crafted by the unicorns magic she didn't believe it was very reliable. The unicorn could very well remove the blade mid fight as a cruel joke so she prepared herself for that possibility. "So is this game of yours almost over?"

"Just about, you still gotta beat the boss."

"Boss huh?" She took one more deep breath before continuing through the maze leaving the spiders curled up corpses behind.

"Ya know ya don't seem to be having any fun."

"How in Equestria is this suppose to be fun?"

"You're a soldier. Fighting monsters, escaping traps, defying death. You guys love that stuff."

"I didn't become a soldier because I find it fun! I did it to keep Equestria safe and to get rid of crazy anarchists like you."

"Eh, safe sounds kinda boring."

"Yeah, I suppose somepony like you would see it that way." she didn't feel like having a conversation with a pony who was clearly deranged but by keeping him talking she hoped to get a clue to where he might be.

"Alright! So you've overcome the lightning walls and managed to slay the spiders but there's still one obstacle between you and freedom." Announced Madness. She took another step forward until a deep growl froze her body. A large orange paw stepped into the light at the end of the hallway before pulling the rest of its body into view. The front of its form was that of a large orange feline but the back-end was that of a goat, complete with a goats head protruding from its back until the body ended in a scally snake tail. The three heads moved to look at her as if each possessed an individual consciousness.

Though initially shaken she found this more welcoming than the last trial. She knew chimeras, she had faced them before. She'd need to avoid the front paws. A single strike could prove to be fatal. Doing so, however, was going to be much more difficult since its body filled the entire hallway. She would need to create an opening to get behind it.

She stood ready for the creäture to lung giving her an opportunity to slip behind it but it stood in place merely looking and growling at her. She started to consider another plan of attack when the beast took a couple of steps towards her. She took that as a chance hurled the spear through the air like a javelin aiming for the goat's neck. A powerful flap of her wings carried her up and towards the creäture as she sent the spear soaring. In the corner of her eyes, she watched it soar into the goats neck but seemingly passed through it, she was puzzled. She was certain she saw it connect but she passed it off as one of the unicorns tricks. She flew over the tiger head and passed the goats noticing another opportunity. She pulled her sword from its sheath using it to slice the snake tail clean off as she passed. Twisting as she landed the beast seemed rather unphased by all the damage. Normally cutting off the tail would at least spark a roar but the beast remained quiet.

It turned around to face her something that didn't even look possible for it. It remained stationary and silent as if not sure what to do. She wasn't going to make the same mistake. She took to the air again. With the snake head gone she had much more room to maneuver in the air. Once above the beast, she dived striking its back, this attack prompting a roar from it and forcing it into action. It swiped at her in the air but she managed to avoid the attack with an aerial back flip and bringing the sword down on its back once again hacking another chunk of flesh off. As the beast came again she maneuvered around the paw down to the floor right in front of it, placing her in the prime spot for a shot at its chest. She thrust her sword but the chimera leaped back away from her much faster and further than one should be able to jump.

"Somethings off," she thought. Not only was this chimera much more nimble than it appeared but its behavior was off. Why did it hesitate to attack her? Why did it dodge her attack? Chimeras don't plan out fights they attack like the towering wall of muscle they are. She couldn't think about that now she had to focus on the fight.

A small glitter of light caught her eye. Between the two of them the spear she discarded set on the ground twinkling in the lanterns glow. The chimera was hesitating once again as it set breathing heavily. The pegasus rushed it causing the beast to follow suit and charge for her. She waited until it came within feet of her to launch her blade. The chimera lifted a paw to knock the blade away and in that same instant, she flew over it to grab the spear.

She thrust the blade as the chimera twisted around falling right onto the tip digging its flesh into it.

"Got...it.." she blew a sigh of relief. She let go of the spear letting the limp body flop onto the floor.

"Hey, good job! You didn't get ripped to pieces," Madness laughed.

"Ok I played your little game so-" she stopped as the chimeras body seemed to melt into a bright green smoke leaving behind the dead corpse of her squads lieutenant in its stead, the spear jutting from between his eyes just below his helmet. "W-What?" her jaw dropped and she took a few steps away from it. She was baffled. Had she been fighting him the entire time? Did the unicorn turn him into a chimera?

"I knew you would be a good player," laughed Madness who seemed to come out of nowhere to playfully nudge her. "You should give Death some pointers." with his playful demeanor it was as if he saw her as a friend.

It didn't matter that her target was only inches from her. She was trapped in her mind. Unable to accept the truth of what had happened. Her body froze in place.

"I.....I D-Did I..... killed him?" She had to force the words from her mouth.

"Yeah you killed them, but hey on the bright side you know you're the best fighter in your squad now." Madness chuckled.

"S-Squad?" her mind flashed back to the spiders she faced earlier. There were three of them, just like the squad she was separated from. She imagined their smiling faces at seeing her come around the corner unharmed, chasing after her as she ran away in terror only for her to turn on them, cutting each of them down one by one before finally prying the spear from their dead hooves.

"W-What have I done." Tears welled up in her eyes as she had to face this harsh reality. Madness couldn't help but feel a bit awkward talking to the unresponsive pony.

"Aaaaaanyways, you won the game so you'll just want to keep heading straight then go left, right, right, left, left, left, right, right then take another left at the fork, head down the stairs and you'll find an exit tunnel. But I imagine your pretty messed up about murdering your teammates and all so, you may also wanna go left then take three rights and trigger the trap door in case you can't deal with it. Anyways thanks again for playing. It was a lot of fun." He sounded genuinely happy as he strolled away whistling to himself, leaving the stunned pony where she stood.

"I hope masters not gonna be too mad." Madness muttered to himself as he wondered the halls. His game had drug on a little longer than he had planned and his master wasn't one to appreciate slacking. He sighed as made his way to the evacuation chamber, dreading the long walk.

The Compounds bottom chambers

Deep down in the Compounds depths, Famine sat in the study reading over the screenplay he collected. Whatever the rooms intended purpose was it was now used as an educational facility where the ponies would go to study the outside world. Books laid in piles around the room, some of which were halfway to the ceiling and almost all of which he had collected himself. He was only partway through the script when the alarm sounded.

Famine closed the text and left it where it lied. Hastily exiting the study he was fully prepared to make for the evacuation chamber but stopped when something caught his eye. His brother Pestilence darting past the hallway clearly in a hurry but moving away from his supposed destination.

It had occurred to Famine that his brother had been acting peculiar recently and he didn't think it was a coincidence this invasion had begun around the same time. Overwhelmed with curiosity he had to place his escape on hold and decided to see what Pestilence was up too.

Faster than he had ever moved before, Pestilence rushed to the pump-room. Leaping down the stairwells and twisted around the winding corners. Heart pulsing he came to the door to the pump-room. To find the hallway infested with soldiers.

It seemed that the guards were making progress much faster then he had expected but he didn't panic. It was only a minor set back.

"Hey, good job finding the place." Pestilence sarcastically clapped his hooves together.

The guards readied themselves at the sight of him. On guard but not expecting much of a battle from an unarmed pegasus.

"Surrender peacefully and we won't need to hurt you." declared the squad captain stepping forward. Ignorant to the violent butchering that had occurred higher up, these soldiers were still operating on the initial orders.

"Sorry Pal, Not happening." Pestilence wasn't sure what would happen to him if he allowed himself to be taken, he imagined he'd just end up in another cage or worse. Pestilence opened his mouth letting a cloud of green smoke flow forth like a fog machine. The sickly colored mist rolled over them overtaking the oxygen.

"Unicorns!" screamed the squad captain. "Do something about this fo-" He stopped as the gas entered his body filling his chest. His whole body felt heavy and he could no longer stand on his wobbly legs. He felt unable to move as the gas set his lungs ablaze. It was agony beyond anything he had imagined as if his inside were trying to force themselves out of him. He opened his mouth to scream or cry for help, yet all that came out was a bucket full of blood and vomit. His legs grew stiff as his joints locked in place leaving him as nothing but a twitching husk of a pony.

It made no sense. He was a pegasus. How did he manage to unleash such a miasma? This was the work of magic. Did he use some sort of concealed weapon?

Pestilence returned his sights to the pump-room. With his obstruction cleared he only needed to step over the trembling soldiers as they writhed on the ground.

"I-It, it burns. Can't move." one soldier pleaded with the last of his strength.

"Yeah, botulisms a bitch," said Pestilence as he pushed open the door to the pump-room and walked inside.

Close behind him, Famine arrived too late to find his brother but he recognized his work. The once proud guardians of Equestria reduced to foul twitching lumps of flesh. Had Famine been a less composed pony he may have broke into tears. Deep yellow light flowed from the end of his horn wrapping itself around him in a magic barrier to fend off the lingering miasma. Now protected, he moved to the closest pony to examine the damage.

He saw the captains eyes roll over to look at him causing him to rattle in fear. He struggled to reach the weapon he dropped during his coughing fit. Unable to move he could only extend his tongue into the pool of body fluids in an attempt to nudge to sword back to him.

"Shhh, easy now." Famine tried to offer the dying pony some comfort but it was difficult since he had the appearance of death itself.

Famine had seen the effects of the miasma before. He knew these soldiers were beyond help. All he could do now was grant them a swift and peaceful end. Using his magic he commanded the captain to sleep. He ceased flailing and his moans faded to silence. With a quick slit of the throat, he made sure his suffering was over.

He went from one pony to the next, performing the same process until each of them were at peace. Even if they were mercy killings Famine saw himself more as an executioner as he ended their lives. He could only hope knowing they died in the line of duty would offer them some comfort in the afterlife. Unpleasant as it was, it was over and he was free to move along into the pump-room.

Inside, Pestilence had shut off the machinery emptying the pipes of their contents.

"C'mon! C'mon!" he chanted tapping a hoof as he waited for the water to vacate the pipes. Once enough time had passed, he pressed his tongue firmly against the largest pipe and ran it from one end down to the other. His acidic saliva trickled down, pulling metal strips along with it. Peeling away its side.

"Pestilence." beckoned a voice from behind. His ears perked up and he twisted around ready to defend himself. He was relieved to see the familiar figure of his brother, who seemed to have slipped into the room like a ghost. He couldn't help but feel self-conscious knowing his brother had just seen him rubbing his tongue all over the pipe.

"We were instructed to head to the evacuation chamber, but it seems you've managed to improvise your own means of escape," said Famine. Pestilence stood silent for a moment realizing he had been found out. He wasn't going to be able to lie his way around this.

"So what? You gonna knock me out and drag me back?" He growled. A small stalk of miasma rising from one side of his mouth. He was prepared to fight for his freedom even against his own brother if he had too.

"Quite the contrary." He suddenly launched a bolt of magic into the pipe shattering its side. Speeding up his escape plan.

"Well alright!" Pestilence cheered. It was one of the few times Famine had seen him genuinely happy. "So what? You tagging along?"

"The ever-present allure of the world is certainly intoxicating." Famine repeated himself. Pestilence wasn't interested in asking any more questions. He squeezed himself inside, the pipe was large enough that only his wings were uncomfortable as he began his long crawl to freedom.

Famine began to follow suit. He set a single hoof inside when something crossed his mind. He imagined his brothers waiting for him in the evacuation chamber unable to leave. Even if they had the ability to leave without him, War wouldn't allow any of them to be left behind. How would he be able to live with himself if they were captured or worse executed, while he did nothing but flee for his own gains.

"So is this the plan? Escape down the pipes leaving the others to their fate?"

"They can take care of themselves," Pestilence's voice echoed back to him.

"I see. In that case, I wish you safe travels," Famine replied stepping away from the pipe, making his way to the door.

"Getting cold hooves already?"

"Not all cages are built of stone Pestilence," he advised a somber look in his eyes.

"Whatever," Pestilences voice echoed through the pipes. Famine took a deep breath realizing he was giving up his only chance at freedom before he pressed on to find his brothers.

One hoof after the other Pestilence pulled himself along through the darkness. The light of the compound was far behind him and all he could think about now was going forward. Time rolled on and he had no way of knowing how far he had gone or how much further he had to go. Occasionally slivers of doubt crossed his mind. What if I get stuck? What if the water comes back and I drown? Should I just go back? But he always managed to fight them off. This is what he had to do. He would die in that compound sooner or later, and spending his life in it wasn't one worth living.

He continued his decent, hoping with every step forward he'd reach the pipes end only to be met with more darkness. He had lost track of how long it had been and he couldn't help but wonder how his brothers were fairing. He wondered if the master had realized he was gone. It didn't matter to him now, all he had to worry about was putting one hoof in front of the other.

He continued until finally, he extended a hoof only to find the ground before him had vanished. He felt around the interior of the pipe to find that it took a dip. It was here the pipe reached down into the nearby river to pull up the compounds water supply, and where he'd be making his escape from.

Preparing himself to take the plunge was nerve-wracking. He stood there waiting much longer than he had planned to. With no light, he'd be forced to use his sense of touch to navigate his way around. He knew if he couldn't reach the pipes end and the rivers surface fast enough he'd die. Plain and simple. Regardless he couldn't go back, nor did he want to. He took the deepest breath he could before diving down the pipe, hoping it wouldn't be his last.

After squirming his way down he was meet with a facefull of ice cold water. First, he pressed his front hooves against the pipes sides. He used the sides to push himself through the freezing water. He continued hoping every time he outstretched his hooves that he would no longer feel the pipe, yet time after time it was still there. Panic began to set in as he frantically pushed himself down deeper and deeper as his air supply continued to dwindle.

"C'mon, C'mon." he kept repeating in his head. Before he realized it his lungs began tightening up. Begging him to breath. He couldn't believe this was how he was going to die. After all his years of living in a cage, only tossed out for a taste of freedom before having it ripped away. His life was over before he even had a chance to start it. He'd spend eternity wasting away at the edge of his prison cell, mere moments from freedom.

His hope drained Pestilence was ready to give up when something pushes him away. He couldn't see but he felt his body being shoved and spun around. The river's current. At last, the pipe had spat him out into the river, and now he was being pushed along like a piece of driftwood.

He reacted quickly spinning in the water in a desperate search for the surface. The air in his lungs was almost gone, his chest continually growing tighter and tighter. All around him was nothing, nothing but cold wet blackness. Until he finally saw it. The twinkle of sunlight dancing across the water's surface.

With his destination in sight, Pestilence swam as fast as his limbs could carry him. The burning in his chest pushing him forward, while the water in his wings drug him down. Finally went it felt as though his chest was about to rip itself open he finally broke through the surface.

He breathed in all the air he could, as life returned to his lungs and the burning faded away. His limbs had begun to burn from how fast he had swam and he had a feeling he'd be sore in the morning. He wasn't going to worry about that right now. He swam to the riverbank and threw himself onto his back to rest.

He laid there for a moment, doing nothing but breathing and looking up at the clear blue sky. Welcoming him to his new life. He lifted his braceless hoof, he was free from his master's control. Without a prison cell keeping him locked away, he was free to roam wherever he saw fit. He couldn't help but laugh aloud, patting himself on the back for a job well done.

He got to his hooves and took his first steps into his new life. However, it seemed with every step the forest just seemed to get further away, as well as the ground. Pestilence had found himself being lifted from the ground in a magic blue aura.

"What!?!" he snapped as he fought against the magic holding him in place. Whoever had him twirled him in the air to get a look at his face. A slender painted alicorn with a dark coat. Her starlit mane and moon cutie mark revealed her as the twin princess Luna. She wasn't alone armed soldiers were lining the riverside, each hatefully glaring at him. It seemed while he chose an escape route his master couldn't track, it had placed himself directly in the enemies camp.

"Let me go!" he knew fully well who she was, but he was so rage stricken he couldn't care.

"Calm down." Said Luna, he voice as soothing as a lullaby. As she spoke her horn glowed a faint blue light that seemed to calm his nerves and rock him to sleep.

"N-No..." he continued to protest and struggle against her, but it was useless against her magic. His eyes grew heavy, and with every wink more and more soldiers were surrounding him placing him in chains. "Y-You...can't..." tears filled his resting eyes. His freedom torn away just as soon as it was grasped.

With the raging pony sedated and securely hauled away. Princess Luna could return to her duty of running the camp. Which seemed to be in a commotion as a Pegasus was rushing through it at top speed. She was dirty and sweaty but seemingly unharmed as she dashed to the Princess.

"Princess Luna," she tried to speak between her gasps for breath. Medical Ponies came to her side quickly sanitizing and patching up her cut. "You're needed inside!" she took a few more breaths. "These ponies are dangerous. They wiped out my entire Squad. You have to send in the army."

"Of course," Luna replied trying to settle down the pegasus. Her eyes showing she was still in shock from whatever she witnessed inside. Luna turned to face her forces.

"Everypony!" she called to them. "We have received a report from inside." the soldiers gathered their weapons ready for their orders. "We're storming the compound!"

The Compound Central Chambers

War wasn't one to disobey the master if he could help it, but this time he'd make an exception. His brother Despair was still recovering from the surgery and he wouldn't be able to make it on his own. The master would be angry he held up the evacuation for the one creation he could do without, but to War, his brothers came first.

"Despair," he called as he entered the stable area. He found his brother already up out of his stable, leaning awkwardly against the wall.

"Can you walk?" War asked. Despair cautiously moved away from the wall to stand up on his own legs.

"Yes," he said taking a few steps forward causing his legs to give out and topple to the ground. "However I do not seem to be able to walk well." War rushed to his brother's side to help him back onto his legs.

"I'll support you. We have to hurry. so stay with me."

"Don't fret over me, I'm more concerned with how we're going to coax Death from his stable."

"Death?" War asked and looked at his younger brothers stable. The young earth pony laid inside on his hay bed. His face buried behind his hooves, curled up into a fetal position.

"Death. We've got to go." insisted War but Death defiantly shook his head. "We don't have time for this. The soldiers will be here any minute."

"He wants me to go outside, but I'm not going. I can't go back outside." It always seemed that his desire to stay inside the compound was the only thing Death was ever certain of. War had to be quick, every moment the invaders grew closer. Still, in thought, War looked to the pictures Death used to decorate his stable with. While it was hard to make out many details from the crude crayon drawings, it was clear the majority featured Death standing with a smile on his face in the middle of a crowded town filled with smiling ponies. Death never explained the meaning behind the drawings, just asking made him go silent as the dead. The only clue to their origin was the fact he only started drawing them after that day.

Death, along with Despair had never been sent out of the compound. He had only seen the outside once in his short life when his curiosity got the better of him and he snuck outside the compound. War still remembers seeing his brother coming down on the elevator. His body broken and covered in blood, only half alive. War had never been so furious as he had been that day. He imagined finding whoever was responsible, he imaged stomping them into a messy red puddle. Ever since he began drawing those odd drawings and barely speaking at all.

"Death, look at me." said War but his brother sat as still a corpse."Look at me." he said sternly. Forcing the nervous pony to lift a single hoof. "You trust me, don't you?" Death only nodded unable to muster the strength for words. "There are bad ponies coming. I know you don't want to go outside again but I promise it's safe."

"Y-You, You Promise...?" Death gave his brother a pitiful look.

"Would I lie to you?" Despite his enormous stature and harsh color scheme. War always seemed to have the warm reassuring smile that Death always needed.

"Touching. But might I suggest a more physical solution." said Despair leaning against the wall of Deaths stable. Despair shuffled around inside the medical bag he kept with him at all times and retrieved a case of shots.

"What are you planning?" asked War.

"Mild sedative, good for calming the nerves. Painless and fast acting."

War didn't like the idea of using drugs on his brothers, but it seemed this time the situation called for it. They needed to move and he trusted that Despair knew what he was doing.

"There are no harmful side effects?"

"He may suffer some drowsiness, nothing we can't deal with."

"Ok Death, hold real still. This might sting a little bit." said Despair. They could see Death tense up as the needle was inserted into his neck and the medicine into his bloodstream.

Thanks to Wars moral support and Despairs medicine, Death worked up the nerve to get up on his hooves.

"Ready to go?" War asked.

Death took one last look at his stable walls. He couldn't hold back his tears knowing that this would be the last time he ever saw them. He tore a single drawing from its mount, one of the many depicting him in the mysterious town. He would take it with him as a memento of his time there, of the happy and safe life he lived with his brothers.

"The evacuation chamber isn't far, but if they're coming in from all entrances it's safe to assume they'll have this section covered soon. We'll need to stay on guard. Death you'll need to stay with Despair, keep him on his hooves and make sure you don't fall behind. I'll take point and keep the path clear. If we're lucky then we'll run into some of the others along the way."

War took the lead, staying low slipping by each corner making sure there were no enemies. Once he was certain the path was clear he'd signal his brothers to follow. Death walked close behind, Despair leaning on him for support as they marched along. The sedative managed to get Death moving but he was still anxious by nature. A fact Despair was well aware of and thought he'd appreciate a distraction.

"So how did your game with Madness go?" he asked making sure to keep his voice low as to not give away their position.

"I...died." Death droned

"Oh, well that's unfortunate." Despair winced, feeling he had only worsened things.

"Well did Famine remember to get you some new crayons? If I remember correctly your old ones had been rendered nearly unusable."

"Yeah, b-but I, left them in my stable." Tears were once again welling up in his eyes.

"Right... well."

"Shh!" War stopped in his tracks forcing his brothers into silence. What began as a deep rumbling steadily grew into the booming sound of hoof beats closing in from behind. "Soldiers."

Death lowered himself, panic setting in as the sound crept closer and closer.

"Easy, now is no time to lose our heads." said Despair trying to lift Deaths spirits back up.

With his brothers helpless in a fight, War knew he'd have to stay behind. It was the only way to give his brothers a chance to get away.

"Get up Death," he commanded as softly as he could. "I need you to carry Despair," War said slowly trotting past his brothers, preparing to face the incoming threat before it could reach them. "Go ahead and go on, I'll catch up once these intruders have been dealt with."

"While I'm all for staying out of the fight, might I remind you that if we run into any other intruders we wouldn't stand a chance on our own."

"You can make it to the training hall, take that passage. It'll keep you hidden."

"W-War I...I"

"Don't worry." War looked back to his timid brother. "I'll be right behind you."

Death had to nervously drag himself forward, Despair still leaning on him for support. With a heavy heart, War could only watch as his brothers disappeared into the darkness, to an unknown future. They were going to make it, they'd reach the training hall then be out of harm's way. Telling himself that over and over was the only way he could bring himself to walk forward.

He headed towards the sounds of the hoof beats. It took only a few steps to make contact with the incoming forces. A single look at War told the soldiers not to take any chances. Blood red color, enormous stature and a full suit of blacken armor made him a threatening foe.

"I know you have your orders, but I will offer you a chance to turn around and leave with your lives." The soldiers were bewildered that their foe, who they understood to be a murderer was willing to show mercy. It had to be some sort of trick.

"Suppress him." ordered the captain as the unicorn troops in the back came up beside him. Wars body lite up in their magic light that lifted his hooves from the ground.

"I don't know what kind of trick you're trying to pull, but we've been ordered to take you all in." stated the captain. As he and the rest of the unit approached their prisoner, readying the chains to subdue him.

"Sorry, but I can't let that happen." small glittering embers lifted from Wars body, before erupting into a large flame that engulfed the large Pegasus. His flames leaking out of each and ever break in his armor giving him an appearance like that of a monstrous demon. War opened his muzzle and released a breath of flames as if he were a dragon. The fire rushing towards the unicorns. Their flesh was overtaken by fire causing them to lose grip on their magic in their flailing.

War’s hooves hit the ground and began his charge, Trampling the unicorns in his wake. The soldiers were staggered by the sight, giving him a chance to thrust the horn on his helmet right under the captain's. With his brain skewered, War was able to easily snatch his sword away. Arming himself as the rest of the squad came at him.

Unlike his brother Disaster who prefers to fight like a feral animal. War chose a more strategic and technical approach to finding and exploiting his enemies flaws and weaknesses. Clashing blades gave him the perfect chance to analyze their form. They managed to stay in formation despite the confined space and were clearly experienced with their weapons. It was a pity as they were clearly capable combatants faced with the misfortune of battling opponents with a deadly advantage. Not only were they in their territory but he and his brothers had studied the royal guards relentlessly. Their weapons, armor, tactics and fighting styles were logged away in each of their minds for the inevitable day that they'd face off against Equestrias finest.

Outnumbered, War would have to keep his distance from the flurry of blades. As soon as one attack ended the next followed, and there was always a group standing just behind them ready to collapse on him after a single misstep. He'd have to wait for an opportunity or make one.

An opponent lunged, War quickly stepped back and with a quick twist of his head, the sword was hurled through the air. The blade raced past the attacking soldier and into the incoming one behind it. This gave him ample time to grab a hold of the attacking spear. He tugged the blade forward, dragging the soldier to him. Using the sheer force of his body he managed to crush the soldier beneath his hooves and rearm himself with the spear.

While dodging War couldn't help but notice something odd. Standing before him was a small group of soldiers, only around eight including the deceased. Given the havoc, he and his brothers have brought on Equestria sending a group this small to their compound seemed impractical. War deduced that this must be one of a few infiltration squads. Sent inside ahead of the main attack force to test for traps, get a sense of the enemies defenses. So that meant it was only a matter of time before the main forces move in and swarm the compound. It would only take a fraction of Equestria's forces to overrun the entire compound. Regardless of their numbers, they'd be safe as long as they could reach the evacuation chamber. He could only hope his brethren would make it in time.

Further down the compound, the time War had given them allowed his brothers to reach the training hall.

Death inched the door open, wrapping his head around to peek inside. A large room with training equipment outlining the walls, leaving a large center space for physical activities. Despair propped himself against the wall so his brother could work. He crept his way to the corner of the room. What appeared to be a conventional corner tile was, in fact, the entrance to one of the compounds hidden passages. All one needed to do to access the tunnel was apply enough pressure.

Despair propped himself against the doorway, acting as the lookout while Death opened the door. The young earth pony pressed against the secret door but his small frame made it a daunting task. No matter the force, his tiny brother didn't seem to be able to muster the strength to move it.

"No need to strain yourself." Despair began to limp his way over to him. "Seems it'll take both of us," he said carefully balancing his steps. "Let's push on three."

"Are you-"

"Don't concern yourself with me. Just focus on the door," he said as they got into place. "One, Two, Three." He counted down and the two pressed against the floor. Pain surged through Despairs arms as he pressed against the floor, within a second he found himself plummeting forward face first onto the door. It seemed to work however as the tile sunk with an audible "click."

"Despair are-"

"Eureka!" Despair proclaimed pulling himself up before practically falling against Death. "That'll hurt in the morning, but it worked." The tile slide itself out of the way, crackling and snapping from its years of slumber. A freezing cloud of dust drifted up the stairwell into the training hall, causing the two to cough feverishly.

"Well, best be on our way." said Despair and Death replied with an apprehensive nod.

With the door sealed behind them, they began their walk. The daunting silence weighted heavily on Deaths mind. He imagined more soldiers coming from the darkness ahead. He was terrified and the only thing he had to look forward to was safely reaching the outside world, and that only frightened him more. It would be ok though, War promised him that. But War was gone now, would he see War again? Was he even still alive. His racing thoughts brought his body to a halt.

"Des-Despair, I wanna go back." he whimpered.

"Oh, that's just the anxiety talking. I could give you some more of the sedative if you like?"

"I-I... I don't want any more medicine."

"Understandable, but the option is always open. Speaking of which Famine fetched me a medical journal a while back. If memory serves it had some exercises that calm the nerves naturally if you're interested." Before Death could respond they heard a familiar sound, hoof beats coming from up ahead. Too many to be their brothers and from the sounds much more than before.

"D-D-Despair!" Death shrieked. They both could only stand speechless. It made no sense, even if they found the compound this passage was hidden. Only those with inside knowledge of the compound knew of it. Did they stumble upon it by pure luck? It didn't matter now.

"Death we gotta go back." Despair snapped but his brother could only stand frozen, fear holding him in place like a statue.

"Death. I understand you're frightened, but you're really not helping the situation."

They suddenly found themselves coated in the magic light of a unicorn soldiers telekinesis. The unicorns forced them down, violently smashing them against the cold floor with a hard bang. They were violently drug across the floor until they were swarmed by soldiers. Chains and locks were fastened around every inch of flesh they could fit around, sealed together painfully tight.

The horde of ponies seemed to stretch on infinitely. It seemed the main forces were finally making their move and quickly overrunning every inch of the compound. After the report from what was left of the infiltration teams, they were no longer taking a diplomatic approach and definitely weren't holding back. The brothers could only lie helpless as the soldiers forcibly jerked them about, applying more and more locks. The last thing they saw was the hilt of a sword smashing into their faces.

The Compound Evacuation Chamber

The two weren't the only ones who never made it to the evacuation chamber, currently, Madness sat alone as the only resident. A small, cramped space. The only thing of note inside was a wall of magic at its end. A mystic essence that seemed to be acting as a barrier blocking off the back end of the room. As Madness waited alone all he could do was wallow in his boredom. As a practical joke, he had suspended himself above the doorway, hovering in a bright green glow. Waiting for whoever stumbled inside.

He had to dedicate himself since he floated for what seemed like hours until the door finally creaked open.

"BOO!" Madness shouted from his perch above. The sudden sound startled War enough he almost sent a hoof through the unicorns skull. Giggling, Madness descended to the floor. War didn't find it nearly as funny, he was already jumpy enough from everything that had happened.

"Oh you should have seen your face!" laughed Madness taking a seat on the floor. "but congrats on coming in second."

"Second?!" War looked around the small room in disbelief. "Nopony else has arrived?"

"Nope, just me."

War cursed himself for being so careless. He shouldn't have left his brothers alone if anything had happened to them. He shook the thought from his mind. Time was running out, they had to move fast.

"Madness." he snapped prompting his brother to rise to his hooves. "We're going to find the others." Madness questioningly scratched his head.

"But they're coming here aren't they?"

"I'm worried they've run into trouble." Death and Despair was his major concern. He believed that the other three could take care of themselves, however, the fact that they hadn't arrived in such a long time was cause for concern. "We're going to find them, and we're going to start with the hidden passage from the training hall. No matter what happens I need you to stay right next to me," he commanded. Intent not to make the same mistake again.

"Well alright then," Madness cocked his head to the side. "But what about them?"

War wasn't even given the opportunity to turn around. His body fell over limp as the energy escaped him. A desire to sleep fought against his will to get up. Eyelids heavy, he saw the fuzzy image of Princess Luna and her troops file inside the room. Her horn casting the spell that had put him into a lethargic state.

War fought to stay up as the guards surrounded him, he could barely see Madness laying motionless on the ground. Seeing his brother wrapped in chains, being harshly drug across the floor. The sight ignited the anger within him as he forced himself up.

"Let go of him!" he shouted. His thunderous voice brought the guards to a pause. He hoisted his body onto a single hoof as he fought to get up, using his upper body to fight off the guards around him.

The Princess focused her magic on the raging pegasus. No matter how hard he resisted, War promptly found himself on the floor once again. Helpless against Alicorn magic.

"Shh, rest now." her voice was finally enough to put him down. He felt the cold chains constricting his body as his vision finally faded into black.

The Compound Laboratory

The master could only watch as his creations were captured and hauled away, one by one. The main forces had moved in, each of his monocles showing nothing but soldiers filling every room and hall. The place that had sheltered them for years was left dilapidated. The soldiers ransacking every inch as they descended further and further towards his laboratory.

Surprisingly, as he watched the invasion unfold he had never caught sight of Famine or Pestilence. He understood Famines decision to remain hidden but Pestilence was a different story. He imagined that he must have been captured in the lower levels where he had less vision but there was another possibility. He had learned just how cunning Pestilence could be in his attempts at freedom, but he had to admit he never imagined he'd go to such an extreme. To put his own comrade's lives in jeopardy to escape, had Pestilence of really orchestrated this invasion than he'd overestimated his creations sense of morality. If he made it through this he wouldn't make that mistake again.

While he considered himself an intrepid pony, he couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine as he observed the soldiers closing in on the lab. What worried him most was the ruler of Equestria herself, Princess Celestia was leading them. Dealing with her would be tricky, to say the least.

He watched as the alicorn reached the magic wall, camouflaged as a dead end. He knew the mirage wouldn't fool a pony as magically inclined as Celestia for long. Sure enough, the lab door began to melt away by a golden glow with Celestia and her guards filling its slot.

"Princess Celestia." he greeted the radiant figure in the doorway. She didn't reply to him with words. Instead, she urgently launched a containment spell, the same kind she had used on Disaster. The bolts of gold magic flew through the laboratory but startlingly they shattered feet from their target as if splattering against a wall. Her unicorn guards also attempted to pull him from his chair, but their spells seem to have no effect on the pony. The master noticed a quick rise in Celestia's eyes, startled her magic seemed powerless. She squinted looking over the unicorn sitting before her, sparking a memory in her mind.

"Cross Stitch? Is that you?" She asked. Upon entering the room, she could feel a sickening sensation in the air. The lab was coated in an oppressive atmosphere and for some reason, she had a constant ringing in the back of her mind. She wasn't sure as to why but she had to remain on guard.

"I prefer just Cross now." he insisted. He had changed quite dramatically since their last encounter. His body had become sickly pale and he had acquired a collection of scars. As if his body had fallen to pieces and been stitched back together. "So to what do I owe the pleasure?" His voice was cheerful as if speaking to a close friend. Celestia could tell it was only a mask, covering the manic rage fighting its way to the surface. She had detained his soldiers, laid waste to his base and his plans were crashed all around him. She knew she had won but he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction.

"You know why I am here. You and your followers are guilty of heinous crimes all across Equestria, including killing my soldiers."

"Ah yes, I imagined that's what all this was about. You'll have to forgive my experiments. I told them not to attack your guards but you know, boys will be boys." he merely shrugged.

Celestia averted her gaze from him, taking a glimpse of the laboratories twisted machinery. Large industrial appliances were strung about the room, decorated with blades and needles some still dripping with fresh blood. What was more disturbing was the beakers and jars on the shelves. Eyeballs, organs and other unrecognizable fleshy chunks swimming inside.

"What have you been doing in here?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Ha." he let out a startling laugh. "I'd love to go over the details but I'm afraid we don't have the time," said Cross. Unknown to those watching him, Cross slipped a hoof beneath his desk to flip a small hidden switch. While Celestia didn't see him, she did notice a change in the room. As the ringing in the back of her head seemed to fade away.

"What do you mean?" Celestia asked sternly. She didn't feel comfortable speaking with Cross as long as he was free, but as long as her magic was useless she didn't have a choice. She refused to send in her guards, fearing for their safety. Cross sat patiently at his desk as if taunting them into coming at him, he must have laid some sort of trap.

"Well," Cross answered opening his desk drawer to retrieve a mechanical orb, its color a mix of green and black. Every few seconds the orb throbbed, expanding and retracting much like a heartbeat. He gripped the device in his mouth before continuing. "I'd say this whole place will be gone in about...." In an instant Cross vanished in a flash of green, reappearing directly at Celestia's side. "5 seconds."

Reacting on pure instinct she through him away with her magic. She didn't stop to consider her magic not working or to wonder how Cross had managed to get around it. Fortunately, it seemed to work, as he was thrown back across the room smashing into the back wall.

She didn't know what kind of device he had, but it was clear it was so sort of weapon. By what he had said it contained enough power to destroy the entire compound and everypony inside. She wasn't going to allow that.

With the weapon tightly in Cross's grasp, she had limited options. All she could do was wrap the bomb and him along with it, inside a barrier strong enough to contain the blast. Within seconds the device detonated, releasing a series of green flashes. It was as if an entire fireworks display was being contained inside. The magic inside swirled, howling and screeching as it churned. Searching for an exit so it could engulf the compound. This continued for a good few minutes as Celestia focused to keep the barrier going and the danger contained. Then strangely there was an odd reaction. The barrier seemed to shrink, growing small and smaller until it finally shrunk into a speck of light and faded away.

Nopony was certain as to what had happened, it must have been a reaction from all the magic mixing with an alicorns barrier. Regardless, there was no way a pony could have survived something like that.

With Cross removed, the soldiers barged inside the laboratory to do their search. Celestia couldn't help but feel disheartened. Everypony in the compound had been spared, but she wanted to resolve this without any further bloodshed.

"Search everywhere, we can't let anypony escape," Celestia ordered as more and more soldiers rushed inside to haul away the machines and reluctantly collect the samples. Celestia breathed a sigh of relief. Equestria had suffered many loses but at least now the ones responsible had been brought to justice. Now, the madness was finally over.

Comments

[Koga13]

I LOVE this story!! The two week update is a bit slow for my liking, but hey, you DO update regularly. That's better than what a lot of authors can claim.

[zavdan62]

Its a surprisingly well done story so far....hope it makes it to completion.
OH and for good luck

[SilverStarApple]

Interesting idea, liked and followed.

[Frazzle2Dazzle]

Wait, what about Famine?