> Operation Imortuus
>  by Pika53
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Disclaimer - I do not own My Little Pony or Resident Evil.

Equestria - Forest east of Foal Mountains, Arkley Mansion/Research Center; west wing first floor, 6:00 pm 21th May 20xx, Evening, Weather: Stormy

Passing through a grand dining room, a gray colored unicorn stallion desperately searched for a specific room within the sprawling mansion as if a pony possessed; for in truth he was. As he ran, the stallion couldn't see his pursuers. He could hear them however, and deep down knew they were around him; gaining ground with each passing moment. The pony’s name was Dr. Cruz, and he knew his time was short but was determined to succeed in his mission, if only to redeem himself for past discretions.

Stumbling into a T-junction on the lower floor, the stallion stopped briefly to get his bearings before sprinting toward and entering a door to his right. Legs pumping, sweet streaming down his face, Cruz thought he was going to die of a heart attack before he reached the heavy wooden door that lead to safety and his goal; if there was such a thing as safety in this retched place. Images of what the monsters that now inhabited the facility did to their victims flooded his mind, inspiring him to move faster. Five meters ahead along the newly-accessed corridor, he spotted the doorway he was looking for on his left. If memory served, in an offshoot to the right of the room he was headed for was a chamber containing a rather creepy manticore statue that required a pair of different colored jewels to be placed in its eye sockets to function correctly.

As his shoulder slammed into a nearby wall, Cruz hurriedly fished out a small key from his saddle bag before inserting it into the door's key hole. After a frantic moment, the door silently swung open allowing him to enter the room beyond. A feeling of cool relief rushed through Cruz 's aching bones as he closed the door behind him. Outside, he heard one of the creatures moan hungrily as it began to slowly pursue him. Moments later, he could hear the creature begin to beat on the door as it attempted to reach him.

Letting his gaze drift around the room, Cruz felt cool relief rush through him again as he didn’t see any immediate threats. It was rather unfortunate that things had turned out in such a disturbing manner. All of his friends and colleagues were now dead he reflected. In their place were the monsters that now roamed the mansion and the hidden lower labs. On reflection, Cruz couldn’t help but feel a sense of sadness at what had happened since his expertise was in ‘Virology’.

Approaching a nearby wall, Cruz uncovered a small computer terminal. He quickly tapped a series of instructions into the computer and was rewarded by a beep of conformation, which was followed by a request for more data. Cruz hurriedly fished out and inserted a small flash drive into the device with a trembling hoof before tapping another series of instructions into the computer, Moments later, he was rewarded by another beep of conformation, which was followed by a flicker on the monitor indicating he could send a message.

“This is Dr. Cruz, ID #3675. Classified research Arkley. We’ve experienced a level 5 breach. You must implement quarantine procedures immediately!”

Outside, the pounding at the door intensified.

“I repeat, this is Dr. Cruz, ID #3675. Classified research Arkley. We’ve experienced a level 5 breach. Implement quarantine procedures NOW!” Cruz continued.

As the screen deactivated and the computer retracted into the wall, Cruz pulled a nearby chair over and collapsed into it with an exhausted sigh. He only hoped somepony would heed his warning in time. Outside, the pounding at the door redoubled as the sounds of more groans and blows could be heard. The sounds were almost methodical in nature at this point.

Gazing at the door, a sudden chill washed over the stallion as he realized his fate. Unfortunately, he became aware, a little too late, that he wasn’t alone as he heard a hungry moan and the sound of shuffling hooves from somewhere behind him. Turning, he was horrified to see one of the monsters was in the room with him and the sudden realization that there was no escape. No sooner had he bolted to his hooves than the creature was upon him.

‘So, this is how it ends.’ he thought grimly as he struggled weakly in the beast’s grip as it bit him repeatedly.

Soon after, the world went dark as he lost consciousness.

***************
Locked inside an adjacent room, a golden coated alicorn mare with a crimson and azure streaked mane smirked as she relished in the chaos surrounding her. All the events that had transpired over the last two weeks had done so according to the mare’s desire. Despite what most of the ignorant scientists had thought about their work, the mare knew the research would never actually benefit anypony. As a result it was probably for the best that she’d intervened after all.

It seemed that being a pony freak had some unexpected advantages with regard to the situation. After all, it appeared that she was immune to the more charming side effects of whatever virus the science nerds had been working on. That didn’t make things any less dangerous though. Over the shrieks coming from the adjacent room, the mare barked out a laugh as she contemplated her next move.

On one hoof, the mare could use her magic to activate the facility’s self-destruct mechanism which would in turn eliminate the facility, the creatures, the virus, and all evidence of them. On the other hoof, she could simply leave. After all, it’s not like the events that were occurring really mattered to her. Of course, a third option that sprang to mind would involve either hunting down and eliminating or possibly directing whomever was sent to clean up the mess. For reasons she couldn’t explain, the third option greatly intrigued the mare.

After giving the matter considerable thought, the mare decided to follow her instincts and pursue the third option. Although it would require a bit more preparation to accomplish, the mare knew the basic plan, should she leave the cleanup crew alive, was doable and required her unwitting pawns to clear the mansion and subsequent hidden labs of all the pests as they figured out what happened, ultimately destroying the facility in the process, while she supervised their efforts from a distance. In order for this to work, the mare decided to remain close and monitor the situation until the time was right to act.

Her decision made, the mare chuckled to herself before teleporting out of the mansion.
> Chapter #1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equestria, Canterlot, 6:00 am, 8th July 20xx, Morning, Weather: Clear

Jaden awoke with a start. Gasping, he sat up and looked around the apartment he shared with Tess as he tried to figure out what had awoken him from a sound sleep. On the other side of the room, he could see the caramel colored alicorn with piercing green eyes sleeping soundly. Given the fact that Tess was actually a robo-pony, Jaden had to wonder if she had dreams. She was also the only omnivorous pony he’d ever met. If it weren’t for different colored furry coats, he could almost swear that she and a certain neurotic librarian were twins. They even had the same mane and tail color; indigo with a pink streak running along its length.

It had only been a few months since he’d been transported to a world from a cartoon about talking ponies after playing a video game. During that time, one of the friends he’d made, said librarian, had been transformed into an alicorn and appointed as a new princess. Jaden still wasn’t entirely used to the change any more than Twilight herself was. It was perhaps fortunate that Princess Celestia allowed him to retain his human form while living within the region cause now he was enrolled in the equestrian military and in charge of a squad of commando ponies in a newly created division called the “Rapid Response Tactical Squad” or “R.R.T.S.” for short.

The new organization’s task was to combat terrorism and other forms of hostiles should a threat ever arise beyond the scope of what other military units were capable of handling. While there were only a few R.R.T.S. teams available at the moment, they were composed of the best soldiers the equestrian military had to offer. The chief stallion in charge of the division and Jaden’s immediate superior was Master Sergeant Paranvilcora. Curiously, the Master Sergeant had served with Jaden’s uncle in the military sometime prior to an odd accident that had transported him to Equestria and turned him into a pony.

Besides himself, his own squad was composed of his close friend Tess, an olive colored pegasus colt with a black spiky mane named Zander, a white colored unicorn colt with a black crew cut mane named Shadow, a cyan colored pegasus mare with hazel eyes, a fiery orange mane, and a sassy disposition, who bore a striking resemblance to a certain rainbow maned pegasus mare, named Cameron, and another female pegasus mare with amber eyes, a blonde mane, and an evening blue colored coat, who resembled a cross between a young Nightmare Moon and that little pegasus filly that seemed to follow Rainbow Dash around, named Fiora.

It was no secret that the pegasus mares were actually siblings.

Rounding out the team was a digital pony named Selena. If he recalled correctly, the scientists had discovered a great deal of useful technology within the previously hidden Equestrian Science Magic-aided Enrichment Center and Princess Celestia had volunteered to test the new, and frankly controversial, brain mapping procedure. The results of that procedure had been Selena’s creation. Curiously, Selena physically resembled a cross between Princess Celestia and Queen Chrysalis, with a stronger emphasis on the changeling queen, but had the voice and personality of Cortana from the Halo franchise. She was also very much aware of her origin.

Within the squad, Tess was serving as the team’s sniper. Zander was a weapons and demolitions specialist who was also fond of pulling pranks. Fiora was a surveillance specialist and the team’s medic while Cameron served as a scout. Much like Zander, the cyan pegasus was rather fond of pulling pranks. Shadow meanwhile, was a tech and communications specialist and Selena often assisted him in that area. Sometimes Jaden found himself still questioning if he was experiencing a bizarre dream considering all the events that had led to him leading the unit.

Shaking his head and unable to go back to sleep, Jaden slowly climbed to his feet and checked the nearby alarm clock; surprised to see the time displayed was 6:00 am. Snorting incredulously, Jaden stumbled to the downstairs kitchen to get a glass of water.

Soon after, he entered the living room and approached a large flat screen TV that Selena had somehow managed to fetch for them; endlessly pleased and more than a little uncertain how the digital pony had managed to teleport the device along with his video game console and collection of games since such items weren’t common in the land. Turning both the TV and the game console on, Jaden knew he had plenty of time to devote to a session of gaming since he and Tess didn’t have to report in for work until 8:00 am.

Searching through his sizable collection of games, Jaden remembered how crazy it often got when the other members of his squad were present. Cameron in particular had shown particular interest in the console and Jaden suspected he’d created a gamer. If he recalled correctly, his Ponyville friends were currently tasked with testing a new device that was based on his game console. Smirking to himself, Jaden couldn’t help wondering how that was working out.

After making his selection and loading the system, Jaden took a seat in front of the TV and retrieved a controller, loading a saved game in the process, when he heard the familiar warped hum that signaled the arrival of the apartment’s third resident into the land of the living who apparently wished to speak with him. Turning, he saw Selena quietly observing him. Due to her unique appearance, Jaden wasn’t sure if she was an alicorn or not. He was also rather intrigued by the way Selena was able to easily manipulate physical objects even though she was not actually a flesh and blood pony.

“Having trouble sleeping?” she asked lightly.

“I’m not sure what woke me up.” he replied.

“Hey, did I ever thank you for retrieving my game console and games?” Jaden asked after a pause.

“You did.” Selena replied, taking a seat in a nearby chair.

Silence fell between them as Jaden focused on his game.

“Is there anything special going on that I should know about?” he asked suddenly.

“The weather is going to be stormy this afternoon but aside from local reports coming in from the town of Hollow Shades regarding unusual disappearances nothing of considerable interest is happening.” Selena replied.

“Oh, a package arrived for you late yesterday afternoon from your friend Pinkie Pie.” she added quickly.

Pausing the game, Jaden turned toward the small table in the center of the room and spotted a brightly wrapped box he hadn’t noticed before.

“What is it?” he asked, turning his gaze back to his companion.

The amused smirk the digital pony wore indicated that she knew what it was but refused to speak on the matter.
Jaden let out an amused snort as he turned his attention back to the game.

“The longer I stay here and the more I see… the less I understand.” he muttered.

“That’s not surprising considering your background.” Selena retorted.

“After all, trying to explain the complex physics required to perform a rift transfer to those unfamiliar with the practice would be similar to attempting to explain how cybernetic ponies can use magic.”

Jaden stopped what he was doing and blinked as he turned and cocked an eyebrow at her. He didn’t know what a rift transfer was but assumed it was some sort of fancy teleportation spell. Something else about the conversation didn’t make sense and Jaden noted that Selena was continuing to stare at him amused.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.

“Just be grateful she isn’t as studious in her studies as some other ponies.” Selena answered with a smirk.

Jaden snickered and shuddered in reply as he recalled the numerous occasions Tess had threatened to kill him; particularly when he referred to her by her nick name; ‘Twilight 2.0’.

“After all, I was tasked with making sure the two of you play nice and stay out of trouble.” she continued.

“Is that like some sorta hidden directive-thing?” Jaden asked.

“Perhaps.”

Jaden blinked again as he caught onto the second half of the conversation.

“Wait, what trouble?”

Selena’s smirk only grew as she cocked an eyebrow at him.

“I took the liberty of reviewing the footage from your previous experiences in the
Enrichment Center and am quite aware of what the two of you are capable of.”

Jaden snorted again as he returned his attention to the game. Soon after, an extended silence fell between the pair. The silence was eventually broken by a strange sound that reminded Jaden of one of Spike’s belches made underwater. Turning, he saw Selena staring blankly into space while the sound was happening. Moments later, her eyes refocused on him with a stoic expression on her face.

“Incoming message.” she said.

Seconds later, a globe of vibrant amber light popped into being above the table. Without hesitation, Selena levitated the scroll that quickly materialized over to Jaden before he even had time to blink. Accepting the scroll, Jaden quickly unfurled it and discovered that they’d been given new orders.

He and Selena exchanged curious glances.

“Well, this is interesting.” Jaden remarked.

“It seems we’ve just been ordered to assist in the investigation happening in the region surrounding Hollow Shades.”

“When do we leave?”

“As soon as we check in and grab our gear.”
> Chapter #2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equestria, in route to Forest east of Foal Mountains; Unknown Location, 6:35 pm, 8th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Stormy

As the journey continued, Jaden had to wonder if they would ever reach their destination. He knew it would take some time to reach the rendezvous site but didn’t think it would take most of the day. Considering the fact that their pilot had been dodging storm clouds all this time, he supposed it couldn’t be helped. Surrounding him in the cramped confines of the chariot were the rest of his team, dressed much like himself in specially constructed form fitting black tactical armor.

The armor was new and resembled, at least in Jaden’s opinion, military grade bullet proof vests with shin guards and helmets with what he guessed were specially constructed video cameras built in. Another unique feature of the armor was its ability to easily hold multiple ballistic based weapons, constructed from designs found within the Enrichment Center, without said weapons becoming detached from it without the wearers consent. For the rest of the squad, the armor covered their chests and front half of their bodies. Meanwhile, said weapons were currently secured to a separate wall; awaiting their arrival at the staging site.

Much like the armor they wore, the chariot was a newer design that looked, in Jaden’s opinion, like a Huey Bell helicopter without rotors. Although he had no idea how it functioned, given his history with the aviation industry back on earth, Jaden was certain he could fly the craft without difficulty. The only reason he hadn’t commandeered this one was because he didn’t want to rob their current pegasus pilot of his or her duty. Of course, like most of his team, Jaden was beginning to suspect their pilot was lost.

It probably didn’t help matters that sitting somewhere behind them, a portable CD boom box was playing tunes at a deafening volume. In fact, anyone speaking had to shout in order to be heard. Of course none of the group spoke as they continued to watch the falling rain amid the setting sun. Jaden noted dryly that most of the trip had passed without much interest as he and the others had spent their time staring out the side windows at the falling rain. Surprisingly, most of the songs that were playing were familiar to him. The current one happened to be none other than 'Long Tall Sally'. The allusion of his current situation wasn’t lost on Jaden as it reminded him of something he’d seen in a movie about a sneaky alien and commandos once back home.

The briefing they’d received about the situation before departure hadn’t exactly provided many details. All they knew was that a series of bizarre and rather grisly murders and disappearances were occurring in the forest surrounding the isolated community of Hollow Shades. As he understood it, the forest surrounding the community had been declared off limits to all civilians, angering most of the locals.  They were supposed to link up with another R.R.T.S. team along the way called ‘Zeta squad’ and a detachment of Equestria Military Response Force, or EMRF for short, troops.

Jaden grinned to himself as he recalled the nickname given to his own team; ‘Reaper squad’.

Once assembled, the task force was supposed to find out what was causing the murders of every pony or other unfortunate creature and eliminate it. As they traveled, Jaden couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. If he recalled correctly, some of the victims had been killed in animal attacks. His musing was interrupted by the pilot reporting that they were about to land. As if on cue, Zander silently shut off the stereo and the squad collected their gear.

Although they were all armed with sidearms, combat knives, and a variant of the M41A Pulse Rifle; each member carried an additional weapon. Zan’s preferred load out addition included a combat shotgun. Jaden half suspected said pegasus colt would have chosen a smart gun if such a weapon had existed. Tess meanwhile, brandished her trademark modified SR-25 sniper-rifle. Jaden however, wielded his trademark modified M-32 Combustible Lemon Launcher known affectionately as the ‘bunny stomper’, or as he now liked to call it ‘Angel 2.0’. The rest of the team carried a variant of the MP-5K.

Sometimes, Jaden found himself amused that the yoke-like set-up that draped across a pony’s shoulders, and found on the weapons recovered from the Enrichment Center, had been adopted for use on the newer models used by all the members of the equestrian military; particularly by the wire setup used within the trigger mechanism. Returning to his seat, Jaden readjusted the extra parcel he had with him. The only reason he brought the gift he’d received that morning was because he hadn’t yet had the chance to open it and was curious to see what it was. Knowing the hyperactive pink pony that had sent it, Jaden knew that quite literally anything could come out of the box.

Minutes later, the chariot touched down and the team disembarked. As the craft took to the air and flew off, Jaden noted that the field they’d been deposited in was several acres across from where they stood to the nearby forest. On a hill some thirty meters away stood an old barn. Turning, he could see the others were as confused as he felt. Fortunately, the rain had subsided to a moderate sprinkle although it looked like another heavy downpour could begin at any moment.

“We are sooo lost.” Tess grumbled.

“Well, don’t look at me. I wasn’t driving!” Jaden retorted quickly.

“Nor was I!” Zander piped up.

“The rendezvous point is fifteen miles north east of our current location.” Selena remarked from a micro-computer attached to Jaden’s right arm.

“Let’s just get this over with as I’d rather not stay in this mess any longer than absolutely necessary.” Fiora growled irritably.

As she continued speaking, Cameron sighed and rolled her eyes in exasperation. Jaden meanwhile, couldn’t help grinning to himself as the prissy pegesis’s mannerisms and lifting inflection reminded him of a certain purple maned unicorn he knew.

“After all, if I’m forced to do so… someponies will likely have wingboners.”

“Well, wet manes do make a mare attractive.” Zander contributed cheerily.

“You’re not helping!” Fiora squealed indignantly.

“What can I say... I’m a dude!” Zander retorted before the group burst into laughter.

Once the group had sufficiently recovered, Jaden pointed out the barn as he spoke.

“We can take shelter from the storm in there and continue in the morning.”

The others murmured in agreement and the group set off toward the barn. Soon after, they were exploring the forlorn structure. As they continued their inspection it became apparent that the building hadn’t been used in quite some time. A thick layer of dust coated every visible surface. It wasn’t much different upon the upper loft except for a dozen or so bales of mildewed hay.

“Oh, eww… this place is crawling with rats!” Fiora shrieked.

“Aww, c'mon ya wuss!” Cameron snapped, earning a swift angry glare from her sister while the others snickered.

As they all began to calm down the sound of a much heavier downpour caused everyone to exchange speculative glances as they began stashing their gear and relocated to the upper loft. Fortunately, the search had yielded several functional lanterns to use so they would have ample light as they settled in for the night. After lighting the lanterns, the group took seats and quietly dug into their rations. Once the meal was over, they cast one another jaded glances.

“Well, now what?” Cameron asked, rolling her eyes in sheer boredom.

Jaden was once again reminded of the gift Pinkie Pie had sent him. He supposed now was as good a time as any to find out what it was. Rising to his feet, Jaden smirked to himself at the bemused looks the others shot him as he fetched the box. Quickly returning, he placed the box on the floor beside a hay bale and took a seat as the others moved closer for a better view.

“Aww, what’s in the box?” Zander crowed.

“What’s in the box?” Jaden retorted with a grin.

“Well, let’s find out shall we?” he continued as he removed and opened an attached note.

The note turned out to be a letter from Pinkie Pie that detailed everything she and the others were up to while simultaneously congratulating him on his success and wishing him well. The letter went on to say that the contents of the accompanying package was something she’d put together as a token of their friendship and how she hoped he would enjoy it.

Chuckling to himself, Jaden found the whole thing bizarrely sweet as he pasted the letter to the others, many of whom cooed warmly as they read it, and focused on the box.

“My friend, it seems Hearth's Warming Eve came early for ya.” Shadow remarked casually.

Jaden laughed as he tore into the box and placed its contents on the hay bale before him. When he was finished, what appeared to be eight brightly colored pony dolls, each five inches tall excluding the mauve colored alicorn which was an inch taller, sat before them. And they weren’t just any old dolls. Rather they were highly detailed hoof-painted replicas of a specific group of ponies. The two pegasi and the alicorn even had flexible wings. Jaden blinked in bewilderment as he and the others picked up various dolls for a closer look; trying to figure out the connection.

“Well, this is different.” Cameron muttered while examining a cyan colored, rainbow maned pegasus with a pair of black horns on its head.

“I guess she forgot I was a dude.” Jaden replied with a shrug.

Looking on, he watched Tess carefully examine a butter yellow pegasus with a red and white striped top hat and miss-matched eyes. He had to admit they were extremely well made and wondered how Pinkie had managed to make the dolls so life-like as he refocused his attention on the one in his own hand; a white colored unicorn mare with a pink mane and a purplish colored beret.

“I suppose they could always make interesting paperweights.” he continued.

“Is this friend of yours an artist?” Fiora asked as she returned the doll she was examining to the hay bale.

“She’s a baker actually.” Tess explained for him.

“Really?” Zander remarked in surprise.

Jaden suddenly realized why the dolls seemed familiar as he replaced the doll he’d been examining with another one that looked like a blue coated unicorn mare with a platinum colored mane, a pink streak running along its length. As he continued to examine the doll, Jaden had the sudden unusual urge to consume a ‘Twix’ bar. He had no idea why.

“How do you think Pinkie managed to create these cause I’ve never shown her any of those videos.” he remarked.

The others merely shrugged in reply as Shadow spoke up.

“The only question now is what we should do with ‘em.”

Looking up from his examination, Jaden noted that Cameron and Zander were exchanging amused looks before the olive colored pegasus suddenly scooted closer to Tess and leaned toward her.

“Soooo…” said pegasus began in a leading voice.

Tess blinked at him in bewilderment.

“So… what?”

“So, got any new magic tricks you can show us?”

“Yeah, you must have something we haven’t seen before, right?” Cameron cut in from Tess’s other shoulder.

“Uh, I don’t do tricks.” Tess countered.

“Aww, c'mon you know what we mean…” Zander retorted.

“What this dunce is trying to say is… would you care to demonstrate a spell for us?” Cameron cut in.

“Well, I don’t know…” Tess replied uncertainly.

“I mean… it’s a new spell, and I don’t think it would be a good idea to…” she continued.

“Ooo… so, there is a new spell!” Zander interjected.

“Well, yeah. I haven’t practiced it yet, though.” Tess snapped.

Jaden snorted in amusement as the conversation continued.

“Is it dangerous?” Cameron asked, even more interested now.

“No, it shouldn’t be… it’s just a general principle that if you’re sure nothing can go wrong with a new spell, you need to think again.” Tess replied.

“Although I won’t stop you, I don’t advise the current course of action.” Selena cut in.

“Do it!” Jaden spoke up.

He grinned as the rest of the team slowly turned to him with mixed emotions on their faces. His grin only grew as Cameron and Zander began begging Tess to perform the spell; prompting the alicorn to blush and turn away.

“Do it you wimp!”

Jaden laughed as Tess gaped at him over a chorus of snickers.

“I am not a wimp!” she howled indignantly.

Jaden just shrugged in reply; continuing to smirk in amusement as he did so. Checking his watch, Jaden noted that the time was 7:05 pm. After a pause, Tess spoke up.

“Oi… fine! I’ll do it!”

“Just keep in mind though that there’s a chance nothing interesting will happen. I might not get it right the first time.” she continued.

Looking on, Jaden watched as all the dolls were placed in a line on the hay bale. He and the rest of the squad quietly gathered around as Tess then crouched down to bring her eyes level with the dolls; horn softly glowing as she charged up.

“Okay, everypony stand back a bit.” Tess warned without looking back at them.

Murmuring in agreement, the group scooted back a short distance from the hay bale, exchanging excited grins.

“Alright, let’s see…” Tess murmured softly.

The next few minutes were complicated.

As the glow on Tess’s horn intensified, Jaden noted bright points of light shining from the toy ponies; each a different color. With frightful clarity, he was aware of a ghostly shimmer blooming around the bale and the toys. After a few moments, the glow subsided and nothing else seemed to happen. The group exchanged confused looks.

Tess looked like she was about to say something when the world around them suddenly exploded.
> Capter #3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equestria, Canterlot Castle, 6:30 pm, 8th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Cloudy

Standing upon the lip of the tallest spire of Canterlot Castle, high on the side of mount Equinox, was a balcony from which, on a clear day, one could see all of Equestria. In a literal sense, not merely poetic, considering there were no neighboring civilizations of comparable size and sophistication to hem the land with treatied borders existed, the legal definition of Equestria’s territory was in fact everything Celestia surveyed, by naked eye, from her lofty palace. Although the actual balcony from which the law was defined was, in truth, three stories down; the principle remained.

Of course it wasn’t a clear day. As much to the contrary as possible, it was a heavily overcast night. Standing upon the balcony, Celestia, princess of the sun, let out a weary sigh and drooped; letting her wingtips brush against the floor after having finally wrestled down the restive sun and dimming out the last traces of sunset. Although she wasn’t bothered by rain and mist in themselves, Celestia didn’t care much for cloudy weather. This was due, in no small part, to the fact that her solar regimen was always more difficult when she couldn’t actually see the sun.

Much like a foal whose mother was out of sight, the mischievous orb would take the opportunity to play; dawdling as long as it could before setting to bed or pretending to sink down while in fact creeping north. However, unlike a foal, it was made of pure elemental energy and playing with it was no way to relax.

In the interim, Celestia was able to silently reflect upon the day’s events. Hearing the rumors of strange events occurring near the settlement of Hollow Shades, she had authorized a task force to investigate and take care of the problem. Although she didn’t know the details, Celestia could only hope they would succeed considering several special individuals were among them. Despite the risk the human’s presence caused, Celestia was pleasantly surprised that the boy had managed to exceed all expectations.

Whatever happened Celestia knew that the construct ‘Selena’ would look after ‘Jaden’ and her second favorite alicorn ‘Tess’ considering how often it updated her on how they were doing. That thought in turn brought a small smile to her face. Celestia was snapped out of her reverie by the soft tap of silver-shod hooves. Turning, she smiled and stepped down from her tiled platform. Rather than greeting her sister as intended, though, to her embarrassment Celestia found herself yawning cavernously in the younger Princess’s face.

“Oh goodness, do excuse me, sister…” she said sheepishly.

“I’m just so much more tired than usual tonight.”

Luna’s lips twitched around a smirk, then she too burst into a yawn, covering her mouth and shooting Celestia a dirty look as she finished.

“I too feel rested less than I would like. I blame this heavy air, it fosters sloth.” she grumbled.

Luna looked up to the dull canvas of the sky and sniffed. Fond of flying far and wide over the
kingdom by night, she took even less delight in low-visibility wet weather than Celestia did.

“At least the stars need no great art tonight.”

“No, I suppose not… I didn’t put on the most elegant sunset either. A copy from yesterday, to be honest.” Celestia replied.

She fought back another yawn, but it powered through her defenses.

“Oh, my, I really am exhausted.”

“Ye filly, get to bed before ye drop; so doth the throne of Canterlot decree!”

Luna swept her hoof imperiously toward the tower’s door; the impish bright crescent of her grin robbing the gesture of offense.

Celestia rolled her eyes and bowed her head with a slight quiet smile.

“Well, as my liege commands.” she replied.

Before she could walk away however, Luna paused at the platform’s edge and called out.

“Oh, sister, wait… if I could trouble you…”

“Trouble away, my sweet, so long as you don’t need any great feats of wakefulness.”

Luna gave a hasty nod.

“Of course. I only ask that if should see a kitchen steward as you’re passing through, to have a coffee service sent up here?”

“Poor tired Lulu. Shall I have them bring up a carton of vanilla oat swirl as well?” Celestia teased.

Luna tossed a narrow glare toward Celestia’s overly innocent smile; recognizing another move in the long-running debate concerning who ate how much, of what, and when; and whose cutie mark region was of greater disproportion in consequence.

In tones of great and costly concession, she said, “…why yes, that would be lovely, sister dear.”

“My pleasure.” Celestia replied, not quite chuckling.

With their backs to one another, the royal sisters both paused at the same moment for another deep yawn, with identical curves of their necks and the same soft squeak on the exhale, before Celestia descended into the tower and Luna took a stance on the platform, raising her head to breath deep the chilly air as she extended her senses out toward the sleeping moon.

***************

Equestria, Ponyville; Various Locations, 7:05 pm, 8th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Stormy

Standing within the kitchen at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack added the final touches to some deserts she’d been working on in an attempt to keep busy despite the weather. It was almost a shame that little Apple Bloom wasn’t around to assist; or take part in tasting the delightful treats. If she recalled correctly, her little sister was attending a sleepover with her friends. Applejack grinned impishly as she wondered how Rarity was handling the sleepover.

All was going well when she was suddenly struck by a strange sensation that left her feeling light-headed and woozy. Blinking, Applejack shook her head as a mildly puzzled frown crossed her face. ‘What in the hay just happened?’ She didn’t hear anything but the steady sound of rain falling on the roof as she turned her head back and forth while thoughtfully staring into space but Applejack couldn’t shake the feeling that something was out of place any more than she could suppress the sudden unusual urge to ingest large amounts of pills. Applejack had no idea why.

Eventually, she shrugged and returned to work.

***************

A rainy day, Rarity reflected, was just what the little over her boutique door needed. The recent surge of orders that had come in had been working the poor bell to exhaustion and fraying at silver nerves. With the rain keeping ponies at home, the bell could take a well-deserved break. In the ensuing silence, Rarity herself could find time to finish taking care of business and accomplish some work.

With the sky outside dark and the lamps inside lit, the day had passed in a timeless trance of full-steam creativity. It wasn’t until her stomach began to complain of missing both lunch and dinner that she looked up and realized that it wasn’t just the doorbell being silent, but Sweetie Bell also. Rarity frowned. Sweetie was supposed to be staying with her tonight, yes? The wall calendar confirmed it; not only were their parents out of town for another three days but the Cutie Mark Crusaders were supposed to be having a sleepover. As such, her dearest little sister and darling friends should have been filling the boutique with noise and calamity for hours now.

“Girls?” she called twice, moving up the staircase toward the guest bedroom.

She supposed the Crusaders could have come in quietly, uncharacteristic as that might be, but Rarity already knew that it wasn’t so; the boutique felt empty. There was no sign of the hyperactive fillies anywhere.

She returned downstairs and looked out a nearby window at the clouds hanging low and ominous outside; although the rain itself had subsided to a moderate sprinkle. Unable to spot the hyperactive trio, her dramatic side helpfully presented a half-baked array of dreaded misfortunes that could befall a trio of fillies out in foul weather. As a result, she decided that positive action would be the best way to avert panic.

“I’ll just have to brave the elements and go looking for them!” she declared aloud, squaring her shoulders courageously.

A snap of thunder replied, making her jump and give a high-pitched whinny of surprise.

Her shoulders and courage slumped a bit.

“I do wish they could have chosen a day when the elements didn’t need quite so much braving.”

Rarity was snapped out of her reverie as she heard the unmistakable sound of filly voices, several of them, raised in laughter from somewhere on the other side of the boutique. Quickly making her way to a window on the boutique’s opposite side, Rarity let out a deep breath of tension relieved as she spotted a flash of cheerful color against the rapidly darkening sky. Naturally, the color was that of three familiar fillies dressed in, despite the mud that coated them, yellow rain slickers. Said ponies appeared to be playing in a nearby mud puddle.

Fortunately, it appeared the fillies were safe and well and with a sigh, Rarity made her way toward a nearby doorway to call them inside. It seemed ‘cleaning fillies’ would just have to be added to the ‘to-do’ list. Just as she reached the door, Rarity was suddenly struck by a strange sensation that left her feeling light-headed and nauseous. Blinking, Rarity shook her head as a mildly puzzled frown crossed her face.

‘What was that?’

She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off any more than she could suppress
the sudden unusual urge to filch whatever she could get a hold of. Rarity had no idea why.

Rarity took a moment to compose herself before opening the door and making her way toward the Crusaders.

“Come along girls, it’s time to go inside and get cleaned up.” she called cheerily.

The Crusaders continued to play, unimpeded by Rarity’s request. Soon after, Rarity found herself sidestepping a wad of mud that flew past as Scootaloo dived into the puddle with a delighted squeal.

“Girls, it’s time to go.” she tried again.

The Crusaders continued to ignore Rarity as they enjoyed themselves.

“Girls!” Rarity screamed; stamping a hoof impatiently.

***************

Standing upon a tuffet of mist high above the grumbling clouds that showered Ponyville, Rainbow Dash eyed the lower-hanging rainclouds. They were nicely spaced but not, she thought, well deployed. Too many were raining on buildings and pavement that didn’t need watering. Raising her head defiantly into the gale, Dash spread her wings wide and flexed them to test the wind before leaping from her perch in a graceful arc.

From the arc’s apex, she let herself drop into a smooth curve; swooping under a particular bed-sized cloud then up again to loop around and land atop it. Dash waved to get the attention of Flitter and Cloudchaser, who were trimming the edges of a nearby cloud bank and hoof-signed what she wanted done with the misplaced clouds. After they’d signaled agreement and set about the new task, Dash dug her hooves into the cloud she stood upon. With big steady power-sweeps of her wings, she began to push it away from the center of town toward greener areas beyond the library tree.

Passing over the library tree, Rainbow Dash glanced down. Twilight, she mused, was probably inside reading her precious books and drinking tea while good old Rainbow Dash was out shoving clouds in the lightning and rain. Dash grinned; poor egghead just didn’t know what she was missing. Moments later, Dash was suddenly struck by a strange sensation that left her feeling light-headed and unsteady. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the cloud, Dash would likely have crashed into the ground. Blinking, Rainbow Dash shook her head as a mildly puzzled frown crossed her face.

‘What the hay was that!?’

She didn’t see anything unusual as she turned her head back and forth while thoughtfully staring into space but Dash couldn’t shake the feeling that something was up any more than she could suppress the sudden unusual urge to demolish something. Rainbow Dash had no idea why. Eventually, she let the thought go and continued moving the cloud; glancing down occasionally as she did so. Soon after, she spotted Derpy lying in the back of an apple cart. Frowning, Dash pushed the cloud to a more suitable position than glided back to the cart to check on the dazed pegasus.

“Are you alright?” Dash asked, helping Derpy sit up.

“I just don’t know what went wrong.”

“What happened?”

“I was flying among the clouds when this weird feeling struck me… and…”

Dash blinked.

Something Derpy just said reminded her of her own unique experience.

“And?” Dash prodded lightly.

“Muffin?”

As she hovered in front of the gray pegasus, Dash let out a sigh before replying in a perfect deadpan “Uh, no. No muffins.”

Derpy let out a sad sigh as she climbed out of the cart.

“Hey Derpy, there are a couple of clouds near Sweet Apple Acres that still need to be moved. Do you think you can take care of those?” Dash asked.

Derpy responded with a bright cheerful smile and a nod as she took to the air and headed off… toward Sugarcube Corner. Dash plastered her face in a hoof and groaned. As fond as she was of Derpy, there were times when she had to wonder about that mare. Scowling, Dash took to the air and darted after the wayward pegasus.

***************

Sitting comfortably on her couch by the fireplace, Twilight Sparkle was engrossed in an ancient magic book written by none other than Star Swirl the bearded. Her eyes darted quickly across the written lines, literally soaking up information from it. Nearby, Spike was busy reading one of his comic books on another cushion. Twilight rather liked a rainy day, now and then as wet weather and the rumble of rain could be strangely more peaceful then silence; just as long as she had no plans to be spoiled and the weather pegasi didn’t stack too many of them in a row.

After a few minutes of reading, she closed the book and submersed herself in her thoughts. It had been a fascinating lecture, detailing many aspects about parallel universes, time travel and long-range teleportation. Of course, much of Star Swirl's notes talked about fantastic worlds with strange creatures and foreign technology and magic’s. It all made Twilight felt as giddy as a school filly as she imagined what she could learn from the civilizations, study their artifacts and societies, perhaps even bring them along to Equestria!

With a contented sigh, the librarian opened her book again at one chapter dedicated to some extraequestrians called "humans". Star Swirl had written in his observations that provided these humans could set aside their differences, they could conquer their solar system. Much of the information corroborated what Jaden had told her about his home world when they’d first met and Twilight could easily understand how excited Lyra had been when the green unicorn had borrowed the book; a race completely devoid of magic, and yet had achieved marvelous technological advances, such as sending manned vehicles to the moon, or harnessing the very power of fission.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t heard from Jaden or Tess in a while and wondered how they were doing. Letting the thought go, she continued reading.

Those notes were scribbled down 500 years ago the purple alicorn pondered wistfully.

Imagine how advanced they could be now!

As she continued to read, Twilight was suddenly struck by a strange sensation that left her feeling light-headed and dizzy. Blinking, Twilight shook her head as a mildly puzzled frown crossed her face. ‘What… just happened?’ She didn’t hear anything but the steady sound of rain falling on the roof as she turned her head back and forth while thoughtfully staring into space but Twilight couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong any more than she could suppress the sudden unusual urges to be spiteful and nasty and to play with sharp pointy objects. Twilight had no idea why.

“Um… Twilight? Are you… okay?” came a soft, hesitant voice from across the couch.

Looking up, Twilight saw that Spike was staring at her in concern.

“I think so.” she replied uncertainly.

“It’s just that I had this really weird feeling pass over me… and…”

“What kind of feeling?”

“That’s just it, Spike…” Twilight admitted; a troubled look crossing her features.

“I’ve never felt anything like it before and it’s hard to describe.”

“Well, don't stress over it.” Spike cautioned.

He then stretched and returned to reading his comic book.
Looking on, Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Sometimes I wish I had your lack of concern.” she said to her assistant before returning to her own book.

***************

Rainy days didn’t make Fluttershy’s routine any less busy, just damper. The outside animals still needed feeding; some of her wild friends still needed check-up and therapy visits; and there were still all the chores to do indoors as the rain made some animals huddled and lazy while others were restless and troublesome. Although the mud was inconvenient, on the whole she barely noticed the weather as she went about her work.

Now that evening had come, with all the work done, the hearth fire crackling softly and dinner warm in her belly, Fluttershy found that curling up under a quilt with a mug of cocoa was nice enough in itself but the gentle hiss of rain outside made everything just perfect. With the soft continual chorus of small animals fidgeting and chirping throughout the house combined with the sweet steam of the cocoa Fluttershy began to feel her eyelids grow heavy and her mind grow foggy. It only added to her pleasure to have Angel Bunny snuggling beside her as most of the critters settled in themselves; the nocturnal ones polite enough to start up their routines quietly.

Just as she began to doze off, Fluttershy was suddenly struck by a strange sensation that left her feeling light-headed and woozy. Blinking, Fluttershy shook her head as a mildly puzzled frown crossed her face.

‘What was that?’

Climbing out of bed, Fluttershy sighed and set her mug down before quietly heading over to the window. She didn’t see anything outside nor did she hear anything but the steady sound of falling rain as she turned her head back and forth while thoughtfully staring into space but Fluttershy couldn’t quite put her hoof on why the odd sensation she’d felt was rising a deep blossom of worry in her stomach any more than she could suppress the sudden unusual urges to be spiteful and nasty and to scream loudly.

Fluttershy had no idea why this was but the little alarm bells in the back of her mind rang a bit louder. Unnatural was the word that echoed through her thoughts. Her musing was interrupted as she felt something nudge her leg. Glancing down, Fluttershy saw Angel looking up at her in concern.

“I’m okay.” she said, trying to sound more reassuring than she felt.

Eventually, she shrugged and returned to bed.

***************

Sweeping the dust off the floor of Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie hummed lightly to herself as she attempted to stay busy. Although rainy days, like this one, could often be bad for business, no to mention sooo boring, Pinkie was rather glad that it had come later in the day when things usually died down anyway. Plus they really needed the rain anyhow.

In the ensuing silence, Pinkie thought about all the fun things that awaited her tomorrow. She hadn’t heard from Jaden or Tess in a while and wondered how they were doing. Pinkie also hopped that Jaden had received and enjoyed the little gift she’d made for him. Although it was true that Jaden was a boy, Pinkie figured he would still be able to get some pleasure out of the souvenirs she’d made. In fact, it had been a sudden bout of inspiration that had led her to create the souvenirs; unusual as they were. Wouldn’t Rarity be surprised to learn that she wasn’t the only one who could be inspired to create amazing works of art?

Pinkie’s mussing was interrupted when she was suddenly struck by a strange sensation that left her feeling light-headed and woozy. Blinking, Pinkie shook her head as a mildly puzzled frown crossed her face.

‘How did that even happen?’

She didn’t hear anything but the steady sound of falling rain as she turned her head back and forth while thoughtfully staring into space but Pinkie couldn’t shake the feeling that something unusual had just happened any more than she could suppress the sudden strange urge to stuff her face with food and the feeling that wherever Jaden and Tess were they’d received her little gift and that a part of Pinkie would always be with them.

Although Pinkie had no idea why; the second sensation negated any feelings of unease she might have had about the other urge and made her feel incredibly happy. After a brief pause, Pinkie resumed cleaning while humming her "Not-Evil Enchantress Zecora" song.
> Chapter #4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equestria, Forest east of Foal Mountains; Abandoned Barn, 7:05 pm, 8th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Stormy

Groaning softly, Jaden could do little more than blink while lying on his back upon the floor of the loft; dazed by the concussive force of the magical blast. He could hear the others murmuring nearby but couldn’t move due to a dazed alicorn laying rather awkwardly on top of him as a result of the explosion. Coughing, Tess slowly sat up and shook her head; allowing him to also rise to a sitting position just behind her. Letting his gaze drift, Jaden could see the others were just managing to recover from the blast as well.

The loft itself looked as though a bomb had gone off as a vast amount of hay had been strewn across the place by the explosion. Fortunately, the lanterns weren’t damaged by the blast so there was still plenty of light and no immediate threat of a fire.

“W-wha… t-that was… unexpected.” Tess gasped.

“Gah! Did anypony get the license of that carriage?” Cameron groaned while sitting up and rubbing the back of her head with a hoof.

Turning, the cyan pegasus shot them a wicked smirk before continuing.

“Ooo… gettin' rather cozy are we?”

Jaden replied by rolling his eyes and giving said pony a certain hand gesture that he knew many individuals would consider rude. The act merely elicited snickers from the pony in question as Tess turned toward them in confusion before realizing what was meant and squealing indignantly. Turning his attention back toward a particular hay bale, Jaden noted the peculiar results of the spell as six of the, now animate, dolls put curious menace into the act of observing the team. The almost feral gleam in the dolls stares was somewhat disconcerting.

The gray doll meanwhile, gazed back at them curiously while the blue one he’d previously been examining was bouncing merrily in place, in a manner reminiscent of another pony he knew, while chanting “Fun! Fun! Fun!” to itself in a shrill, high-pitched voice.

“Who are the dweebs?” the pink doll with the flat main asked.

“Can I eat…”

“NO!” the other dolls, save for the hyper one, snapped.

“No fair. I’m starvin’!” the pink doll whined.

Moments later the pink doll was distracted by the sound of something squeaking nearby. Turning, it leaped at something just out of view and Jaden swore he could hear a rat squealing from somewhere in the vicinity of where the pink doll had landed.

“Whoa! That thing just inhaled the rat!” Cameron gasped.

Jaden and Tess exchanged glances before turning to Fiora.

“Well, I think this takes care of our rat problem.” Jaden remarked; smirking as the darker colored pegasus grimaced.

Turning back to the remaining dolls, Jaden noted that they were smirking at the team with an almost maniacal gleam in their eyes. The platinum maned blue unicorn however, appeared to be oblivious to what was happening as it continued to jump up and down while chanting to itself.

“So, what should we do with them?” the butter yellow pegasus asked.

Jaden thought he heard the smaller cyan pegasus mention something about target practice but
wasn’t sure because the doll had a sharp raspy voice that was somewhat difficult to follow.

“Pills!” the tan earth pony with a black mane squealed before grunting as it got punched in the face by one of the other dolls.

Slowly, Jaden and Tess turned to one another and stared before the boy spoke up.

“Uh, it seems your spell worked a little too well.”

"Gee, ya think?" Tess drawled sarcastically.

“I think somepony needs a hug.” Jaden retorted; snickering as the alicorn planted her face in a hoof and uttered a long suffering sigh.

“I also can’t help but wonder if you somehow managed to channel Pinkie into that one.” he continued, gesturing toward the blue doll which had stopped bouncing and was giving them a bright adorable smile.

Tess merely shrugged in reply as the squad slowly rose to their feet. 

“Uh, Tess, did you perhaps uber charge them? If so, you do realize they could be active for days.” Shadow asked.

Tess turned to the unicorn colt and blinked before shrugging again.

Looking on, Jaden could see that the mauve colored alicorn was in charge of the group of little ponies; much as he knew them all by name. In fact the only pony in the group that seemed out of character was the blue one. An intriguing idea for what could be done with the cunning little creatures sprang to mind as he continued to observe them while they just stared right back. He would have to be careful in how he presented the idea as it required the dolls total cooperation to work.

“What do you want?” the little alicorn suddenly barked.

Lost in thought, Jaden didn’t reply as he continued to stare at the dolls. Moments later, he was snapped out of his reverie as the little creature practically shrieked “If you’re going to say something than SPIT IT OUT ALREADY!” while stamping a hoof impatiently.

Blinking in surprise, Jaden turned to his companions, who were equally stunned; struggling to stifle a growing smirk at the unexpected outburst.

“Ooo, it seems we’ve gotta feisty one!” Zander crowed.

“Yes!” Jaden replied in the best strangled Russian voice he could manage without bursting into uncontrollable laughter.

It really didn’t help matters that Tess was giving him a flat incredulous stare before sighing as the little alicorn scowled at him.

“Well, I will have you know that I cherish any victory over a filthy alicorn.” he continued, while still in-character; eliciting snickers from Cameron, Zander, and even some of the dolls.

“Of course you do considering your far more mentally advanced than the rest of us.” Tess retorted, rolling her eyes as the purple toy continued to glower at him.

Jaden snorted in amusement; noting the evident sarcasm in the mare’s voice.
He was also absurdly pleased she’d caught the reference.

“I was gonna say earlier that I think I’ve got a proposal that could be mutually beneficial to all parties if you’re interested.” he continued; returning to the original question.

“Go on.” the lavender colored doll prodded.

“Well, considering how late it is, and the weather, it might be better to discuss the proposal in the
morning. We could use the time to rest up since it’s quite a walk to our destination from here.” Jaden replied.

The ponies, both big and small, looked to one another; exchanging opinions without uttering a single word before finally murmuring in agreement at the idea. Jaden meanwhile, turned his attention to the platinum maned blue unicorn. It took a moment for said doll to realize it was being observed before casting him a curious look.

“So, what should we call you since the only name that comes
to mind doesn’t quite match your charming personality.” he asked.

The doll seemed to mull something over for a long moment before responding.

“In that case, just call me Edi.”

After mulling the suggestion over briefly, Jaden nodded. It was a simple name and Jaden rather
liked the sound of it as the now larger group began to make themselves comfortable.

***************

Equestria, Forest east of Foal Mountains; Abandoned Barn, 9:30 pm, 8th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Stormy

Lying on a hay bale, Edi watched the rather bizarre spectacle occurring around her with an air of bemused indifference as she quietly snacked on a bag of chips that were surprisingly still edible despite being in the dilapidated barn for who knew how long. Curiously, it had been Rarifruit’s unique abilities that had led to the discovery of the snacks among the plethora of more questionable items. Shifting her gaze, Edi could just make out the deluge of falling rain through an opening on the far side of the loft and knew that in the morning travel would be more difficult do to the mud. Not that it bothered her of course; although she suspected some of the others wouldn’t appreciate the situation.

Turning back toward the group, Edi knew deep down that she was different from the other dolls. After all, in one sense, when all their energy was gone they’d cease to exist and would return to lifeless toy hood. Of course their current existence was nothing more than a projection of one of the big ponies’ mental image of something they’d seen in a video. After the spell ceased, they would still ‘live’, in a way, within the big pony’s memories.

On reflection, that was probably something the others wouldn’t like to hear.

Even though she didn’t understand how or why any of it worked, Edi didn’t question it any more than she questioned how she could use magic; she just could, and she left it at that. She also didn’t question how she knew the population of Ponyville; although, upon reflection, it was a curious thing that she knew anything about the town since she’d never been there before. Shrugging inwardly, Edi let the thought go and took a sip from a nearby bottle of water. She also had a hunch about what the bipedal thing and the big ponies’ proposal could be but wanted the see if she was right; or how the other dolls would react.

Speaking of the others, they were all busy entertaining themselves in a number of ways. Edi watched Pinkis Cupcake curl up in a darkened corner on the far side of the loft and go to sleep after gorging herself on no less than a dozen rats. ApplePills was in a similar state as she continued to consume the contents of a rather large bottle of pills near the pink pony. Derpigun and Rainbine meanwhile, were taking part in a card game with most of the big ponies. Edi was intrigued by the game and figured she’d join in on a future round. She also thought Fluttershout might be interested; that is when she was done attending to her current charge of course.

If she recalled correctly, shortly after they’d all been brought suddenly in existence the bipedal creature had challenged Brutalight to a sparring contest. After the rules had been set, the pair tore into one another with such speed and agility as to leave everypony else utterly captivated. In fact, if she hadn’t known better, Edi would’ve assumed they’d rehearsed the event sometime prior. Of course the duel had ended in a draw as both combatants had come perilously close to actually killing one another.

Now, in a nearby corner of the loft, Fluttershout was looking after Brutalight; considering said pony had recently consumed another type of beverage that had been found after she’d enhanced it with her magic. It was obvious however; that Fluttershout wasn’t amused by Brutalight’s increasingly eccentric behavior and was discreetly looking for a way out. Edi winced at the memory of Brutalight’s sudden revelation about having wings and subsequent attempt to fly. That hadn’t ended well but at least she’d attempted the stunt from another hay bale so Brutalight was likely okay. Edi also suspected that one of the big ponies had tampered with the beverage prior to Brutalight getting a hold of it but couldn’t prove the theory.

Rolling her eyes, she had to wonder who would leave such things just lying around a place like this.

Finally, there was Rarifruit. Edi snorted softly as she recalled all the drama surrounding that particular pony. Judging from the ruckus downstairs, Fruity, Edi rather liked the nickname, was still rather angry about something one of the big ponies had said. As she recalled, the incident began with what Edi guessed was some sort of unfair assumption regarding Rarifruit and Pinkis Cupcake being mother/daughter based on the relation of the souls of the beings used to create them. The first comment had elicited little more than an exasperated snort from Fruity but was quickly followed by a rather inane comment about somepony named Andar-something liking mares with disproportionate cutie mark regions and love handles which had prompted a shriek of fury from the white unicorn.

From somewhere downstairs, said pony was shouting things unprintable as she attempted to kill the bipedal thing and the big green pony for making the comment. Shaking her head, Edi snorted again; amused by the varying degrees of incredulity worn on the faces of the card playing group at the continued commotion.

“Someone stop this crazy wench! She’s tryin’ to kill us!” came a shout from downstairs.

“Don’t care dear!” the big carmal pony, ‘Tess’ if Edi recalled the name correctly, retorted while rolling its eyes.

“Look out! She’s got a freakin’ lawnmower!” a second voice shouted from downstairs.

“How is she even operating that thing?” the first voice retorted.

Taking another sip, Edi rolled her eyes once more at the craziness surrounding her. If the current situation was anything to go by then this whole experience was bound to get interesting. Edi was snapped out of her musing moments later as a sudden commotion nearby grabbed her attention. Turning, she watched as Fluttershout continued to fuss over Brutalight who was acting even stranger than usual.

“C’mon, your gonna sleep it off!” the butter yellow pegasus growled.

“I don’t wanna!” the lavender alicorn whined.

Edi barked out a laugh as she watched the pair continue to bicker among themselves; particularly when Brutalight called Fluttershout “mommy”. Edi knew instinctively that she could have so much fun with Brutalight about that but wouldn’t dare mention it as she did value her life. Soon after, Brutalight fell asleep and Fluttershout began making her way toward the main group. Clambering to her hooves, Edi quickly hopped off the hay bale and approached the butter yellow pegasus. She then nodded toward the card playing group and after a brief pause Fluttershout nodded in agreement and the pair made their way toward that part of the loft.

“So, 'mommy'?” Edi remarked casually.

“Mention that ever again and I’ll fill you're head with so much noise you won't be able to function!” Fluttershout snarled.

Giggling, Edi waved a hoof in a placating manner. After all, there was no reason for anypony to get all worked up over the matter. Of course she didn’t think any of the big ponies would make a big deal over the issue; although some of them might say something. The outcome certainly wouldn’t be any different than what was already happening downstairs. Giggling again, Edi looked forward to seeing what would happen next.
> Chapter #5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equestria, Forest east of Foal Mountains; Abandoned Barn, 10:05 am, 9th July 20xx, Day, Weather: Clear

As he awoke, Jaden felt refreshed. Glancing around, he noted that most of his companions were in similar states as they meandered around the loft. Letting his gaze drift, Jaden smirked as he saw the still sleeping forms of several members of the team; a few of the dolls among them. A short distance away, he could see Cameron sprawled out with Rainbine and Rarifruit laying by her side. Not far from them, were Brutalight and Tess; in a similar state. The sight was so adorkably cute that he had to respond in some manner.

Judging from the snickers, most of the others were just as amused by the situation. Although none of them spoke, Jaden got the impression that quite a party took place in the loft the previous night. What appeared to be an open bottle of some sort only added to that assumption. Climbing to his feet and walking over, Jaden examined the bottle and discovered that it was partially filled with an unknown liquid. Sniffing the bottle, Jaden was almost overpowered by the heavy odor of liquor mixed with another scent he couldn't identify. From the sound of the snickers, it was obvious that the others were amused by his reaction to the mystery liquid.

“Whew, that's some seriously potent stuff.” he remarked.

“It was originally meant for sis.” Fiora snickered.

“And Brutalight got a hold of it instead?” Jaden asked, grinning.

He saw Edi smile and nod in reply; amusing him even more.

“Oh, how I wish I could've seen that.” he chuckled.

“What did ya'll do to this stuff?” Jaden continued after a pause.

“You don't want to know what they did.” Selena remarked as she materialized.

Jaden grinned at the news before replying, “Oh, we're going to have fun with this.”

He then turned to Fluttershout.

“Would you care to do the honors?”

Fluttershout seemed to mull the suggestion over briefly before a wicked smirk crossed her features. She then inhaled deeply and... well the results spoke for themselves as Cameron catapulted several feet into the air with a startled cry before landing upon the ponies laying beside her; said dolls gasping and groaning as they struggled to escape from beneath the dazed pegasus. Tess and Brutalight meanwhile, bolted to sitting positions with the former releasing a startled yelp. Both alicorn then turned glares upon him while Cameron groaned as Rainbine and Rarifruit continued their futile struggle to escape over a chorus of snickers.

“Morning honey.” Jaden chuckled.

“I hate you!” Tess growled.

“Someone remind me not to piss her off!” Jaden continued while chuckling and rubbing his ears in an attempt to clear them out while Fluttershout continued to smirk.

“You have to admit, she makes a good alarm clock.” Zander piped up just as dazed.

Over a chorus of affirmations, Tess suddenly groaned and rubbed first her temples then her throat. Cameron meanwhile, had managed to clamber to a sitting position; allowing the other dolls to rise to their hooves. Smirking, Jaden handed over the bottle he was holding to Tess who proceeded to down the substance before sputtering and spitting it back up; looking grossed out.

“What is this... piss?” she gasped.

“I wouldn't know.” Jaden replied while fighting back a snicker.

“I really hate you!” Tess snarled.

Over a chorus of snickers, Jaden continued to smirk; still unable to get over how easy it was to prank the the stuffy robo-pony. Brutalight meanwhile, continued to glare; first at him then Fluttershout. As the group began to calm down, Jaden once again began to think of how he could present his plan. Minutes later, Brutalight fixed him with another piercing gaze; silently demanding to know what he was thinking about. Sensing the time had come, Jaden began to detail his idea.

***************

Equestria, Forest east of Foal Mountains; rendezvous point, 7:35 pm, 9th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Cloudy

As the team arrived at the perimeter of a lit area within the forest, Jaden knew they’d finally reached their destination; and not a moment too soon. If the incessant whining he’d been hearing for the last few hours had been anything to go by then it was good that they’d made it. Although Fiora had murmured little about the excessive amount of mud brought about by the previous day’s storm, certain other members of the group mentioned their displeasure at the situation.

While traveling, the team had rigged up some mesh harnesses to accommodate their smaller companions through the worst areas. The harnesses had been designed to allow the dolls to enter or exit with ease on their own while making sure they were comfortable and didn’t fall out during the trek; and were attached to points on each of the larger member’s armor near their shoulders. He was carrying Brutalight and Fluttershout while Tess had Edi and Rarifruit. The rest of the dolls were spread out among the other members of the team.

Letting his gaze drift, Jaden noted that the staging site was set up like any other small encampment he’d seen since joining the equestrian military; a couple of tents and various items such as folding chairs and tables scattered around what he supposed passed for some food court area, with spotlights lighting the area. From what he could see, there were about sixteen ponies in the area. Most of the ponies present were EMRF soldiers, recognizable by the golden military vests and gold military helmets that they wore displaying sun-butt’s symbol of the sun. The remaining ponies therefore were logically the Zeta squad members as they wore similar armor to what his own team had.

Looking on, he could see that the vast majority of the ponies present were bored out of their minds; either lounging around or performing busy work. While the members of Zeta squad were equipped with a verity of weapons, the EMRF ponies were carrying variants of either the M4 carbine or the MP-5. It didn't take long for his team to be noticed as an EMRF soldier, a gray colored pegasus stallion by the looks of it, rapidly made its way toward them with a maroon colored earth pony stallion with a blonde colored main wearing a pair of dark shades and a small microphone headset in tow.

“Hey! Who are you and what's your business here?” the pegasus barked.

“Sorry we're late. We're Reaper squad; also assigned to this delightful little operation.” Jaden replied.

“What kept you?” the other stallion demanded.

“It would seem our pilot got lost during yesterday's storm.” Jaden answered.

“Fine. Get situated and stand by. First assemblies in fifteen.” the stallion snapped before turning and walking toward a small knoll facing another part of the forest.

Jaden noted the incredulous stares from his companions and shook his head with a shrug. Minutes later, most of the dolls climbed out of their harnesses and the group began making their way toward the food court area. Jaden was a little surprised that Brutalight had decided to remain with him but that was nothing considering the fact that a Zeta squad member, a creme colored unicorn mare with a light blue main by the looks of it, was rapidly approaching.

“Hiya! I see you've met captain Vickers.” the mare greeted cheerily.

“Uh, yeah. He's a real charming guy.” Jaden replied.

“You get used to it. Anyway, my names Sully.” the mare said.

“Nice to meet'cha, the names Jaden.”

“Hey, do you know anything about the mission we're about to go on?” he asked.

Sully shook her head.

“Nothing more than what was mentioned in our original briefing. Captain Vickers's supposed to have more information on the subject.”

Jaden nodded.

“Oh, that reminds me, I have something for you.” Sully added before turning and pulling something out of her saddle bag and handing it to him.

“What's this?” Jaden asked as he accepted the item; a file folder.

“Don't know. A mare showed up late last night and said to give it to you when you arrived.” Sully replied.

“I'm not sure why but I can't help but feel something's not right. And right now the only one that I gotta hunch knows what's out there is our captain.” she added.

Jaden nodded for her to continue.

“I'm sure he has a good reason but he's unwillingly to share with the rest of his own team. Look, I don't mind going on any mission but I do not like going into a mission blind or waiting for something to strike at us when were just sitting around.”

“Anyway, watch your back around the captain, I don't trust him.” the unicorn finished before turning and walking away.

“Well, this is shaping up to be quite the outing.” Jaden mused; eliciting a contemptuous snort from Brutalight.

Turning he saw Tess scowling at him while Edi smirked up at him from beside the aggravated alicorn.

“What?”

“Just what the hay was that?” Tess snarled.

“It would seem one of the Zeta's wanted to speak to me.” Jaden responded with a shrug

“Why, ya jealous?” he continued; smirking at Tess's irritated demeanor as he made his way over to a table and took a seat.

“No!” Tess snapped defensively.

“Oh, go get a room.” Brutalight sneered.

“We already have one; it’s quite lovely really.” Jaden retorted; grinning as Tess’s left eye twitched and a series of strangled noises and half formed words spilled out of her mouth while the dolls snickered.

After a few minutes, Tess stormed off in a huff and Jaden began to examine the contents of the file folder he'd received. He didn't get very far in his investigation as a sudden commotion grabbed his attention. Looking up, he saw half of the EMRF soldiers and Zeta squad heading toward a pair of chariots similar to the one they'd ridden in the previous day that had been parked in an area he hadn't noticed before. One of the craft quickly took off and things began to settle down in the camp once more. From what he could see, one of the EMRF soldiers, another unicorn, was serving as a radio operator for the other squad.

Glancing at his watch, Jaden noted curiously that Zeta squad's departure coincided with the fifteen minute mark set as the time for the briefing they were supposed to be having. The captain meanwhile hadn't moved from his spot and appeared to be uninterested in anything that was happening so Jaden resumed his examination of the contents within the file folder he'd received. From what he could tell, the contents of the folder were a jumbled mess of newspaper articles relating to the strange occurrences happening in the nearby town, copies of autopsy reports on some of the victims, and a series of strange documents like a list of names and descriptions for creatures that just didn't make any sort of sense.

One document in particular baffled him as it referenced various common objects and keys he didn't know anything about in the form of riddles. Another contemptuous snort from Brutalight indicated that she was as confused on the matter as he was. His musing was interrupted as the radio operator suddenly became frantic; the rest of the group regarding the unicorn in confusion as captain Vickers approached him. Seconds later, the unicorn fiddled with the device and everyone present could hear the conversation.

“... you copy? Malfunction, we're going to have to...”

The rest was lost in static as the group huddled around the device.

“Zeta squad, report! I repeat, Zeta squad, please respond.” the unicorn bellowed in agitation.

As the unicorn continued to call out to the missing team, Jaden felt stunned by the sudden turn of events. It was just under half an hour since the first team had left camp and they were in trouble. Letting his gaze drift, he noted the others were just as stunned by the turn of events as captain Vickers spoke up.

“Position?”

“They’re in the, uh, sector twenty-two; tail end of C... except I've just lost the signal. The transponder's off-line.” the radio operator replied.

Jaden's feeling of unease grew as the conversation continued. Noticing his companions unease with the situation and given his history with the aviation industry back on earth, Jaden was certain the chariot's transponder had been designed to work no matter what. The only way the device could be disabled would be if it had received serious damage. Such as in a crash.

“Saddle up, everypony. We're going after them.” Vickers snapped.

After silently exchanging glances with his team, the group quickly grabbed their gear and made their way toward the remaining chariot in preparation of rescuing the other squad.
> Chapter #6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equestria, Forest east of Foal Mountains; Aerial Search, 8:15 pm, 9th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Cloudy

As they continued to soar over the forest, Tess hoped the members of the other team were alright. Once again Edi and Rarifruit were paired up with her as the group continued to search for any sign of the missing chariot. It had to be a coincidence that the other craft had malfunctioned, yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off with the situation. Although she was still a little peeved about Jaden's prior interaction with one of the Zeta's, she hopped he'd been able to uncover something new about the situation as she recalled their original briefing.

All anyone knew was that over the past few weeks, a series of bizarre and rather grisly murders and disappearances had been occurring within the area. If she recalled correctly, the forest had been declared off limits to all civilians, angering most of the locals from the nearby town. Of course there had been speculation that the murders had been committed by a group of about ten ponies; victims… were apparently eaten. Naturally, they were supposed to take care of the problem but Tess couldn't help but wonder if they were really up to the task.

Returning her attention to the matter at hoof, Tess noted the anxious expressions many of the members of the group wore as they continued to stare out the windows at the forest below. Minutes later, one of the EMRF soldiers called out that there was something ahead and to the right. Glancing in the indicated direction, Tess felt her anxiety rise at the barely visible oily plume of smoke rising from the forest before them. Although she wasn't an expert, Tess was certain that such a sight was a bad sign as their craft turned toward the dark smudge that could only indicate a crash.

“Listen up, we've got ponies down in a possibly hostile environment. I want you all armed and I want this to be an organized approach.” captain Vickers barked.

“Our pilot's going to land as close as possible to the site, a small clearing about fifty meters from the site by the looks of it. Give me a standard fan as soon as we set down. You two take rotating point.” he continued, pointing a hoof at two of the EMRF ponies.

The captain then turned and pointed a hoof at Cameron and Zander.

“I want you two watching our flank, got it?”

All the indicated ponies murmured their understanding of their duties. Nopony spoke as, seconds later, a flurry of activity broke out among the group as they readied themselves for whatever was to come.

Soon after, the chariot touched down in a scrappy patch of grass and the team disembarked. The air was humid as they spread out and headed north. In the dim moonlight, Tess could just make out a sparse stand of trees ahead. She could also smell something burning and see wisps of smoke curling through the foliage. The natural smells of the forest were overshadowed by the burning smell; the acrid odor growing stronger with each step. The forest itself  was considered a travelers, campers or ecologists place of interest since it was known as one of the most unusual locations in Equestria.

At any other time, Tess might have been inspired by the scenery surrounding her.

Her musing was interrupted as one of the EMRF ponies called out that they'd spotted the downed chariot. Tess felt her heart speed up at the news and then they were all running in an attempt to catch up with the lead ponies. She emerged from the copse of trees with Shadow and Fiora at her side. Jaden was already at the downed craft along with Vickers and the point ponies. Form what she could tell, Zeta squad's chariot was mostly intact but a derelict. If there had been a fire it had long sense burned out. Aside from the left rail being bent, the most notable damage appeared to be a facial impression on the housing of one of the engines. Curiously, most of the Zeta's gear was still on board but nopony was present.

From behind, she could hear some of the others murmuring about how odd the situation was and Tess was inclined to agree. It had only been fifteen minutes since their last transmission; surly the Zeta's knew their best chance for rescue was to remain with the chariot. If any of them had been injured they would have stayed and even if they'd decided to leave why had they left their equipment behind? Where had they gone?

After inspecting the wreckage, Jaden spoke up.

“Camera check!”

As one, she and the rest of Reaper squad began to flip switches on the cameras attached to their helmets until Selena spoke up.

“Kill cams online.”

“Alright, circle out and search for clues... tracks, signs of struggle. You find anything let me know.” Vickers said.

“Let's start three meters apart and widen as we go. Stay alert!” he continued.

A chorus of affirmations rang out as the group began moving out.

As the team and the EMRF troops proceeded though the forest, Tess noted how unsettling the place really was. Aside from the occasional cawing of a crow or raven, or the soft sounds of the wind blowing through the trees, the forest was  deathly silent. In fact the only sound that was heard was the hoof steps of the team and troops. The fog that had seemed to mysteriously appear didn't help things either. She could hear Edi and Rarifruit murmuring nervously among themselves as they traveled, and it wasn't helping her nerves in the least.

Glancing to her right, Tess saw one of the EMRF ponies, an earth pony colt by the looks of it, nervously sweeping the immediate area with his rifle as they continued. Letting her gaze drift, Tess was surprised by how quickly they had traveled from the wreckage in such a short time as she'd already lost sight of any other members of the group. Tess was about to call out to the colt when they both heard a growl from somewhere up ahead. The sound was much closer to the colt then to her, but something just didn't feel right. The colt meanwhile, was even more frightened as he frantically searched for the source of the sound.

Tense seconds passed without incident and the colt began to calm down. Something nearby caught Tess's eye. Just a few feet away were what appeared to be a couple of animal tracks. Tess quickly trotted over, and crouched to examine the tracks. These were no ordinary tracks however, as they resembled those laid by the infamous timber wolves of the Everfree Forest. Yet something about the tracks was off. They were abnormally large, the size of a manticore or a small dragon's track, plus timber wolves were indigenous solely to the Everfree Forest.

“What could have done this?” the colt asked.

Tess shrugged and shook her head.

Whatever had made the tracks couldn't be far away considering they were still fresh. Tess silently hoped that she wouldn't run into whatever made the tracks anytime soon; thinking about them sent shivers up her spine. After taking a moment to compose herself, Tess motioned that they should continue. Nodding nervously,  the colt began leading the way. The pair hadn't gone more than a few yards when another menacing growl rang out.

While the colt desperately searched for the source of the sound, Tess thought she saw a bush move to their right. She wasn't prepared however, for what burst out of the undergrowth at the unfortunate solider seconds later. The poor earth pony never stood a chance as what appeared to be three enormous wolf-like creatures ripped into him with gnashing, dripping jaws from all sides. From what she could tell, the monsters physically resembled timber wolves but were much bigger and seemed to have no fur or skin; instead wet red sinew and muscle appeared to be exposed. Not to mention the things had cold beady eyes with no apparent pupils.

Over the sounds of Edi and Rarifruit's horrified cries and the poor colt's dying shrieks, Tess was unaware that she'd drawn her sidearm and unloaded an entire clip at the beasts without actually hitting any of them. The steady click of an empty chamber finally cut into her panic and alerted her to the problem. Moments later, she lost her balance and toppled backward to the ground as one of the things noticed her while the other two continued to consume the colt's corpse. As the dolls urged her to get up, the wolf monster lunged forward only to sail backward by a shot from somewhere behind her.

Turning, she'd never been so glad to see anyone as Jaden extended a hand and helped her to her hooves.

“C'mon, we've gotta go!” he said.

Nodding, the pair began to run as the other freaks noticed them and gave chase. At the same time, they could here additional shrill voices of predatory fury coming at them from all directions. While sprinting through the forest, branches snapped at them as the howls grew louder, more insistent. Gasping, she was dimly aware of Jaden turning and firing blindly into the woods as they stumbled back the way they'd come. Minutes later, Rarifruit let out a surprised yelp.

“Hey, that's our ride!”

Looking up, Tess felt her jaw drop as she saw the chariot they'd come in on fly away, not noticing them.
She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Letting her gaze drift, she noted that Jaden appeared as confused as she felt.

“Where does he think he's going?” he asked, turning to her.

Tess shook her head, uncertain how to respond. All she knew was that they were going to die if they stayed where they were. Her panicked thoughts were interrupted by a small voice commanding them to keep moving. Taking off through the forest once more, Tess could hear the sounds of their pursuers rapidly approaching from behind.

Turning, she watched Jaden stop and raise an arm to fend-off one of the creatures when it suddenly sailed backward by a shot from somewhere behind them. Following the sound of the shot, Tess was once again relieved to see Cameron and Zander standing several yards away unhurt; along with captain Vickers who'd apparently been the one that had shot the beast that had almost got Jaden.

“This way!” Vickers commanded.

Quickly exchanging glances, the pair raced toward the others and the group sprinted as fast as they could; only to turn for the briefest moment to fire a stray shot or two into the chasing horde of monsters. As they ran, Tess was a bit baffled to see a grand old house standing in the distance.

“Quick, make for that mansion!” Jaden called out.

Gasping, Tess galloped as fast as she could towards the structure. Over the sound of gun fire, she knew the others were right behind her. As they got closer, Tess noted that the structure appeared to be abandoned; yet it seemed somepony had taken the time to keep it maintained. Reaching the doors, she used a combination of telekinesis and her right shoulder to open a pair of ornate wooden doors; pleasantly surprised to see them crash open as light spilled out across the stone steps to the porch.

Turning, Tess used another quick flick of telekinesis to reload her sidearm and started firing; providing cover for the rest of the team as they piled into the dwelling and slammed the door shut. Zander quickly found the entry's steel deadbolt and slid it into place as outside they could all hear the wolf monsters howling and scrabbling uselessly at the heavy doors. Gasping and letting her gaze drift, Tess was surprised by the condition of the structure they now found themselves within.
> Chapter #7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Standing within what appeared to be the mansion's main hall, not a sound could be heard except the gasps of the team as they recovered from their nightmarish sprint through the forest. While the dolls freed themselves from their harnesses, Jaden let his gaze drift and marveled at their new surroundings. The sheer size of the room they'd escaped into was the epitome of lavish. It was huge, easily bigger than the apartment he shared with Tess, with gray flecked marble floor tiles and dominated by a wide carpeted staircase that lead to a second floor balcony.

Arched marble pillars lined the ornate hall and provided support to the dark heavy wood banister of the upper floor while fluted wall sconces cast funnels of light across walls of cream that were trimmed in oak and offset by the deep burnt ocher of the carpeting. Two doors were on the wall to their right while a single door was to the left. A small end table sat to the left side of the grand staircase. In short, the place was magnificent yet Jaden couldn't quite place why it seemed strangely familiar to him.

“Is everyone alright?” he asked.

A chorus of affirmations indicated that the others were fine while they continued to survey their new surroundings as they caught their breath.

“What the buck was that?!” Edi exclaimed.

“I wish I knew.” Jaden replied, shaking his head.

“It looks like the wood around this lock has been splintered so I guess it’s safe
to say somepony broke this door open before we got here.” Zander cut in.

“How are we set for ammo?” captain Vickers called out.

Ejecting his handgun's current clip, Jaden discovered that he only had two rounds remaining. During their dash through the woods, he recalled firing a full clip and most of the current one; twenty-eight shots in total. That left him with eight additional clips of ammo for his sidearm and launcher along with ten forty-five round magazines for his rifle. According to his mental math, that left him with four hundred fifty rounds for his pulse-rifle and one hundred twenty-two rounds for his pistol; or roughly forty-eight rounds for the launcher. Tess and Cameron reported firing twenty-two shots each, which left the mares with four hundred fifty rounds for their rifles and one hundred twenty-eight rounds for their pistols, while Zander reported firing thirty-three rounds, leaving him with four hundred fifty rounds for his rifle and one hundred seventeen rounds for his handgun; not to mention the specialty ammo for their additional weapons.

It was perhaps fortunate that they were all equipped with energy weapons as it allowed them to carry more ammo than conventional ballistic weapons would; not to mention that both his sidearm and launcher shared the same type of magazine.

“What is this?” Zander asked.

“Not quite your ordinary house, that's for sure.” Vickers replied.

Jaden realized that they were missing several ponies as Cameron began glancing frantically around the room.

“Where's Shadow and sis?” she asked as she began heading back toward the door they'd entered through.

“Kid, no! You don't want to go back out there.” Vickers snapped.

Cameron began to protest but cut short as Selena spoke up.

“I'm tracking them so they're still alive. It appears they've taken refuge in an adjacent structure.”

Cameron let out a relieved sigh at the news.

“Can we raise them on comm?” Tess asked.

“Not likely. I'm detecting an anomaly of some kind that seems to be radiating from the structure.
It would appear that limited short range communications is all that is available at present.” Selena replied.

Jaden sighed and rolled his eyes.

If he was understanding Selena correctly, then they couldn't call the other team, or anyone else for help, and all comm traffic between one another within the mansion itself would be spotty at best. The good news was that Shadow, Fiora, and the three dolls accompanying them were still alive. How long they remained that way however, was another matter entirely. As he continued to study his surroundings, Jaden couldn't shake the feeling of unease that steadily grew within him. Despite the mansion's grandeur, something about the atmosphere of the place just felt... wrong. He could see similar feelings of unease displayed upon most of his companions faces.

“It's also unfortunate that none of the EMRF personnel survived our encounter in the forest.” Selena continued.

“So, what now?” Brutalight spoke up.

“Well, help should be on the way, assuming our 'friend' bothers to call it in.” Vickers replied sarcastically.

A chorus of contemptuous snorts and groans indicated how his companions felt on the matter. Jaden certainly didn't blame them for feeling such things considering their pilot had decided to abandon them in this forsaken forest. The dude had seriously screwed up and they were paying the price for it. The captain meanwhile, had walked over to one of the doors on the wall to the right of the stairs and rattled the handle, but it didn't open.

“It's not safe to go back out and until the cavalry arrives we might as well look around.” he remarked.

“After all, it's obvious that somepony's been keeping this place up; though why and for how long...”

Jaden nodded thoughtfully at the idea as the captain walked back toward them. All feelings of unease aside, it would be in their best interest to check the place out; and it might even lead to clues in solving their investigation. He was snapped out of his reverie moments later, by the sound of a gunshot from somewhere nearby. Although the acoustics within the mansion were off due to its size, it sounded like the noise had originated from beyond the door to their left.

In unison, the group turned in that direction.

“What the hay was that?” Zander asked.

No one answered him.

“Check it out and report back ASAP. We'll stay here and wait in case back-up arrives.” Vickers ordered the pegasus.

“If you run into trouble fire your weapon and we'll find you.” he continued.

Zander shot him a questioning look and Jaden nodded his approval.
With a sigh, Zander pulled out his shotgun as he walked toward the door.

“That's why I like to keep this handy... for close encounters.” he said.

“I heard that.” Rainbine piped up.

“Zan... take care.” Tess called out as he reached the door.

Zander shot her a lop-sided grin and nodded once before passing into the next room.

The next six minutes passed quietly without incident before the sound Jaden dreaded to hear most could be heard from somewhere beyond the adjacent room; the sound of a shotgun being fired. Seconds passed before another shot was heard. Out of the corner of his eye, Jaden could see the anxious gazes of his companions directed at him.

“Let's move!” he said, already heading for the door. 

Upon reaching the door Jaden turned and cast captain Vickers a glance.

“Go, I'll secure this area.”

“Stay alert!” the captain called out.

Jaden nodded back to him then signaled Cameron to open the door. Seconds later, the group filed through into the next room. As they entered, Jaden heard the loud ticking of an old clock. The room was an ornate dining hall, as big as Princess Celestia's back in Canterlot, and was cut in half by a second floor balcony, stretching all the way around. High above, a chandelier cast funnels of light across walls of beige that were trimmed in red wood and expensive artwork.

The room was dominated by an extravagant wooden table that looked like it easily could support two-dozen individuals, but set for half that number. Judging by the thin layer of dust coating everything, much like it had within the main hall, it appeared that nothing had been served for weeks. On the other side of the room was an impressive fireplace; another door to its right.

Lowering their weapons, the group slowly began to cross the room.

As they traveled, a chorus of murmurs told Jaden that the others were as awed by the sight as he was. Glancing up at the second floor balcony, Jaden didn't see anything but couldn't shake the sudden unmistakable feeling that they were being watched. As he passed the table, another sight near the fireplace caught his attention; a small pool of blood.

“You'd better take a look at this!” he called out; gaining the others attention.

Quickly rushing over, Cameron and Tess let out startled gasps as they saw what he'd found.

“This is still fresh…” Jaden replied somberly as he probed the pool with a finger.

“Let's just hope it isn't Zan's.”

He then looked at Cameron and nodded toward the nearby door before speaking.

“Go on ahead and see what you can find. We'll be examining this.”

Cameron gulped and nodded before drawing her sidearm and heading through the door; Rainbine following her like a demented little shadow. Once they were out of sight, Jaden stood and turned to Tess; noting just how unnerved she was by their situation. Curiously, many of the dolls seemed just as troubled about the circumstances as she was.

“There's something about this place.” he said.

“I have to admit, it's very beautiful but also really creepy.” Tess agreed, shivering.

“It’s not just that. I swear I've seen this place before.” Jaden replied.

“Oh, do tell.” Brutalight cut in sarcastically.

“Do you remember that one whacked out survival horror game I've got?” Jaden asked.

Tess nodded that she did as the dolls looked on in confusion.

“I kid you not, this place was a level in it.” he continued.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Jaden snorted and struggled to hold back laughter as Tess fixed him with a gaze he'd witnessed many times; a look of such scorn that most creatures would be forced to turn away from shame. It only added to the humor that Brutalight had somehow managed to copy the look. Remembering what that one unicorn had given him, Jaden pulled out the file folder and handed it to Tess.

“Despite what you think, this is what that Zeta chick gave me earlier.” he said.

“Although me and Brutalight couldn't make sense of it before, perhaps you might find something we missed.”

While still continuing to stare dubiously at him, Tess accepted the folder and began browsing through it.

“And just how did she come across this?” she asked suspiciously.

“Apparently a mare showed up at the camp last night and handed it over with instructions to give it to me personally.” Jaden answered.

He fought back another snicker as Tess continued to glare at him.

“Oh, for Celestia's sake, get a room already!” Rarifruit snapped.

“We're not a couple!” Tess roared in reply.

Jaden really did have to fight back a laugh this time while Edi openly snickered. Said pony was also the only doll in the room that wasn't glaring at them. Seconds later, Edi suddenly began to experience a strange sporadic shudder that looked vaguely familiar and grabbed the group’s attention; causing them to stare at her.

“What's your problem?” Fluttershout inquired.

“I don't know... but whatever that shudder's about, it's a doozy.” Edi replied.

The rest of the group exchanged looks as Edi continued speaking.

“It's almost like there are two of me but that can't be right.”

Not a sound could be heard as the rest of the group continued to stare at one another in disbelief. Any response that could've been made was interrupted as the nearby door burst open. Instinctively, Jaden drew and aimed his sidearm at the entryway as they watched Cameron and Rainbine stumble backward into the room while being perused by what had at one time been an earth pony colt. The condition of the creature indicated that it had expired quite some time ago.

“Uh, guys!” the larger pegasus called out frantically.

“Got it!” Jaden replied, aiming at the shambling beast that slowly approached them.

Once the pair had gotten out of the way, Jaden unloaded his remaining ammo into the beast's skull; causing it to silently collapse to the floor in a heap. He then ejected the empty mag and slapped in a fresh one as he turned back to Tess.

“Look familiar?” he asked.

“Oh, I wish I hadn't just seen that!” the alicorn retorted irritably.

Jaden silently nodded as he recalled the pair's experiences back in the Enrichment Center shortly after they'd first met. One of the demented challenges the crazed computerized caretaker had created for them had been to navigate their way through first a reproduction of Ponyville then a war torn reproduction of Canterlot while battling similar creatures. The experience hadn't been pleasant.

Gazing at the corpse before them, Jaden began to grasp what was going on.

“We found one of the Zeta's killed by this thing.” Cameron muttered.

“Let me guess, the victim had its throat torn out?” Jaden replied.

“How did you...” the pegasus stuttered in confusion.

“Just call it a hunch.”

“Wow, that's too good for a hunch.” Rainbine piped up.

Jaden snorted as he heard Tess let out a frustrated groan.

“Selena, can you pull up a schematic of the structure?” he asked.

“Accessing... stand by.”

Seconds later, a top down holographic blueprint of the mansion's first and second floors materialized in the air before them. Studying the map, Jaden shook his head incredulously as he recognized the floor plan. Of all the designs that could have been used, the mansion had been built as a carbon copy of the remade version of the very game he'd just been eluding to. It didn't seem possible for such a thing to happen yet somehow they were now trapped in an environment straight from grand fantasy. Then again, it wasn't every day that one found themselves transported to a world from a cartoon about talking ponies after playing a video game either.

Behind him, Jaden heard Cameron whistle softly while Tess let out another frustrated groan as they also recognized the layout. Fortunately, they could see the locations of every member of the team displayed on the map; illustrating that Zander was still alive and moving somewhere beyond the door ahead. Two additional blips on the dining room's upper floor caused Jaden to cock an eyebrow in curiosity as he wondered where they'd come from. He hadn't seen anything up there when he'd looked earlier.

“It would appear that sixty percent of the doors have been unlocked prior to our arrival. Those that remain locked are either unusually constructed or require a special key.” Selena spoke up.

“So, what is all this supposed to mean?” Fluttershout asked.

“We've got problems.” Jaden answered.

“Oh, this is going to be a long night.” Cameron contributed.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jaden watched Tess plant her face in a hoof while continuing to groan.
Although he didn't fault her for being annoyed at the situation, it was still funny to watch.

“I've got a massive migraine forming and can't deal with anymore craziness right now so let's just go back and report to the captain what we've found.” she grumbled.

“You wanna talk to the captain... let's go talk to the captain.” Jaden retorted, smirking at the murderous glare Tess shot him.

The group then made their way out of the room the way they'd originally come.

***************

Standing upon the dining room's upper floor, two mares watched the commando team as they exited the dining room into the main hall.

The first mare, a golden coated alicorn with a crimson and azure streaked mane, smirked to herself as she reflected upon what they'd just learned. Her companion meanwhile, a blue coated unicorn mare with a platinum colored mane with a pink streak running along its length; grumbled softly to herself. Both mares were dressed in outfits similar to what the commando team wore; outfits liberated from the wrecked chariot outside. Of course, the events that had transpired thus far, had done so according to the first mare's desire. Said mare chuckled to herself as she recalled how her companion had recently taken an unexpected flight this evening which had contributed to the current situation.

The unicorn really should get herself checked out.

The commando team meanwhile, seemed to be living up to the alicorn's expectations. Even if the mare didn't quite understand most of the references they'd made, she was pleased to note that the group certainly seemed to grasp the situation, particularly since one of them was a traitor to the cause and knew about everything that was happening. Although, she hadn't expected to see the quartet of animated dolls, said dolls wouldn't affect her overall plan so the mare was inclined to let the matter go. What intrigued her the most however, was how the little blue one had somehow managed to detect them; particularly since the invisibility spell they'd used rendered them hidden from view. Not to mention the fact it bore an uncanny resemblance to her companion.

The alicorn chuckled to herself yet again. This was going to be fun.

“I still say we should just kill 'em.” the unicorn grumbled.

“Oh, what fun would that be... particularly when they're going to be doing all the work.” the alicorn countered.

“All that's left now is to make sure they complete their task so I want you to go back to the lower floor and follow them while I secure the upper one. Just make sure they don't see you.” she continued.

“Oh, who cares?! It's not like anything that's happening really matters! ” the unicorn whined.

The alicorn felt herself involuntarily twitch as her companion once again demonstrated how foalish she could be at times. It was all the mare could do not to openly verbalize how much of a spoiled imbecile the unicorn was behaving and how she wanted to rip said pony in too.

“And this is why I'm the one who gives the orders!” she snapped.

“Besides, it's not like we can't just kill them later! NOW GO!”

The unicorn merely rolled her eyes and huffed in reply.

“Whatever you say... Painset Shimmercakes.” said unicorn retorted before breaking into snickers.

The mocking infection she noted within the unicorn's voice at the pronunciation of her name, prompted the alicorn to let out a vicious snarl. In retaliation, she levitated her protesting companion into the air before throwing the unicorn over the railing to the floor below. The alicorn smirked to herself at the delightful sound of the unicorn's painful reintroduction to the ground followed moments later by said pony's angry screech. She then began walking toward the door leading into the main hall; eager to see what would happen next and to make sure things proceeded according to plan.
> Chapter #8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Upon reentering the main hall, Cameron felt as though she'd become the butt of a practical joke that simply wasn't funny. It appeared the grand hall was deserted; their esteemed captain Seabiscuit, or whatever his name was, was gone. They hadn't been gone for more than five minutes and the map they'd all just seen moments before indicated that he was here. Where the hay was he?

Glancing around, she could see that Jaden and Tess were as confused as she felt.

“Do you think he ran into one of those... things?” Fluttershout asked.

Jaden merely shrugged and shook his head in reply as the group silently began to search the enormous room for any clues that would explain what happened.

While the others searched nearby, Cameron began investigating the massive staircase. Curiously, the  staircase wasn't a single continuous path but rather it extended three-quarters of the way up before turning into a platform; two smaller staircases connecting it the second floor balcony. What resembled a door stood in the center of the wall between the second set of stairs. Cameron approached the door and tried the handle but found it securely locked. Continuing onto the second floor balcony, she next tried the closest door to her left and discovered that it lead to the upper floor of the dining hall. The next door appeared to lead to a exterior landing of some kind. Although curious about where it would lead, Cameron continued to sweep the immediate area.

The next door she tried was locked and the final one seemed to lead into another hallway. Sighing,  Cameron made her way back downstairs while continuing to struggle with making sense of the situation. On one hoof, everything that had happened tonight defied any known chain of reason. Yet just like the others, she'd recognized the map Selena had displayed as being form a particular survival horror game that Jaden seemed to enjoy playing. She was more of a first pony shooter mare herself; lacking the patience or skill for more strategy-oriented games although a few of them were fun to watch.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Cameron saw Tess slowly approaching from the area near the front doors while Jaden appeared from the other side of the staircase; shaking his head as he rejoined her.  Shaking her head, Cameron was still a bit freaked out from the face-to-face with the walking corpse; but thought she'd accepted the facts of the matter pretty well. Apparently, it would seem that zombies had somehow invaded the surrounding forest and were responsible for all the carnage. If she hadn't already known better, Cameron would've assumed that this was all a part of some plot to a trashy romance novel her sister would read.

With a sigh, she let the thought go as Tess spoke up.

“So, do we go looking or do we wait?”

“Go looking. Since it seems one of the Zeta's made it here, its possible that the rest of that squad could also be somewhere in this place.” Jaden replied.

“I suppose this means we're splitting up then.” Tess muttered.

Jaden nodded.

“Although dangerous, we'll need to cover a lot of ground as quickly as possible. If anyone finds anything let's meet back here.” he said.

“We can use this room as a staging area.”

“I suppose I'll take the east wing then.” Tess said as she made her way toward the door the captain hadn't tried earlier; Edi and Fluttershout right behind her.

“We'll head back through the dining room and see what we can find.” Jaden replied.

“Hopefully we'll find Zan along the way too.”

“Watch your flanks.” Cameron called out.

Tess nodded before disappearing through the doorway as she and Jaden made their way back into the dining hall. As they passed through the room, Jaden pulled out his rifle. Letting her gaze drift, Cameron noticed what looked like a large depression in the wall beside the old clock and one of the paintings laying on the floor. She blinked, not recalling seeing such damage when they'd first passed through the area. Exchanging glances, she could see that Jaden was just as confused by the sight as they pressed on.

Stepping into the next hallway, Cameron snorted at the stench of decay that assaulted her once more. The hallway itself wasn't much to look at but seemed to be a major route through this wing of the mansion. To their right, the hall stretched out a few yards before ending in a stairwell leading down. Two dark, heavy looking doors could be seen between where they stood and the stairwell. To their left, the hall turned sharply into a small rest area. Cameron shuddered at the memory of what lay beyond as the pair headed in that direction.

As they entered the rest area, Jaden approached the remaining corpse and checked the damage. The Zeta had once been a unicorn colt yet Cameron was still amazed, despite knowing about the games he had, that Jaden could accurately describe the scene she'd stumbled upon the first time she'd passed through here. Seconds later, he shot her an apologetic look before searching through the soldiers pack. Cameron let out a soft sigh as she looked on. They needed the ammo; the colt certainly didn't. Soon enough, he came up with two clips of ammo for a handgun and two magazines for a rifle. They promptly split the goods between one another.

Letting her gaze drift, Cameron noticed another door just past the body that she hadn't seen earlier.

“Sel, how's Zan doin'?” Jaden asked.

Seconds later, a top down holographic blueprint of the mansion's first and second floors materialized in the air before them. Studying the map, Cameron could see that Zander was relatively close by and breathed a sigh of relief that he was safe. She couldn't help an amused snort as Jaden cast her a glance.

“Let's hope this works.” she muttered before triggering her radio.

“Zan, can you hear me?”

Relief coursed through her as Zander responded to her call.

“Stay where you are, we're heading your way.” she continued.

Seconds later, Zander replied that he would wait. Studying the map more closely, Cameron noted that two different staircases were just beyond the door in front of them leading to the upper floor near Zander's current location. Turning, she saw Jaden shoot her a lop-sided grin before speaking.

“Go on ahead. We'll clear the rest of this hallway then meet up in the main hall.”

Cameron nodded as one of the dolls wished them luck before the trio turned and headed the opposite way.

“Let's go, squirt.” she said to her remaining pegasus companion before walking toward the nearby door.

***************

Equestria - Arkley Mansion/Research Center; east wing first floor, 9:15 pm 9th July 20xx, Evening, Weather: Clear

Navigating down the current hallway, Tess could do little more than shake her head at the absurdity of the situation she now found herself in. Beside her, a chorus of murmurs indicated that her current companions were just as unnerved by the situation as she was. The first room they'd entered had been a small shadowy area coated in shades of blue and as silent and cool as the main hall had been. Muted track lighting had illuminated yet more expensive artwork upon dusky walls and in the center of the room had stood a large statue of an earth pony mare holding an urn on its back.

On the far end of the room had been two additional doors. The one on the left had been open but a small chest had been pushed in front of it; blocking access. The trio had passed through the right door instead and continued along a long L-shaped hall filled with numerous windows while three large display chests lined the inner wall. Soon after, they had found another door that had lead to a small enclosed area outside and yet another encounter with the mutant mutts. Tess didn't want to think about that anymore than the incident in the bathroom shortly after they were all back inside.

They hadn't traveled very far from the bathroom but the hall had widened significantly. From where she stood, a window sat directly behind her and another large chest stood along the wall to the right. The hall itself was a mild gray-green color and ahead of them Tess could see another pair of doors; the further one on the right marking the end of the current corridor. Tess wasn’t sure what was behind the door on the left and was rather curious to find out as the trio approached.

Passing into the next room, Tess noted that they'd entered a small square-shaped chamber that was totally empty. While heading for the only other door in the room, Tess heard Edi whistle softly as the trio briefly appraised the chamber's simple elegance. It had a high, light ceiling and the walls were a cream colored marble with gold trim. Reaching the second door, Tess cautiously opened it and discovered a sitting room of some sort. Stepping into the room, she could see a fireplace on the wall to her right beneath an ornate red and gold tapestry. To her left was a small couch and oval coffee table, and on the wall near the door was what looked like dual hooks mounted to the wall. The room itself was coated in shades of gray-green like the other hallway had been. Frowning, Tess walked over to investigate further as the dolls explored the rest of the room. Something about the hook mount set-up seemed odd and as she drew closer Tess could see a small ornate box was sitting in the left hook.

Lifting the box free with telekinesis, Tess blinked as both mounting hooks clicked upward, released from the weight of the box. At the same time, there was a heavier sound behind the wall; a sound like balanced metal changing position. Although she didn't know what the sound was, Tess didn't like it as she quickly turned and searched the room for movement. Aside from the curious glances of her companions, nothing seemed to happen. Shrugging inwardly, they searched the rest of the room but found nothing else of interest. The trio quickly exited the room and strode across the slate-colored tiles of the classy marble room.

As she grasped the doorknob to the main hall, Tess hoped that Jaden and Cameron had managed to find Zander and the captain as they obviously hadn't come this way.

The door however, was locked. Tess frowned as she turned the small gold knob back and forth. It rattled a little but refused to give at all. Confused, she turned and saw Fluttershout having similar problems with the door they'd just passed through. Moments later, the pegasus let out a frustrated sigh just as dust began to rain down from above as the sound of gears turning filled the room; a deep rhythmic clatter of metal from somewhere behind the stone walls.

Startled, Tess looked up and felt her stomach shrivel in upon itself; her breath catching in her throat. The high ceiling she'd admired earlier was collapsing; the marble at the corners powdering into dust with the heavy grind of stone against stone. At the rate it was descending, Tess knew they didn't have much time. Panic rising through her system, Tess peered closer at the crack between the door frame before her; searching for the cause behind why the door was locked. Her heart sank faster than a flaming unicorn falling from Cloudsdale when she saw it; the thick silver of steel that indicated a very solid looking dead-bolt.

Tess hoped they could return to the sitting room and figure out what to do next as she turned an anxious glance toward Fluttershout.

“Please tell me you don't see a piece of metal sticking out between the door and frame over there.” she begged.

Tess groaned when the pegasus murmured that a similar device was affixed to the other door.
She knew she didn't have the ammo to blast open either of the doors and that they were now trapped.

Taking a moment to think, Tess figured that teleporting to the hallway beyond might be their best option for escaping this fiendish trap. Although she would normally have difficulty teleporting multiple passengers or objects at once, her companions were small enough that it wouldn't be a problem. Closing her eyes for a moment, Tess focused on her destination; horn glowing softly as she charged up in preparation for casting the spell. Seconds later, she let out a groan as an unexpected wave of dizziness overwhelmed her.

Blinking in astonishment, Tess was dismayed to discover that they were still trapped within the same room. What just happened? Why had such a simple spell failed?

“Well, that went well.” Fluttershout grumbled sarcastically from somewhere beside her.

“Uh, this isn't good.” Edi piped up.

Almost immediately, Tess's left eye started twitching, and her normally straight mane started fraying at the ends. Struggling to suppress her growing frustration, it was all she could do not to get worked up over the restating of the obvious. After all, Tess knew it wouldn't help any of them if she panicked further and snapped at the blue unicorn considering the little creature had meant well. Moments later, she reached for her radio; desperately hoping that somepony would receive her message and reach them in time.
> Chapter #9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equestria - Arkley Mansion/Research Center; west wing first floor, 9:15 pm 9th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Cloudy


Standing within what appeared to be a small bedroom, Jaden tried to make sense of recent events. Shortly after separating from Cameron, the trio had tried the stairwell at the end of the hall that lead them to a kitchen area and another encounter with several walking stiffs. Afterwards, they had tried the door closest to the stairwell and discovered it lead to a small piano bar. During that time, he'd had to remind Rarifruit that he wouldn't be able to carry all the stuff she looted and to be cautious with what she found. Moving on, the trio had entered the hallway that accessed most of the west wing which included the room they now stood in.

As they'd explored the area, the trio had found a room that contained a rather creepy looking manticore statue. Further down, the hallway had branched off in two directions, and although they hadn't gone that way, the map had indicated that the left path had a staircase which was likely how Zander had reached the second floor. To the right however, was another room that had contained a fountain in its center. On the far wall, had been a plaque of some kind with what appeared to be some sort of mask. Once more, Rarifruit's kleptomania kicked in at the sight as the little white unicorn made a b-line for the opposite side of the room; only to be snared by a mass of slimy tentacles surrounding the fountain. Curiously, Brutalight had been the one to solve the problem with the tentacular horror although Fruity had been less than thrilled by the results. Said pony had been scorched as the lavender doll had roasted the tentacles and had complained profusely about it afterwards as Jaden retrieved the oddly decorated, gray colored mask.

The room they now stood in was only slightly better lit than the hallway outside; a single bright lamp sitting on a small desk in a corner. Aside from the desk, a cot in the center, a bookshelf, and the remains of what had once been a gray colored unicorn stallion with a blue strand of DNA for a cutie mark, there was very little in the room besides a small closet across the room from the desk. Approaching the desk, Jaden could see a slim book lying beside the lamp that appeared to be a journal of some kind. Although the desktop was coated in dust, it seemed the journal had been moved recently.

Intrigued, Jaden opened the book and flipped to the last few pages, while his companions leaped upon the desk to join him, and began to read.

May 9, 20xx

Played poker tonight with Atlas and Ward from security and Cruz from research.
Cruz was the big winner, but I think he was cheating. Scumbag.


Jaden smirked in amusement at that.

Skipping down to the next entry his smile froze; heart seeming to pause in mid-beat.

May 10, 20xx

One of the higher-ups assigned me to take care of a new experiment. It looked like a skinned gorilla. Feeding instructions were to give it live animals. When I threw in a pig, the creature seemed to play with it... tearing off the pig's legs and pulling out the guts before it actually started eating.

“Experiment? What sort of experiment could they be referring to?” Rarifruit mused.

Jaden shrugged in reply.

He was just as curious as the trio continued to read; excited by the find.
Obviously, the journal had belonged to someone that worked here.

May 11, 20xx

At around 5:00 am, Atlas woke me up. Scared the hay out of me, too. He was wearing protective garb that looked like a space suit. He handed me another one and told me to put it on. Said there'd been an accident in the basement lab. I just knew that something like this would happen. Those imbeciles in research never rest; even at night.


May 12, 20xx

I've been wearing the bloody space suit since yesterday. My skin's getting grimy and feels itchy all over.
The frickin' dogs have been looking at me oddly so I decided not to feed them today. Screw 'em.


May 13, 20xx

Went to the infirmary because my back is all swollen and feels itchy. They put a big bandage on it and said I didn't need to wear the space suit anymore. All I wanna do is sleep.


Looking up, Jaden noted that Brutalight was murmuring excitedly to herself while Rarifruit shivered uncomfortably.

May 14, 20xx

Found another blister on my right leg this morning and ended up dragging it all the way to the dog's pen. They'd been quiet all day, which was weird. Then I realized some of them had escaped. If anypony finds out, I'll have my head handed to me. 

May 15, 20xx

It's my first day off in a long time and I feel like crap. Decided to visit Seabreeze anyway, but when I tried to leave the estate I was stopped by the guards. They said the higher-ups had ordered that nopony leave the grounds. I can't even send a letter... all the mail receptacles have been ripped out! What kind of bucking manure is this?!


May 16, 20xx

Rumors going around that a researcher trying to escape the estate last night was terminated. My entire body feels hot and itchy and I'm sweating all the time now. I scratched the swelling on my forehoof and a piece of rotten flesh dropped off. Wasn't until I realized the smell was making me hungry that I got violently ill.

Just what the hay is happening to me?

Exchanging glances, it was obvious that while intrigued Brutalight wasn't oblivious to what was happening and seemed to be focused on figuring out what had occurred. Jaden had to admit to himself that it was rather creepy to see what was essentially a twisted miniature version of Twilight Sparkle taking delight in solving such an unusual puzzle. Rarifruit meanwhile, was more than a little freaked out by the situation. Although he wanted to tease the unicorn regarding her cowardice, Jaden just couldn’t bring himself to say anything as the trio returned to reading. By this point, the writing had become shaky. Turning the page, he could barely read the last few lines; the words scrawled haphazardly across the page.

May 19, 20xx

Fever gone but itchy. Hungry and eat doggie food.
Itchy itchy Crimson Wing came. Ugly face so killed him. Tasty.

4 / / Itchy. Tasty.

The rest of the pages were blank.

“Interesting, whatever happened… it took a week for whoever wrote this to
turn into one of those shambling ghouls we’ve been encountering.” Brutalight mused.

“Yeah, whatever these guys were working on is some seriously potent stuff.” Jaden replied.

“One things for certain, this wasn't a government owned facility.” he continued.

Slipping the journal inside his vest, Jaden smirked in amusement as he watched Rarifruit continue to tremble at what they'd just discovered.

“Oh, for Celestia's sake, WOULD YOU STOP ACTING LIKE A BABY, RARIFRUIT?!” Brutalight snapped.

“What choice do I have, I don't want to end up like one of those things!” Rarifruit retorted indignantly.

“It's so cute how you give up on life.” Jaden contributed in the strangled Russian voice; eliciting odd looks from his companions.

Sighing and rolling her eyes, Brutalight suddenly levitated a struggling Rarifruit into the air before hurling said pony at the wall across the room. Jaden snorted as he watched Rarifruit bounce off the wall and land on the cot with a grunt.

“I HATE YOU!” the little white unicorn shrieked.

“Nice throw.” Jaden commented amused.

“Thanks, I've been practicing.” Brutalight chuckled.

Jaden shook his head and snorted in amusement.

Moments later, the little white unicorn squealed again as something burst out of the closet. Turning, Jaden was surprised to see the creature; uncertain how or why it had been in the closet to begin with. Additionally, what he'd previously assumed was just another corpse was now attempting to devour his ankles. As he struggled to pull out his assault rifle, Jaden viciously crushed the crawling gray unicorn's head with a quick stomp. Hefting his rifle, he then fired five rounds at the other zombie; dropping it.

“Victims or not these things are becoming pests.” he remarked as he re-slung the weapon. 

An instant later, Jaden's radio came to life. Although the message itself was garbled, he could just make out Tess's voice; the note of rising panic within indicating that she was in trouble.

“Sel, where?” he barked.

In response, a top down holographic blueprint of the mansion's first floor materialized in the air before them.
One particular room on the east side blinked steadily.

“It appears they're in a bit of a situation so I suggest you make haste.” Selena replied.

Nodding, Jaden extended an arm to Brutalight who grabbed a hold and quickly shimmied up to perch upon his right shoulder as Jaden made his way over to the cot. He quickly extended an arm to Rarifruit who likewise shimmied up to perch upon his left shoulder as he bolted out of the room. The rest of the mansion's rooms became a blur as Jaden raced to the area that had been highlighted on the map. Soon enough, he reached his destination as a heavy grating sound reverberated throughout the area. The two toys quickly disembarked as he approached the only door on the left side of the hallway where the noise was the loudest.

“Are you alright?” he called out.

“The doors locked and the ceilings collapsing!” an anxious voice answered from behind the door.

“Stand clear!” Jaden shouted as he pulled out his launcher and aimed at the door handle.

Jaden was well aware of just how dangerous it was to fire the weapon in such a confined space but didn't see any alternative as he fired a round at the door handle. The shot was incredibly loud but the flame and corrosive elements of the heavy round made short work of the obstruction as a melon-sized hole replaced the door handle and its immediate surroundings. Jaden followed up by kicking the door, which swung inward, and stepping aside as a caramel colored blur launched out of the opening and promptly collapsed to the floor. An instant later, the door was crushed off its hinges by a large slab of stone that filled the entire space around the door frame.

“Ya know... I'd love to read the literature the realistate agent might have regarding this place.” Jaden gasped as he extended a hand and helped Tess to her hooves.

The caramel colored alicorn murmured a halfhearted reply.

“By the way, Cameron's with Zan and they're investigating the upper floor.” Jaden said.

Tess was about to reply when Brutalight spoke up.

“So, what's with the box?”

“That's a good question considering moving it is what set off the whole falling ceiling thing in the first place.” Tess answered, levitating what appeared to be a small ornate box into the air while staring at it curiously.

Opening the box, Tess cocked her head and blinked in confusion as she levitated out what looked to be some sort of oddly decorated, gray colored mask from within.

“We found a similar object in the other wing along with what looks like a private journal belonging to someone who worked here. The last few entries you'll find interesting.” Jaden said as he pulled out the journal and held it out to her.

Nodding, Tess accepted the journal and began looking through it when a beep caused Jaden to glance down at the micro-computer attached to his right arm. A message was displayed on the small screen which read “Sign of pursuit. Cloaked target acquired.”. A small mark appearing on a miniature map that appeared on the screen of the current corridor indicating something in the hallway with them. Looking up, Jaden noted that Tess was watching him carefully as Edi began to shudder sporadically once again. The caramel colored alicorn tilted her head to the side ever so slightly in the direction that lead back to the main hall and Jaden nodded back in kind as Fluttershout spoke up exasperated.

“Alright, what's wrong with you now?”

Edi gave a slightly sheepish smile and rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof before sniffing the air and replying “Do you smell something burning?”.

Jaden really did have to fight back a laugh, while Brutalight openly snickered, as Rarifruit let out a furious shriek. As the other dolls giggled among themselves, Tess shot him a curious glance.

“Do I even want to know?” she asked.

“Everyone loves smores.” Jaden retorted with a smirk.

Tess let out an amused snort and shook her head.

“Let's see if we can find a back door to this place.” he continued quickly.

Over a chorus of grumbles and affirmations, Jaden and Tess prepped their weapons and approached the only other door in the immediate area; preparing themselves for whatever awaited them as they continued onward.

***************

As she watched the commando team enter the next hallway, the blue coated unicorn mare let out an exasperated sigh. Creeping toward the door leading to the next hallway, the mare waited for the inevitable sound of freakish mutants being dispatched. She didn't have to wait long as first two shots rang out followed by silence. Minutes passed before three more shots rang out followed by another bout of silence. Waiting for the other ponies to move further along, the mare reflected on the absurdity of the situation.

The mare couldn't help wondering again why her companion was so fixated on following through on this ridiculous endeavor. It was obvious that they were wasting their time. At least the ponies they were following seemed relatively competent and had taken heed to the “helpful hints” they'd been provided. The commando's should be grateful for such assistance considering she was the one who did all the research; not to mention been the one to make traveling through the mansion easier by unlocking doors and moving items to locations that were easier to find.

The most recent exchange she'd observed along with the comforting weight of the shotgun strapped to her back reminded the mare of some of the more daunting aspects of the mansion she'd encountered while taking care of business earlier. Although she hadn't known what was inside the box, the mare had gone to considerable trouble to retrieve it. Recalling the incident that had occurred while retrieving the box in the armor room on the second floor caused the mare to shudder. Not to mention the trouble she'd faced when switching the box for the shotgun without triggering some other fiendish trap.

Once again she thought to herself that the other ponies roaming the mansion should be extremely grateful for her help. Shaking her head, the mare had no doubt that her companion was crazy to think this was a good idea. Not to mention seeing a miniature version of herself running around was just creepy in general.

Sighing, the mare began following the other group once more; hoping this nightmare would end soon.
> Chapter #10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equestria - Arkley Mansion/Research Center; west wing second floor, 10:35 pm 9th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Cloudy

As they stood in the blood-hued hallway, Zander tried to make sense of recent events. After the nightmarish run through the woods, he'd had a relatively easy time except when he'd been forced to defend himself against the pair of ghouls that had seen fit to assault him at the foot of the stairs leading to the second floor. Once they'd linked up, Zander had been intrigued by what Cameron had encountered while searching for him since he hadn't thought to go in that direction and instead had passed through the first door he'd seen after passing through the dining room. They'd already explored most of the rooms they could enter on this floor as they approached yet another bland wooden door.

As he recalled, during their search they'd found what he guessed was a researcher's will in one of the rooms along with a strange red jewel in a wall safe that had been hidden behind a fish tank. The contense of the will had been unnerving to say the least and under the circumstances, he could sympathize with the junior pegasi's anxiousness; everything about this operation was completely messed up. Reaching the door, Zander let his gaze drift and spotted another one at the far end of the hallway ahead of them that he guessed lead back to the main hall. Grasping the handle with a forehoof, he certainly hoped this one would open as he recalled his experience with another nearby door that refused to budge for him in the slightest.

Exchanging glances, he turned the handle and the door opened smoothly into an L-shaped hallway. The crumpled form laying against a wall further ahead had them sprinting into the area as quickly as they could. Upon reaching it, Zander looked on as Cameron bent down to examine the corpse more closely. The body was that of a cream colored unicorn mare with a light blue main and likely to be one of the missing Zeta's. From what he could see, the gaping wound upon the unicorn's left shoulder was drying; no fresh blood seeping through the mutilated tissue.

Zander felt ill about the discovery and couldn't help but wonder what happened as Cameron closed the mare's glazed, unseeing eyes and slowly shook her head while letting out a soft pained sigh. Letting his gaze drift, Zander randomly searched the silent hallway for some clue regarding how the unicorn had died. The hallway they'd entered was undecorated and empty; save for the mare's body. Frowning, Zander took a few steps toward the hallway's second doorway and crouched down; brushing at the dark tile floor. There was a dried crust of blood in the shape of a hoof between the mare's body and the plain wooden door ten feet away.

Zander stared thoughtfully at the door; figuring that whatever had killed the unicorn was on the other side.

“Zan, take a look at this.” Cameron piped up.

Turning Zander noted that Cameron was still leaning over the body; gaze fixed on the pony's torn shoulder. Quickly rejoining her, Zander wasn't exactly sure what he was looking at. The wound was ragged and messy as the flesh had been discolored by trauma. Curiously, it didn't appear very deep.

“Although I'm not an expert or anything do you see those purple lines radiating from the cuts? Or the way the muscle has been punctured hear and here?” Cameron remarked, pointing a hoof at two dark holes about eleven inches apart; each surrounded by skin that had turned an infected-looking red.

“If I had to guess this poor unicorn was poisoned somehow cause it would take hours to bleed out from
that kind of wound. Sis would know better about how to determine what exactly happened here though.”

The larger cyan pegasus lowered her gaze and grimaced.

“I just hope they're still okay.” she murmured worriedly.

Zander put a reassuring hoof on the junior pegasi's shoulder as he spoke.

“We'll find them.”

“Whatever, killed the unicorn is behind there.” he continued pointing toward the nearby door.

Standing up, Cameron silently nodded and the pair readied their weapons as they approached and flanked the door. Passing through the doorway, they entered yet another narrow hallway. Straight ahead were a few steps leading to another closed door. To their left however, was an offshoot of the hallway that ended at another doorway. Looking on, Zander noted that blood was smeared along the wall near the steps and suspected that the mare's killer was behind that door.

Zander quickly hoof-signed for Cameron to check the door at the far end of the hall while he checked the one ahead of them. The larger cyan pegasus planted her face in a hoof and uttered a long suffering sigh before complying. Rainbine meanwhile, seemed somewhat confused before finally pursuing Cameron as he approached the door ahead. Much like many of the others they'd encountered earlier, the door itself was unlocked. As he passed into the next room Zander realized that it was an enormous attic; as plain and unassuming as the rest of the mansion was ornate. Aside from a few boxes and barrels along the walls and numerous wooden support columns extending from floor to ceiling, the room was empty.

Stepping further into the room, Zander's guard was up as he scanned for movement.
Although he didn't see anything, his instincts screamed that he wasn't alone.

At the far end of the room was what looked like a stall of some kind. Slowly moving toward it, Zander could hear the hollow echos of his hooves upon the wooden floor. Edging toward the stall, Zander trained his sidearm over the top as he peered down; heart pounding. What he saw was a jagged hole near the floorboards between the two walls that was several feet high and just as wide. Additionally, there was a strange acrid odor in the area; much like the musk of a wild animal. Frowning at the scent, Zander started to back away when something in the hole caught his eye.

Just as he was about to move around the stall for a better view of the object, Zander heard a soft sliding sound from the rafters above. Looking up, he barely had time to process what he was seeing as an enormous dark cylinder lunged lightning fast at him from above. Although he recognized what it was, the creature had a diamond-shaped head and was as big around as a garbage can as it struck thin air inches from his right foreleg as it landed on the ground in front of him.

'Oh, Sweet Celestia!' Zander thought, wings flapping furiously as he rapidly stumbled away from the monstrous reptile.

Hissing, the beast raised up; lifting its head to tower over him by a good four feet and exposed dripping fangs. Zander quickly darted halfway across the room and spun; aiming at the monstrous reptile before opening fire. The creature meanwhile, let out a strange, hissing cry as a shot tore through one side of its gaping mouth; punching a hole through the tightly stretched skin. It then dropped back to the floor and whipped itself toward him with a single waving push of its long muscular body.

Zander fired again and a chunk of scaly flesh erupted from the monster's back; dark blood spewing from the wound.

With another roaring hiss, the animal reared up in front of him, its head only inches from Zander's handgun, blood gushing from the hole in its mouth.

'Eyes. Go for the eyes.'

Taking aim, Zander pulled the trigger and the serpent fell across him; knocking him to the floor as its body began thrashing around wildly. The tail slammed into one of the thick support beams hard enough to crack it as Zander struggled to free his pinned forehooves; to at least hurt it worse before he died. Almost as quickly as it began, the cold heavy body went limp; sagging bonelessly to the floor.

As he lay gasping upon his back, Zander could here the rapidly approaching sound of hooves and knew his backup had arrived..

“Zan, are you... whoa!”

His hooves found one of the wooden supports and with a tremendous shove, Zander managed to wiggle out from beneath the monstrous reptile. Cameron quickly helped him up; her eyes wide with awe as they stared down at the black, liquid hole where the creature's right eye had been.

“Are you okay?” she asked softly.

“A little sore but otherwise alright.” Zander replied.

He was about to elaborate further but was interrupted as Rainbine suddenly spoke up.

“So, what do you make of this thing?”

Turning, the pair saw the little blue pegasus hovering near the stall.
In her hooves was what resembled an oddly decorated, gray colored mask.

“I don't know. I never got a chance to get a better look at what was in the hole before I was ambushed.” Zander replied.

“Let's just hope there aren't anymore of these things slithering around the place.” he added quickly, rubbing the back of his neck with a hoof while gesturing at the beast before them.

Cameron murmured in agreement.

“Anyway, we might want to head back. Hopefully, the others found something useful.” she remarked after a pause.

Nodding, the trio quickly left the room and made their way back to the main hall.
> Chapter #11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equestria - Arkley Mansion/Research Center; east wing first floor, 11:15 pm 9th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Cloudy

Sitting inside a small study, Vickers didn't catch much of the conversation between the other R.R.T.S. team as they passed through the nearby hallway. All he knew was that time was of the essence; but he wanted to outline a few possible scenarios before he acted. He'd received his orders a week ago but hadn't expected to be in a position to carry them out so soon. His original team's chariot going down had been a fluke as had their recent EMRF pilot's sudden display of cowardice. Still, he should have been more prepared. Being caught in this type of situation was so... unprofessional. He sighed, putting the thoughts aside. There'd be time for self-recrimination later. He hadn't expected to be here but never the less he was; and kicking himself for lack of foresight wasn't going to change anything.

Besides, there was too much to do.

Vickers knew the grounds of the estate well enough and the labs like the back of his hoof, but he'd only been inside the mansion a few times... and not at all since he'd been officially transferred to Canterlot. The place was a maze designed by a genius architect at the bidding of a madmare with all kinds of tricky little mechanisms; mechanisms that were going to make the job twice as hard as it needed to be. It was as if he were trapped in an espionage thriller, complete with mad scientists and a ticking clock. Unfortunately, he hadn't bothered to learn more about the mansion itself because he didn't think he needed the information.

His original plan had been to lead both the Reaper and Zeta teams to the estate and clear the area before he proceeded to the labs and wrapped things up. He had the master keys and codes to access most of the estate of course; they'd been sent along with his orders. The problem was that there was no key to the nearby door to the garden. It was a puzzle lock of sorts... requiring the small hexagonal copper crest he possessed and currently the only way to reach the labs without walking through the forest. The entrance to the labs themselves was yet another puzzle lock... but that one shouldn't be a concern. Of course, Vickers had absolutely no intention of going back outside without an army backing him up; the dogs would be on him in moments.

Shuddering, Vickers let the though go as he recalled what he'd learned about the initial incident. The last contact had been about six weeks ago. A hysteric Dr. Cruz had called to demand an immediate quarantine of the facility. By then they were all infected and suffering from a kind of paranoid mania; one of the more charming side effects of the virus. Celestia only knew what sort of traps the researchers in the labs had messed with as they slowly lost their minds. Naturally, his superiors had quietly observed what was happening over the last two months while the inept local PD investigated as the virus gradually lost its punch; then they'd sent him in to clean up the mess... which by now was considerable.

Hefting the small hexagonal crest in his right hoof, Vickers reflected on how fortunate it was that he'd chosen this particular location to monitor the remaining squad's progress. Not only could he hear them coming and going but it would also allow him to get a head start to the labs. It had been quite easy really, he'd almost forgotten about the plaster statue upon the dining hall's upper balcony; and the hidden compartment within. Rather than waist time searching for the compartment, he'd just shoved the hideous thing off the balcony.

Even though it hadn't held the crest, the sparkle of the blue jewel amidst the rubble had been just as good. One of the few mechanisms he'd remembered from a previous visit was a manticore statue that required a pair of different colored jewels to be placed in its eye sockets just off the dining hall. A quick visit to the statue had confirmed his suspicions; both eye sockets had been empty, and once he'd placed the blue gem in the proper socket the manticore statue had turned to one side and presented him with the crest. Just like that, he was one step closer to completing his mission.

Of course he'd had a close call when he'd gone downstairs to retrieve the gem; almost stepping into that Jaden fellow’s path as the boy had blundered through the main hall in a hurry to get somewhere.

Perhaps he'd disable the door when he went through, just to be safe. After all, he'd already made a number of mistakes on this mission and didn't want to make any more. Although he'd already ditched the R.R.T.S. to map out a new strategy it seemed the R.R.T.S. Reaper's were a bright group which made his margin for error very slim. The study he'd taken refuge in was sparsely decorated but comfortable. He might even take a nap while he waited for the others to catch up.

After a few minutes, Vickers stood up and stretched; turning to scan some of the titles on the bookshelf behind him. Despite being eager to get moving, he figured it would take the others a while to navigate the house; and there really wasn't anything he could do to speed up the process. Frowning, he struggled to make sense of all the technical titles displayed. Biochemistry texts and medical journals littered the shelves, prompting Vickers to roll his eyes and sigh. Maybe he'd get that nap in after all.

His gaze fell across one heavy-looking tome all alone on a lower shelf and picked it up. The book was bound in fine red leather and Vickers was glad to be able to read the title; even if it was as stupid as 'Eagle of East, Wolf of West'. He blinked. If he recalled correctly, that was written on the fountain that lead to the underground labs themselves. Vickers stared at the words, feeling his good mood begin to slip away. It couldn't be. While the researchers had gone nuts, surely they hadn't locked down the labs. There was no reason for that.

He opened the book almost frantically, praying to Celestia he was wrong... only to let out a low moan of helpless rage at what he found tucked into the sham book's pages. Laying within the cut away compartment was a brass medallion with an eagle engraved on it; part of the key to yet another insane puzzle locks. It was like the punchline to a cruel joke. In order to get out of the house, he had to find one or both of the small hexagonal copper crests. Once out in the courtyard, he'd need to travel through a winding maze of tunnels that lead to a hidden section of the garden where an old stone fountain marked the entrance to the underground labs.

The fountain was a marvel of engineering that could be opened and closed to hide the facility underneath; provided of course you had the keys: two medallions made of brass; an eagle engraved on one and a wolf engraved on the other. Finding the eagle meant that the gate was closed. And that meant that the wolf could literally be anywhere. The stunning revelation also meant that his chances of even getting to the labs had just dropped down to somewhere near zero.

Unable to control his fury, Vickers snatched the medal and threw the book against the desk. As the book bounced off the desk and hit the floor with a hollow thump, the lamp shook slightly; causing beams of light to leap crazily around the room for a brief moment. There was no longer any point to keeping the hexagonal copper crest; his perfect plan was ruined. Reluctantly, Vickers would have to give up his edge and hope that one of the others would inadvertently stumble across the wolf for him; secreted away somewhere upon the massive sprawling estate.

Naturally, that meant more risks, more searching, and a chance that one of the Reaper's would reach the labs before he did.

Seething, the stallion trembled silently where he stood; trying hard not to scream.

***************

Equestria - Arkley Mansion/Research Center; Guard Quarters, 11:15 pm 9th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Cloudy

Standing within a study in what appeared to be a bunkhouse of some kind, Fiora tried to make sense of recent events. After their nightmarish sprint through the forest, she and Shadow, along with a few of the dolls, had managed to take shelter in a small house. After clearing the area, and disposing of a number of assorted monsters that had seen fit to attack them along the way, they'd followed a long winding path through a courtyard to their current location. The hall they'd stepped into had been plain undecorated wood as had been the small bedroom and lounge they'd discovered just off the silent corridor.

She'd noticed the thick unmarked dust in the hallway on the way in with a sinking resignation; realizing that none of the other R.R.T.S. members had made it to this area. They still couldn't contact anypony over the radio and Fiora desperately hoped that her little sister and the others were safe. Fiora shuddered at the memory of the creatures they'd discovered within the lounge itself and didn't look forward to finding out what else might be lurking around the place; particularly since the map they'd found indicated that there was more to the place than what they'd seen so far.

Shuddering again, Fiora looked on as the little gray pegasus sat near an old trunk surrounded by papers, envelopes and a few grainy photos she'd uncovered while the tan earth pony ambled around the room all jittery. The pink earth pony meanwhile, lay on a nearby cot and looked on in utter boredom as Shadow browsed a nearby bookcase before approaching a battered wooden desk and pulling at the top drawer. The unicorn scowled as the drawer refused to open before reaching underneath. Moments later, he smirked as he pulled out a key from under the desk and unlocked the desk drawer.

“Looks like we just caught a break.” he said softly before turning and tossing something toward her.

Fiora easily caught the object with a forehoof and allowed herself a smile as she recognized it as a set of keys. The leather tag had the word “Marcus” burned into one side with the number “345” written on the back in smudged ball point pen. Although she didn't know the significance of the number, assuming the keys were for the bunkhouse then they were one step closer getting off the estate. They could at least check those rooms they couldn't access before.

“Don't worry, we'll find them.” Shadow spoke up; somehow sensing her anxiety.

Fiora silently nodded her thanks at the statement as they continued to watch the little gray pegasus continue to examine the papers surrounding her. She seemed totally absorbed in what she was reading; the act reminding Fiora of a certain caramel colored alicorn she knew and prompting her and Shadow to exchange amused glances. As the unicorn approached her, Derpigun looked up; eyes clouded by worry.

“Find anything?” Shadow asked.

“Yeah, a couple of things. Listen to this: 'Four days since the accident and the plant at Point 42 is still growing and mutating at an incredible rate...'” Derpigun replied, holding up a piece of paper.

She skipped ahead, skimming the page with a hoof as she spoke.

“This report calls the thing Plant 42 and says it's roots are in the basement... here. 'Shortly after the accident, one of the infected members of the research team became violent and broke the water tank in the basement; flooding the entire section. We think some trace chemicals used in the T-virus tests contaminated the water and contributed to Plant 42's radical mutations.'”

“Uh, that don't sound good.” ApplePills commented.

“What is that supposed to even mean?” Pinkis asked.

Fiora shrugged in confusion as Derpigun continued to read.

“A number of shoots have already been traced to different parts of the building but the main plant now hangs from the ceiling in the large conference room on the first floor. We've determined that Plant 42 has become sensitive to movement and is now carnivorous. In close proximity to other living creatures, it uses tentacular, prehensile vines to entrap its prey while leech-like adaptions latch onto exposed skin and draw fatal quantities of blood from its prey; several staff members have already fallen victim to this.”

“It's dated May fifteenth and signed by somepony named Cruz.” Derpigun concluded somberly.

Shaking her head again, Fiora wondered how somepony could invent a virus like the one they'd come across. It seemed to infect everything it touched with madness; transforming its carrier into a vicious carnivore that was hungry for blood. What where these ponies thinking?

“So, whatever this stuff is it infects plants too... lovely.” Pinkis grumbled; echoing Fiora's own thoughts.

“It's not just that...” Derpigun retorted, holding up a photo.

Stepping forward to get a better look, Fiora noted that the photo was a blurry snapshot of a gray colored stallion wearing a lab coat. He was standing stiffly in front of a plain wooden door and Fiora realized that it was the very same door they'd all passed through not fifteen minutes before... the front entrance to the bunkhouse. Form over her shoulder, Fiora could hear Shadow murmuring in disbelief at the situation as she passed the photo to the other two members of their little group.

“WHAT?! You mean that screwball carnivorous plant is somewhere in here?” Pinkis snapped incredulously.

“Yeah. Maybe it’s guarding a back door.” Shadow replied.

“Well, we won't know for sure until we have a look.” Fiora said, making her way toward the door leading to the main hall.

Silently, the group made their way down the corridor that lead to the bunkhouse's two locked rooms. As they approached the first door, they could all hear an ominous buzzing sound from behind the door. Exchanging glances, Fiora quickly unlocked the door but didn't open it; choosing instead to try the other door first. No sooner had she finished unlocking the second door than something crawled through a hoof sized hole in a nearby wall that she hadn't noticed before. Stumbling away from the insectal abomination, Fiora watched as Shadow shot the creature just after it leaped off the wall and began to fly toward her; a single round being sufficient to drop it.

As they inspected the remains, Fiora shuddered. If there was one thing she hated more than rats it was bugs; particularly arachnids the size of cattle... and now what looked to be overgrown hornets.

“There must be dozens of the things in the other room.” Shadow remarked in awe.

“Great, maybe we'll find a can of industrial bug spray in there while we're at it.” Pinkis retorted irritably.

Every eye turned toward the little pink earth pony.

“What?” Pinkis asked before her eyes grew wide as she realized where the conversation was going.

“Whoa, there is no way I'm going in there with those things running lose!” she screeched while holding up her forehooves.

Fiora could certainly understand the logic as she wasn't thrilled by the idea of entering a room swarming with ravenous insects either.

“I'll go.” Derpigun spoke up.

Every eye turned toward the little gray pegasus.

“I'm not really looking forward to dealing with flying mutant bugs either but I might have a better chance at evading them while looking for something to get rid of the nasty things.” Derpigun admitted.

Nodding, Fiora drew and handed her sidearm to the little gray pegasus who nodded and seemed to be psyching herself up as Fiora positioned herself beside the door.

“Good luck, darling.” the larger evening blue colored pegasus said as she opened the door.

Nodding, Derpigun darted through the opening and Fiora quickly closed it again. Minutes passed before a frantic shout to open the door could be heard. Fiora complied and Derpigun hurled through, only to bounce off the opposite wall as Fiora re-secured the door. Over the little gray pegasus's gasps, they could hear a more intense buzzing sound along with several dozen thumps against the door. The sound prompting Shadow and Fiora to exchange worried glances.

“So, how'd it go?” Pinkis asked.

Still panting, Derpigun held up a can of insecticide set inside a convenient spray applicator.

“The nest is near the hole... and it’s a big one.” she murmured.

“Nice work.” Shadow remarked as he took the insecticide and headed toward the hole in the wall.

“Maybe now we can take care of these little pests and move on.” he continued before pumping the insecticide into the hole.

The group waited a good fifteen minutes before entering the room the bugs had occupied. Aside from
the massive number of hornet corpses that littered the area and a wooden table, the room was sparsely decorated. Aside from a small corridor to the left that presumably lead to the bug's nest, there were three other doors in the room. The first one was located near the one they'd entered through and had what appeared to be a numeric lock while the other two were on the other side of the room.

After reclaiming her weapon, Fiora quickly approached the far left door and cautiously opened it; only to discover that it lead to a study of some kind. Making her way toward the next one, Fiora was about to open the door when an ominous thump sounded from somewhere behind it. Turning, she motioned that the monstrous plant was behind the door and receiving nods as she made her way back to the others. Shadow meanwhile, typed the number on the keys into the keypad and the door unlocked. He then opened the door to reveal a small room containing several shelves filled with tiny glass bottles and a rust filled sink.

Shadow and Fiora exchanged curious glances at the unexpected discovery as Derpigun began murmuring excitedly to herself while examining the tiny glass bottles upon the shelves. ApplePills was also examining the contense upon the shelves; although it was with the intensity of a crazed addict.

“Hey, one of the reports I was reading earlier mentioned something about a phytotoxin called V-Jolt that can kill the plant!” the little gray pegasus piped up.

“I can make it here. Assuming of course we can get to the basement and find the plant's root.” she continued.

Shadow and Fiora exchanged intrigued glances as they realized where the conversation was going.

“Then we can dispose of the plant without having to actually face it.” Fiora concluded as a smirk slowly crossed her face.

“How long will you need?” Shadow asked, just as excited by the news.

Derpigun hummed to herself softly for a moment before replying.

“Ten, maybe fifteen minutes.”

“Then let's do this!” Fiora remarked enthusiastically.

As Derpigun set to work on creating the V-Jolt solution, ApplePills squealed in delight and pounced upon another bottle on one of the shelves. Shadow, Pinkis, and Fiora glanced at one another; exchanging opinions among themselves without uttering a single word. 

“Uh, should we just leave them alone like this?” Shadow asked.

“This won't end well.” Pinkis replied, rolling her eyes.

“Let's just find that basement so we can leave this dreadful place.” Fiora retorted, heading for the room's exit.
> Chapter #12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equestria - Arkley Mansion/Research Center; hidden crypt - main hall first floor, 11:30 pm 9th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Cloudy


Standing within what appeared to be a dark, spooky cellar of some kind, Rarifruit had to wonder how things had come to this point. Ever sense they'd arrived at this Celestia-forsaken mansion after that nightmarish dash through the forest they'd been encountering all sorts of ghoulish creatures and fiendish traps; a giant snake apparently living in the attic being among them. Rarifruit shuddered at the thought of such a beast residing in the place. Not to mention her own encounter with that horrid plant-thing that had seen fit to assault her earlier.

After rescuing some of their companions from the room with the killer ceiling, the group had found what could have been a back door to the place with some sort of crest-thing set into a nearby pedestal. The door however, wouldn't open so they'd taken the crest and returned to the main hall where they'd met up with the other group and learned what they'd been up to. Soon after, they traveled to the room that contained the rather creepy looking manticore statue and discovered a blue jewel in one of the eye sockets that she didn't recall seeing before. Once they'd placed the red jewel in the proper place, the statue had turned to reveal another one of those ornate boxes. 

Rarifruit had been rather disappointed when one of the big ponies had used the yellow gem she'd found along the way to open the box; only to discover that it held a metal ring that was similar in size and shape to that crest they'd found. Returning to the main hall, they'd tried a door at the back of the stairs, between the two floors, that had led to a small courtyard-like area outside. Rarifruit had to admit that it was nice to finally be able to get out into some fresh air after enduring the frigid, stale air within the mansion; not to mention it gave her an opportunity to rid herself of that awful burnt smell she'd been forced to endure after the incident involving the plant-thing earlier.

Although she'd managed to satisfactorily treat her burns using her own magic, Rarifruit couldn't help but wonder if it had really been necessary for Brutalight to torch her along with the plant. 

Shortly after they'd arrived in the courtyard, the group had found a strange tombstone. When one of the big ponies had placed a pretty green arrowhead shaped object in the proper spot, the bottom of the tombstone had moved aside to reveal a staircase that lead to the room they currently stood in. The room itself was rather large and empty; save for four horse head shaped busts mounted along the wall near the door, a small pedestal along the opposite wall, and a large coffin suspended from the ceiling near the pedestal. Why anypony would build such a creepy place she didn't know.

“So, the mechanic here involves placing the masks on the busts and that'll trigger something else?” the bipedal thing remarked in confusion.

“Great.” the caramel pony replied.

“Somepony needs to keep an eye on that coffin then.”

Rarifruit gave an involuntary shudder; dreading what could possibly be lurking inside the coffin. Moments later, she growled at the sound of murmurs among the group regarding “somepony's sharing rooms and disproportionate cutie mark regions”. There was no way THAT would ever happen. The only pony she would ever share a room with was her dear Endario. She couldn't believe any of these fools would even consider such an absurd idea; particularly at a time like this.

“So, shall we get started?” the larger cyan pegasus giggled.

“We'll do this on three.” the bipedal thing replied while pulling out two of those strange masks.

The green and cyan colored pegasi took out two more of the masks and joined the bipedal thing in front of the busts while the caramel colored alicorn and the rest of them looked on. The trio then began to place the masks upon the busts; struggling to match the masks with the proper busts. As each of the masks were placed upon the proper bust, a chain that had previously been suspending the coffin in the air broke off. When the last mask had been put in place the coffin dropped to the ground with a loud thud. 

Moments later, the coffin's lid burst open as something leaped out at them.

Although Rarifruit wasn't exactly sure what she was looking at, the beast vaguely resembled a pony. However, unlike the other corpses they'd previously encountered this one was a deep crimson color; and did its forehooves have claws? The creature let out a strange raspy cry before charging at them much quicker than anything they'd witnessed before. The big ponies seemed to separate as the beast lunged toward them.

“Ah, horsefeathers... this thing is fast!” the caramel pony grumbled while dodging as the beast lunged at her.

Moments later, the creature turned and charged at the green pegasus.  After fending the monster off, the green pegasus moved aside and the bipedal thing blasted the monstrosity with that one unusual weapon that had blown a hole in the wall earlier; causing the creature to explode in a rather dramatic display.

“Well, you don't see that every day.” Edi remarked.

“Let's just hope there aren't any more of them.” the bipedal thing replied.

Rarifruit shivered.

She could certainly agree with that sentiment as the group slowly approached the coffin to have a better look inside now that the threat had been removed. Curiously, the only other item that was in the coffin was a small piece of metal that was similar in style and shape to the crest they'd found earlier. Confused, the bipedal thing combined the ring shaped piece with the object they found earlier. The result was another crest that was similar to the first one they'd recovered.

“Maybe now we can access that door I saw behind the staircase in the main hall.” the bipedal thing remarked.

“Let's just hope it leads out.” the caramel pony replied.

Murmuring in agreement, the group made their way out of the creepy cellar and returned to the main hall. Soon after, they arrived at a pair of metal gates behind the grand staircase. From what she could see, Rarifruit noticed another staircase behind the gates leading down. She sighed as the rest of the group exchanged glances. This was just what they needed; more stairs to navigate. As if there hadn't been enough of those already.

The big ponies quickly placed the crests into a pair of indentions within the gates and a loud clicking noise announced that the gates were now unlocked.

“I want rifles at the ready!” the bipedal thing spoke up.

The big ponies quickly swapped out their weapons and exchanged looks among themselves.

“Zan, lead on.” the bipedal thing continued.

Nodding, the green pegasus quickly pushed open the gates and began to descend the stairs with the cyan pegasus right behind it. The rest of them quickly followed the pair as they seemed to leapfrog down the remaining stairs and adjoining tunnel. The tunnel itself appeared to be cut into the rock and seemed to lead to something further ahead. After a few minutes, the group reached a ladder and exchanged glances. Moments later, she and the rest of the dolls took their places upon the big ponies’ backs. Those ponies in turn quickly descended the ladder and she and the others quickly dismounted once the big ponies had reached the ground.

The group quickly set off once more and it wasn't long before an atrocious smell assaulted Rarifruit's nostrils.
Moments later, they reached what looked like a large stream that extended to somewhere out of view to their left.

“Looks like we found the sewer.” the cyan pegasus remarked in disgust.

The bipedal thing nodded.

Looking on, Rarifruit blinked in confusion as moments later the bipedal thing glanced at something on its arm before exchanging looks with the caramel pony while Edi shuddered again. Out of the corner of her eye, Rarifruit could see that Brutalight appeared just as confused as she felt by the big ponies’ behavior as Fluttershout spoke up.

“Cold? Need a jacket or something?” the butter yellow pegasus sneered.

“Oh, would you fetch one for me please?” Edi retorted smugly.

Rarifruit sighed and rolled her eyes as, over the sound of snickers, Fluttershout snarled at the outburst.  Before anypony could say anything about the strange behavior however, the bipedal thing turned and addressed them.

“Uh, y'all might wanna hop on as I doubt any of you want to go swimming.”

Cocking her head to the side and arching an eyebrow, Rarifruit could see the logic behind the comment. After all, there was no way she would ever immerse herself in such foul smelling liquid. Minutes later, she and the others resumed their places upon the big ponies’ backs. Much like she had earlier in the evening, Rarifruit found herself perched upon the caramel pony's back. Edi and Rainbine meanwhile, were on the larger cyan pegasus's back while Fluttershout was on the green one. Brutalight had opted once again to go with the bipedal thing as the big ponies slowly began to enter the murky canal.

“Well, I suppose this is where the fun begins.” the green pegasus remarked.

“At the rate things are going, I guess we'll need to find more rooms.” the larger cyan pegasus giggled.

Rarifruit groaned as Fluttershout let out an indignant squawk over a chorus of snickers.

“I don't suppose we could check into Hotel Coltlifornia.” the green pegasus replied.

“Aw, can it ya dumb, perverted fucks!” Fluttershout snapped irritably; eliciting more snickers.

“Alright, that's enough out of the peanut gallery.” the caramel pony chuckled.

“Oh come now darling, why didn't you know... everyone loves roasted nuts.” the bipedal thing retorted in a strangely familiar tone.

Rarifruit's eye twitched as she stared at the bipedal thing incredulously; recognizing the tone that he'd used. Did that idiot really just... Seconds later, she let out a screech as she realized what the fool just said. There had been absolutely no reason to bring that back up again!

“Oh, let that go already!” she hissed, eyes narrowing to snake-thin slits.

“Never!” Edi retorted smugly.

“Darnit girl, ya done stole my line.” the bipedal thing piped up; eliciting snickers.

“KEEP IT UP AND I'LL KILL YOU!” Rarifruit roared at the infuriating blue unicorn.

Edi responded with an infuriating smirk on her face. It certainly didn't help matters that Rainbine was wearing a similar smirk upon her face also. Rarifruit growled as she watched the pair exchange glances before bursting into giggles as the green pegasus made another snarky comment that elicited yet more snickers.

“Look, can we go now?” Brutalight snapped impatiently.

“Whatever you say... 'Mommy'.” the bipedal thing replied smugly.

Over the sound of more snickering, Rarifruit groaned and planted her face in a hoof as Brutalight growled and smacked the bipedal thing in the back of the head. She couldn't believe this was really happening.

“That really hurt ya know.” the bipedal thing murmured.

“Let's get moving before somepony gets neutered.” the caramel pony giggled as Brutalight grumbled something she couldn't quite make out.

Over the sound of more snickering, the group finally got moving. Eight minutes later, their reached the end of the canal and crossed into some sort of decrepit edifice. As Fluttershout and Rainbine once more took to the air, Rarifruit let her gaze drift; silently taking in their new surroundings with a critical eye. Although, it wasn't nearly as grand as the mansion had been, she couldn't deny that the place had a feel of being occupied at some point. She couldn't help wondering what had happened to the former resident. There wasn't even anything lying around that she wanted to take.

Rarifruit was about to hop to the ground when one of the big ponies spoke up.

“Seems we've gotta another ladder over here.”

Rarifruit groaned. This was just what they needed; more ladders to navigate.
As if there hadn't been enough of those already either.

Soon after, the group made their way up the ladder and emerged in a small house of some kind. Letting her gaze drift, Rarifruit silently took in the new surroundings with a critical eye. Much like the structure they'd just left, the house was nowhere near as grand as the mansion had been; yet she couldn't deny that it too had a feel of being occupied at some point. She couldn't help wondering what had happened to its former resident either as they slowly moved through the area.

There wasn't even anything lying around that she wanted to take here as well. At least it didn't smell here like it had back in the mansion... or the tunnel. Of course she had no idea what time it was so she didn't know how long they'd even been in the tunnel. Exiting the structure, Rarifruit was once again relieved to be out in the fresh air. Quickly hopping to the ground, she and the rest of the group began following the only route available to them through the forest. As they traveled, the group came across numerous remains of many of the creatures they'd encountered back at the mansion. When the group halted to examine one of the corpses, Rarifruit glanced uncomfortably around; wondering what would see fit to jump out at them next.

“Looks like somepony passed through here a short time ago.” the green pegasus remarked.

“Do you think it was Shadow and sis?” the larger cyan pegasus asked.

“It's extremely likely.” that mystery voice that had provided the maps replied; eliciting a sigh from the larger cyan pegasus.

In unspoken agreement, the group silently continued onward. Soon after, they arrived at another structure. One of the big ponies quickly opened the door and they all filed through; entering into what appeared to be a well-lit and tidy storage shed of some kind. Letting her gaze drift, Rarifruit silently took in their new surroundings with a critical eye. To their left, she noted several large poles were propped against a large metal door; obstructing it.

“Guess we now know why that door wouldn't open before.” the green pegasus murmured at the sight.

The door to their right however, wasn't blocked in any manner and the group made their way in that direction. Passing through the door, the group entered another high-walled courtyard. Low hedges were set into nearby brick planters and ahead of them, was a large open space with an island of shrubs in its center. An iron gate stood beyond the shrubs and to their left was a straight path that was overshadowed by the massive wall surrounding it.

Dark clouds hung oppressively in the air as they all silently took in their new surroundings. The first thing Rarifruit noticed was the sound of rushing water over the soft forest noises that filled the cooling air; like a waterfall. The gentle waterfall sound seemed to be coming from their left; though the path ended abruptly in another metal gate almost as tall as the first. Rarifruit couldn't help wondering what might be in that direction as she continued to study her surroundings. The second, third, and forth things she noticed were the remains of three of the beasts that had attacked them shortly after they'd arrived at the wreak laying across the irregular stone path; apparently shot to death.

As the group moved closer to inspect them, Rarifruit got the impression that the canine abominations hadn't been deceased for very long. Although it had been too dark and hectic on the run to the house to get a good look at the things, the monsters reminded her of large skinned wolves. As the bipedal thing gently probed one of the creatures, Rarifruit noted that they were much closer to the gate than the walkway; and if the monsters were terminated while attacking then the shooter likely passed through the gate.

The bipedal thing quickly stood up and began vigorously wiping itself as it spoke.

“Hasn't been dead long; maybe half an hour or so.”

None of them spoke as they continued to stare at the loathsome creatures. Each preoccupied with their own thoughts on the matter. Their respective musings were interrupted by the sudden sounds of water splashing wildly. As one, the group exchanged glances before sprinting down the walkway; hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever was making the noise. As they reached the end of the path and the big ponies pried open the gate, Rarifruit let out a startled squawk; surprised by the sudden drop off.

The gate had opened into a tiny platform elevator situated above a huge open courtyard some twenty feet below. The actual elevator meanwhile, was sitting within the courtyard itself. The splashing was coming from their right and as Rarifruit gazed down and across the wide yard she thought she saw a shadowy figure pass through the waterfall she'd heard; disappearing behind the curtain of water that cascaded down the west wall. She stared at the small waterfall, blinking, not entirely certain if her eyes were playing tricks on her or not. The splashing had stopped as soon as the figure had disappeared and the fact that the others had heard the sound also meant that she wasn't imagining things. Letting her gaze drift, Rarifruit watched as the rest of the group exchanged puzzled looks as the bipedal thing tried to summon the lift; but nothing seemed to happen.

“Looks like those of us born without wings are gonna have to find another way down.” he said.

Rarifruit let out an exasperated sigh. She wasn't looking forward to wandering all over the place as the group silently headed back toward the other gate. As they traveled, a disturbing thought crossed Rarifruit's mind; if the individual who'd passed through the waterfall had been a member of the big ponies unit then how had they known that a passage was even there? It was a good question and one Rarifruit didn't want to linger on as they continued walking. Letting her gaze drift, Rarifruit could see the others had similar thoughts as the bipedal thing pushed at the second gate.

The gate opened on violently squealing hinges to reveal a huge cut stone reservoir that was easily the size of a small lake. Deep shadows draped and hung around every side, caused by the seemingly solid walls of murky green trees and lush vegetation that threatened to break through the bordering fence. As they moved forward, the green pegasus let out a soft whistle. Stopping at the massive pool, it became apparent that the area was in the slow process of being drained; the turbulent noise caused by the narrow flow of water through a raised gate on the east side.

There wasn't a complete path around the reservoir but Rarifruit could see a walkway bisecting the pool itself; roughly five feet below the water line with bolted ladders on each side. It was rather obvious that the path had been submerged until quite recently; the stones dark with dripping algae. As she studied the unusual set-up, Rarifruit wondered how anypony got across when the reservoir wasn't being drained. Sighing in exasperation once more, she already dreaded what would come next as the caramel pony and the remaining pegasi took to the air while leaving Brutalight, Edi, and herself with the bipedal thing to figure out a way to get across on their own.

Over a chorus of murmurs from the pegasi hovering above, the bipedal thing silently descended the ladder to the walkway below before turning back to them.

“Come on. I'll catch you.” it said.

Rarifruit exchanged glances with Brutalight and Edi before the blue unicorn leaped into the pool. Brutalight followed soon after, leaving Rarifruit alone on the lip of the reservoir. Suppressing a groan, Rarifruit gave an involuntary shudder at the thought of having to cross such a foul smelling place.

“Let's go, Rarifruit! We don't have all night!” Brutalight shouted, snapping her out of her reverie.

Rarifruit snarled in reply before plunging into the pool after them.

Seconds later, she let out a soft grunt as the bipedal thing caught her and smoothly set her on the ground. Rarifruit grimaced as her rear hoof sank into something with a squishing texture. A clammy humidity enveloped them as without speaking, they hurried across the slimy stones. Upon reaching the opposite side, the bipedal thing quickly boosted them over the wall. Rarifruit stumbled slightly as she landed, relieved to be out of the muck as the bipedal thing quickly scaled the ladder and joined them on the stone path.

From what she could see, the heavily shaded path was littered with branches and pine needles and appeared to border the east side of the reservoir; passing over the floodgate. Silently, they started toward the forced waterfall and had only traveled a few feet when it started to rain. Blinking, Rarifruit frowned; an inner voice coolly informing her that she shouldn't be able to hear raindrops over the roar of the waterfall. Looking up, Rarifruit watched a twisted branch fall from the stretching foliage hanging over the fence; a branch that hit the stone path and slid smoothly away. Rarifruit's jaw dropped as she noted dozens of the creatures already on the ground hissing and writhing as they fell from the trees overhead and twisting across the stones.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me.” Brutalight muttered, voicing her thoughts perfectly.

“Time to go!” the bipedal thing spoke up.

Without speaking, they hurried the rest of the way along the twisting path. As they reached the end of the path, Rarifruit let out another startled squawk as she almost tumbled into the courtyard far below. Seconds later, Edi slammed into her, followed by Brutalight, as the bipedal thing activated the lift which slowly began to descend. The ride seemed to last forever as they all watched the gruesome scene before them. What Rarifruit guessed had to be hundreds of the slithering beasts hissed and squirmed in an alien frenzy as they struck wildly at one another as the decent continued.

When the lift was within a few feet of the ground, they all jumped off; stumbling quickly away from the wall in case the serpents began spilling over.

Leaning against a nearby rock, Rarifruit took in the courtyard they'd escaped into in between shuddering gasps; letting the sound of the waterfall sooth her nerves as the caramel pony and remaining pegasi landed beside them. It was a huge open space made out of brick and stone; the colors washed out and hazy in the frail light. The water from the reservoir above tumbled into two stone pools nearby. Not far away was another metal gate... and no snakes.

“You're okay right? You weren't bit or anything?” the caramel pony asked, gazing at them worriedly.

“We're fine.” the bipedal thing replied.

“I'm just glad there weren't any super-sized snakes to deal with up there.” it continued.

“Uh, yeah... one was bad enough.” the green pegasus contributed.

Taking a final deep breath, Rarifruit gave an involuntary shudder as the group turned their attention toward the waterfall.
The caramel pony voiced her thoughts perfectly when she said “Do we really have to go through there?”.

“Just another fun filled day on the job.” the bipedal thing retorted sarcastically.

“So, who wants to go first?” it asked after a pause.

Nopony answered.

Rarifruit groaned in exasperation at the thought of having to pass through the torrent in order to continue. 'Great secret passage. To use it, one would almost certainly be required to catch pneumonia.' she thought bleakly to herself. Rarifruit was snapped out of her reverie as a naggingly familiar magic aura gripped her tightly and levitated her off the ground. Glancing over her shoulder, she could see Brutalight glaring at her irritably while many of the others looked on in amusement.

“Now Brutalight, there’s no need to be rash.” she stammered nervously.

“Can’t we discuss this a little more?”

Moments later, Rarifruit let out a piercing wail as she found herself propelled toward the churning liquid veil. Soaring through the chilly obstruction, she slammed into the ground hard; gasping and sputtering. It certainly didn't help matters that she was struck by backwash every time one of the others passed through the waterfall. By the time she'd recovered enough to get her bearings, the rest of the group was already inside the alcove, staring silently at her.

From what she could see, the others were just as miserable from the ordeal as she felt. Letting her gaze drift, Rarifruit spotted a door that presumably lead somewhere at the back of the alcove. She dearly hoped that whoever had come up with the bright idea to build such an absurd place was very pleased with themselves. Slowly clambering to her hooves, Rarifruit shook as much water off herself as she could before shivering in the cold damp air. She then shot Brutalight, who didn’t seem fazed at all, a withering glare as the bipedal thing spoke up.

“Why darling, are we having fun yet?”

Over a chorus of snickers, Rarifruit’s eye twitched. Did that idiot really just... again?

“What do you think?” she snarled.

“I think I’m ready to leave this bizarre fun house.” the bipedal thing answer.

“I also think somepony needs a hug.” it continued after a pause.

Over another chorus of snickers, Rarifruit growled as the green pegasus began humming softly to itself.
She really couldn’t believe this was happening.

“Ya know, you’re awful cute.” the bipedal thing went on, smirking.

“Let’s move on, shall we?” the caramel pony spoke up.

As they headed for the door, Rarifruit sighed and shook her head.
She was looking forward to this whole bizarre ordeal being over.
> Chapter #13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equestria - Arkley Mansion/Research Center; hidden lab entrance, 12:15 am, 10th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Cloudy

Standing beside the fountain that led to the underground labs, Vickers felt as though he was truly on top of things for the first time all day as he placed the eagle medal within its proper place. He'd had earlier moments of course; such as finding the blue gem in the mansion or the wolf medal within the tunnels. It was rather unfortunate that one of the Zeta team members had stumbled across that very special paper he'd dropped, his orders concerning the operation. Then again, it really didn't matter all that much.

He was rather intrigued to see that several of the Reaper team members had found their way into the tunnels. They were apparently much tougher than he'd first thought; not to mention highly persistent too. Vickers knew that he'd have to move fast from now on. However, he couldn't help wondering how the team would fare against the experimental security detachment that he'd released as he'd passed through the tunnels. Watching the R.R.T.S. pit there strength and agility against the M121's would be quite a show... but sadly one he'd have to miss as he placed the wolf medal within its proper place.

It was too bad really. The Hunters had been caged for a long time; they'd be very, very hungry.

Moments later, the fountain began to drain as a hidden entryway began to open. Once the water was gone a panel on the fountain's side also lowered; revealing a path to a previously submerged lift. Vickers quickly approached the lift and took it down to the labs below. Exiting the lift, Vickers made his way through various ladders and hallways to the main computer room. As he traveled, Vickers was forced to put down several of the enlightened scientists. It appeared that the effects of the viral spill had been harsher in the labs... less messy but no less disquieting.

The creatures that roamed the halls seemed to be totally dehydrated; their limbs withered and stringy while their eyes resembled shriveled grapes. Although he'd dodged a number of them along the way, the ones he'd been forced to put down had scarcely bled at all.

Reaching his destination, Vickers quickly sat at the computer and waited for the system to boot up. Considering the fact that so much had gone wrong, he hadn't had the time to enjoy any of his successes. But now that he was here, Vickers could truly feel as though he was in control of what was happening. Although there was still considerable work to be done, he wasn't concerned. A gentle musical tone informed Vickers that the system was ready and he pulled out a small note book from his vest.

He quickly opened it to a list of codes though he knew them already.

As he tapped out the first of the passwords that would allow him to unlock the laboratory doors, Vickers felt a sudden, vague wistfulness for the excitement of the day. It would be all over soon and there would be nopony to witness his achievements; to share fond memories after the fact. Now that he thought about it, it was almost a shame that none of the other R.R.T.S. would be joining him. The only thing better than a grand finale was a grand finale with an audience.

If the Reaper team wasn't already dead, they would be soon.

***************

Equestria - Arkley Mansion/Research Center; hidden tunnels, 12:25 am, 10th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Cloudy

While continuing to wander through the vast, dank tunnel, Pinkis Cupcake wondered if they would ever find a way out. They had been walking for some time without getting anywhere. Beside her, Derpigun looked as exhausted as she felt. Pinkis let out an exasperated sigh which quickly turned into a shiver. The damp chill emanating from the surrounding stone walls would have been bad enough without being soaking wet.

'Great secret passage. To use it would require somepony to become ill.' Pinkis thought bleakly to herself as they continued.

After disposing of the freaky plant in the bunkhouse, they had come to the rather unpleasant conclusion that there wasn't a way out in that area. Pinkis shuddered again at the memory of what they'd encountered in the basement as they'd searched for the plant's root. Of course once they'd found the blasted thing and applied Derpigun's special concoction, things hadn't exactly been what she'd expected. Soon after leaving the bunkhouse, the group had heard the sudden sounds of water splashing wildly. They'd decided to investigate only to see a shadowy figure pass through the waterfall they'd seen earlier; disappearing behind the curtain of water that cascaded down.

After some deliberation, they'd gone after the figure and found themselves in these miserable tunnels. While investigating, the group had located a member of that other squad who mentioned something about a traitor before being shot. As they'd searched for the shooter, she and Derpigun had gotten separated from the others which had led to their current situation. Pinkis wasn't even sure where they were at the moment.

As they rounded a corner, a sudden commotion somewhere ahead caught their attention. Pinkis and Derpigun exchanged glances before sprinting forward to discover what the cause of the noise was. Rounding another corner, the pair found themselves forced to crawl into a much smaller tunnel. At the end of the passage, they found themselves in another of the much larger tunnels. The tunnel itself had somewhat of an incline to it. To their right was another blank wall. In an alcove across from them, Pinkis noticed most of the others.

Looking on, she could tell that they were preoccupied about something. Following their gazes, she saw the caramel pony and Rainbine racing toward them while being chased by a huge boulder. Pinkis blinked; not quite believing what she was seeing as Derpigun squeaked in surprise. Without even looking at one another, Pinkis knew that Derpigun had an idea of what she planned to do and would back her up as she tensed; waiting for the appropriate time to move. Moments later, she lunged forward; tackling Rainbine out of the air as Derpigun tackled the caramel pony. As they all crashed to the ground inside the alcove, Pinkis heard the boulder impact the nearby wall. Pinkis had to stifle a chuckle as she pinned Rainbine to the ground. Although she was really happy to see somepony else, Pinkis couldn't resist tormenting the pegasus as she spoke in a low growl.

“Hi, Dashie.”

“Pinkie, where did you come from?” Rainbine gasped in shock.

“Oh, I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop in.” Pinkis replied before letting loose with a giggle.

“Alright, that's twice tonight that I've nearly been crushed by stone! What gives?” the caramel pony murmured.

Turning, Pinkis smirked as she watched the caramel pony continue to grumble as she was helped up.

“Don't say anything!” said pony snapped with a raised hoof.

“Did I say anything? I didn't say anything!” the bipedal thing retorted, earning a growl.

“Glad to see you made it.” the green pegasus remarked.

“So, it was you guys we heard passing through the waterfall earlier?” the larger cyan pegasus asked.

“Yeah, but we got separated from the others shortly after we got here.” Pinkis replied.

Derpigun went on to inform the others about what they'd experienced and handed over that burned file they’d found in the fireplace within the room with that whacked-out plant. They also got to learn what the others had been through.

“At least we know the others are in here somewhere also. That's a start.” the bipedal thing commented.

“Uh, Pinkie. Can you like get off me.” Rainbine spoke up.

Pinkis quickly muttered an apology and let the pegasus get up.

Letting her gaze drift, Pinkis was somewhat surprised to see that the boulder had burst through the nearby wall and revealed another chamber beyond. Silently, the group entered the chamber and saw the boulder leaning against another wall along with a metal door to their right.

“Looks like ya just missed Tom.” the bipedal thing remarked.

The caramel pony replied with an irritated squawk and a petulant little hoof-bop to his shoulder.

“It appears we've got webbing on the floor so watch your footing and look out for aerial targets.” the bipedal thing continued as they approached the door.

Pinkis groaned as the big ponies crowded around the door. Letting her gaze drift, she noticed Rarifruit and Derpigun shudder and could sympathize given what she'd seen crawling around back in the bunkhouse. Moments later, the big ponies burst through the door and began shooting at something just out of view; the males aiming at the ceiling while the others aimed at ground level. Soon after, the big ponies gave them the all clear to enter and as they did so, Pinkis could see a thick layer of white webbing covering the room from floor to ceiling; along with the remains of at least eight giant star-spiders. Pinkis smirked as she watched Rarifruit and Edi gawk at the round hairy bodies in fear and disgust. Both unicorn seemed to be having more difficulty navigating through the room also.

“Looks like this was the nest.” the caramel pony commented.

“Maybe somepony should've called in the orkin-pony; cause this a bug-hunt, man... a bug-hunt!” the green pegasus remarked.

Aside from a few amused snorts, almost every pony assembled immediately took to plastering their face with a well-placed hoof. They didn't think the pegasus would even try saying something that corny. Irritably, Pinkis rolled her eyes and turned a glare towards Brutalight, who returned the gesture in kind, as she spoke.

“Are you sure I can't eat 'em?”

“I don't even care anymore!” the caramel pony snapped; looking as annoyed as she felt.

“Gee, what's buggin' you? Cause that's not nice.” the bipedal thing retorted, earning another growl from the caramel coated mare.

“Ya know...” it continued.

“Finish that sentence and I swear to Celestia I'll rip you to pieces!” the caramel pony snapped.

Over a chorus of snickers, Pinkis rolled her eyes while the bipedal thing cooed.

“Oh, for the love of Luna I've had it with all this FUCKING SHIT!” Fluttershout snarled in exasperation.

All eyes turned toward the infuriated pegasus; who stared at the bipedal thing with an expression that was frighteningly similar to 'The Stare' plastered on her face.

“Cease with all the nonsense and let's continue onward or else I'm gonna scream!” Fluttershout hissed, eyes narrowing to snake-thin slits.

“You wouldn't?” Rarifruit contributed, voice laced with a combination of amusement and trepidation.

“I'm getting ready to scream!” Fluttershout continued.

“You’re serious?” Rarifruit replied.

“Am I bothering you?” the bipedal thing retorted in a voice similar to what it used when they'd first met; although this one was in a reedy lilting singsong that was somewhat reminiscent of a certain reserved pegasus she knew.

“I'm sorry, I didn't know.”

Pinkis cocked an eyebrow then shook her head as she watched many of the others shoot the bipedal thing incredulous stares. Rarifruit in particular, seemed quite amused by what was happening. Fluttershout's right eye meanwhile, started twitching as she continued to glare at the bipedal thing. Pinkis had to admit to herself, as she continued to watch, that it was rather funny to see how just how far up the crazy tree the bipedal thing could really climb.

“Here comes the fat pony... by the number!” Fluttershout sneered before inhaling deeply.

“Okay, okay... I take it back! There's no need to go there!” the bipedal thing replied, raising its forelimbs in surrender as Fluttershout let out a self-satisfied snort and smirked.

“Then stop screwin' around AND GET MOVING!” Brutalight shrieked.

As one, the group snapped to attention and replied in unison “Yes Mam!” as the lavender mare stormed off toward a pair of double doors on the other side of the room. The two males meanwhile, quickly fumbled with opening the doors and the group pressed onward. Smirking, Pinkis shook her head as she heard the larger cyan pegasus murmur to herself about how “awkward” the situation was. The big ponies had no idea considering a few of them looked like they wanted to voice an opinion on the matter

Nopony spoke however, which was probably for the best considering Brutalight wasn't known for being in a “good mood” on a good day; and today certainly wasn't a “good mood”.
> Chapter #14
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equestria - Arkley Mansion/Research Center; hidden tunnels, 12:35 am, 10th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Cloudy


While continuing to wander through the vast, dank tunnel, Brutalight Sparcake wondered if they would ever find a way out. Although it hadn't been very long since they'd left the spider infested chamber, it felt as if they'd been walking forever without getting anywhere. She wasn't even sure where they were, or how long they'd been traveling, at the moment as all the passages looked the same. The damp chill emanating from the surrounding stone walls was bad enough without being soaking wet also. Of course she had to marvel at the level of engineering that had gone into the construction of the estate. It had to of taken years to build the place.

Behind her, Brutalight could here the others murmuring among themselves as they traveled and rolled her eyes. While their little 'alliance' seemed to have benefits, there was also plenty of areas for improvement. On one hoof, the big ponies were decent in a fight; yet the near constant bickering she'd had to endure of late was becoming especially annoying. She could actually feel a headache forming because of it which didn't help her mood any. In fact everything about this whole affair was surreal in itself.

Although it was highly likely the others hadn't bothered to learn any of the big ponies' names, Brutalight had and was keeping a very close eye on them. Fortunately, she knew Fluttershout would back her up and be able to keep the big ponies in line. Of course it really didn't help to know, deep down, that the spell used in their animation would soon expire; returning her and the other dolls to lifeless toy hood once more. On reflection, that was probably something the others wouldn't like to hear. Brutalight suspected however, that Edi was also aware somehow of that particular situation; then again, that pony was a strange one.

Even though she didn't have a full grasp of the two missing ponies' personalities, she was well acquainted with that of the remaining four. Regardless of their specific duties within the unit, it was rather obvious that Cameron and Zander were nothing more than pranksters and instigators for the other two. Even though Jaden was the groups' leader, it was difficult to imagine how anypony could achieve such a position with the way he got along with Tess. Brutalight struggled to suppress a groan at the memory of all the drama surrounding that particular pair considering how often they had been at each others throats. Even if the pair weren't actually a couple they certainly acted like one.

Brutalight felt as if she were babysitting but wasn't getting paid for it.

“Calm down, 2.0. There's no need to get your knickers in a knot.” Jaden said.

“Stop calling me that!” Tess snapped.

“I hate it when you call me that!”

As the pair continued to bicker, Brutalight turned back to them and rolled her eyes as she spoke.

“Oh, for Celestia's sake, WOULD YOU TWO CUT IT OUT! You're starting to sound like Rarifruit!”

Over a chorus of snickers, Rarifruit squealed indignantly while Tess gaped in disbelief at her.

“Yeah, well I'm cuter.” Jaden replied.

“WHO LIED TO YOU!” Rarifruit roared from between clenched teeth.

“Do you really expect me to answer that?” Jaden retorted, earning another growl from the pink mained unicorn.

Over another chorus of snickers, Tess groaned and planted her face in a hoof at the display.

Brutalight was spared from responding when they all heard what sounded like a door open somewhere further ahead and a series of footsteps heading in their direction. The footsteps were heavy, plodding... but too far apart, too deliberate. Whatever was approaching, Brutalight knew it wasn't going to be good. Silently, the big ponies drew their weapons in unison and aimed in the direction of the approaching footsteps. Moments later, the noise maker rounded a corner and came into view.

Brutalight's eyes grew wide as she took in the beast standing before them. The creature was huge with a roughly bipedal shape, much like Jaden's, but the resemblance ended there. It was naked but sexless and its entire muscular body was covered with a pebbled, amphibious skin that was shaded dark green. The monster was hunched over so that its impossibly long arms almost touched the ground. Both its hands and feet were tipped with thick brutal claws while tiny light-colored eyes peered out at them from a flat reptilian skull.

As she continued to stare, Brutalight knew deep down that such a creature shouldn't exist.

Moments later, the creature raised its arms, dropped its wide-hinged jaw, and let out a tremendous, high-pitched screech; the sound like nothing she'd ever heard before. Behind her, Brutalight could hear many of the others letting out startled yelps at the display as Jaden fired three rounds at the beast's chest, causing it to stumble backwards and fall into a tunnel wall. Incredibly, the creature sprang to its feet and with another terrible shriek leaped at them with its claws outstretched and grasping once more.

As one, Jaden and Zander, the pegasus using his shotgun, opened fire upon the monster; knocking it out of the air. One of the males scored a vital hit with a gaping hole in the beast's throat. The thing flailed its limbs wildly as blood poured from the wound. Brutalight, and the others, stared in mute astonishment as the creature continued to spasm violently; burbling through the raged hole in its throat as if trying to scream while yet more blood poured from its fists as claws snapped against rock. It was about another full minute of frenzied thrashing before the monster finally died from blood loss.

“What was that thing?” Tess asked, looking disturbed.

“That creature is called a Hunter.” Jaden replied somberly.

“Basically, its a bio-weapon; designed to kill other living things.” he continued after a pause.

“So, now we know what the big experiment was that was mentioned in that journal.” Brutalight mused, prompting Rarifruit and Edi to shudder.

“Yeah.” Jaden agreed

“Just what were these folks thinking by breeding these things?” he continued after a pause.

Nopony answered.

Moments later, the sound of gunfire somewhere further ahead grabbed their attention. After briefly exchanging glances, they all began to sprint in the direction the sound came from. Passing through a doorway, the group found themselves in a much wider cube-shaped chamber. Upon a distant wall, Brutalight saw another door and hoped it wasn't locked as she spotted the chaos occurring within the center of the room. The chaos involved the previously missing ponies' struggling to fend off what looked like a dozen more Hunters while ApplePills gawked at the carnage between them; the remains of several of the creatures a testament to their survival.

Silently, the big ponies drew down and fired upon the monsters as the group quickly approached the trio.

“Glad to see you guys made it.” Shadow greeted.

“You kidding? We weren't about to miss this party!” Zander replied.

As the big ponies continued to chat among themselves, Brutalight focused on the matter at hoof. Targeting one of the loathsome creatures, she charged up and cast a potent spell that sent violet bolts of energy bounding in all directions. The arcs quickly found their marks upon five of the beasts; stunning three, which got picked off by the big ponies soon after, and filling the air with a sickening smell of charred meat as the other two abominations fried. Out of the corner of her eye, Brutalight snorted as she watched Rarifruit and Edi fumble with fending off another group of Hunters.

“Where are all these things coming from?” Edi questioned worriedly.

“The walls! There commin' outta the freakin' walls! Let's hoof!” Zander retorted.

“Someone get the door!” Jaden shouted.

The group continued to hold firm against the onslaught as they crept toward the nearby door. Upon reaching it, Brutalight observed out of the corner of her eye, one of the big ponies working feverishly to open the door. The Hunters meanwhile, weren't giving up and Brutalight had to give the beasts credit for their tenacity. She couldn't help but wonder how many of the creatures there were as she opted to slice another apart with a pair of blades she conjured up.

The minutes seemed to drag on before the word was given that the door was finally open and the group began to funnel through. Slamming the door closed, the males quickly secured it with various objects laying nearby. The group then proceeded to collapse to the floor in an exhausted heap. The pounding at the door from outside meanwhile, redoubled; indicating that the Hunters were still determined to catch them. The sounds were almost methodical in nature at this point. Leaning against a wall, Brutalight noted dryly that all the magic she'd been using as of late had drained her remaining energy to the very dregs; leaving her feeling more worn out and weak than ever.

Letting her gaze drift, she could tell that the rest of the group was as exhausted as she felt; not to mention very much aware of the threat they still faced. The two female pegasi in particular appeared content as they lay side by side. As they rested, Brutalight couldn't help but note the irony of their situation. On one hoof, the only reason they had ended up in this absurd position to begin with was because the big ponies were compelled to protect others. She however, really didn't care what other ponies thought; particularly about her.

Once they had all sufficiently recovered, the group quietly began to prepare themselves to get moving.

“I suppose you've all had a rather exciting evening as well?” Fiora mused.

“Just another fun filled day.” Jaden retorted.

“Let's just hope there aren't anymore of those things running around.” Tess cut in.

Silently, the group filed through an adjacent doorway into another chamber. This one, while being quite large, was roughly in the shape of  a T-junction. Brutalight also noted an immediate change in the air around them; a warm, sweet breeze that felt like a forgotten dream. After deliberating briefly on their options, the group opted to explore the right path first. As they entered, Brutalight was almost disappointed when the chamber turned into another dismal tunnel that stretched in front of them; the now unpleasantly familiar chill engulfing them.

To their right, the tunnel extended a few feet before coming to an end. To the left however, Brutalight could see another massive, round boulder, like the one Tess had barely evaded earlier, marking the end of the shaft a good hundred feet away. Brutalight smirked as an irritated groan from the mare in question indicated that she remembered what happened as well. Her smirk froze as she spotted something small laying on the ground in front of it... something blue. Frowning, she, along with Edi and Tess, followed Jaden toward the giant rock; trying to determine what the blue object was while the rest of the team remained by the exit.

Halfway down the dim tunnel, they discovered an offshoot to the left. Realizing that the small hexagonal hole near the alcove could be used to hide the area, Brutalight had to marvel once more at the level of engineering that had gone into the construction as they quickly entered to investigate. Inside the alcove, there was a door to their right and the group quickly passed through to examine the room beyond. The mid-sized square room they'd entered was made of stone and didn't appear to lead anywhere or contain anything except a statue of a bird on a pedestal. Exiting back into the main chamber, Brutalight rolled her eyes as Jaden and Tess began to bicker among themselves about how to retrieve the blue object without setting off another potential trap. Edi solved the problem by volunteering to retrieve it before stepping out into the tunnel several feet and using telekinesis to acquire the object before returning to the alcove. Curiously, the object turned out to be a book bound in blue-dyed leather.

They all exchanged confused looks, wondering why such an item would be left in a place like this.

“Eagle of East, Wolf of West.” Jaden read aloud.

“Well, that doesn't sound very exciting... then again, I was kinda hopin' for the Equinomicon.” he continued.

While Edi merely gawked, Brutalight groaned and planted her face in a hoof.
She couldn't believe this was really happening.

“Seriously?” Tess snapped; looking as annoyed as she felt.

“What?” Jaden asked, looking wounded.

“You are discriminating against me!” he whined in that annoying accented voice of his.

With a growl, Brutalight snatched the book out of Edi's grasp with her own magic and opened it to reveal a hollowed out space within. She blinked in confusion at the discovery; wondering what the point was.

“Ya know, its probably a good thing Twi isn't here right now as she'd probably freak out at a hollowed out space within a book.” Jaden murmured.

“Uh, yeah... best not to think about that.” Tess agreed.

“Particularly since she'd consider that an act of cannibalism.” she continued.

Brutalight sighed and rolled her eyes.

She didn't know what the big ponies were talking about... and she really didn't care.
The only thing that mattered now was getting out of these blasted tunnels and off the estate alive.

As the group began making their way back toward the chamber's entryway, Brutalight carelessly hurled the book box back toward the boulder; merely grunting when one of her companions commented on the throw. Moments later, an ominous thunderous sound of rock grating against rock grabbed the group's attention and caused them to exchange glances. Brutalight also became uncomfortably aware that the tunnel itself gently sloped away from where they stood.

Without a word the group began sprinting back toward the safety of the alcove as the ominous clatter grew louder.

“Oh, I should've stayed in bed!” Tess screamed as they all dived into the offshoot as one; the massive rock rolling past them seconds later and impacting against the wall near the entrance with an explosive crash.

“You okay, guys?” Derpigun called out to them from the tunnel entrance.

“We're fine!” Brutalight shouted back as they all clambered to their hooves.

“What set it off?” Edi asked.

“I don't know... but Tom must be real eager to see ya.” Jaden replied, giving a sidelong smirk at Tess.

“Oh, don't even start!” the caramel pony snarled.

“You do realize that joke wasn't funny the first time either.”

Jaden merely replied with a smug smirk and a shrug.

Brutalight just shook her head at the pair's antics as the group quickly exited the tunnel. The reassembled team then made their way down the only remaining path and quickly discovered another lift similar in design to the ones that had lead to the courtyard. Ten minutes and several trips on the lift later, the group was once again above ground in another section of the courtyard that appeared to be isolated from the rest of the estate. The change was welcome as they silently studied their surroundings. In front of them, amid the trees, stood another small building of some kind; a rusted metal door set inside but welded shut.

Continuing onward, they were about to pass the far edge of the building when Edi suddenly shuddered. Brutalight was about to make a comment when the group spotted something they hadn't expected to see. Standing beside an old stone fountain was a pair of big ponies dressed in similar attire to what the larger members of the team wore. One of the mares was a golden coated alicorn with a crimson and azure streaked mane while the other was a blue coated unicorn that bore a striking resemblance to Edi.

Slowly, Brutalight turned her gaze toward a particular unicorn mare, curious to see what her reaction would be to this unusual turn of events.

“Well I suppose this explains the shuddering.” Edi replied with a shrug.

Brutalight snorted as she watched Jaden draw down upon the pair; ready to fire at a moments notice.
The golden coated alicorn however, seemed rather amused by the boy's reaction as the rest of the team looked on uncertainly.

“You're late.” the mare remarked casually.

“Sorry, traffic... but you'd know all about that.” Jaden replied.

Brutalight cocked an eyebrow at this sudden revelation.

So, this explained some of the strange behavior she'd seen between Jaden and Tess earlier.

“What, are you going to shoot us?” the blue unicorn quipped in a voice that was unusually deep and nasally.

“Well, somepony needs a lozenge... or ten.” Edi piped up, eliciting an angry growl from the unicorn in question.

Slowly, Brutalight turned her gaze back toward the little blue unicorn; unable to believe this was really happening.

“What?” Edi asked incredulously.

Brutalight groaned and planted her face in a hoof. That pony needed her head examined.

“I was certainly thinking about it.” Jaden retorted, ignoring the outburst.

“Gee, and after everything we did for you too.” the blue unicorn spat, prompting Jaden to hesitate.

An uncomfortable silence filled the air. Looking on, Brutalight could almost swear she saw the tension physically swirling in the air as the two groups continued to stare down one another. She also got the unmistakable impression that both parties somehow already knew one another. Not to mention the fact that the pair appeared to be sizing them up. The silence was finally broken when Jaden voiced his next question while slowly lowering his weapon.

“So, what's your interest in this?”

“Can't a girl lend a helping hoof?” the golden coated alicorn asked.

“That's not your style, dear.” Jaden retorted, prompting the golden coated alicorn to chuckle.

“So much to do and so little time. I wonder what some other pony's might be up to right now.” the alicorn replied smugly.

Brutalight cast a casual glance toward her companions and noticed that the other dolls had picked up on the tension between the two groups of big ponies also. Fluttershout's expression in particular illustrated that they were aware they weren't being told everything; and certainly not pleased. Letting her gaze drift, Brutalight noted that the other big ponies on the team were also aware that something was out of place.

“So, what do you want to do, boss?” Shadow asked.

“We keep moving. I'm already tired of this place.” Jaden replied.

“Zan, take point, Fi watch our rear.” he continued.

A chorus of murmurs indicated that the designated ponies understood their duties while the golden coated alicorn merely smirked and waved a hoof for them to proceed. Brutalight noted some of her companions contemptuous snorts and groans as she struggled to suppress her own irritation at the mare's smug demeanor as the group approached the old fountain. Rounding the side of the fountain, Brutalight observed a panel had lowered; revealing a spiraling staircase that lead to another lift.

Zander shot Jaden a questioning look and the boy nodded his approval to proceed. Nodding again, the pegasus began to descend the stairs toward the lift. The rest of the group quickly followed. Casting a casual glance backward, Brutalight couldn't help feeling intrigued when it became apparent that the two mares would be joining them. As they all began to crowd around the lift, Brutalight couldn't help but wonder what would happen next.
> Chapter #15
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equestria - Arkley Mansion/Research Center; hidden lab, 1:15 am, 10th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Cloudy


As the team exited the lift, Selena noted that the room they'd entered was unlike any other part of the estate they'd seen thus far. It lacked the fetid charm of the mansion or the dripping gloom of the underground tunnels. In fact, it was as if they'd all stepped out of a gothic horror story and into a military complex. The room they'd entered was a large, steel-reinforced concrete structure with metal ducts and overhead pipes lining the upper walls. The walls themselves were painted in a muddy industrial gray; the title “XD-R B1” stenciled across the concrete in black letters several feet high.

She was also very much aware that the change was quite jarring to some members of the team as they all took in their new surroundings. Any sense they had held of where they were in relation to the rest of the estate had just been removed. Low murmurs among the group merely reinforced her assessment of the situation as Selena quickly accessed the area's wireless network and downloaded a map of the area.

On the opposite side of the room from where they stood was a large metal door and to their left was a ladder leading to the lower levels. A quick scan indicated that the door was firmly locked and wouldn't open for any reason beyond a severe emergency. Although she could hack it, the attempt would take considerable time and processing power and would ultimately be a waste considering there was nothing more than another bland hallway leading to yet another surface elevator beyond the door anyway. 

Silently, the team approached the ladder and descended into a much smaller room as bland and industrial as the first; another small, steel-reinforced door set into the opposite wall with inset florescent lights on the ceiling.

“What have we got?” Jaden asked as they got settled near the door.

“It would appear that we have reached the primary lab.” Selena replied, as she brought up the new map.

“The facility is divided into four sections related to specific divisions and research.”

“What exactly were they studying here?” Brutalight inquired.

“It would appear to be bio-weapons research.”  Selena answered.

“Although the facility itself is more advanced than anything local, the virus they were studying is incredible... and extremely potent.” she continued in response to the unsolicited question.

“Go on.” Jaden said.

“The virus is protean, meaning it can easily change states, such as from a liquid to gas, depending upon its environment.” Selena answered; replacing the map with a diagram of a viral DNA molecule.

“As you all already know, it also has the ability to infect and mutate a diverse number of different species.”

“And?” Tess asked.

“It was originally released as an airborne pathogen but now can only be transferred by direct contact with a carrier.” Selena replied.

A chorus of contemptuous snorts and groans indicated that the rest of the team understood what she was referring to.

“It should also be noted that a single bite or scratch from these creatures is significant for infection.” she cautioned.

“Curiously, the virus has no effect upon non-living toy bodies.”

“I know who I'm staying behind than.” Zander murmured.

“Don't even think about it!” Rarifruit hissed, eliciting snickers.

“Is there anything else?” Jaden asked.

“It appears that all doors leading to critical areas are unlocked and sub-level three contains a self-destruct device capable of sanitizing this facility.” Selena replied, as she brought up the map once more.

“How big a blast are we talking about?” Jaden asked.

“Roughly the equivalent of several city blocks. Certainly more than enough to destroy the facility, the virus, and all traces of them.”

Cameron let out a low whistle as the team exchanged glances.

“Additionally, triggering the device will likely release the lock upon the door on sub-level one.” she continued.

“Let's do it!” Jaden said.

He then began to issue individual assignments.

“Alright, stay alert as our dear Captain Vickers is down here somewhere... and he ain't gonna be real happy to see us.”

A chorus of affirmations indicated that the rest of the team understood what needed to be done as Jaden continued speaking.

“Zan, lead on.”

Nodding, the green pegasus quickly pushed open the door and stepped out onto a cement walkway that led to a flight of descending stairs with Cameron right behind him as Fiora brought up the rear of the formation. A metal rail circled the path and at the top of the stairs lay a crumpled zombie, so emaciated and shriveled that it appeared to be mummified. It seemed the effects of the viral spill had been harsher here in the labs... less messy but no less disquieting. As the rest of the team silently moved on, Zander, Jaden, and Fiora, with Edi in tow, warily took up positions around the door leading to what was identified as the “Visual Data Room” before entering.

The room itself was another still gray room with a long meeting table in the center; a slide projector set up in front of a portable screen at its far end. A nonfunctional intercom system sat on a small stand against the right wall. As the small group began searching the room, Selena quietly busied herself with the multi-tasking requirements of collating all the camera footage recorded during the mission into a single coherent narrative while simultaneously keeping an 'eye' on the team's progress and safety in addition to cataloging any new relevant material that was collected along the way. She was very much aware of how the team valued a personal copy of any camera footage montages for privately reliving events in addition to the copy she would also send to Celestia regarding how the operation unfolded.

While the rest of the group began reviewing what was on the slide projector, which curiously matched much of the information that had been in the file folder Jaden had received, Selena took the opportunity for personal reflections. While it was true in the most literal sense that her primary function was to impartially observe and report how the team, and more specifically Jaden and Tess, reacted to changing situations, Selena found that she actually enjoyed looking after the rest of the group. Although a certain degree of insight into 'how organic lifeforms thought' was passed on during her creation, Selena found the study of biological thought processes to be quite fascinating.

Deep down, she suspected Celestia had something to do with that interest also; but didn't mind.

Although it was no secret that human and pony thought processes were quite different, the degree to which they differed was quite intriguing. Her young charges, Jaden and Tess, were proving to be quite an entertaining challenge in that area; an irony considering the little alicorn was physically a construct like herself. After all, the mare's thought processes were entirely biological. Selena could only speculate that the reason for that was due to Tess's exposure to living ponies’ shortly after first activation and throughout subsequent interactions all the way up to the point where she discovered the robotics lab while trapped in the Enrichment Center where she'd first met Jaden.

Curiously, despite the unexpected discovery of her origins, the little alicorn still behaved like any other living pony would. In fact, the way she and Jaden often interacted with one another tended to lead many to the assumption that the pair were soul-mates; even if they didn't see it themselves. Often, their varying reactions to the teasing they received from certain members within the squad merely reinforced this idea. After all, physical intimacy wasn't actually necessary for those who shared close bonds. Selena was also reasonably certain that Celestia was aware of that particular development as well; and just as likely entertained by the whole affair.

Selena mentally rolled her eyes at the thought.

Despite the fact they shared many of the same traits, although not quite the same appearance, she often found herself questioning whatever ran through her progenitor's ageless mind. Unfortunately, due to imposed limitations, she could only display emotions when her physical form was manifested. Additionally, the vast majority of her combat capabilities was tied into her physical form as well. Of course, there usually wasn't much need for the use of such refined skills.

Over the course of events that had unfolded throughout the operation thus far, Selena found herself intrigued by how those darling little mini-ponies had been utilized. Although she had originally cautioned against bringing the dolls to life with magic, Selena had to admit that Jaden had done a decent job of winning them over. Some of the cunning little creatures were also quite capable in combat it seemed. She suspected that most weren't aware what would happen when the spell expired; a shame really considering they'd all developed quite unique personalities.

Perhaps the mini-pony with the most unusual personality was Edi. Of all the mini-ponies present, that one was by far the friendliest of the group and had displayed the most peculiar abilities. Curiously, the little unicorn was also the only one to develop differently than the others. In fact, it was as if the little creature was actually a living pony trapped within a non-living toy body. After the spell ceased, it would still function without restraint. Selena could only speculate that little Edi had somehow inherited some of her creator's attributes.

It was certainly going to be interesting to see how things progressed from this point forward.

***************

Equestria - Arkley Mansion/Research Center; hidden lab - Visual Data Room, 1:25 am, 10th July 20xx, Night, Weather: Cloudy


Standing within what was referred to as the Visual Data Room, Jaden tried to make sense of what he'd just seen. The slide show he and the others had just viewed had verified much of the data that had been given to them earlier and confirmed the type of research that had been conducted at the facility. It had also raised many unanswered questions. One of the things he hadn't expected to see on the projector was the image of a large torpedo shaped fish with a protruding dorsal fin and jaws filled with rows of razor sharp teeth. Jaden had easily recognized the creature but didn't think those things actually existed in Equestria.

Fiora also recognized the creature and Jaden suspected she'd had an encounter with the beast during the time she and Shadow had been separated from the rest of the group. He certainly didn't blame her for being unnerved by the photo. While Edi had appeared curious about the situation Zander had been unusually silent on the matter. He hadn't cracked a single joke since they'd left the underground tunnels.

Deep down, Jaden knew that destroying the facility was the best course of action but many unanswered questions remained. Chief among them were “Who had created the facility to begin with?”, “What was the motive behind the facility's construction and the creation of the beasts roaming its halls?” and “What role did the two mares they'd recently encountered have prior to the events of the evening along with what their interest in this whole operation was?”. Despite the knowledge that those questions would likely remain unanswered, he was determined to finish the job and make sure the public remained safe. After all, too many lives had been lost already not to mention the atmosphere of the place just felt wrong.

Sensing the time was right to see how the others were faring, Jaden quickly began calling each team over the radio and requesting an update on their status. He became concerned when he couldn't receive a response from Tess's team over the radio. After several long minutes of silence, Jaden could see the concern on Fiora, Zander, and Edi's faces as he placed a bulletin over all comms.

“All units. All units. Proceed to the elevator leading to the lab on Level Four. We've got a situation.”

Over a chorus of affirmations, the group quickly exited the room without a word and made their way toward the rendezvous point.