Chapter 2 - "Damned"

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The entire planet began to howl. Various screams, groans, and roars rang out from every crevice in the ground. Every tunnel, every sewer grate, every gap in the soil carried the resounding war cry that signaled their arrival.

It was as if they knew the world was theirs. Those cries could have very well been taunting towards anything still unlucky enough to struggle against them, letting them know that there was a new king in town who demanded the spoils of its conquered kingdom.

The cries could have also been a warning - a headstart for their prey to begin running - so the hunt was more interesting. They never seemed to stay the same. Every night they changed - no, they evolved. They were learning from him. The last time he encountered them, he spotted them doing something no creature like them should have known how to do.

Two Days Ago - 5:32 P.M.

Pushing the sheet of metal out of the window frame as quietly as possible, a steel blue helmet and glowing purple visor emerged into the light of the steadily setting sun. The rest of the armored stallion stepped out of the crumbling structure through the frame where a glass pane had once been.

Glancing overhead and to the south, he watched as the cluster of thick clouds drifted further from his location. Even from his current distance, he could still see the flashing blue streaks hammering away at one another within the cluster. Though he couldn’t hear it from his position, he imagined the sound of violent crackling and sparking never dissipated entirely.

He called them flares. Relentless electric storms that bred all sorts of nasty weather conditions that torched everything in their path. Anyone unlucky enough to be caught on the surface in the midst of one had two options; retreat into the nearest crevice - as he had done - and wait until the flare had passed or pray that whatever you were wearing at the time could withstand the wrath of nature.

His suit would have easily withstood a dozen blasts from the flares - the lightning bolts weren’t the problem - that would be the debris thrown around by the blinding winds that could shatter his saving grace that was his suit. As if getting caught in a flare wasn’t bad enough, they had built up ways to stay on top of the food chain even while visibility was limited. It didn’t matter how much armor or weapons he possessed as they were useless if he couldn’t see what to shoot at.

Regardless, the flare had passed but it had come at the worst time imaginable. It hadn’t even been ten minutes before his suit’s five o’clock alarm was scheduled to go off that the destructive storm had found him. He wondered if the storms could actually track a living creature. It wasn’t likely, but the stallion always felt like the flares seemed to hunt for him just as they did.

Speaking of them, He was now nearly an hour into their time of night. Nearly an hour into their domain and he was still miles away from what he called a home. The booming clap of the flare had drowned out the howls and cries of them initially, but now he was ironically wishing he had been able to hear those routine sounds of his possible end.

He could tell a whole lot from their sounds. Each variant had their own tone of roars, cries, and growls that would let him know which type he was dealing with and possibly even how much distance he had from them. He would rather know the painful truth than be told a beautiful lie - or nothing at all for that matter.

Part of him wanted to sprint for his “home” and attempt to outrun them. After all, the longer he stayed out here, the more of them came out to roam. But time had molded his patience into that of a hunter. In a way, he was one. He had long since learned that if he didn’t pick a target then he was likely the target of something else.

Managing to put his growing unease aside, the stallion opened his suit’s purple holographic interface to reveal a 3D map of Los Pegasus and the surrounding lands. He scanned for the quickest - and safest - route to the bay of South Luna Ocean. A purple line darker than the screen appeared which directed said route from his current position to his future destination.

The stallion followed the map for what seemed like hours, but in reality it couldn’t have been much more than five minutes. He made sure not to draw any unnecessary attention to himself and took it slow. Some things never changed.

He had been coming out of an alley between an apartment block and what looked like some sort of restaurant when he heard it.

CLANG!

Some unseen object that was likely metallic in nature had fallen over in what couldn’t be more than half a block from his location. Instinctively, he readied his weapon and slammed himself back into the alley, against the edge of the brick wall.

For hours he waited, or at least it seemed that way. Time never seemed to feel consistent when the sun went down. However long he crouched there against the wall not daring to move or make a sound except his barely audible breathing.

Another clanging sound broke out from the same direction as the first one. It was followed by a wet sound of something being torn. The stallion pressed a button on his suit’s chest piece that deactivated the tiny mechanical locks on a rectangular device stationed next to the chest piece. This device had a purple light similar to the segmented chest ring and ear-mounted module. The device gently hovered as it was levitated by the stallion’s ear module.

The tiny device floated around the alley’s corner as the stallion did his best to position it in the general direction of the sounds. A small window appeared within his helmet’s HUD that displayed a live feed from the device’s perspective.

Through the transparent purple glow of the device’s camera, he could see multiple overturned and destroyed carriages and chariots on the street. Trash and decade old newspapers with headlines such as Solar Flare Cannon fired upon the Undiscovered West and Hundreds killed in a hidden research facility in the mountains littered the road and sidewalk.

At the furthest end of the street - about forty feet away - a debris covered intersection sat in front of what was once a hotel. The culprit of the scattered rubble on the ground was an airship wedged into the upper floors of the hotel. It looked like a photo frozen in time. A time where everything had changed.

But the sight of the intersection’s surroundings wasn’t what caught the stallion’s attention. It was who or rather what resided in it. On the sidewalk right underneath the ravaged hotel stood three figures. The setting sun was shielded by the hotel, making it nearly impossible to discern any physical features other than the shape of their bodies. The sharpened appendages on some of their backs was enough of an indicator as to what they were as the stallion had memorized many of their shapes.

The definite sign of what they were flashed as one of them scanned the streets around their position. The bright glow of two blue orbs wall all the confirmation he needed. No matter how much they changed, no matter how much they evolved, the eyes were always the same regardless of the number.

By some stroke of luck, the one scanning it’s surroundings didn’t notice the tiny faint purple lights of the stallion’s floating device. No cries signaling he had been spotted caused him to realize something. He had been holding in his breath the entire time until now.

Letting out the quietest exhale his lungs could produce, he continued to scan over the scene before him. Three of them were all gathered around a fourth figure. While they never seemed to stand still with the appendages swaying back and forth or their chests rising rapidly - letting out pained breathing that he thankfully couldn’t hear from his position - the fourth figure didn’t move at all.

Zooming in with the device’s camera, the stallion was finally able to make out that the fourth figure was a mare. She had a light green coat with a two toned yellow and brown mane. Her eyes were blue, but they were seemingly drained to a dull grey with only a shred of the former color remaining. In fact, almost all of her colors were dulled and it was clear why.

She was a corpse.

The three of them stood around her, two of which were lifting her up to sit on her haunches as they positioned her facing the hotel and away from the stallion. The third one continued to scan the three streets, its piercing blue eyes somehow holding both the determined patience of a hunter and a savage animal that hadn’t eaten in weeks.

When the mare’s corpse was placed to their liking, one of the creatures began placing boxes of ammunition and canned food next to her. Whether the containers were empty or not wasn’t the stallion’s priority as he continued to observe them. That same one then laid flat on it’s chest next to the body with its head down, hiding the blue glow in the safety of the concrete ground.

The other one who had helped position the corpse raised it’s strange shaped tail - which resembled more of a rope with a circular point at the end - than what he had been accustomed to with most creatures. The orb-like point flashed a familiar blue before the creature’s body disappeared from the stallion’s sight.

Well… not entirely.

The only remaining features of the creature were its eyes which still glistened despite the rest of it’s transparent camouflage body. The eyes backed up a few steps before the owner closed them.

The final one that had likely been watching for any approaching threats climbed into a nearby chariot and out of his sight.

They had set a trap! Nothing like them should have been able to know how to do that. They looked and acted like savages in the first few years, but were somehow capable of learning from others. They had likely learned that from him. He had been setting up custom snares for any remaining critters around the parks and forests for months now.

They must have been watching him set the traps, or maybe they watched something get caught in the traps - or both. That haunted him. The realization that they had been watching him without his knowledge chilled him to the bone. Had they done this before? How many times had he been trying everything in his power to avoid them only for them to still have the upper hoof in this game of cat and mouse they were playing.

Were they watching him now?

Deciding not to stick around for that answer, the stallion tethered his device back onto his suit’s chest where the tiny locks wrapped around it, folding around the device like spider legs as they snapped together and held it in place.

He then headed back through the alley as the suit automatically recalculated the next route to his destination. The sighting of them made him think about the state of the world, which was something he tried to avoid often.

The knowledge that the world was only hanging on by a thread wasn’t a secret. The few - if any - survivors always succumbed to fate. Starvation, suicide, or another creature ended up killing them in the end. The world was damned. Everything in it was damned. Those unfortunate enough to become one of them were damned by whatever long dead God inflicted this fate upon them.

Damned. While it wasn’t an official title, the haunting word stuck with the survivors of the early days. No one was sure who started calling them by that title, but as time went on and the word passed from lip to ear like an infection, it ended up sticking.

Back in the present time…

The stallion slid through alleys, behind buildings, and around chariots as fast as he could without ringing the dinner bell for the Damned. Running into them was unavoidable, he knew that much.

They were like a schoolhouse bully that most younger ponies dreaded coming into contact with, but knew it was inevitable. They would run into each other eventually whether it be in the halls, on the playground, or Celestia-forbid they share a classroom together. In a way, it was the same as the old world. Nothing much had changed despite the stakes being ramped up considerably.

Over the years he had learned the few consistencies they all shared. The first one was the glowing blue eyes, but that could have been identified by anypony or any creature easily. The second consistency was their hierarchy when the sun went down.

They would always send the smaller variants out in the first hour. The ones that were roughly pony sized - maybe a little bigger or smaller. These were the most common ones he encountered as it was suicide to stay out longer than neccessary for that was when the bigger variants came out. These creatures were formed with larger hosts. Diamond dogs, dragons, and even multiple bodies of ponies fused together. He didn’t ever see them until about two - sometimes three hours into the night.

It was clear that the Damned showed signs of extreme intelligence for the standards of something like them. At first glance they looked like glowing corpses, which one would expect them to be mindless but surprisingly they were able to pull off battle tactics that had taken members of the old Royal Guard years to master.

Their ability to make organized attacks was what he assumed ultimately led to their conquering of the old world. How they were able to coordinate said attacks was unknown to the stallion. It didn’t matter if he took out a whole group of them, somehow the next group had learned from him despite not even being present for the fight with the first one. Or where they?

He heard their cries again, but they were louder this time. Closer this time. He had finally made it to the edge of the city where only a single road - surrounded by a few large buildings - led to Ponyville to the North East if he was willing to make the day long journey.

He wasn’t.

His destination was straight down south. It was one he had learned to call his home for as long as he could remember. Once he passed by the Los Pegasus Mall, the stallion could make out the tall structure that sat on a hill which overlooked the South Luna Ocean. This structure had faded stripes running up it, almost like a candy cane which were interrupted at the top where the structure bulked out into a more disk-like shape with a large orb at the top.

The building that had been his saving grace for the past few decades was a lighthouse. While the lantern panes at the top had long since been shattered and the light bulb within burnt out, the balcony on the gallery was completely intact and made for the best lookout tower one could ask for. With it’s back to the ocean and front only being obstructed by a mall and a couple of trees, there was almost no chance of anything sneaking up on the structure.

It was finally in his sight. Only a about two miles left until he arrived, then he would be out of this mess for the night and-

BOOM!

The sound of an explosion followed by a sizzling crackle caused the stallion’s ears to perk up as his head swiveled around to see it. About less than half a mile to his left was a sea of dark clouds that were rapidly approaching his position. Blue streaks flashed briefly within the clouds before they disappeared only to be replaced by three more each time.

A transparent red drop down box appeared in the center of his helmet’s HUD that read;

WARNING: HOSTILE WEATHER CONDITIONS DETECTED. PLEASE SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER.

The stallion knew the flare - and the Damned for that matter - would be upon him before he would even reach the halfway point to the lighthouse. Glancing at the mall, which was not even ten steps away from him, he cursed under his breath and rushed over to the side door.

Locked.

He tried using the weight of his body and suit to force the door open, but it was clear the door had been barricaded from the other side. He didn’t have enough time to stay there and hope he would be enough to make it open.

The stallion made it to the front doors which were made of glass, allowing him to see the mountain of large objects placed behind them as a makeshift barricade. The flare boomed again as a blue streak of lightning struck the ground right next to him. The storm was now directly over his head as rain droplets and hail pelted his suit and made audible thunk! Thunk! Thunk! sounds against his helmet and shoulders.

He knew the suit would protect him from the storm - he made sure of it with how long he had perfected the suit - but the hail would eventually wear down the more vulnerable parts. He had to act fast.

The stallion frantically looked around for any possible entrance. It was clear now that any and all doors would be barricaded from past occupants, so regular doorways were out of the question. What if there was a-

A glowing shard of bone hit the wall, barely missing his head by an inch, and breaking the stallion out of his thoughts.

Spinning around and activating his weapon all in the same motion, the stallion didn’t see anything. There was nothing staring him down with a hungry glare. No being stood before him posed for a second attack.

That was all he needed to know what was there.

Instead of panicking or fleeing as many had before him, the stallion didn’t move an inch. He stood completely still and scanned the darkened, raining landscape with only his eyes. Another flash of lightning pierced his surroundings and that was when he saw it.

Two blue orbs.

The two pinpricks of light held an immeasurable hunger, but not for sustenance. They hungered for him. Those eyes made it clear that this thing's only mission was to “take” the stallion before it. They wanted his body, even if it was a corpse by the time they were done.

They couldn’t have it.

The owner of the two eyes let out a screeching sound as it knew it had been caught by its prey. A third blue light formed directly centered above the eyes. This light was more of a cone shape with ridges spiraling up it.

A horn. A unicorn horn.

The horn sparked as a brief blue aura washed over the thing’s body revealing that it was indeed equine shaped. The rest of “thing” came into view as it’s natural colors formed in the wake of the blue aura.

The creature that stood before him was one he had seen many times. If he had to bet on them, he could count on it as being one of the top five most common Damned out there. The creature’s previously activated camouflage and tendril-like tail ending in what resembled a cuffed claw made it clear what it was.

A Hunter. That was what he had dubbed this particular variant, but there was a reason for that title.

They never hunted alone…

Two more sets of eyes came into view - one crawling out of an overturned taxi chariot and another leaping over a small pile of rubble - and approached the first creature. The other two “decloaked” and joined at the sides of their brethren, backing the stallion against the front entrance to the mall.

The Hunters didn’t even have to signal or speak to communicate as they fanned out to give him no escape options. It’s like they already knew the best tactic to bring their prey down. Whether countless decades of practice or something more sinister was the answer, the stallion didn’t care. He only had one goal…

Survive.

All three creatures raised their tails over their heads and poised the sharpened tips at their target. Simultaneously they all fired bone-like spikes at their prey. The shards closed the already small distance in mere seconds.

That made the creatures all the more stunned when they discovered that the stallion had seemingly moved at lightspeed to dodge their array of serrated death. Somehow he had dashed past the projectiles and towards the proximity of the creature in the center of the group.

Before the central Hunter could even react, the stallion had grabbed it’s head with his right hoof, before a compartment on his left hoof opened and in a second, a wickedly sharpened blade extended out of its case. The blade was the last thing the creature saw as the stallion quickly plunged the blade into it’s left eye before dragging it through bone towards the other eye and destroying both effectively.

The Hunter fell limp with the blade still embedded deep into the creature’s skull. The other two hunters had their tails raised and aimed again. They fired once more only to see a hollow and segmented part of the suited stallion’s back light up and flash violently as the stallion was propelled forward.

In the act of dashing, the stallion also swung the Hunter’s corpse around to intercept the other’s projectiles, causing them to release growls of frustration. The two creatures reared up on their hind legs and roared, displaying their anger towards their prey before their horns flashed and they disappeared from his sight.

The blue voltaic flashes from above made it nearly impossible for the stallion to make out the creatures’ eyes now. He was about to fire at their last known location when he felt something slam into him from behind.

The attack launched him into the taxi chariot that one of the beasts had emerged from earlier. The battering combined with the impact was almost enough to knock the wind out of him even with the armored plates of the suit tanking most of the damage.

The stallion quickly scrambled to his hooves as he stood up and fired straight ahead. The pained screeching in front of him and flashing blue equine-like figure was enough to confirm that he had hit one. But where was the-

Another flash of pain filled his body as he was slammed from the side.

Instead of knocking him into something, this Hunter pinned the stallion to the crackled road as it decloaked itself and raised its tail high above it’s head. Then the hammer dropped.

The stallion barely had time to avoid the strike of the creature’s spiked appendage as it was dug into the concrete below. The creature howled in anger as it unhinged its jaw while trying to dig its tail out of the concrete. The Hunter’s jaw bit down on the suit’s helmet, causing the visor to slightly splinter where the teeth attempted to sink into his flesh.

Multiple red flashing warning signs and drop-down menus appeared on his HUD as the stallion tried to keep the creature’s head at bay with both hooves around its neck. His options were minuscule. His hooves were busy keeping him alive, his head was pinned, his body was pinned, wait - His hindlegs! One of them was free!

With all the strength he could muster, the stallion brought his leg up and activated his suit’s leg-mounted thruster, causing the creature’s teeth to be ripped out of his helmet and sent flying over his prone body.

Instead of getting to his hooves again, the stallion’s ear mounted device glowed as a purple aura grabbed his discarded weapon and aimed it at the down Hunter that was just getting up out of the concrete. The stallion was about to fire when the other creature sent a bone-like spike into his chest. It hurt like hell, but he barely had time to register the pain as he directed his aim towards the second creature and fired.

The creature moved it’s head to dodge the shot, and it succeeded. Well… sort of.

He wasn’t aiming for the head.

The creature attempted to fire another projectile at it’s prone prey, but found no such result. Bringing its tail up to it’s head, the creature was met with a stump that was spewing both a crimson and blue substance.

It didn’t even have time to change tactics as the stallion fired another shot, this time directly into the creature’s eyes. It was hard to miss with a slabbed barrel. The second creature dropped dead before him.

The third one had gotten to its hooves and had created a small blue shield in front of it’s eyes with its horn as it began charging the stallion who was already in the process of aiming at his assailant. But he wasn’t aiming for it’s eyes.

The stallion pulled the trigger three quick times while posing the weapon towards the creature’s forehooves. Both limbs were sliced through by the heated rivets of the rifle as the creature fell flat on it’s front half. It lifted up its tail and prepared to fire only to have that shot off as well.

The Hunter looked up at the stallion with anger in it’s eyes as it’s prey-turned-predator approached its downed form. A flash of lightning from above broke the inky black landscape for a brief moment, blotting out the purple glare and revealing the suit's visor - giving the creature a look into the owner’s eyes.

The last thing the creature saw would have sent chills down any other being’s very fiber. The look in the stallions eyes held no remorse, no mercy, no - the stallion's eyes held only one thing...

Hatred.

Hatred for all that had been taken from him. His family, his friends, his memories. It had all drifted away over the years. The anger - no, the hate - was formed out of the fragments of what he once held on to. He wouldn’t have even known what year it was if his suit didn’t display it for him.

The Hunter attempted to verbalize it’s anger but was swiftly silenced as the stallion’s hoof slammed down on its head, crushing its skull and pulverizing both eyes in a single stomp. The stallion barely even registered that his muscles were tense and he was slightly shaking. Whether it was due to fear or anger was anyone's guess.

More demented cries rang out from behind him. The stallion spun around to see over two dozen sets of glowing eyes approaching the warzone. A flash of electric blue lightning from above revealed the different variants for some of them flew with winged appendages, others trotted with their clawed hooves scraping against the concrete audibly, and a few more Hunters decloaked upon arriving at the scene.

The stallion could hold his own, that much was clear, but he knew this was suicide. He had stopped counting when the number of creatures had reached nearly three dozen. He quickly reloaded his weapon using his ear-mounted device’s tethered grip as the creatures continued to gather around him.

Changing his stance to one of a more grounded pose, the stallion kept his weapon at eye level indicating he had no intention of giving in without a fight.

They stared at him. He stared back.

They roared a battle cry that shook the night.

He flipped a switch on his weapon that made each barrel extend and aim at a different target within the horde.

They charged.

He fired.

Suddenly, the stallion’s vision was filled by a blinding white light that devoured everything. The road, the chariots, the Damned - they were all swept away by the light.

Everything was white. Not blank enough to be solid white, but more like he was seeing through a white suit visor - and speaking of which - he found that his suit was missing. He was laying on his back with limbs at his sides.

Trying to move proved to be fruitless as the stallion found that his body wouldn’t listen to his commands. He thought fear would have consumed him - that he would be trembling at the prospect of being bound by an unseen force with nothing to protect himself - but he was calm, almost at peace in a strange sort of way.

Out of seemingly nowhere, a figure appeared to the right of his supine form. This figure was almost indescribable. It seemed to be constantly moving but still at the same time. It was alive but also not at once. The only thing he could actually make out was the figure’s two concentrated eyes that scanned over him.

The figure’s gaze made him feel like an appliance that a customer had opened only to be disappointed as if it was broken upon purchasing. It continued to stare at him for a moment until another figure exactly like the first appeared at his other side.

“Is it ready?” The newcomer asked it’s brethren at the stallion’s right side.

“Soon…” The first figure replied as it’s gaze remained locked on him.

“We don’t have much time or options,” The second figure continued as it turned to face his body. “If it is not ready by-”

“It will be ready.” The first figure cut in, clearly agitated. “Tell the others. Prepare yourselves for our transition.”

With that cryptic line, the first figure raised a hoof - no, some sort of strange digit-covered appendage to the stallion’s head.

A distorted ringing noise filled the stallions ears and his vision swam as the appendage reached his head.

The stallion found the white filter over his vision was gone as were the strange figures. The familiar faint purple blur of his visor was now all that altered his vision. Through the thin slits he saw destruction.

Where a horde of three dozen Damned once stood poised for taking his life was now a scene of gore and carnage. Severed limbs, appendages, and heads littered the streets, one Damned was impaled on a broken street light pole. It was writhing in agony as it tried to pull itself off of the pole to no avail. The creature finally noticed the stallions stare as their eyes met. It showed something he hadn’t seen from the Damned in all of his life.

Fear.

The creature was struggling violently to free itself while a fearful expression was plastered on it’s demented face. The stallion ignored the creature as it was doing no harm towards him - at the moment - so instead, he continued to survey his surroundings.

More scattered remains of the creatures here and there. He then looked down to his suit, finding that it was coated in both crimson and blue substances along with multiple scratch marks and gashes.

He didn’t even realize that the flare had passed in his.. What was it? Mental absence? A daydream? Whatever it was, somehow he wasn’t even harmed and the Damned before him had all been slaughtered.

Did he do that? He couldn’t have. Whatever did this was savage. It was brutal.

It was worse than them.

He would have noticed if he did anything like that? Right?

A resounding roar in the distance broke the stallion out of his thoughts. He knew that roar too well. The bigger ones were coming out now and he didn’t plan to be around when they arrived.

Galloping as fast as his hooves could carry his frame and suit, the stallion finally arrived at a large steel gate that surrounded the titanic lighthouse that loomed over him. He had once read that lighthouses were once seen as a beacon of hope for lost ships during a storm. It was almost ironic that it was now his beacon of hope in the middle of whatever “storm” awaited him.

A clearly custom-made steel gate was firmly sealed and blocked his path in the middle of the wall. The stallion slammed the stock of his weapon on the gate three times before calling out.

“Maverick!” He yelled to the other side of the gate. “I’m back, open the gate!”

No response.

After a moment of silence, he got a response, but it wasn’t one he was hoping for. A loud roar from a few miles away met his call.

The stallion swung around with his weapon raised. After not seeing anything within his immediate proximity, he pounded on the door again.

“Did you fucking fall alseep in there?! Open the gate!”

“Damn thing’s jammed!” A high pitched male voice finally responded from the other side. “Can you do anything from your end?”

Quickly scanning the wall revealed a small cut out in the wall that was guarded by steel plates that were screwed in place. Placing his weapon on his back, the stallion reached into a compartment on his suit and pulled out a screwdriver as he undid the plating and examined the circuit board before him.

After a few seconds of rewiring, the gate gave a metallic groan as it began to slowly open. The stallion knew he had to hold his position a little longer and keep the wires lined up properly, but the increasingly closer growls from behind weren’t making it any easier.

When the gap in the gate was large enough, the stallion sprinted for it as the gate began to rapidly close. He activated the suit’s thrusters and leapt through the opening just as it slammed shut.

The stallion rolled onto his back as he let out a sigh of relief. He could hear a single set of approaching hoovesteps, the owner of which he knew very well. A violet hoof reached down and he accepted it, getting up off the dirt.

A thin, but tall pegasus stallion with a desaturated violet coat, black and red mane, and warm emerald green eyes greeted him. The pegasus was also wearing an ear-mounted device identically to the stallion’s own. Tethered in its grip was a rifle with a segmented scope that almost reached the weapon’s full length.

The two embraced in a brief “buddy hug” as the violet stallion known as Maverick chuckled.

“Forget to watch the clock again, Storm?” He began. “We were this close to placing bets on you returning.”

“Yeah, I was just looking for something.” Storm’s unamused response came.

Maverick’s carefree expression dropped slightly as his tone changed. “Dude, seriously? This is the third time this week.”

“I know, I know. It’s just-”

“Hey!” A playful mare’s voice rang out from the direction of the lighthouse. “Look who’s back!”

“Looks like somepony missed you.” Maverick said punching Storm in the shoulder.

“Great.” Came his monotone response as the two headed for the lighthouse’s residential cabin.

The mare waiting for the two was slim, sporting a petite frame with a white coat. Her aqua blue mane was done up in a ponytail on the back and her matching blue eyes seemed to sparkle. Maverick walked past her as he entered the cabin and placed his rifle by the doorway.

“Find anything, Stormy?” She beamed attempting to reach his gaze despite being an entire head shorter than him, which was amplified in the suit even more so.

“For the last time, I’m not risking my life for a bag of hay fries, Ivory.” He said. He was joking even if his tone almost betrayed him.

Ivory giggled.

“I know silly, I was talking about anything for them.” She replied with her tone switching from playful to serious and almost pouty instantly.

Storm sighed and shook his head. “No. I checked every damn house in that section too.”

“That bad, huh?” Maverick joined in as Storm shut the door behind everyone.

“Pretty soon we’ll have to start going further out.” Ivory replied shivering at the thought of that.

At least they knew what Los Pegasus was like. They had no idea how bad the rest of the world was, but the lack of communications, television, and radio was enough of a sign.

“Storm can handle it,” Maverick chimed in with a pat on the mentioned stallion’s back, “right, buddy?”

“Guess we’ll find out.” Storm replied as he groaned while stretching his word out limbs. “We have to find something for them.”

The others shook their heads, silently agreeing.

Moving a hoof to his chest piece, Storm pressed the largest button on the interface. The hiss of pressurized air filled the room before the steel plates began to fold into one another as the helmet was retracting into a bulky section on the suit’s back.

An exaggerated gasp came from Ivory after the removal of his helmet, causing Storm to turn towards her.

“What?” He asked.

“Ouch.” Was all she replied. “That looks nasty.”

Storm, still confused, walked over to a nearby mirror and gave his appearance a lookover. His medium length black and pigeon blue mane was coated in sweat and disheveled and his beard was no different. His gray coat was mostly clean with the exception of a small, but deep gash on his cheek underneath his right eye.
How the hell did that get there?! He thought. Storm hadn’t taken his helmet off until now so there was no way the Damned could have done that to him.

The puzzled stallion continued to stare at the cut until something happened that made him freeze.

The cut began to glow.

But it wasn’t the glowing itself that alarmed him. It was the color.

The glow was blue…

Author's Notes:

Now we are finally into the swing of things!

Couple things I wanted to say. I know a lot of events in this chapter will have confused some readers, but trust me when I say that everything will make sense in time. If you are willing to put fourth the effort to remember and understand, then everything should satisfyingly click a little early for you.

Also for anyone raging at their screens, Storm couldn't have just used his suit's thrusters to fly back to his base. The thrusters aren't completely flight capable yet and are primarily used for a brief dash. Even if they were flight ready, the flare would have torn him to shreds with him being that close to the heart.

I'll try to update this story every two - three weeks and am even thinking of putting some artwork for certain scenes in the mix for future chapters. Let me know what you all think and like, favorite, and share the story if you want it continued!

-CCS

Chapter 3 - "Mare in the Mirror"

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Mirrors. Some considered the reflective surfaces as portals to another dimension. A doorway of sorts for entities to pass through should the conditions be right - or wrong. But despite the legends, the stallion standing before one of the reflective surfaces saw something else.

He didn’t see a gateway into another world. He didn’t see any demons pouring out and charging straight for him. What the stallion saw might not have been anything supernatural, but that didn’t make it any less daunting.

Storm didn’t like looking at his own reflection. It wasn’t something he did often with the sole exception of once a month to cut his mane and beard. He wasn’t ugly by any means - in fact, Ivory Cross couldn’t go a full cycle of the sun and moon without flirting with him - but Storm wasn’t usually concerned about his appearance.

He was afraid of what he saw.

The stallion that stared back at him wasn’t him, but at the same time it was. He could have been compared to a painting misplaced in a yard with an automatic sprinkler system. He was once complete. He was once whole. Now the torrent of water from the sprinklers assaulted the pure masterpiece as it washed away what made him… well him.

But this time was different. For once, Storm Surge was concerned about his appearance, or rather what was tainting it. He had frozen up after seeing the gash underneath his right eye as it glowed an all too familiar blue hue. A hoof carefully and slowly ran across the gash, but he wasn’t sure if it was his hoof.

No, Storm’s focus had switched from the shocking discovery to his own eyes. The once bright electric purple pupils now held more of a piercing gaze rather than a soft and hopeful shine. He swore that his pupils dilated for a split second as an intense throbbing began to pelt his head.

“Shhh…” The soft voice of a mare came from his left. “It’s ok. Mommys here.”

Turning to face the mare who called herself “mommy,” the colt was met with the comforting but concerned face of a beige pegasus mare. Her purple eyes held undying love and matched her voice perfectly. Her mane was a bright yellow and was done up in a perfect bun with a small red string holding it in place.

Burning tears continued to roll from the colt’s purple eyes and down his face, right onto his light gray coat. The stream of tears began to falter into a small trail as the mare scooped the colt up into her hooves. The mare could feel how badly he was shaking. She gently wiped at his bruised purple cheek where a small cut had formed - cleaning away the dirt from the lightly stained wound - as the colt sniffled and buried his face into his mother's chest.
To his surprise, his mother began to softly weep as well. The two sat there holding each other surrounded by shards of glass and the lower half of a bottle that read “Applejack Daniels” on the label.

A larger grey hoof lay on the ground idly, not making even the smallest hint of a movement. Surrounding the still hoof was a crimson splatter that became thicker and less scattered the closer to the owner of the hoof he-

The colt’s head was softly turned away from the scene and back into his mother's chest. Neither pony paid any attention to the discarded pistol that lay within reach of the mare.

“It’s ok, Stormy.” The mare said as she attempted to compose herself. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”

The two continued to sit embraced, even when the distant sirens began to sound off. It wasn’t until the sirens had reached right outside and a bright yellow beam of light was shining in the colt’s direction that he snapped out of it.

“Hello?” A mare’s voice called into his ear. “Equestria to Stormy, are you-”

“Don’t call me that.” He hadn’t meant for his voice to sound that hostile, it just came out before he could control it.

“Uh, ok?” The mare, which turned out to be Ivory, half answered half questioned. “Seriously, are you ok? You’ve been staring at your reflection for the past five minutes.”

“No I’m not-” Storm stopped mid sentence as he glanced over the cut under his cheek again.

The blue glow was gone.

“Did anypony else see that?” He asked.

“See what?” Maverick asked as he entered the living room of the cabin.

Storm turned to the violet pegasus and pointed a hoof at his cheek.

“This.” He replied. “It was fucking glowing!”

Maverick and Ivory shared a look before returning their gazes to their mortified friend.

“You need some time off, man.” Maverick said without even the slightest hint of playfulness in his tone. “You’ve been spending way too much time out there.”

“Yeah, what was today - like the twelfth day you’ve gone out there all day?” Ivory joined.

“I’m fine.” Came Storm’s deadpan response.

BANG!

Ivory was about to protest further, but an ear splitting gunshot from high above broke the relative silence of the night. The gunshot was soon followed by the crying of a foal.

“Celestia dammit!” Maverick cursed as his head shot up.

“Was that Talos?” Storm asked as his gaze followed his friend’s.

“Is any other creature here stupid enough to do that?” Came Maverick’s unique answer.

Both stallions and the mare rushed out of the living room into a small hallway. The hallway led into a massive spiraling staircase. Another shot rang out followed by a masculine holler of pleasure that was more audible this time.

“Shit. You’ve got to be kidding.” Storm swore under his breath as the trio sprinted up the stairs.

Once they arrived at the top of the gallery, the three ponies discovered that Storm’s inference was correct. Standing where he was poised against the railing - with a long ranged rifle in his claws - was a dark orange griffon with a well built frame.

“That’s three motherfuckers!” He yelled into the night as he presumably took out a third target probably of Damned descent. “Woo! Let’s go for four!”

The griffon was clearly intoxicated as his cries were slurred and his attempts to steady the rifle were shaky at best.

“What the hell are you doing, man?!” Maverick vocalized his anger at the griffon’s idiocy. “Are you trying to bring the whole fucking horde down on us?!”

The griffon nearly dropped the rifle at the pegasus’ question. Turning away from the railing, the griffon lowered the rifle to where it was propped up against the gallery’s railing before taking a swig of a nearly empty bottle in his other claw.

“I got tired of waitin’ around, so I decided to take the fight to them!” The griffon known as Talos chirped with drunken pride.

The cries of the foal below were joined by another foal’s cries. The gun shots had stopped but now the wailing had taken its place.

“You woke up Raine and Snow, dumbass!” Maverick accused. “They only had one escape from this hellhole and you just ruined it! It’s bad enough that Storm has to risk his neck every day just to undo all the shit you’ve-”

The raging stallion was cut off as the drunken griffon barrelled into him. The two grappled on the ground with Talos having a clear advantage of being the attacker despite his intoxicated state as he unleashed a barrage of punches at Maverick’s chest and face.

The griffon couldn’t even get a fourth hit on the violet stallion before a suited gray hoof socked him straight in his jaw and sent him backwards, off of the downed Maverick, and into the railing back first. Talos’ head bashed right through the railing and hit the concrete gallery with an audible crack.

Talos got the wind knocked out of him, whether it was in the strike or being slammed through the railing was unclear, but his lungs fought for air as he struggled to get up only to feel a hoof wrap around his throat and clench down like a starving animal’s jaw.

The griffon’s eyes widened with fear as he felt his lifeforce slowly, but surely beginning to leave his body. He looked down and into the piercing eyes of Storm who he swore was going to kill him then and there with how hard he was pressing.

Storm got dangerously close to the frightened Talos’ face as he chose his next words with calculated precision.

“Listen closely cause I’ll only say this once, asshole...” He began through clenched teeth. “I’ve spent as long as I can remember protecting those two from those damned things and nothing - not you or your bullshit - is going to cause them any harm. You want to ring the dinner bell for those fucking things?! Do it when you don’t have a pregnant mare with two colts and another foal on the way!”

Talos nodded rapidly and Storm’s grip lessened as he stood up and turned away from the griffon. Ivory, who just watched the whole thing unfold in seconds, sat there with her jaw dropped. It almost looked like it would come off.

Maverick was unconscious from the blows he suffered, but was still breathing as Identified by Storm who checked his pulse.

“Let’s get him downstairs.” He said to Ivory as if nothing had happened.

“Uh, y-yeah. Right.” She stammered as she moved to assist in carrying the unconscious stallion down the spiraling staircase.

Luckily for them, he was lightly built.

The group returned to the living quarters where Maverick was placed on his cot and Talos had retreated to the bathroom where retching sounds could be heard. Ivory huffed and glanced over Maverick’s body.

“He’ll probably need a few stitches. I’ll handle this, so that leaves you on bad news duty.” She said to Storm.

“Yeah…” He sighed as he made his way to a closed door where the crying was coming from.

Softly knocking on the door, Storm was greeted by a mare’s voice that said “Come in.”

Opening the door to the ransacked bedroom revealed that the room was in its usual disarray. The bed was worn down and sheets hadn’t been washed in forever, but it was still nicer than the cots scattered in the living area.

Propped up against the backboard of the queen-sized bed was a dark grey earth pony mare with a messy jet black mane. She had enough bags under her blue eyes to rival Storm’s own, if not more. Cradled in both of her forehooves were two foals, one of which was a unicorn colt that couldn’t have been more than two years old. His coat was a dark blue and his mane was iridescent with splotches of aqua in it. The other colt was younger by about a year and had a stained white coat with a gray mane littered with violet stripes.

Both colts were crying, rudely woken up by the rapid gunshots from a few minutes ago. The mare holding them gave Storm a tired smile that he attempted to return. Smiling just felt… odd to him now. Like it was unnatural. Something he had to force.

“I couldn’t find it.” He said meeting her worn out gaze.

“We’ll manage.” She replied trying to comfort the defeated stallion. “You’ve already been a big help as it is.”

A moment of silence passed before Storm spoke up.

“I’m going back out tomorrow. I’ll try again.” He said as his gaze shifted to a large bulge where he belly lay underneath the covers.

“You need a break, hon.” The mare said with concern lining her voice. “Killing yourself isn’t going to get the pain meds or formula.”

Storm sighed, “Yeah, Yeah. I know.”

He glanced at the two colts that refused to relent on their wailing.

“Want me to take one?” He asked.

She smiled and handed him the white colt known as Violet Snow. The colt was fussy at first, but eventually snuggled into the crook of Storm’s neck. Snow’s cries started to calm down into hushed whimpers as did Raines.

“What happened?” The mare asked.

“Talos.” Storm replied. “That’s what happened.”

“Why did you let that featherhead into the group again?” She asked.

Raine let out a soft sound in agreeance, causing the mare to smile slightly.

“Well, it’s not like we had a lot of choices.” Storm continued with a scoff. “He’s an extra gun. Lucky for us, it's not usually pointed at one of our own.”

“But, what actually happened up there?”

“He got drunk and started taking his anger out on anything he could shoot at. Maverick tried to shut him up and that started a fight.”

“I take it he won?”

Storm paused before continuing.

“No, I nearly threw Talos off of the gallery.”

“Oh…”

An uncomfortable silence was birthed, broken only by the two colts mumbling in their sleep. Silence was one thing Storm hated. It was always followed by something negative. Whether that be something jumping out to devour him, a stray gunshot, or even worse - nothing.

It was so much worse when nothing came out of the silence. That gave him time to think. It gave him time to remember what little he could. He wasn’t sure if being a happy fool was better than being unhappy but informed. No, being informed was definitely better.

He’d be dead if he wasn’t.

Storm found himself mentally playing the time he had found her in his mind. At that time, she had been gone by the name of Onyx Pearl at her “master’s” request. Storm had been on a supply run with Maverick and Talos in one of the only safe zones remaining that was called Salvus.

The trio had been traveling from safe zone to safe zone, stocking up on food, water, and munitions for their lighthouse base that was still a work in progress at that time. Ivory was defending the place with Talos while the two stallions headed out to deal with the surviving half of the world.

The tainted half.

No creature was still around for being civil, kind, or helpful anymore. Anyone and anything that was alive had to do terrible things to keep themselves that way. Storm had never been the kind of stallion to take advantage of another pony, he didn’t keep or accept the idea of slaves, and he only killed another living creature when it was absolutely necessary.

Without the laws of society in the equation, the tainted remainders were free to their own devices of uncivilized debauchery. One of the biggest relatively new hits on the market was the use of slaves. Stallions were used as workers and grunts that did all of the dangerous work for their owners. Mares were treated much worse.

Where a stallion slave could work his way up to becoming a somewhat respectable member of his owner’s group, mares were always treated as property. They were beaten, raped, even impregnated, but that wasn’t even the worst part.

What they did with the foals was.

The owner of said mare - or mares - would make sure the foal was delivered in relatively good health before carting it off to whatever market was closest. Newborn foals that were likely to survive meant one thing…

Future slaves.

With no knowledge other than what their “masters” instil in them, the foals would grow up in captivity and only live to serve their owner. It made obedience easier and the owner happier.

A majority of slavers preferred a female foal over a male any day because they could be turned into foal factories themselves when they grew older. The mere thought of endless profit was enough to turn most slave owners away from young colts all together. There was even a fucked up system in play with most owners.

If a mare gave birth to three colts in a row, then she would be made into meat for selling at the market.

Storm had been in the market square when a horn had sounded off, flooding the entire market space with an awful scratchy tune. Turning his head towards a poorly constructed wooden stage where two microphones were taped on their own respective wooden poles.
A thin and shaved yellow unicorn stallion wearing a fedora walked on stage before he grabbed the microphone in his magic. Clearing his throat, he began to address the steadily growing audience.

“Fillies and gentlecolts,” He said cheerfully with a voice that didn’t know the meaning of too many cigarettes. “Today we gather for a very special event that has been looonnnggg overdue!” He scanned the entire audience as he drew out the last part of the sentence.

Some of the bystanders were seemingly on edge with his way of speaking. The stallion kept them entertained that was for sure. He would have made a great radio show host.

“Today we will be saying goodbye to one of our failures of a broodmare.” He continued.

Storm already knew how this was going to end and he didn’t like it. He turned away and began to make his way towards the exit when Maverick’s voice stopped him.

“Storm…” He said in a tone that was uncharacteristic of himself.

The mentioned stallion turned around to see that his friend hadn’t even left his spot and was rooted at the edge of the crowd as he stared at the stage. On the stage was another pony who had joined the charismatic stallion while Storm was turned away.

Standing for all to see was a grey and black mare barely out of her thirties. She was visibly trembling and had her hooves shackled together to prevent her escape. An armed unicorn stallion stood at the very edge of the stage, his eyes never leaving the frightened mare. Storm had seen these kinds of gatherings before.

When an owner deemed an enslaved mare unfit for breeding - or if she had three colts in a row - then the mare was either killed and turned into meat or the main attraction in an event called a “snuffing.”

A snuffing was a gathering of all the present and willing ponies in an area to gangrape a mare - or even stallion - slave before they would be brutally killed at the end. They were decently common and Storm had witnessed a few in progress, but couldn’t do anything about it without putting himself at harm or putting a target on his and his group’s back.

But this was no ordinary snuffing. In most cases, the mare had delivered her three “failed” foals or was infertile and served no further purpose besides entertainment. This mare was different however.

She was pregnant.

The baby bump on her stomach wasn’t that big, signalling that she had just been impregnated a couple months ago, but it was definitely noticeable.

“What do we do?” Maverick asked.

Storm didn’t respond as he scanned the number of guards around the stage. One by the stage entrance, one at the other end, and two on the outskirts of the crowd. Four total.

“We fight.” He finally replied, switching his ear-mounted device on and unholstering his weapon slowly and methodically.

Maverick followed his companion’s actions as he too readied his rifle.

What happened after that was still fuzzy in Storm’s memory. All he knew was that Nourish and her colts were with them now and it was going to stay that way.

They never treated her like a slave or a piece of property. The group even gave the whole bedroom to the mare and her colts. They didn’t fault her for not helping scavenge or work on the walls, but she pulled her weight where she could, such as cooking for them or sewing new compartments on the suit despite her ending pregnancy.

Storm had made it his personal mission to find her any antibiotics for when she went into labor - which could be any day now - for the chance of her surviving was slim. He feared that if she didn’t make it what would become of her foals.

Who would take care of three foals in this shitstorm? Ivory was definitely qualified as she used to be a nurse and - in addition - had a few younger brothers before. The only problem was that everyone knew a young mare with children was an easy target for both Damned and the living alike.

Maverick barely took anything seriously and had no parenting experience whatsoever. He had been an only child and left his home to join the guard right before everything had collapsed. So he was out of the question.

Talos? The foals were better off being handed to the jaws of the Damned or the shackles of a slaver right away.

Himself? He had been alone for as long as he could remember. Sure he shared a home with a few others, but they were hardly anything more than acquaintances. The only one he knew since his own childhood was Maverick.

It was better to act than think in Storm’s opinion. Anyone who spent all their time thinking ended up dead before they could finish their thought. He had decided to find anything to help the delivery of the foal.

Even if it cost him his life.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The familiar but aggravating alarm woke Storm Surge up. Rolling off of his cot, he was met with his discarded suit, the purple chest ring of which was displaying the time and pestering his ears all at once.

The clock read 6:00 A.M. as it did every morning the alarm went off.

Reaching a hoof to the off button on the holographic screen, the stallion retracted his hoof and rubbed the cobwebs of sleep from his eyes as he let out a groan. Everything hurt.

He always found it strange how his wounds never fully affected him until the day after. Being slammed into the ground by those Hunters twice did hurt initially but he didn’t feel it for the rest of the day. Well, until now.

Looking around, he noticed that everypony else was still asleep. Maverick was snoring peacefully and now sported the stitches that Ivory had promised. Ivory was also fast asleep on her own cot. The door to Nourish’s room was closed and the lack of wailing foals signaled that they were still fast asleep. Talos was loudly snoring propped up against the wall next to the bathroom with another bottle in his claw.

Storm grabbed his suit and slid it on like a onesie before tightening it accordingly. He activated the helmet before placing a small device on his right ear that glowed the same purple as his suit’s visor and chest piece.

The device flashed once as it synced with the slab-barreled weapon sitting next to where the suit had previously been sitting. A small appendage with digits gripped the weapons handle as it was hoisted onto the stallion’s back where it snapped into place magnetically.

Now properly geared up, Storm quickly exited the lighthouse so as to not let any radiation into the building. The familiar sound of his breathing returned and was only accompanied by the howl of the wind.

He had fixed the mechanical gate the night prior, so the lever to open it worked to his expectations. As soon as the gate slammed shut behind him, Storm surveyed his surroundings to find that everything had gone quiet again. Maybe today wouldn’t be so-

A blinding flash of purple filled the center of the city in the distance, breaking the stallion out of his thoughts.

Of course. Never a dull moment out here. He thought before tethering his weapon off of his back and in front of his body.

Then he loaded his weapon with an audible click and began advancing towards the glow.

Chapter 4 - "What Lies Beneath"

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Ponyville (Outskirts)
November 2nd, 2012
1:37 P.M.
27 Years Ago

Rainbow Dash hated being late.

The mere concept of the act irritated her. Granted, it didn’t happen often for “Equestria’s fastest flyer,” but those few instances of her failure to prove that title stuck with her.

As it did now.

The rainbow maned pegasus had just exited Ponyville and continued on by making her way through the Everfree Forest in record time before arriving at her destination.

Ghastly Gorge.

Now where were they?

Reaching into her saddlebag, Rainbow hovered casually as she pulled out a crumpled piece of paper with her hooves. After a few quick unraveling of the folded sections, she was faced with a familiar note and crude illustration.

Dear Dashie,

Remember when we held that contest to find a pet for you - and you had the contestants race at Ghastly Gorge - and those big meanie eels tried to eat everyone? Well, my sisters took me back there to show me how they study Rockology but we found something… well, funny. Come meet me there tomorrow and I’ll show you!

Underneath the letter was a crude drawing of what Dash assumed was the gorge from a top-down view. Towards the front entrance of the gorge was an “x” written in red ink like a treasure map would have.

Finding a treasure chest today would be cool. She thought. Might even get to kick some eel flank in the-

The cyan pegasus’ thoughts were interrupted when a familiar cheerful voice bounced off the walls of the gorge.

“DASHIE, DOWN HERE!” It called.
Looking down, Rainbow spotted a bouncing pink dot alongside various still gray ones. She raced down and landed next to the pink Earth Pony and her sisters.

“Heya, Pinks.” She greeted me. “Whats up?”

Before responding, the energetic pink pony embraced her friend in a quick hug.

“The sky, silly.”

“I mean what's up with that ‘funny’ thing from the letter?” Rainbow playfully corrected.

“Oh, that!” Pinkie confirmed. “It's through here. Follow me!”

Pinkie led the way as she approached multiple deep cuts in both sides of the gorge. Rainbow knew all too well what these cuts housed.

Quarry Eels.

While the pink and purple monsters were no problem for somepony as awesome as herself, Rainbow feared for the ability of four Earth Ponies to dodge the swift jaws of death. Lucky for them she was there.

Taking to the sky and proudly placing herself in front of her companions, the cyan pegasus prepared to fight as she flew in front of the first hole in the gorge. She quickly leaned her head next to it, prepared to pull back at a moment’s notice, as she searched for her opponent.

But there was nothing inside.

A bit taken aback by the lack of her predicted foe, Rainbow flew over to the next closest hole.

Huh. Probably just out today. She thought while placing herself next to the other hole.

Repeating the same process yielded the same result. No sharp teeth jutting out to reach her. No piercing orange eyes sizing her up. Nothing.

Nothing at all.

“Funny, huh?” Pinkie called from below.

Rainbow did a couple more double takes as she threw caution to the wind, checking every nearby hole only to find nothing.

“Where are they?” She asked, her curiosity overriding her thirst for action.

“Dunno.” Pinkie spoke up from beside her sisters. “It was the same yesterday. They all just disappeared.”

“They probably heard us coming and knew what was good for them.” Limestone’s rough voice joined in.

“Is this what you wanted to show me?” Dash asked as she landed next to her friends.

“Not exactly…” Pinkie replied before pointing a hoof to her right.

Embedded in the gorge about forty steps - or a second away for Dash - sat a huge perfectly circular hole cut into the side of the valley.

“That's new.” Dash commented.

Marble Pie gave her trademark “Mm-hmm” in response.

The five mares found themselves all gathered around the huge cut in the gorge. They stared down into the opening that seemed like the mouth belonging to a beast of titanic proportions ready to swallow them up whole. Every intake of breath and every beat of the mare’s hearts were lightly verberated as they bounced off of the gorge’s walls back at their origin points.

Limestone finally broke the silence as she cleared her throat.

“Let’s get this over with.” She said before switching on her helmet’s light and beginning a steady - if not slow - walk into the unknown.

Rainbow looked all around the opening. Something was just plain wrong here. The cut was too perfect. She was no rock expert, but it was obvious that this hole wasn’t natural. The hole was also new. She hadn’t seen it when her friends were last here, which would have been about two weeks ago.

“You coming?” Limestone, who was clearly beginning to become agitated, asked from deeper inside the cave.

Rainbow shook the growing fear - no, tension from her mind. Rainbow Dash didn’t fear anything. Whatever had done this had all the reason to fear her!

Right?

Pinkie energetically bounced after her agitated sister with Rainbow and the other two in tow. Luckily, Limestone wasn’t the only one wearing a miner’s cap and flashlight. Maud Pie also sported one as she lazily scanned the bowels of the cave’s interior.

Limestone and Pinkie were up ahead, Rainbow and Maud in the middle, and an increasingly more terrified Marble was cowering behind them.

“Have you been in here yet?” Rainbow asked, her voice amplified tremendously by the constricting walls of the cave.

Marble jumped at the sudden voice of her companion and backed into a corner. Her left hindleg ended up on a loose piece of stone that sank once her hoof made contact with it.

The screeching sound of rock sliding on stone cut off the inevitable answer to Rainbows question, causing the mares to turn their heads in the direction of the noise. Both Limestone and Maud’s flashlight beams illuminated a section of wall that began to slide into an unseen cut deeper within.

Nopony made a sound. They just sat there rooted to their respective spots until Rainbow once again broke the silence.

“Ha! This is just like a Daring Do adventure!” She squealed excitedly with a pump of her hoof, momentarily forgetting the knot that had formed in her stomach. “Let’s go, girls!”

Limestone took up the front with Rainbow this time as the others followed suit behind. The newly opened passage was tight, meaning the mares had to travel in a single file line with Limestone leading to light the way.

This wasn’t what Rainbow had been expecting.

She had imagined scrawls of ancient civilizations, razor sharp traps, and even a monster - or a few - but this was just plain boring. The group had been walking for a few moments without a single interruption of what would be characteristic of a Daring Do book when they came upon it…

A door.

Not just any ordinary wooden or stone door. This one was made of polished marble and had engravings of seven objects on it. The first six were obvious to both Rainbow and Pinkie. They would recognize the elements they had come to represent any day, but the seventh item was foreign to the girls.

The seventh engraving appeared to be an eye of some sort that was drawn in a way to portray what was it? Anger? Determination? Whatever it was, the eye didn’t look friendly as it pierced the five mares standing before it.

“Now the interesting part begins…” Rainbow said to nopony in particular as she placed a hoof on the door to open it.

It didn’t budge.

Suddenly, the engraving of the Element of Loyalty started to glow a bright and brilliant blue upon her touch. Rainbow swifty retracted her hoof and stared at the symbol.

“Ooo! Let me try!” Pinkie exclaimed as she practically shoved the cyan pegasus out of the way. Placing her hoof on the door revealed that the door was still in fact sealed tight, but her efforts weren’t entirely in vain as the engraving of the Element of Laughter started to glow a pink hue.

Rainbow tried once again to open the door only to find the same result. She even slammed into it a couple times just for good measure. It was shut. Tight.

“It’s not opening.” Rainbow concluded aloud. “We need the others.”

“Well let’s go get them! The longer we sit in this spooky cave, the longer we wait to find out what's on the other side!” Pinkie replied.

“Mm-hmm” Came Marble’s eager response to leave the cave from behind the two.

Nearly half an hour later, Pinkie’s sisters had all been called back to the farm, leaving the Mane Six and Spike planted in front of the marble door. Each mare had done as Rainbow instructed by placing their hooves on the door to cause their respective element engraving to light up.

“Oh, I hope it's a giant chest full of gems!” Rarity commented from the back of the line.

“Yeah, that would be amazing.” Rainbow replied sarcastically.

“What's the problem with wishing for some riches for my boutique?” Rarity questioned with an audible “hmph” and flick of her tail.

“Oh - nothing, darling.” Rainbow continued in a semi-mocking tone.

“Would yall cut it out.” Applejack interrupted, silencing the two mares.

Suddenly, a streak of a rainbow-like light protruded from Twilight’s element before it traveled from element to element, creating a full hexagon of rainbow colors. The audible clunking of a large lock behind the door snapping open signaled that the door was now unlocked.

Before anypony could react, the door swung itself open violently, revealing another dark passage. Rainbow was the first to step into the new domain. As soon as her hoof hit the cold stone, two torches - one on each side of the wall - ignited with an orange flame.

The mare almost jumped back at the sudden addition of light, but she continued forward. With each step she took, another set of torches lit up her path. The light was hardly enough to be prepared for any possible threat lurking in the shadows, so Twilight and Rarity used their horns to light the passage better.

After a few brief moments of walking, the group found themselves in a small chamber. It wasn’t small by any real standards when compared to the cramped passage they had just emerged from, but it wasn’t massive either.

The torches’ pacing with the mares ceased before an entire ring around the chamber burst to life. This time the torches had one major difference.

The flames were blue.

But the mares weren’t focused on the color of the flames as something far more interesting was in the room with them. In the center of the circular chamber sat a large square pedestal, which was also carved from marble - and like the door before it - had multiple engravings on the sides. Sadly, the engravings were difficult for the mares to make out from their current distance.

The thing that really caught their attention was some sort of unknown object that was floating suspended atop the pedestal in an aura of blue magic.

“I-I don’t think this is a good idea, Twilight.” Fluttershy squealed from the back of the group.

“Ah come on, Flutters.” Rainbow assured her timid friend with a hoof around her shoulder. “It can’t be that bad. After all this was meant for us.”

“That's true.” Twilight chimed in. “That door did have our elements on it, so we were meant to find whatever this is.”

“Well, then what are we waiting for?” Rainbow asked with determination and excitement as she took to the air and was about to charge towards the object, but an orange hoof stopped her.

“Woah, Nelly,” Applejack halted her. “We don’t know what that thing is. Let’s do this together.”

“Ugh.” Rainbow whined with an audible grunt as she landed on the ground and folded her wings at her sides. “Fine, but let's hurry then.”

With the brash pegasus leading them, the group of six mares and a dragon advanced closer to the floating object before them. When they were close enough, Rarity popped the question.

“What is it?”

“Looks like some sorta expensive farming equipment” Applejack replied.

“No, it looks like a guard’s weapon.” Twilight corrected.

“How do ya know that?”

“I saw Shining Armor carrying one once while on Patrol.”

“Well, what is it then?” Rainbow piped up, clearly losing interest with this “dragging out” game.

“Some kind of crossbow - I think.” Twilight quickly added.

“Aren’t those things like standard-issue or something?” Rainbow asked. “Why would somepony leave one all the way out here?”

“Yeah, that's askin’ for a hounding from their officer.” Applejack added.

“Nopony just left it here, girls.” Twilight continued. “How would anypony besides us get into this room in the first place? It’s locked with our elements so we are the only ones who could access it.”

“Sweet!” Rainbow exclaimed. “We get a special crossbow?! Let’s go test it out!”

Another protective hoof from the orange Earth pony stopped her.

“Now hold on here.” She began. “How da we know that thing ain’t gonna be a trap? Something is clearly holding it with magic.”

“Yeah, it’s holding it for us.” Rainbow justified. “Besides, I’m not scared of any magic user too afraid to show themselves!” She put a larger emphasis on that last part, challenging the would-be owner of the magical aura.

Nothing happened. Nopony - or creature for that matter - came out to take back what was rightfully it’s. Absolutely nothing happened as the chamber’s ecchoing of Rainbow’s voice eventually faded out entirely.

“See? Nothing.” Rainbow boasted as she swiped Applejack’s hoof away from her path.

“Please, Rainbow” Fluttershy begged. “Don’t do anything brash just yet.”

“What?” Rainbow almost snapped. “You girls don’t trust me with this? How bad could it be? We’ve handled way worse than a free toy before!”

“That’s true, darling,” Rarity joined, “But we don’t know why it's here. It’s not ours for the taking.”

“Uh, yeah - it is.” Rainbow replied. “Our elements were on the door to it. Who else is it for?”

“Well I for one don’t wanna find out.” Applejack answered honestly. “At least not until we have ah better approach.”

The others began to nod their heads in agreement with the orange mare. Rainbow let out a frustrated sigh as her face turned towards one of a pouty nature.

“Fine. How do we do this the ‘safe’ way?” She asked, sarcasm lacing her voice.

“Leave that to me.” Twilight replied in a confident fashion that only an egghead could pull off.

Ten minutes later and they still had nothing. Twilight and Spike were busy trying to interpret the engravings on the pedestal the crossbow-like object was floating atop of. Pinkie was also “helping” by spouting out guesses as to what the illustrations depicted at a hundred miles an hour.

Applejack and Rarity were talking about Celestia-knows-what, leaving Fluttershy and Rainbow to lie on the cold, hard stone while they waited.

Fluttershy was content with the wait as she wasn’t all too eager to summon some sort of angry monster as she had put it earlier, but Rainbow was in agony. Well, boredom was the more appropriate word had she been anypony else.

But she wasn’t.

Five more minutes rolled around before the cyan pegasus couldn’t take it anymore.

“Alright - That’s it!” She exclaimed before getting up on all four hooves and darting over to the pedestal. “I’m grabbing this thing now!”

“Rainbow, wait!” Twilight cautioned. “I’ve been looking at these engravings and they show-”

“Yeah, yeah, a warning of some grave danger.” Rainbow interrupted. “What’s this owner gonna do? Sue me for borrowed property. I just wanna try this thing out then I’ll return it.”

“No that's not-” Was all Twilight could get out before Rainbow’s hoof made contact with the blue aura.

Then the room exploded.

Not a literal explosion caused by a combustion or build up of flammable materials, but an explosion of light that was purple with a hint of blue that mirrored the same color as the aura - and torches for that matter - as it engulfed the central section of the room.

Twilight had just managed to teleport Spike, who was right beside her, and herself out of the light's path. Not even Equestria's fastest flyer had time to react as the light engulfed her form.

Somepony screamed.

It might have been Fluttershy, but it was impossible to tell with the lack of vision and a new “pulsing” sound emanating from the light.

“Rainbow!” Twilight called out, hoping that her friend was okay. “Can you hear me?!”

Silence.

No proud boasting of her success and bravery. No obnoxious taunting of the lavender unicorn’s carefulness. No “I told you so's” or “See? Perfectly Safe's.”

Just silence.

After a brief moment, the purple and blue flash died down and the girl’s vision returned. The room had returned to normal. Well, almost.

Rainbow Dash was missing...

Chapter 5 - "Fever Dream"

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There is an unmistakable irony in how one can miss the things that annoyed them to no end. Sure, in the moment those irritating things would cause the recipient to wish them to go away. But that was just something one said during a moment of irritation. They didn’t really mean it.

Right?

Twilight Sparkle had her share of thoughts on the subject. There were many times, during long hours behind a desk, that she had wished for the report in front of her to just vanish out of existence. That it would just be swept away in a green flame transported to Tarterus or whatever empty void awaited the momentary irritation.

She even wished this on ponies.

It was scarce that she wished something so single minded and cruel on another living creature - let alone another pony, but after nearly half an hour of being chastised by a cyan pegasus for being cautious about examining the strange item and pedestal it sat on.

For the past half hour, Twilight had been constantly interrupted in her studies of the site as she “wasn’t going fast enough” or was “taking the egghead approach.” Twilight considered herself a pretty resilient mare. She was able to put up with many rude and impatient ponies in both Canterlot and Ponyville alike, so one of her closest friend’s impatience was no big deal.

Right?

The brash pegasus had started to grow on her nerves at about the ten minute mark. Then she started to get irritated at the fifteen minute mark. At the twenty fifth mark, she was mentally cursing her friend and praying to Celestia she would shut up. Even if it was just for a second.

Even for a second.

She got her moment of peace. She got her moment of silence. She got a whole lot more than that.

She got her irritation to end.

Now she wanted her back. More than anything.

The past six - wait, or was it seven hours - had been a blur to Twilight. Her friends thought it was a joke at first. Admittingly, she shared the same conclusion in the beginning. They had thought the blinding light show that emanated from the pedestal had been the perfect moment that their friend had been waiting for to make her disappearance.
But then a minute went by. Then five. Then ten. Then…

Twilight thought back to earlier in the day and how her friends reacted.

“Rainbow!” Applejack called as she frantically whipped her head around the faintly lit chamber. “Enough of the games! Now y'all better come out!”

Silence.

“W-where is she?!” Asked Fluttershy, who broke the silence.

“She’s gone.” Twilight had said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“No, she can’t be!” Applejack protested to herself more than anyone else. “She’s jus messin with us! She’ll come out any minute now!”

Nothing changed. No steady build up turned into cackling laughter after another genius prank. No cyan pegasus showing off her “new toy” to her friends. Nothing.

Nothing changed.

Rainbow Dash was missing.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a green flash appeared on the desk in front of her. The owner of the flash, a purple and green baby dragon burped audibly as a letter appeared in front of them both.

The paper was made of the smoothest material as not a speck of smeared ink or tear resided on it. The neatly tied red ribbon that kept the letter compact together was sealed with a golden stamp, in the middle of which was a symbol resembling the sun that had long since set over the town.

The lavender unicorn frantically untied the ribbon and unfolded the letter with her magic. Her vision was a little hazy after the day she had been having, but after a moment of forcing her eyes to focus, Twilight was able to make out the elegant writing.

Dear Twilight Sparkle - My most faithful student,

Our search for the element of loyalty - or any traces of thou for that matter - has ended fruitlessly. I have had search parties looking both directly around the strange site you and the other element bears have uncovered as well as in every corner of the country. The site with the strange object has been quarantined and placed under strict watch until we can determine more about its origins or purpose. Nopony has seen any trace of our multi-maned friend or has ever heard of the place where she disappeared. I regret to inform you that I must pull my search parties and spotters in for the night. My sister will be organizing her own efforts as of now to continue the night search. It is with a heavy heart that I must retire for the night but I assure you that Rainbow Dash will be found in time.

- Princess Celestia

She was barely able to read the signature with the tears now obstructing her vision. Luckily, she had been holding the letter with her magic as her shaking hooves would have made the already straining task much worse.

With a frustrated growl, Twilight slammed the letter down onto her desk before putting both hooves to her head and rubbing her eyes.

Spike hung his head as he glanced to the corner of the room where a mountain of scrolls and letters covered the entire corner of the room - all of which had been crumpled up in a fury of rage and sadness.

Glancing back at the lavender unicorn, he thought about his words.

“Twilight…” He began, unsure of what to say, but knowing that something had to be said. “We can try again tomorrow…”

No response.

“A-and the next day, and the next if we have to, because that's what-” He added before quickly being silenced by her.

“It’s my fault…”

He had barely heard her voice, but those few short words were enough to interrupt his consoling.

“Twilight-” He started again only to silence himself at her next whisper.

“I shouldn’t have let her get so close. I should have stopped her…”

The whispers turned into light sobs. Spike didn’t know what to do other than continue to gently stroke her back and sit in silence.

“Now she's gone, Spike.” The floodgates opened at that line. “It’s all my fault.”

“She’s not gone, just-”

“FOR CELESTIA’S SAKE!” Twilight suddenly snapped. “OPEN YOUR EYES, SPIKE!”

Spike visibly flinched at her outburst and was expecting more but was surprised to find that instead of continuing to take it out on him, she buried her hooves in her face and vented her frustration in muffled sobs.

After a few moments that felt more like hours to them, Twilight spoke up once more.

“Ninety six letters and not one trace of her. We’ve checked everywhere. What on Earth was that chamber?! Why did it take our fucking friend? For all we know she’s-” Twilight couldn’t finish that sentence as she went back to pouring out her sorrow.

As she wept into her hooves, Spike refused to move his claw as he looked out the window at the night sky. A streaking blur swiftly passed by in the distance.

A shooting star.

He wished for this to end. He wished for his friends to be happy as they had been not even twenty-four hours ago. He wished she was back and things were normal.

He wished.

The rest of the night was a blur to both of them. Sometime later, Twilight had exhausted herself mentally and dragged herself to bed. She hadn’t expected sleep to come easily - or even at all - but somehow it did.

To this day she wished it hadn’t.

In her dreams she saw them.

Her vision was in a haze. Her mind was clouded. She couldn’t think. Only watch. Her vision swam as her senses returned and her surroundings came into focus revealing the circular soft blue glow, the random pitter-patter of water droplets, the cold chilled air that wrapped around her like a python would a mouse.

She was back.

Twilight Sparkle was back in the chamber.

Only she wasn’t… Not entirely.

The familiar ring of blue torches, damp feeling in the air, and central pedestal were still there. Even the strange weapon continued to hover gently over the stone-engraved pedestal. But the weapon wasn’t what caught the lavender unicorn’s attention. It was the engravings below the weapon.

They were glowing.

Not the blue glow from the torches or the aura holding the weapon in place, but a deep red. It was almost crimson. Twilight studied the first engraving that she was already facing. While her mind had been clouded and panicked with the sudden disappearance of her friend, she could now think clearly.

Even more so. Maybe it was the red glow, or maybe her countless hours studying them finally paid off and that rusty machine in her head began to click as the gears turned and it whirred to life.

The first stone tablet - or at least first one facing her - displayed the six distinct symbols of kindness, loyalty, magic, generosity, laughter, and honesty. Each symbol was scrawled on its own respective element with only one similarity between the six.

They were all broken.

Every single element had cracks, splits, and even chunks missing. Red glowing lines protruded from each destroyed gem and reached skywards but were severed from their destination by the end of the stone tablet.

The second tablet was set in some sort of cave as inferred by the darkened background, rough edges, and an opening in the center of the illustration. Tiny white splotches surrounded that opening and lead to the bottom of the tablets-

Wait… Those weren’t splotches mistakenly put on by the artist or scratched on with the harsh claws of time.

Those were creatures.

A sea of small, multi-appendage creatures flooded out from the opening as they advanced towards some unknown destination off of the tablet. Twilight could also make out different, larger creatures that were being covered by the smaller ones. The larger creatures looked like they were in distress - even pain as they were frozen in time on the stone.

The third tablet was still missing in entirety. Rough cuts dug into the pedestal where it should have been set in stone. It looked like someone - or something had scooped it up roughly like how a spoon would slice through a gallon of ice cream as the owner of said spoon only cared for the promise of a delicious treat rather than the preservation of the treat’s appearance.

The fourth and final tablet was confusing. While Twilight had been able to put the first two together as something horrible being unleashed should the elements be destroyed, without the third tablet, she had no idea where this final one fit in.

The fourth tablet displayed a combination of the small and large creatures, but they all appeared to be together now as they no longer struggled with one another. Instead the horde of creatures surrounding a lone equine-like figure. Or at least that was what she thought it was. The figure standing on a single rock above the sea of creatures looked like a pony in appearance as it clearly had an equine body, four hooves, and shaped ears, but there was one major difference.

Every figure on the engravings - big or small - had no facial features whatsoever. They were just silhouettes, but this figure was different for it had eyes. Or at least that is what Twilight took them as. These “eyes” were different. They weren’t rounded or oval shaped at all.

They were slanted. Angry almost. But that wasn’t the weirdest thing.

There were five of them…

Five slants…

Before she could ponder on the strange features any longer, a coat of multi-colored light covered the fourth tablet entirely. It reflected the torch glow and seemed to amplify the strength of the glow, causing Twilight to squint to attempt and shield her eyes.

The light was gone as quickly as it arrived. When the prismatic glare was removed from her vision, Twilight was able to reexamine the fourth tablet. What she saw made her jaw drop.

Standing next to the multi-slant eyed figure was a smaller built figure, but this one had one major difference besides size.

It had a cutie mark.

Four puffy lumps. Three streaks protruding downward from those lumps.

Twilight continued to stare at the recently changed tablet as her eyes refused to leave the crude illustration of one of her best friends. The world became hazy again as her senses started to betray her.

Then she was back.

Twilight Sparkle shot up and began lightly panting. The warm beads of sweat trickled from her mane and done onto her face as she frantically examined her surroundings. Bed? Check. Library? Check. Sanity? Check.

Looking over to her right she found Spike peacefully asleep in his own bed. The young dragon was snoring audible, something that would usually have annoyed her but now she found a strange comfort in it. The repetitive sound broke the unnerving silence as the mare mentally collected herself.

What had she just witnessed? Some prophecy? Some lucid dream created from stress? She couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t think. All Twilight could do was stare at the wall as the images of the engravings flowed through her mind. They all flashed in repetition.

The elements. The creatures. The figure. Rainbow...

What did they mean?

The elements. The creatures. The figure. Rainbow...

“Come on, think!” She mentally scolded herself while repeating each thing slower this time in her head.

The elements.

They were broken and exerting some kind of energy. Where was that energy going?

The creatures.

What were they? Did the elements have something to do with them?

The figure.

Was it friendly? It didn’t appear to be hurting Rainbow and was almost as if it was standing with her.

Rainbow...

The only mare reckless enough to get involved in something like this but the only one she knew would make it out.

Right?

The images of the literal sea of creatures stayed in her mind at that thought. No amount of speed could take on an army.

Twilight continued to weigh every possible variable she could think of but none of it made sense. She needed more data. More info.

More time…

“That's it!” She thought before jumping out of her bed and falling over onto the ground as the vice-like grip of the sheets attempted to restrain her.

Glancing over to see that she thankfully hadn’t disturbed Spike, Twilight got onto her hooves and headed to her desk. A faint purple glow filled the room as she gripped a pen in her magic and began to write on a new piece of paper.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I request immediate access to that quarantined tomb we found earlier today…

The Following Morning...

Twilight had been sitting at the kitchen table for hours. Her spread of books, letters, scrolls, and empty coffee cup backed up her rugged appearance. The mare’s mane was messy and disheveled, her eyes had the faintest traces of bags underneath them but they also held a glint of something else.

Hope.

It was the first time she had felt any shred of hope ever since her friend was swallowed up by a bright light in that tomb. It was the first time in the past two days that Twilight Sparkle felt like she was in control. That she finally had a plan.

Using her magic, she grasped the nearly empty coffee pitcher and began to pour the dark contents into her cup when it happened.

*POOF*

A golden glow momentary filled the room as a neatly rolled up scroll appeared in the center of it. This one also donned an elegant looking red ribbon to keep it tied together and was made of the finest materials.

Twilight nearly dropped the coffee pot upon seeing it, but caught it just in time before it shattered against the floor. Exhauling in relief, she placed it back on the maker before unraveling the scroll as a foal would tear open a Hearth's Warming Present.

The second she got it opened, another smaller scroll fell to her hooves. Picking it up and discarding it on the table, she began to read the main scroll.

She scanned over the text quickly as her eyes struggled to focus at first, requiring her to reread the first part a few times. Once she finally got through the whole body of text, her purple eyes lit up brightly.

Finishing her coffee in one gulp, Twilight set the scroll down and picked the smaller, still tied one up. This scroll was nowhere near as elegant or preserved as the first. It had rougher edges with small pieces missing or crumbled, signaling its age to her trained eyes. There was no bright red ribbon holding it together - this scroll had a thin, dull brown piece of twine keeping its contents sheltered.

Unraveling the twine revealed exactly what she had been expecting but that didn’t make her reaction any more tame. She squealed in delight and hugged the piece of paper before realizing how careful she needed to be with it. After all, it was many, many years old. Glancing to the bottom corner, she noticed a neatly scrawled signature that read “SS”

Star Swirl.

The stallion, the myth, the legend. Twilight had pulled a lot of strings for the past few hours just to get her hooves on this piece of paper. But this was no ordinary piece of paper.

It contained instructions on how to cast an individual displacement spell that would take whatever the caster decided at any point in time, whether that be in the past or future. Put simply, it was a time travel spell created and perfected by the bearded unicorn.

Now that she was armed for success, Twilight levitated both scrolls into her saddlebag and grabbed a few more supplies before placing it around her back.

Grabbing a piece of paper and pen, she hastily scrawled a letter to Spike telling him where she would be in case the dragon woke up before she returned. And with saddlebag secured, letter on desk, and plan in mind, Twilight trotted out the door eager to see her friend again.

I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they see her again! She thought to herself with a smile.

She thought about the other four waiting patiently at the library for another day of searching only to have their jaws dropped when she enters with Rainbow Dash as if nothing had happened. This whole thing will have felt like some messed up fever dream that came and went as-

Her thoughts were interrupted when she slammed into something. No, someone. Twilight had run face first into a crimson colored unicorn mare that had been carrying a stack of boxes in her magic before the lavender unicorn slammed into her doing her daydreaming. The boxes exploded from her grasp and hit the ground.

Thankfully, no sound of shattering glass or screaming critters were heard. The only sound that was heard being the crimson mare’s frustrated huff as she eyed Twilight. Twilight didn’t like the look she was giving her. It was like she was trying to decide between tearing her apart like a ravenous beast as her teal blue eyes pierced her or cussing her out like a fed up parent.

Finally, the mare settled on a “hmph!” that was matched up with a certain white and purple unicorn she knew. Speaking of which, their mane colors were a similar shade of purple now that she noticed it.

“Excuse me, but I would watch where you’re going. That was very precious cargo.” The mare said in a tone that was nothing like she had expected from her appearance.

Her voice was more light almost like the soft tone of Fluttershy’s mixed with a hint of flare from Rarity.

Twilight finally snapped out of her observations and quickly put together some sort of overdue apology.

“I’m so sorry! Here I’ll help y-” She had started while reaching for one of the boxes only to be swatted away by the mare’s hoof.

“No!” She screamed before catching herself, but it was too late.

Multiple sets of eyes lay fixed on the two, making Twilight feel frozen to the spot. The mare was blushing a barely noticeable shade of red underneath her coat. Luckily for Twilight she was close enough to notice it.

“I mean no thank you.” The mare quickly corrected herself as she began to pick up the boxes with her magic and place them behind her and out of Twilight’s sight. “I’d rather you not cause any more problems with your clumsiness.”

Twilight only got a brief glance at the boxes and noticed that they weren’t sealed with tape but rather a spell. A strong spell at that. She also noticed that there were no tags or addresses on them so their contents would remain a mystery.

That didn’t matter. She had a friend to save. Before she could reply, the mare flicked her medium length mane and strode away from her with another Rarity “hmph!” and was out of sight in a flash.

That was weird… Twilight thought as she continued on with her quest but not before taking a glance at the departing mare.

Fifteen Minutes Later…

Ghastly Gorge had never been this populated - not even during Rainbow’s pet race or any other event that Twilight could recall.

On the ledges of the gorge’s top were multiple guards either scanning the surroundings with binoculars or scopes - given off by the glinted reflection from the steadily rising sun above.

In the multiple cuts along the sides of the gorge, where the once titanic eels had resided, were now makeshift stands with industrial lights illuminating the interior of the cavern-like cuts.

Twilight couldn’t see much of the cavern entrances from her vantage point at the bottom of the gorge, but she did find herself smack dab in the middle of a camp - or more like a makeshift base of operations where armored stallions were busy examining papers and illustrations the contents of which see couldn’t make out. Some were crowded around tables while others were seated in rows while a highly decorated mare in uniform pointed to various parts of the diagram. Twilight could see the pony’s lips moving but the mare’s voice was drowned out by the rest of the commotion.

After surveying her surroundings, the unicorn mare found her target. It was the only perfectly circular cut in the gorge - a fact that always made it strange to her. This hole wasn’t created by weathering and erosion from centuries gone by, but then who made it? No creature - or machine for that matter could make a cut so flawless into the Earth.

Two guards were stationed outside of the cut on either side, but these guards were different. While every other stallion and mare on the site wore either traditional golden plated armor, officers garbs, or off-duty sweats, these two guards wore something different.

They were dressed in metallic suits that covered everything with the sole exception of the wearer’s ears. Concealing their heads were plated helmets with a steel base and golden armor plating lining the sides and protecting the skull. The guard’s eyes were masked by the blue-green glow of two slanted visors and their breathing was labored and clearly audible through some sort of filter on their muzzles. Their bodies had the same treatment as the helmets with the repeating golden and steel grey color palettes and bulky armor.

The guard on the right was a unicorn as displayed by their armored horn jutting out of the helmet. The horn was glowing and in its grasp was a deadly looking rifle that Twilight had only read about in some Canterlot magazines about the “new guard.” The lavender unicorn felt unease as she could feel the guard eyeing her through the glowing slits. The grip on the weapon looked tense and that didn’t ease the growing knot in her stomach.

The other guard, to the left, had no horn or even wings - signaling they were an earth pony - which made it all the more mysterious of how they were also holding a matching rifle in a magical grip. She moved her eyes up to the guard’s head and spotted a small device with a yellow dot in the center. This device was glowing the same color as the grip on the rifle, almost as if it was a makeshift horn. Twilight wanted to ask about it but at the same time didn’t want to seem like she was prying.

As she opened her saddlebag with her magic, Twilight saw the two visibly tense so she slowed the process down and pulled out a piece of paper. Levitating it to one of the two, the guard formed a second golden appenage with their magic and scanned over the contents. Twilight couldn’t see the guard’s expression which made it all the more reliving when they handed it back to her and stepped aside, allowing her entry.

What are those things? I need to ask Celestia about those when I get back. Twilight thought as she made her way through the tunnel to the torch-lit chamber.

Once inside the eerie but all too familiar chamber, Twilight looked around to see nothing had changed. The torches were the same. The weapon was still hovering gently in the magical glow. There were also no guards inside. While it was strange, she was happy to not have any observers. Despite not doing anything illegal, she still was on edge about others watching her. Especially those wearing “war-mechs” and branding weapons of death.

Ok. First thing’s first. Twilight thought as she trotted over to the fourth engraving on the pedestal. Let’s see if…

Her thoughts were cut off as she was stopped in her tracks. The fourth engraving that showcased a slit-eyed figure battling the horde of creatures from the previous tablets now had a new addition. An addition that she had seen before in her dreams but this was impossible.

Next to the figure was another one. A smaller figure with a clouded and lightning bolt marking on its flank…

Rainbow Dash was engraved on the tablet...

The curious and scientific part of her wanted to abandon this whole plan and wait to see the outcome as her missing friend was now carved onto a stone that hadn’t appeared to have been changed for years. On the other hoof, the friend in her wanted Rainbow back more than ever. She had no idea what the cyan pegasus was going through right now. Was she alive? Was she hurt? Suffering-

No! Twilight mentally scolded herself. There’s no time for those thoughts. I’ve got to make this right!

Using her magic, Twilight levitated Star Swirl’s scroll from the depths of her saddlebag to have it hover in front of her. She studied the instructions long and hard, making sure she had memorized everything and was surprised a guard didn’t come to check on her with how long she was taking.

How many minutes had passed? Five? Ten? Twenty? Whatever the case, she felt ready. She felt prepared. Planting her hooves on the stone, and focusing both her heart, mind, and magic into this one spell, Twilight began to cast it.

Her horn started glowing bright violet with spiraling rings of gold around it as it snaked up to the point. Twilight’s head was in agony. It felt like she was pushing her own life force through her body but she continued nevertheless.

Twilight felt like squeezing her eyes shut as the light was beginning to blind but before she could, the crossbow-like weapon started to glow bright red in contrast to its usual color. Twilight only just noticed this when the red aura shot out a red beam towards her horn and made a sizzling sound.

The pain increased tenfold and became so unbearable that Twilight was forced to cut off her own spell as she collapsed to her stomach. Lifting her head, she looked towards the weapon to see its normal suspended animation and glow had returned as if nothing had happened.

Twilight looked down at the scroll containing the spells instructions. Why hadn’t it worked?! She had done everything right? Hadn’t she?

Activating her horn once more, she tried again.

Nothing.

Again.

Nothing.

Again!

Nothing…

The beginnings of tears began to form in the corner of her eyes as Twilight realized the painful truth…

The spell hadn’t worked.

Her plan hadn’t worked.

She had failed.

She had failed Rainbow Dash.

Now she was lost forever…

Chapter 6 - "Expectations"

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Los Pegasus
September 24th, 2039
6:19 A.M.
Present Time

In an earlier time, the suited stallion wouldn’t have dared to head towards anything as strange and sudden as the blinding purple light that had split the early morning sky. His instincts - and anyone else’s for that matter - would have grounded him to whatever shelter was closest. He would have stayed indoors until the possible threat was thought to have passed.

In an earlier time…

Now determination overid any fraction of fear remaining in his body. Nourish was due any day now and the chances of her surviving childbirth without any hospitals, trained doctors, or even medication were slim. He had decided ever since the day Maverick and he had liberated her from Salvus, that it would be his goal to protect her - and her foals - anyway he could. Even if that meant charging head-first into the unknown.

It was all he had left.

Years of surviving and struggling had molded him into somepony - no something - else. His memory could be compared to the pages of a sketchbook. There were only so many pages to be filled until nothing was left to do but discard it and start anew.

Most ponies’ pages were filled the day the Damned crawled out of whatever dark abyss that birthed them. They had to start a new book with blank pages that molded them into something worse than they used to be just to stay alive.

He was different - in a way.

While their memories might have been placed on a shelf to make room for a newer book, at least they were still collectively together. Sectioned so perfectly that they most likely had metaphorical labels on them.

His were the opposite.

His were all torn out from their respective books before either being thrown away or jammed into some dark corner somewhere. And if that weren’t bad enough, the ink on all of the pages had smeared, leaving only a vague outline of what once was.

But he didn’t have time to focus on that now. Sure, there were no Damned hunting him down at every turn - as long as he stayed on the surface - but that didn’t make it any safer.

There can be greater threats than monsters after all. More specifically...

The ones who have survived the monsters.

No creature was still around thanks to the persuasion of friendship or the promise of negotiating. No, they were alive because they weren’t afraid to take another life. He might not have had much left, or at least anything meaningful left, but he did have an impressive arsenal than any raider or bandit would kill to get their hooves on.

They couldn’t have it - his stuff or him.

But who knows - maybe this strange light was a trap. Maybe some deprived group of thugs were waiting to strike from the shadows, gut him then take his shit. He knew it wasn’t likely as he hadn’t seen anypony else besides his group since the fall of Salvus. He hadn’t seen any survivors for the past year now.

And that worried him.

It was just another sign of the final nails in Equestria’s coffin. It seemed as if each day more and more of the old world was destroyed and recycled into whatever the hell it was now. How long would it be until it was their turn?

How long until Nourish and her foals succumbed to malnutrition?

How long until Talos did something stupid enough to get himself and the others killed?

How long until Maverick and Ivory were overrun defending the lighthouse while he was out?

How long until Maverick was an unrecognizable corpse on the floor? Or Ivory, how long until she joined her friend's fate - or worse…

How long until it was his turn?

Storm knew death was playing catchup with him. He had evaded it’s jaws for so long that it was bound to get irritated enough to up the ante eventually. But the strangest thing was that he wasn’t afraid. He didn’t tread on those thoughts unless it involved his friends. Why did it not affect him the same?

He didn’t care anymore.

He did however wonder what would have happened had he not found Maverick, Ivory, or the others. If he didn’t have to keep going for them, what would he fight for? What was worth struggling daily for if it wasn’t those that he considered family?

He had no answer.

The stallion mentally smacked himself for allowing his thoughts to wander like that. Especially out here of all places. Afterall, he had a mystery to unravel - or a threat to uncover.

Rounding the corner of the street, Storm found himself at the same intersection from a few nights ago. At the far end was the hotel with a crashed airship jutting out of the upper floors. The sight would have been beautiful in a painting. It would have.

But right now, parts of the building and ship were scattered about the intersection, making a makeshift wall of sorts. The debris from the wreckage was blocking where the purple glow’s origin was located, which was behind an alley.

Storm had two options. He could attempt to traverse the wreckage and risk damaging his suit or getting cut on the long since rusted metal of the support beams - or, he could make his way through the lower floors of the hotel and hope there was a hole big enough for him to squeeze through. Maybe a window or something.

Deciding on the latter, the suited stallion kept his weapon raised as he trudged through the street. He knew the chances of anything besides him being out here at the moment were slim to none, but that didn’t stop the feeling of eyes on him. It didn’t matter whether those eyes were milk white or piercing blue. They both held the same hunger in them.

Arriving at the once elegant, golden rimmed double doors to the hotel, Storm braced himself on the right side as he placed a hoof on the door closest to him. His tethered grip on his weapon tightened and he took a deep intake of breath before counting in his head.

3…

2…

1…

The stallion’s hoof threw the door open as his front half and rifle peaked through the entrance before being swiftly swiveled from side to side, checking anything and everything in his immediate surroundings.

The building was dark - barely illuminated by the rising sun outside of the stained windows - and his weapon’s flashlight was the only real source of light in the cramped abyss. The white beam swept over the dust-coated receptionist desk, then to the stairwell, then the closed bathroom door, then a hallway that ended with a rounded corner. The only sound in the room was his filtered breathing combined with the faint shifting of his weapon as he scanned each area.

Once the lobby was deemed “safe,” Storm fully stepped inside and shut the door behind him with his tethered limb, not daring to remove his eyes from the front. Normally he wouldn’t be this paranoid in the middle of the day, but he was so close to this “mystery light.”

Dangerously close.

If this was a trap sprung by some desperate survivor - or survivors - then he didn’t plan on becoming someone’s dinner. He needed to stay alive. For Maverick, for Ivory, for Nourish, Raine, Snow, hell - even Talos. He needed to be there for his family and if others got in the way of that…

He killed them.

It was hard for him to imagine that there was once a world where killing was considered the worst possible crime to commit when it happened daily if not hourly here. Morals were cast aside in favor of preservation. Whether that be of one’s sanity, physical state, or family.

Family…

That word took on a whole new meaning now. Back then a family was bound by blood and unconditional love for one another. They would be there at each other’s side through the good and the bad. In sickness and in health. At birth and to the end upon death.

In a way, that concept hadn’t changed much. Loyalty is what binds families together now. The knowledge that someone has your back when you go to sleep and don’t have to worry about waking up to the jaws of death was nice. Honestly, the only real differences of family from then and now were the raised stakes and blood relation.

It was rare for an entire or even portion of a blood-related family from the old world making it this far together. In fact, Storm couldn’t remember a single family like that ever since the last time he saw his own.

That was one topic he never liked. Whenever his group gathered around the fireplace at night to celebrate another year of survival - if one could call it that - they would tell stories of their old lives, old families, old selves just so that it wouldn’t fade. So they had some way to preserve the memories. Everypony had something to share;

Maverick would tell them about all the stupid things he did in school that got both him and Storm in trouble. The others would listen intently at their past antics as they awaited Ivory’s eventual comment about how unbelievable it was for somepony as “grouchy” as Storm to be involved in such shenanigans. Maverick had told him that his small smile gave it away and was enough for her to believe it. Speaking of Ivory, the mentioned mare would also share with her life sounding like something out of a Haywood drama or action movie depending on her mood for the day. The others had no idea if she was telling the truth or just storytelling for the sake of it, but as long as she was happy they didn’t care. Talos talked about his dreams of becoming a professional buckball player and Nourish would talk about her past as well.

The only one who never shared was Storm. He would listen to the others but never added any of his own life to them. The only insight they got into that was what Maverick told them about him during class. The first time they had started the tradition, everypony had shared. Everypony except for him. Ivory had nudged his shoulder and begged for him to tell something too. Storm had politely but swiftly declined. She pressed more and Maverick thankfully gave her a look that said everything there was to say about it.

Trap or no trap, he had to be ready for anything. If he was lucky, Storm could get the drop on who - or what - was waiting for him before he arrived at his destination. If he wasn’t then the only thing left to do was prepare for a fight the second he came into contact with the source of the light, but from the looks of things he might end up finding his possible attacker first in the dark and claustrophobic interior of the hotel.

He actually prefered it that way. Dealing with the threat now as opposed to later was better. He could have more control over the situation - more time to plan his moves - than being thrust into a life or death scenario on a whim. He prefered being able to find his target before they found him.

Storm was the hunter. If he couldn’t find a target chances are that he was the target. The only question now was to who? Or what...

He would find out soon enough. He always did. There was no if. It was when.

The easiest way to the glow would be through the backdoor, assuming the place had one but there was only one problem. The rubble from collapsed floors above where an airship sat were blocking his path. Using his weapon’s flashlight, the stallion scanned through the rubble for any openings or weak points in it.

Nothing.

Storm knew that the debris could be cut or drilled through. He could return back to the lighthouse and grab a Drillshot launcher, but then he would be spending his day tunneling to a light that might move on long before then. Plus that sound would attract everything within a five mile radius. He didn’t want to risk alerting something or ruining the tool in the process and he certainly didn’t want to waste time searching for anything that would be useful doing labor.
So that left traversing the hotel’s multiple floors in hope of finding a fire exit or some low enough window. It wasn’t his prefered option but it was the only option. Placing his weapon in front of him, Storm found himself at the base of a faded gold and oak wood staircase, the steps of which gradually spiraled upward as they hugged the side of the wall. He went up a few steps with caution, testing if the rotted boards would hold his enhanced weight.

They did. However, the drawn out creaking sound that emanated from each step alerted anything nearby of his presence. With each step, with each creak, the stallion’s breath was momentarily caught in his throat as if it could make his location just a little more hidden. Every new step prompted his weapon’s flashlight - and his eyes - to aim a little higher.

The purple overlay of his visor was both a helpful feat and a hindrance. During the day, he couldn’t look directly up most of the time when going into or outside of buildings otherwise the blinding flash from the sun would coat the visor and fill his vision. Sure it was only a few seconds, but seconds could be the deciding factor between living or dying.

Or worse.

But now in the cramped and darkened interior of a hotel, the visor gave him all he needed to see. The faint purple glow from it was enough to see straight ahead and check for traps on each step out of the corner of his eyes. There was only one problem now.

If he could see that means he could be seen. The bright white beam of his flashlight and purple segmented glow of his visor helped him navigate towards his destination and past any potential threats but it also made him a huge neon sign found at any city diner for anything lurking in the shadows.

Once he was almost at the top of the stairs, Storm’s armored hoof met the rough leather exterior of a suitcase. The contents of said case were splayed out on the stairs with some right next to the case, others further down the steps, and a few still directly nestled in the leathery cushioning.

Keeping his weapon’s light straight ahead, he lowered his head so the purple glow of his visor illuminated the case’s contents. A passport, wrinkled clothes, expired protein bars, and a spread of papers littered the inside.

Grabbing the passport, the stallion tossed it aside as gently as possible. He then picked up each article of clothing and checked the nearly faded tags for sizes. The first article was a deep red shirt that was too small for him, but just a little above Mavericks size. Storm folded the shirt and stored it in his suit’s inventory before moving on to the next item. A blue and green vest with a vertical stripe pattern and chest pocket. Too small for him and Maverick. Ivory wouldn’t want a masculine piece of clothing and Talos didn’t wear clothes period.

After pocketing the protein bars, he began to shift through the papers for anything of use until one slip caught his eye. Storm had to double check to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. Inside the case, towards the very bottom was a small booklet with exactly what he was looking for on the cover.

He had found the instruction manual for a portable oxygen machine.

Storm quickly skimmed through the manual to find that the machine it belonged to was perfect. The device would allow Nourish to get plenty of oxygen during labor and would increase her chances of surviving. Sure, it was no professional grade medical assistance but it would do.

It had to.

Now to find the damn thing… He thought while pocketing the booklet.

After finishing up with the case, the armored stallion had reached the top of the stairs where a hallway created a fork in his path giving him the option of going left or right. Before he could decide on the next move, the sun-like icon on his visor’s HUD flashed and displayed that radiation levels were at 3%. This floor was practically safe for breathing and being unarmored. Not that he would dare deprive himself of his saving grace.

Tightening his grip on his weapon, Storm swung it to the right.

The bright beam of his flashlight was a blur before it landed in the center of the hall to reveal…

Nothing.

Just an empty hallway with belongings scattered everywhere.

Then he checked the left. What he saw made his breath catch in his throat.

Candles.

Lined on both sides of the hallway’s floor were rusted cans, all of which illuminated a faint orange glow. The glow reflected off of what little silver tin remained on the cans giving the small flames within each the illusion of dancing in the darkened hall.

Storm quickly shut off his weapon’s flashlight, now only relying on the dim purple glow of his visor and the faint flickering of the candles below his hooves. The hall before him couldn’t have been more than a couple seconds worth of walking but he took it slowly as if anything and everything was waiting behind a door. Now the only question was which one?

Soon enough he got his answer. At the end of the hall, on the right side and last door there, two candles were placed exactly at either side of the door. Storm hadn’t even registered that he had stopped breathing for the past few seconds till his lungs forced him to exhale. The suit’s filter picked up on his breath and let out the faintest of sounds. But the suit wasn’t the only one…

On the other side of the door, the stallion heard something metal hit the ground.

His mind instantly let go of any slim shred of hope he had for this place being recently abandoned as he braced himself against the side of the door and gripped his weapon tightly, holding it up with two tethered appendages how a police officer would wait around the corner for an armed crook.

Storm expected to hear the voices of some depraved lunatics happy that they had found fresh meat or the angry and determined shouts of raiders that had discovered someone sticking their muzzle where it didn’t belong, but what he heard was nowhere close to that.

He heard a mare’s voice. But that wasn’t the strangest part. The voice was trying to gently shush and console someone.

Pausing to listen for any other voices, Storm’s ears perked up and he stood still with baited breath. No others could be heard. Then he heard the mare say something else.

“Shhh… It's okay, little ones. He’s almost here. Shhh…” The mystery mare said from the other side of the door.

Storm couldn’t tell if she was frantic or happy. Her voice was a mixture of both - or atleast the solid object between them made it sound that way. And who was this “him?” Was she waiting for a brother, father, or coltfriend to return? Well, assuming she was alone this was his chance to find out without much conflict.

Placing a forehoof on the doorknob, he twisted the faded brass as slowly and quietly as possible. Cringing with every faint creak it made, the stallion finally got the door open by a crack. Surprisingly, the room inside was decently well lit with double the amount of candles illuminating it in contrast to the scarcely lit hall.

To his relief, the mare he heard before had not yet seen him or at least chose to ignore him. She had her back to him as she continued to softly shush something in a metal box below her. From her back, Storm could only tell that her mane was a long and messy black one that reached her back and her coat was once a pristine white but now looked one the verge of gray.

With his weapon still raised at eye level, Storm took a slow and methodical step into the room, careful to not alarm her or this “he” that was supposedly returning. As he slowly approached, the suited stallion took a side route to try and get a better glimpse of her face and who was in the box. He approached from her left and saw that the steel box on the ground also had a twin that was on a candlelit table in front of her. That box must have been the metal banging sound he had heard at the door. It could be a makeshift crib. He had been working on one with similar materials for Nourish’s soon-to-be due foal so this was no surprise.

Maybe the kid got fussy. Storm thought as he glanced from the box on the table to the one below his eye level on the floor.

He continued to scan the room with his eyes despite his head never leaving the direction of the unattentive mare. Not seeing any traps or other ponies in the room, Storm forced himself to make a gamble.

He cleared his throat.

The mare’s body went completely still upon hearing the auditory clue of his presence. After a brief moment of what felt like hours of silence to Storm, she spoke up.

“You’re here!” She chimed in an enthusiastic tone that rivaled Ivory’s. “I knew you would come!”

Not sure how to take that exactly, Storm carefully replied. “I think you’ve got the wrong pony.”

“no, no, they told me you were coming,” She confirmed without turning to meet him. It unnerved Storm how indifferent she was that even his voice let her know he wasn’t whoever she was waiting on. “And now you’re here!”

“Lady, seriously, you have-” Storm’s reply was cut short as the mare finally turned around to face him.

She had no eyes.

Well, rather she had two dark crimson stains that bled through a once-white blindfold. Two red pools formed slightly off center where her eyes should have been. “We’ve been waiting for so long. The little ones were starting to get restless.” She continued.

Storm forced his eyes from her face and down to her forehoof, where a screwdriver was shakily gripped. The tool-turned-possible-weapon wasn’t what made him shudder.

The two hazel eyes impaled on it did.

The first eye was driven so far down on the shaft that it reached the plastic base and dripped fluids onto her hoof. The second one was stuck on the middle of the metal shaft and seemingly staring right at him.

The mare tried to take a step towards him but almost tripped over the box with her hindleg. Storm heard an angry hiss followed by a deep chirping-sort of sound from the box. The mare had upset something inside.

That’s definitely not a foal… Storm thought as his attention shifted fully to the mare.

Knowing she couldn’t see him, Storm did the only thing he could to make her know he meant business. With a tethered appendage, he audible cocked his weapon and pointed it at her.

“I don’t want any trouble.” He began, adrenaline fueling both his actions and words as he stared into the stained holes. “Do whatever fucked-up shit you want. I’ll just be leaving.”

“No, no, no, no!” The mare quickly interjected in a pleading tone. “You can’t go! Not yet. They are waiting for us.”

“Who? Can we stop playing the fucking pronoun game here?” Storm half asked, half demanded.

“You haven’t seen them?” She asked while stopping dead in her tracks. “Here! I’ll show you.”

The mare swiftly turned around, and practically galloped the short distance she had stumbled until her forehooves came into contact with the metal box.

“Do you even know what's in that box?” He asked as the mare fumbled for some sort of lid or opening.

Once she found it, the mare looked back up, directly at Storm. It was almost as if she could still see somehow.

Then she smiled.

“No peeking!” She playfully scolded in a sing-song voice as she turned her back to the unnerved stallion.

Storm couldn’t see much from her back, but judging by the motions of her hooves she was opening the box. More angry “chirping” followed by clicking and scraping sounds.

His grip on the handle tightened. A single digit of the appendage rested right above the trigger.

The mare twisted herself around and held two familiar monstrosities out to the stallion. In each hoof were two dark grey creatures that couldn’t have been bigger than her hooves. They looked like a bastard hybrid between an insect, spider, and centipede all at once.

Held away from her and facing him were two glowing blue tips on the creatures that were the size of eyeballs. The side of the creatures facing her looked like a clusterfuck of hooks and needles.

The creatures angrily squirmed in her grasp as if they were a distraught feline in the embrace of a smothering owner. The needle part sporadically opened and closed as it tried to sink itself into flesh. The blue orb-like part on the opposite end stopped squirming when they found Storm.

The creature’s started thrashing even more violently upon seeing him. Storm was fully prepared for this batshit mare to throw these things at him but what she did next stunned him.

The mare turned the restrained creature’s around so that their blue orbs were now facing her.

“No, no. He is for the others.” She scolded the creatures as if they could understand her.

Then without warning she let go of both creatures.

Storm aimed his weapon at them expecting them to turn and charge him but the insect-like creatures fell to the ground. One of them landed on its back and thrashed its legs like a dying spider until it managed to flip itself over and join its companion in scaling the still mare.

The creature’s hook-like legs dug into her coat and left holes as they frantically climbed her torso and headed for her neck.

“I’m ready!” She exclaimed with more excitement than Storm had even heard in his life. “Make me see! Take me, please!”

And with that, the creatures found her eye holes and plunged their mass of hook-like backs into the holes to widen them even more. Storm cringed slightly as he watched the mare scream her lungs out. When the creature’s were done they repositioned themselves to where the hook-side went into their newly burrowed holes and the blue orbs faced outward, almost looking like glowing blue eyes.

The mare’s screaming had been replaced by liquefied gurgles as she coughed up blood all over the floor. Meanwhile the creature’s began to twist and set themselves solidly into their new “home.” Once they were settled, the mare’s body went limp before it began to shake violently.

Storm had enough. He knew what was going on as he had seen it many times before. Without any further doubt, he aimed his rifle down at the mare’s head and then…

POW!

With a strained ripping sound, the mare’s head sprung out and plowed directly into his rifle, knocking it out of his grasp and him onto his back all at once. Storm had nearly got the wind knocked out of him, but thankfully the suit’s armor had taken most of the blow.

Quickly raising his head, he was faced to face with the mare’s mangled head and piercing blue eyes. The head was mere inches from his armored one and connected by a long tube of flesh and newly added organic matter.

The creature hissed as its jaw unhinged before showing off a set of newly formed bone-like fangs to Storm. It attempted to slam it’s head down onto the downed stallion’s neck. Storm was able to roll out of the way and to his luck, the creature had gotten its fangs stuck in the flooring where he had just been a second ago.

Without thinking, Storm raised a hingleg before unleashing it outwards and kicking the thing directly in the face as hard as he could. The creature let out a pained grunt as it was unstuck from the flooring and knocked into a nearby wall.

Storm wasted no time getting to all fours as he scanned around the room for his Sweeper. The desk? No! The box? No! The-

Then he saw it. As the creature got up, his prized possession became visible from behind it.

Oh fuck me! He mentally cursed.

Looking around, Storm spotted the eyeball-ridden screwdriver in between him and the creature.

Double driver time, bitch! He thought as an idea hit him.

As the creature’s extended neck lunged for him, Storm used his suit’s thrusters to dash underneath the strike and land next to the screwdriver. In a flash, his right hoof wrapped around the stained plastic handle as his left hoof went up to defend his armored face from the snapping jaws of the creature.

Using all his strength, Storm shoved the creature’s head back before activating the hidden blade within the suit’s left forehoof compartment. In one swift motion, he plunged both the blade and screwdriver into each blue orb respectively.

The creature let out an almost shocked gurgle before the two blue orbs went still and changed from a bright blue glow to a dark and dull navy. Storm didn’t dare retract his weapon’s until he felt the creature go completely limp, then he let it drop at his hooves.

Retracting his blade and discarding the knife, the stallion let out a frustrated sigh and grabbed his weapon with his tethered limbs.

“Can’t ever be fucking easy can it?” He said to the corpse of the mare-turned-monster.

For a moment, Storm continued to stare at the mare’s corpse. Another pony had died today. They had gotten one more step closer to their goal. And he had made another enemy. Life never exceeded his expectations, nor did it ever meet them.

But that's all they were. Expectations.

There was no guarantee of them regardless of how well he had hoped, prayed, or planned.

Storm left the creature’s remains as he approached the desk she had been hunched over. Looking into the other metal box - the one still on the table - he was met with two familiar blue glows inside.

The creatures noticed him as displayed by their change in demeanor. They started clicking and chirping that awful sound as they attempted to break the glass and get to their prey. Those blue orbs stared with intense hunger as Storm’s blue eyes stared back with nothing.

No remorse. No pity. Just nothing.

The next thing the creature’s knew, their makeshift prison smashed through a window and they were falling quickly. The cage’s glass door shattered, showering them in shards of glass. The creature’s angrily clicked as they exited the box only to start screeching.

From above, Storm watched as the radiation outside tore through their bodies as shown by their screeching and shaking until their blue glows went dull and gangly limbs went limp. The radiation affected creatures based on size, so those tiny things would die in seconds. Thankful, he was pretty big for a pegasus stallion and it would take hours to kill him should he ever be exposed.

Checking his HUD’s clock, Storm discovered that an hour and a half had passed so far. It was now seven-thirty in the morning and he still had a different glow-infused mystery to solve. And most likely some monster - or survivor to take down. It was to be expected at this point. He had to hurry if he wanted to find the-

Storm’s thoughts were interrupted as his gaze stopped on an oxygen machine. The same exact one from the briefcase before.

I’ll be damned. He thought before approaching it and storing the compact device in a larger compartment of his suit’s storage.

A couple minutes later, the suited stallion had exited the room, retraced his steps through the candle lit hallway and began to travel down the other side. If there was anything else in this building it would have come running at the sound of the previous scuffle, so now he could afford to be a little less silent. Whether it was that knowledge or the excitement at his scavenging efforts for the foal’s delivery paying off, Storm was picking up the pace to find the source of this purple glow so he could return home.

At the end of the hallway was a fire escape that, if his mental map was correct, would lead straight into the alleyway below. Placing a hoof against it, Storm was disappointed to discover that the door was rusted shut. He tried pushing a little harder and then slammed himself into it.

The combined weight of his build and suit broke the door down and sent him tumbling off the ledge where a fire escape balcony should have been. A second of panic flashed through his mind before his instincts kicked in and Storm activated his thrusters to reposition himself and cushion the fall.

That was close. He thought as a warning sign on his HUD appeared.

Warning: Thruster power below 10%. Please refrain for using the thrusters until proper maintenance.

Storm barely registered the message as his attention was drawn to the purple glow before him. It looked like some sort of slit or tear in the world and was brightly pulsing, forcing him to shield his face with a hoof.

Once his eyes adjusted slightly, Storm lowered his hoof and began to look around the rift-like tear. No raiders. No Damned - as expected. Just him and the glow.

Here goes nothing. Storm thought as he approached the glow.

With each step closer, Storm could swear the glow was getting more restless as if it was excited in a way. This unnerved but also intrigued him. It was strange how this glow beckoned him. He couldn’t explain his own thoughts but he just had to touch it.

Another few steps later and Storm was merely inches from the glow. Reaching a hoof out, Storm found that the glow branched out as it slowly and softly wrapped around his extended appendage. The sensation wasn’t bad at all. In fact it felt warm, like a mother’s embrace or being wrapped in a blanket on an unforgiving winter night.

The glow snaked up his hoof, across his broad shoulders, up his neck, and before Storm could react or protest, it reached his head.

Then he saw it.

Everything moved by so fast but he saw it all. Everything. The fall of the elements. The Damned swarming Equestria. Years of pain. Years of struggling. Years of misery. All of it he had lived through, but was forced to relive everything in a matter of seconds.

Once the images ended, he felt the beginnings of tears in the corner of his eyes and a throbbing headache also assaulted him. Shaking his head and groaning, Storm looked straight ahead to see that the glow had disappeared.

What the hell was that?! He thought, looking side to side for any traces of the glowing rift.

Then a sound interrupted his search.

Right under his position, Storm heard a pained wheezing. Like somepony - or something was struggling to breathe.

His head shot downwards and no amount of time in this world could have prepared him for what he saw.

A mare.

Not just another mare. A different mare. Her coat was cyan and clean. Perfectly clean - not a trace of grim, dust, or blood stained on her. Her mane was an unkempt, but clean array of vibrant colors that resembled a rainbow pattern. Storm couldn’t tell her eye color as her eyes were shut, signaling that she was asleep or passed out.

As the seconds ticked by, the mare’s breathing came out raspy. She was struggling to breathe in the irradiated environment. Quick as a flash, Storm pulled a half-mask like device off of his suit’s hip and placed it around her muzzle. An electronic hiss filled the air and her breathing steadily returned to a normal albeit filtered sound.

Storm knew the radiation wouldn’t hurt her body too much despite her unarmored state, but being out here for a few hours would do permanent damage, meaning he had a choice to make. He could just leave. Pretend this was all some sort of sleep deprived hallucination and walk away, give Nourish the oxygen device and continue on the next day.

Or he could pick this mystery mare up, carry her home, and hope that he didn’t just accidentally steal some violent community’s prized slave or member. Taking another look at her, a knot began to tie in his stomach. This was going to be trouble.

This isn't right. She was too clean. Too different. Too perfect…

After both sides of his mind fought the most tense game of tug-o-war ever, the stallion shook his head and took one last glance at the mare as he made up his mind.

“Fuck…” He cursed, still not entirely satisfied with his choice.

And with that, Storm wrapped both his forehooves around her body and used the tethered limbs to steady the mare before hoisting her up and onto his back where the suit securely clamped her into place.

Great, another decision that will bite me in the ass later. He thought.

He had no idea what to expect from any day - especially this one. But now after solving one problem - and another landing right at his hooves somehow, he wasn’t sure what to expect.

But as usual, that's all they were.

Expectations.

Chapter 7 - "Obstacles"

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The sound of glass exploding echoed off the walled yard of the lighthouse and a male voice hollered in triumph.

“That’s ten!” Maverick hooted as he lowered his rifle with his tethered limb and turned to Talos. “Pay up, sucka!”

A line of destroyed bottle bases on multiple stray fences backed up the stallion’s victory. A different row beside his own had four bottles destroyed but another six remained perfectly unharmed.

The sore-losing griffon grunted a string of swift curses as he reached a claw into his bag. Pulling out two recently expired candy bars, he handed them over to his overconfident competitor with a huff. Maverick let out a mock “Thank you!” as he stashed the chocolatey treats into his own bag.

Suddenly, a faint chirp emitted from the stallion’s ear-mounted Tethertech before a small holoprojected box was displayed in front of him.

INCOMING CALL FROM: IVORY CROSS. ACCEPT? Was displayed in bold blocky lettering in the middle of the box.

“Accept.” Maverick confirmed aloud, causing the box to fade until a slightly larger rectangular menu appeared.

This menu was more transparent and displayed a live - if somewhat static-filled - feed of the pearl white and blue mare’s face.

“What’s up Ive?” He asked, noting the serious and concerned look on her face.

“Storm’s heading back. I can see him heading back.” She replied before glancing off of the video feed and putting a rifle’s scope out into the view of the wasteland.

Talos, who also heard her, shared an equally confused look with Maverick for a moment.

“Already?” He asked, worry slowly starting to find its way to his mind as well. “It's nearly nine. He shouldn’t be back till around five.”

“Maybe he finally gave up.” Came Talos’ blunt response, earning him a less pleasant look from Maverick, before a gasp from Ivory silenced any further comments.

“He’s not alone!” She said before taking another look through a precision rifle’s scope on the feed.
“What? Who’s with hi-” Maverick asked but was cut off by the mare.

“Open the gate - quick! She might be hurt!”

“She?” Maverick questioned aloud - to no one in particular

“Well, well - looks like Storm finally found himself a piece of meat.” Talos chuckled imagining the possible appearance of this ‘she.’ “Think he’ll share?” The deprived griffon asked, earning a ‘the fuck?’ look from Maverick.

With that, the two males got on either side of the gate before holstering their weapons and opening the gate. They got it wide enough just in time to the bloodied armored form of their companion, his dark blue - and now slightly red - suit and purple visor were unmistakable, carrying an unconscious mare on his back.

Despite being safe inside the wall and anti-radiation spell provided by Ivory, the glare from the unforgiving sun blocked out a good view of Storm and his unconscious companion, so the others had to wait until he was inside the safety of the sealed gate before getting a good look.

Once inside, the suited stallion pressed a button on his suit’s chest piece before a metallic whir and hiss of air were heard within the helmet as the metallic plating was tethered apart and stored in a slot behind his head. Storm’s mane was coated in sweat and had a thin streak of crimson running down it to his cheek.

“Sweet Celestia,” Maverick began “What happened?”

“New Damned.” Came Storm’s deadpan response. “Got a good hit on me.”

“That’s not what I meant, man.” Maverick corrected, before gesturing to the unconscious mare on his back. “What happened there? What’s with the girl?”

“I’ll tell you in a bit. Lets get her inside first.”

Storm walked past the two, leaving a stunned Maverick and a pervertedly hopeful Talos to follow. Ivory appeared in the doorway, rifle slung around her back, and locked her own blue eyes with Storm’s piercing purple ones.

“She looked fine to me, but it would be better to check up on her.” He said.

Ivory agreed as she stepped aside to allow the two entrance into the lighthouse. Storm made his way to the relatively clean couch in the living room. He stepped to the side of it - and with Ivory’s help - guided the unconscious mare onto the couch.

Using her magic, Ivory levitated a small box of medical supplies and gear to her side. She prepped to examine the mare when Storm, who was standing over her shoulder, spoke up.

“I’ve got to handle something in the back. Can you make sure she is alright?”

Ivory gave a small smile and nodded.

Storm took one last look at the newcomer before he grabbed his Sweeper with his Tethertech and headed towards the hallway in the back of the place.

On the way, he passed by Maverick and Talos who had just come in from their contest. Both of which still expected an answer, but Storm’s ‘not now’ look was enough to hold off their curiosity, or at least one of theirs.

“Don’t even fucking think about it.” Storm stated looking Talos dead in the eye.

The griffon shook off the hungry look he had towards the perfectly clean pegasus mare on the couch with that sentence. Storm then continued on his way into the hall that led into the back of the building until he finally got to the familiar door at the end.

In his ‘excitement,’ Storm didn’t even think to knock as he opened the door to Nourish’s room to find the mare feeding Violet with a bottle. Both Raine and Violet had headphones over their ears as they had been warned before hoof about the shooting contest outside.

The mentioned mare looked up from feeding her colt and smiled weakly at Storm.

“You’re bleeding, hon.” She said calmly.

“I’ll live.” Storm replied, trying not to sound too indifferent. “Finally found something.”

Using his tethered limb, Storm reached into his suit’s storage compartment and pulled out the compact oxygen machine before setting it on the bed in front of the others.

Nourish had a look of disbelieving wonder on her face as she spoke. “Oh, honey, you didn’t have to do this.” She stated with sincerity but her expression was far more than joyful as she looked over the machine to find that it was still in good condition. “Does this mean you’ll be around more?” She asked hopefully.

Storm avoided her gaze and question prompting a sigh from the mare. “I guess not, huh?”

“Something came up.” He finally answered cautiously. “I’m going to make sure it's not a threat to us. Then we’ll see.”

“Something?”

Storm sighed, more in defeated confusion at the earlier scene than annoyance at her question. “Yeah, I’m still not sure about it myself but I found somepony out there. In the middle of the day. No suit or mask. Nothing.”

“Maybe they were suicidal? Just went out to wait it out?”

“No, it was like she appeared out of thin air.”

Nourish gave him a look like she had seen a ghost - or worse. “You really need a break from there, Storm. It’s making you see things.”

“She’s real. I touched her just to be sure. Carried her back here and everyone else saw her. I don’t know what she was doing out there or if she is alone but I’m going to figure that out the second she wakes up. If she belongs to one of those slaver groups, I don’t want a whole army on our asses. We’ll send her back.”

A brief flash of hurt held in Nourish’s eyes at the mention of those terrible creatures. “We should let her stay if she is.”

Storm was about to answer when he felt a rubbing sensation on his forehoof. Raine had knocked the headphones off and snuggled up next to his hoof while he had been distracted. “We aren’t invincible. Even if we do manage to hold off another group like that, we’d run dry on supplies or lose this place in the fight. One pony isn’t worth everyone’s lives.”

Nourish gave him a quizzical look. “I was.” She stated. “Or I would’ve been killed back in Salvus. You and Maverick risked everything for me. She is no different.”

“We’ll just wait till she wakes up before that call is made.” Storm replied as he looked down in surprise. Raine was nibbling on the thick fabric of his suit, trying to bite into it.

“He’s teething.” Nourish chuckled weakly.

The smallest of smiles formed on Storm’s face.

“Raine, honey, please give Storm his hoof back.” She asked while grabbing her infant son.

Storm didn’t push the foal off and patiently waited as her mother gently pried her off.

“Look, I’d better get back out there before daylight ends.” Storm said, changing the subject.

“Okay, just please don’t hurt yourself.” Nourish replied. “You don’t owe us anything, Storm. You’ve been more kind to us than this whole world has.”

Doesn’t that say something… Storm mentally scoffed.

He nodded before turning to leave. Storm was at the door when Nourish spoke up one last time.

“Going out there won’t fix anything. You can’t keep it bottled up, Storm. Sooner or later you have to let it out - let it all go.”

Storm halted for a moment. He contemplated turning back, but knew what she was trying to pry at. He wouldn’t have it.

Exiting the doorway and softly shutting the door behind him, Storm closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He knew Nourish meant well, but she had her own problems. Raising two - and soon to be three - children in this hell took priority over his own.

He didn’t know if that answer was the truth or just another excuse to keep running. Either way it would-

Then he heard it.

A groan.

“Ughhhh…” a scratchy female voice let out followed by a brief silence. “Twi? Girls? Are you there?”

Where the fuck is Ivory? Storm thought as it was clear their “guest” was awake and not being guarded.

“Are you playing a prank on me? Well, it's not working!” The voice continued, sounding more confident.

Storm barely heard a word of what she had said. His brain had already switched to survival mode as he retrieved his Sweeper from his back as quietly as possible.

Then more silence…

“Girls, seriously, this isn’t funny anymore! Where are you?!” The voice returned with a more slightly hysteric tone to it.

Storm had listened a bit more this time and was now at the end of the hallway, and should he round the corner - immediately to his left and against the same wall he was shouldered on - was the awakened stranger.

Keeping his weapon raised, the stallion mentally prepared himself knowing she was unarmed. Wait, maybe she knocked Ivory out - or worse… Maybe she got her rifle and is waiting…

Just in case… Storm thought as he switched the safety off.

In one fluid motion, he swung around the hallway entrance with his weapon’s wide-barrel aimed directly at the couch to find…

Nothing.

What the- His thoughts were interrupted when something slammed into him from the side.

Storm didn’t need long to think as he used the suit’s remaining thruster charge to slam his attacker - and himself into the wall. He heard a feminine grunt as the would-be assailant was smashed into the solid surface.

The impact sent the two tumbling with the mare on the ground at the wall’s base and Storm on the other side of the room with only a table dividing them.

The mare got to her hooves in an instant, determination and the slightest hint of fear in her eyes as she stared at the spot where he had landed, which was obstructed in her vision by the table. With a battle cry she leapt over the table with a hoof raised high to pummel her attacker only to be surprised.

He wasn’t there.

CLICK!

She heard an audible clicking sound to her right as if something was pumped or primed. Quick as lightning, the mare turned her head towards the sound and was met with five glowing barrels.

The last thing she remembered before the world went dark was the crackling of electricity and the feeling of being zapped.

Storm watched emotionlessly as the cyan mare’s body shuddered and shaked as the electricity coursed through her and knocked her out cold. He knew it wouldn’t kill her - just hurt like hell. He had designed this mode on the Sweeper to be for disabling only and wouldn’t have if Nourish hadn’t talked him into it.

The next thing he knew, multiple hoovesteps came running in his direction and he raised his weapon. Eyes locked on the closed front door and burning with violent determination, the stallion had no time to switch the weapon’s mode as the door was flung open to reveal…

His friends.

Ivory was first and worry coated her face. Maverick and Talos were right behind her - rifles in tethered limb and claw. Ivory looked from the mare, who had stopped thrashing and gone still right before she walked in, then up to Storm.

The light hum of his weapon and rounded bruise on his right cheek spoke for itself.

“I thought you were keeping an eye on her.” Storm said to the white unicorn.

Ivory was speechless for a moment after the scene, but found her voice. “I-I was. These two needed somepony to help them for a second so I left.”

Storm’s unamused expression forced her to continue.

“But I never thought she would wake up that soon! She seemed so out of it when you brought her.”

“What if she got to the guns?” He asked, coldly at first before his tone changed to a more hostile one. “What if she got to Nourish - the foals, huh?”

Ivory looked down in shame as he continued.

“Wait, what did you even need help with?” He sidetracked and moved his glance to the guys.

Maverick and Talos shared a look before the violet stallion rubbed a hoof on the back of his neck.

“Uh… cleaning up the bottles.” He answered sheepishly.

Storm clearly still wasn’t amused - or happy.

“It’s his fault, really!” Maverick said, shooting a hoof at Talos. “He was being a sore loser and wouldn’t pick up his half, so I asked Ivory to do it.”

“Why couldn’t you just do it?” Storm asked.

“Cuz the winner doesn’t suck up to the loser.” Maverick replied as he waved a hoof dismissively.

Still not amused.

“Okay, okay, maybe we didn’t handle it the bes-”

“Maybe? One slip up! One is all it takes and we are fucked!” Storm cut his friend off through clenched teeth. “Has being cooped up in here that long made you two forget that? Do I have to remind you what the fuck is out there?!”

Ivory flinched at the raising of his voice. Storm almost never got like this, but all anger had a boiling point. That was certain.

“Okay, sorry man, just calm down.” Maverick switched to sincere as he tried to approach Storm.

“Don’t even start that shit with me!” Storm was yelling now as he pointed a hoof towards the unconscious mare. “For all we know she is with the university community or some other group looking for shit they can take from us!”

Then he heard the cries of a foal coming from the backroom, probably set off in his verbal outburst.

“Perfect, fucking perfect!” He muttered.

Before it got any worse, Storm was able to force the lid back on his boiling emotions. He sighed before grabbing the mare off the ground and hoisting her up to the couch again.

“What are you doing?” Talos asked, being the only one not afraid to set him off - or more accurately - too dense to realize the possibility.

Storm reached into his suit’s back slot and pulled out some rope that he then used to bind her forelegs, wings, and hindlegs together before he answered.

“Making sure that doesn’t happen again.” He said without taking his eyes off his work, making sure the knots were secure. “We’ll question her when she wakes up.”

After a moment to catch his breath and return to his senses, Storm started to simmer down and decided to leave for a bit. Whether it was to get a break from the others or to give them a break from him was anypony’s guess. Not that it mattered - just had to happen.

He had left the front door of the residential cabin to the lighthouse and made his way to what used to be a boathouse down by the water. This “boathouse” was sectioned off from the main part of the gated lighthouse but still had Ivory’s radiation resistant spell over it.

Finding that spell hadn’t been easy as Storm had to search through many libraries and archives over the years while Ivory practiced to make an everlasting spell that would repel the sun's rays back out into what was left of the atmosphere. This spell was so perfectly honed that it would remain long after her death or until she found a way to cancel it.

As for the boathouse itself, it was more of a refined metal shed on the edge of the water. The windows had been boarded up with metal sheets and the wooden interior reinforced as well. Despite being armored with the scraps from the wall, the shed could also hold its own against Flares and the Damned - as Storm had been caught in there a few nights with no way to make it back in fear of leading the creatures right into the foals.

This was Storm’s “happy place” for a lack of better word. Nopony had anything even close to a happy place or safe space anymore to hide from the dangers of the world. The truth was that nowhere was safe - only not discovered by the danger - but sooner or later it would find them.

It always did…

Nevertheless, this shed was a sliver of what once was and his favorite place to get away from it all.

After making his way down the rocky trail of the bay’s overhang, Storm found himself on a creaky wooden dock leading up to the shed. Opening the steel door, he stepped inside and slammed it behind him a little harder than he had subconsciously meant to. The stallion moved a hoof to his right and flicked on a light switch, causing a flurry of dim bulbs to flicker to life.

One of the bulbs to the furthest corner facing the ocean tried to weakly flicker but went dark in the end.

Of course. Storm thought before using his tethered limb to reach for a nearby table where a small pocket sketchbook was sitting.

Grabbing the book, he flipped it over to the backside where a single piece of paper was taped to the back cover. Levitating a pen from the same table, he looked it over before adding a new box and objective.

To Do

⌧ - Fix gate

⃞ - Check suit for damage

⃞ - Replace bulbs

With a sigh, he placed the book down and pressed a hidden button on his suit’s collar. With an airtight hiss, the collar slowly rotated and unlocked, allowing him to unlatch it and step out of the suit like how a pony would have stepped out of an oversized hoodie.

The stallion dragged the suit to what used to be a mechanical chariot jack to fix wheels then hoisted the metallic outfit up to the hooks before securing it in place.

Storm looked over the suit - his pride and joy. He had helped make the thing back when it was his grandfather’s. That stolen and modified piece of steel and cloth had saved both of their flanks countless times and was the reason that one of them was still alive.

One of them.

Storm tried not to think about that night but it was impossible when his daily outfit was a physical reminder of it. Good thing he usually saw outward from inside of it and didn’t spend long staring at it. That was just asking for memories.

Not the good ones either.

Forcing himself to look away, the stallion glanced to his right where four more chariot jacks held various ATS suits that he had found over the years. Most of them were in obvious state of disrepair and damaged with the damages becoming more prominent the further from his own suit the line got.

The suit at the very end was no more than a destroyed helmet, chestplate and half a torso. It was obviously used for spare parts for the others when they could be salvaged. The one next to it was a little better as it had a full body but was missing various chunks of armor around the fore and hind hoof areas. It also had multiple tears, making it useless in the irradiated daytime. The third suit - and one closest to his own - was practically combat ready as it had no tears and barely any damaged armor plates.

The suit still had its original yellow and silver colors as it did when in service of the royal guard. In fact, all of the three other suits still had their original paint with heavy chipping technically making Storm’s own dull blue, grey, and bronze suit the outlier. It was practically a refurbished factory ATS suit as the only ‘fancy’ feature it possessed was the self-assembling helmet and communications system. Storm and his grandfather had to manually create and add in their modifications such as the hoof-mounted blade, thrusters, map systems, and more.

The third suit was technically Maverick’s as that was what he used the few times he had joined Storm on a supply run to another community, but he refused to accept help scavenging. It was a job that was on him. He couldn’t stand to get anyone else killed and would gladly throw himself on the blade for his friends.

It was all he had.

Moving his hoof up to the purple dot on his Tethertech, a faint beep resounded as the device displayed a transparent holo projector screen in front of its owner.

MAINTENANCE MODE ENGAGED - VOICE COMMANDS ACTIVATED

“Run diagnostics.” Storm said aloud while pointing the direction of his head to his own suit.

A flashlight beam appeared from the side of the ear-mounted module alongside a purple beam that snaked its way across the suit - scanning all the nooks and crannies - as it worked from helmet to hoof.

Storm stood almost perfectly still as the purple beam finished up its scan and disappeared back into the internals of the device, while the flashlight remained active. Luckily, the beam was off to the side and in no way hindered his viewing of the new text box that appeared suddenly.

DAMAGE SCANNED AND LOGGED

DIAGNOSTICS

HELMET - 87% INTEGRITY

CHESTPLATE - 72% INTEGRITY

LIMB PLATES - 98% INTEGRITY

BACKPLATE - 100 INTEGRITY

THRUSTERS - 2% INTEGRITY

WARNING: THRUSTER INTEGRITY CRITICAL - REPAIR IMMEDIATELY

“Give me highlights.” Storm said before the box filling his vision erased the text and turned into a multi-colored layout of a dull grey.

Different levels of damage were highlighted on his vision with green being small dents and scratches, yellow being medium damages, and red being critical damages. As expected, the only red part was the shoulder and hindleg-mounted thrusters.

“No matter what I do or how far away I go, I have to see red, huh?” Storm muttered to himself, but apparently not quietly enough as his Tethertech took it as a command.

PLAYING RED’S “SO FAR AWAY” NOW

Normally, Storm would have panicked and scrambled to shut any sound down - especially music - but in the confined four walls of his ‘workshed’ he felt more at ease. Not vulnerable, but not on edge either.

For the next couple of hours, the stallion started working in combination with his voice activated assistant, tethering nearby tools and repairing the damage to the best of his ability while a playlist of previously saved songs - from two decades ago - played distantly in the background.

Storm had actually been a huge rock and metal fan even before shit hit the fan - hell, it was one of the things him and Maverick talked about exclusively when they first met back in school. Now even in this tortuous world, he still tried to find time to sit back and listen to it but that had two major problems; the first being that it made noise and a lot of it. When Storm put on anything it was because he was in the mood to tear shit up or because he needed to tone out the world for a bit. Usually it was the latter. The second was that he hardly ever had any ‘sit back’ time. Either he was out scavenging, repairing shit here, or trying not to become a victim of the living or the dead.

Tonight was different. He hadn’t put it on purposely, but he didn’t turn it off either.

Just let it be.

Besides he had more-

A series of knocks on the shed’s door interrupted his thoughts.

“Storm, you alright? Can I come in?” A familiar female voice asked from the other side of the door.

Storm shut off the device’s radio and flashlight before answering her.

“Yeah. I’m coming.” He replied.

A moment later, he opened the door to see Ivory against the backdrop of the slowly setting sun. The mare had two heated cans of veggies in her blue magic.

“I brought you dinner.” She said, following his gaze to the cans and answering accordingly.

“You have it.” Storm replied as he glanced back to the suit. “I’ve got work to do.”

“Is this about earlier?” She asked with an expression of a mother chewing out a pouty filly or colt. “No matter what was said, you still need to eat. Words don’t change that.”

Storm eyed her for a brief moment before stepping aside and allowing her entry into the workshed.

The unicorn mare trotted over to a nearby table where two barstools sat. Placing the cans down, she hopped up onto the seat - despite her relatively short height - with ease. Ivory then used her magic to grab a fork that she brought with her.

Turning to see if Storm had hopefully relented, she was pleased to see him holding the can in his tethered appendage as he shuffled through a drawer on the same wall as the table.

“Sorry about the utensils. It’s the last clean fork we have right now.” She said, just now realizing what he was doing.

Storm didn’t reply as he finally found what he was looking for. The stallion pulled out a flathead screwdriver and began to timidly dig into his own can.

“Is that safe?” She asked in a half serious, half joking tone.

“Guess we’ll find out, huh?” Storm replied indifferently.

After that, both Ivory and him got quiet and the room was bathed in uncomfortable silence save for the sound of silverware - and screwdriver - on tin. Finally, it was Storm who broke the silence.

“Sorry I was an asshole.” He finally said.

The stallion was facing away from her but she already knew the expression on his face. He didn’t have many, but this one she hated. It meant something was really bothering him.

Ivory didn’t reply at first but instead placed her nearly finished can - and fork - on the table before hopping off the stool and heading to his side. The mare was nearly a head shorter than him, but tried her best to wrap her forehooves around his neck.

“You’re not an asshole, Storm.” She assured. “Just grouchy.”

Before anything further could be said, the two snapped their heads up when the sound of a scratchy feminine scream filled the evening air.

“Well, guess she’s awake.” Ivory commented, stating the obvious.

“Yeah, and is gonna wake up the whole fucking network if we don’t shut her up.” Storm replied as he grabbed his Sweeper with his tethered appendage.

Ivory opened the door with her magic and headed out with Storm hot on her heels, weapon gripped at the ready.

As the two made their way back to the residential cabin of the the lighthouse, Storm had only one thought;

This is going to be trouble…

Chapter 8 - "Fucking Perfect"

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Rainbow Dash felt like she had been struck by lightning. Her limbs ached, her fur had a slight tingling sensation to it as if the current was somehow still sizzling on her body, and her head hurt - really fucking hurt.

The mare tried to rub her head but couldn’t lift her hoof. Upon trying again, she realized that something rough and tight was restraining her appendage from moving more than a couple centimeters off of the-

Wait! Where was she?

Rainbow whipped her head frantically side to side, trying to get a grasp on her surroundings. She was in somepony’s very dirty living room judging by the coffee table in the center and two recliners in the corner. A busted television sat opposite the recliners, its cracked abyss of a screen reflected her own vague shape and colors.

She also spotted a front door that was facing her but shut. A large window that was boarded up with metallic sheets allowed only the smallest cracks of sunlight to shine through the room. Even the smallest light forced her to instinctively raise a wing - which was bound - to her eyes as she winced. The mare also found that she couldn’t turn her head directly behind her as she was bound back-down.

The uneasy feeling like a knot being forcefully tied in her stomach was beginning to turn into a full on panic. The taunt ropes binding her limbs to the couch also didn’t help - in fact, glancing at them only made her start to sweat or was she hyperventilating?

She didn’t know or care. Rainbow just wanted out.

This was all too much. It reminded her of…

No! No! No! Don’t go there! Rainbow mental batted herself as she pushed back memories that had been long since repressed.

But she couldn’t as the images came back to her - in waves at first - almost like cracks in a dam about to burst. More cracks, more holes, more leaks, and she couldn’t stop it.

The words - those nasty words that tore down her ego and confidence. Those scars - both literal and mental which stained her and took ages to bury. Now they were starting to resurface all because of a couple of ropes? No, it wasn’t just that. It was everything. It was all too similar.

Had she ever escaped or was she just now seeing for real?

She might have screamed. Dash didn’t know anymore. Her vision was clouded by vague images playing like some cheesy horror reel that she used to watch, only this time the fear was real. Very much so.

In her panic, Rainbow started to thrash in an attempt to break free from her makeshift prison. The ropes left faint burns and impressions on her hooves but she didn’t care.

She had to get out of there. Now!

Suddenly, the front door burst open and slammed into the wall. What or rather who she was meant with both relieved and terrified her.

Standing in the doorway before her was one pissed off looking pegasus stallion. He had an unkempt, medium length black and dull blue mane with a decently thick beard to match. It almost hid his near permanent scowl on his lips. Almost.

His piercing blue eyes were locked on hers and suddenly Dash could barely breathe. She had seen that look before despite it being on a different pony. It made her think she had beaten up his little sister, killed his dog, and burned his house down all at once. This look let her know she fucked up. Real bad.

“Are you trying to bring every fucking one of those things down on us?!” He asked, his tone demanding and a little bit cautious at the same time.

Rainbow couldn’t respond. She was still recovering from her… episode. Luckily or unluckily, the stallion answered for her.

“Silence is better than ringing the dinner bell, I guess.” He said to no pony in particular before stepping inside and shutting the door behind him.

Rainbow winced as the door - her only foreseeable escape route was just metaphorically slammed in her face. But she had other things to worry about now.

Without the glare of the setting sun in the background, she could make out the stallion in more detail. She had already identified most of his features, not that there was much. His coat was a lighter grey and was set apart by the multiple bruises and scars that were scattered here and there. One of the bruises directly on his jaw and leading onto his chin was fresh as if it had happened no more than a day ago.

Then she saw a strange object on his ear. This object looked like a slab of metal with a glowing purple circle in the middle. That faint glow was also present on the handle of what looked like the most lethal gun she had ever seen. The weapon was about the size of a rifle she had seen at Canterlot once, but with the major difference of it’s wide horizontal barrel that had five ends.

Wait! Five ends that were glowing blue…

Now that she focused, Rainbow also heard the faint crackling of electricity coming from the weapon. She had assumed it was emanating from the earpiece, but no - it was coming from a weapon that almost looked familiar to her.

The stallion seemed to notice her gaze at his weapon and spoke up. “Don’t make me use this again. Waste of a charge.”

Rainbow wanted to do so many things. On one hoof, she had a million questions that deserved answers but on the other hoof, she wanted to just break these restraints, pummel her captor’s face in, and escape out the front door and back into the embrace of her closest friends.

“W-what?” Was all that came out instead of her mentally planned ideas.

The stallion’s indifferent expression changed to one of slight confusion. “You don’t remember? Waking up here earlier?” He asked.

“I don’t even know where here is!” Rainbow replied, finally finding her voice. “I think I would remember some lumbering lunatic tying me up!”

“Lumbering lunatic, huh?” He muttered barely out of her earshot, “That’s a new one.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing. Forget it. Do you at least remember this?” With that question, the stallion pointed a hoof at the recent bruise on his muzzle.

Rainbow’s expression was all he needed for an answer. “Okay, well then what do you remember?”

“Like I’d tell you anything! Now untie me before I beat the snot out of you!”

“Yeah, you already tried that. Can we move on now?” The stallion replied, clearly not believing her empty threats. “I’ve got questions and need them answered - now.”

The way he emphasized the word ‘now’ made her uneasiness return. Rainbow didn’t like to admit it, but she was clearly out of her league here. This stranger was armed to the teeth in both defense and offensive with things she had never even seen before. She decided her best bet was to cooperate until she had an opening and then - he was history.

“Fine. Let's get this over with.” She replied and would have crossed her forelegs in irritation if she could.

“Who are you with?”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean - what group are you with?”

“Group? You mean my friends?”

“I mean the ones you stay and survive with.”

“Survive? You’ve lost your mind, buddy. I don’t stay with anypony. I live alone in my house and-”

“Bullshit.”

Rainbow didn’t look too pleased with his interruption.

“Nopony makes it long alone out here.”

“Here? You are on the same planet as me, right?”

“I’m wondering the same thing about you.” He replied, clearly growing tired of this. “Ya know what - forget the group part. How many of you are there?”

“Six, why?”

“Counting you?”

“Yes,” Rainbow replied, rolling her eyes as dramatically as possible. “Want to untie me now, asshole?”

“That depends. How do I know you won’t find these five others - if that's even the real amount - and wipe us out?”

“What?! Wipe you out? You really are sick in the head! Why would my friends want to kill anypony?

“Nopony wants to… You just have to.” He replied, looking down slightly.

Rainbow knew she had to get out of there. This guy was delusional, armed, and very likely to be dangerous.

“L-look, I swear there are only six of us. We aren’t killers and I promise you will never see me again.” She tried to convince him. “Untie me and I’ll be on my way back to Ponyville in no-”

“Ponyville? That's a two day walk from here. How did you get here without any filters or suit?”

“I don’t know! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. All I know is that my friends and I found this cave with a weird thing inside. I touched it and woke up here.”

He looked at her like she was the crazy one.

“Okay… we’ll table that for now.” He said while putting a hoof to the ear-piece.

A holographic box appeared in front of him that displayed the time to be 4:57 PM. After checking the clock, the stallion shut off the display and returned to her gaze.

“Another thing - how are you so… clean.”

“Are you kidding me?” Rainbow replied, not entirely understanding the question or rather - creepy flirting in her eyes. “It's not my fault that only one of us knows how to use a brush and a razor.”

“Alright. I’ve heard enough. I’ve got to be somewhere else right now…” He said while looking towards the boarded up window. The stallion then turned towards her and grabbed a knife out of a hip stealth with his ear-piece.

Rainbow’s eyes widened as he levitated it towards her.

“W-wait!” She struggled, seeing the instrument getting closer by the second, so she closed her eyes.

This made it all the more surprising when she felt one of the ropes loosen. Rainbow opened her eyes to see him cutting her binds off with relative ease. When all the ropes were cut, she sat up and rubbed the spots where they used to be.

Out of the corner of her vision, she saw the stallion eyeing her closely with his tethered grip on the weapon tightly.

Paranoid freak! She thought while flexing her wings and stretching slightly.

“Okay, uh - this has been an… experience.” She said, breaking the silence. “I’ll just be going now. “

“Now? You don’t even have a suit or weapon. How do you expect to make it to Ponyville like this?”

“Like this? What the hell is that supposed to mean? I can handle myself against anything the Everfree throws at me.”

“The Everfree is what you’re worried about? That's it?”

“No, smartass - I’m worried about missing my dinner reservations. Now get out of my way!” Rainbow replied as she tried to head for the exit but was blocked by a hoof.

“I can’t let you go out there. Not now. Wait until morning and I’ll lend you a spare suit and some supplies.”

“No offense dude, but I’d rather sleep on the street than spend one more moment with you.”

“Yeah, Likewise. And coming from somepony who has actually done that multiple times, it isn’t fun.”

Rainbow looked him over carefully. He was big, almost Big Macintosh sized. It also didn’t help that he was a pegasus too, meaning he would catch up to her given his strength and probably honed flight muscles. Going through him? Not an option. Outsmarting him?

Maybe…

The mare let out a fake sigh before meeting his gaze. “Okay, fine. I’ll stay. But just this one night!” She added to make her distaste known.

“I’ll go get bedding from the back. Stay here and don’t touch anything!” He replied as he passed her and headed for a hallway.

Before he was out of sight, he turned his head back to her and added “I mean it.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes at being talked to like some disobedient school filly.

The stallion opened a door, entered a room, and closed it behind him.

That was when she fled.

As quietly as possible, Rainbow opened the front door, not even bothering to shut it as she took off into the night sky.

“Ha! Sucker!” She called out while looking back, knowing he couldn’t hear her.

Looking down, she saw that she had been in some sort of lighthouse. A walled off lighthouse.

Of course he had to be one of those survival freaks. She thought before turning away from the fortified building.

First things first. Rainbow thought. Need to get my bearings and find out where I am.

Luckily, she saw a huge city right in front of her. She guessed it was either Manehatten or Los Pegasus, but had to be sure. It shouldn’t be hard. She would just swoop down and ask somepony where she was. Sure, she’d get some weird and annoyed looks but it's not like she’d ever come back here - especially with that creep - ever again.

Rainbow Dash spent the next five minutes flying through the outskirts of the city. She couldn’t really see much in the dark but saw that every single building was dark. No street lights, window lights, or anything. That was when she noticed something else.

There was nopony out. No late night partiers, night shift employees or anything. It was completely sil-

Then she heard it.

She heard the screams...

Meanwhile at the lighthouse…

Storm Surge returned with a small pile of blankets and pillows from Nourish’s spare stash on his back to find the front door wide open.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” He groaned before throwing the bedding down, rushing outside and looking around. He couldn’t see her anywhere.

“Fucking perfect!” He yelled, frustrated with himself more than her.

Storm had an idea and acted on it so fast he didn’t even register that he was doing it at first. In no time, Maverick’s number was being called on his Tethertech.

“Sup?” The voice of his bored friend said.

“Did you see her?!” Storm asked frantically.

“Who?” Maverick asked with a yawn.

“Forget it.” Storm irritatedly replied and hung up as Maverick was about to speak.

The stallion doubled timed it as he ran down to the docks, nearly tripping down into the waters below in the process. He practically knocked Ivory over, who was returning from the workshed with the cans and silverware, in his haste.

“Storm, what’s-”

“No time, just don’t wait up for me.” He replied while quickly slipping into his suit and powering it on.

The back compartment slid open and the plates of his helmet assembled around his head, returning the purple segmented vision he had gotten so used to over the years. Pulling his Sweeper off of his back and switching the mode from ‘stun’ to ‘lethal,’ he dodged a confused Ivory again as he sprinted out the door.

While running back up to the yard, Storm called Talos.

“Open the gate!”

“What, why?”

“Just do it!”

And with that he hung up just in time to arrive at the top of the dock’s path. Looking over to his left, he saw that Talos was in the process of pushing the gate open. He made it up to the griffon in record time and stopped only for a moment.

“Give me your sidearm.”

“Hell no, man get you-”

“Talos! I don’t have time for your bullshit right now!”

Storm’s tone seemed to work as his feathered companion handed over a small machine pistol, that the stallion stored on a magnetic holster on the suit’s hip. Continuing his mad dash into the unknown, Storm yelled back one last time.

“Seal the gate!”

He heard the rusty creaks grow fainter and fainter as Talos did as he was commanded, but Storm wasn’t focused on that. He was focused on-

Then he heard it.

He heard the screams...

Rainbow Dash’s heart stopped for a moment. She couldn’t wrap her head around the sounds she was hearing. It sounded like a choir was screaming, growling, moaning, and roaring all at once. The only way to discern anything out of the garbled sounds of terror were the different pitches and frequencies of each scream.

I gotta get out of here! She thought, not wanting to meet whatever made those noises.

With that thought in mind, the rainbow haired pegasus speeds through the city at a low altitude, hoping to find anypony to tell her where she was and what was going on.

Maybe I should have listened to that guy… She thought, before shaking her head. No, no, get it together, Rainbow! He’s just some lunatic and is probably getting to you! You still aren’t thinking straight - remembering ‘it’ does that to you, remember?

No matter the explanation, Rainbow still felt uneasy at the whole situation. She just wanted to find her friends so they could laugh this whole thing off and in a couple weeks, forget it would ever happen.

If only it were that easy.

If only.

Suddenly, Rainbow heard it.

“Is anypony there?” A female voice asked from below her.

Finally! Somepony who can tell me what's going on! Rainbow thought as she started to descend closer to the ground.

But something was off. The voice got more wrong the closer Rainbow moved to the ground. She didn’t hear it clearly until she was almost touching the street below her.

“iS aN-nyponY Th- eRe?” The distorted voice asked again.

The distorted voice sounded like the owner of it was struggling to get the words out as they botched the pitch and stuttered frequently, but it wasn’t the nervous stuttering of a colt or filly during a school presentation. It was like the voice’s owner was trying to figure out how to speak as if they were presumably mute their whole life.

Rainbow spread her wings and prepared to take off just in case as she scanned her surroundings. The area she was in looked to be some sort of meeting of alleyway where multiple buildings - presumably businesses - would store their trash, have ladder access points, and teens would come to smoke. In the alley were four buildings that surrounded her in a square fashion, almost boxing her in.

Rainbow Dash hated being trapped.

But she had no choice. It was this pony or that wackjob in the lighthouse to help her. Besides what did she have to fear? If anypony came out to mug or attack her she could just fly away - right?

Rainbow continued to scan her surroundings, looking from backdoor to backdoor and finding them all shut. Then she found one that was open.

A large opening in the back of the building to her left. It was one of those openings that would be closed with a large metal shutter and was used to back a delivery chariot so a store could restock, but this one was wide open.

She then heard the voice call out again.

“iS aN-nyponY Th- eRe?” The sound seemed to echo from the darkened shutter entrance.

“Yeah, I am.” Rainbow replied. “This is going to sound crazy, but I think I was drugged cuz I woke up somewhere that I’m not even familiar with. Can you tell me where I am?”

Silence.

The scuttling of something sharp rang out from inside of the pitch black entrance. A chittering, more demonic noise that one of Fluttershy’s birds would make resounded from within the building, causing Rainbow to subconsciously take a step back.

Then she saw it.

A filly.

Crawling out of the dark entrance was a brown and yellow pegasus filly that seemed to stumble and trip over itself with every step.

“Uh… kid? You okay?” She asked, weirded out by this newcomer.

“iS aN-nyponY Th- eRe?” The filly ask-

Wait! Her lips weren’t moving! And the sound didn’t come from the filly, but still came from inside the building. It was definitely closer than last time though.

As the filly came into full view, Rainbow’s voice caught in her throat. She couldn’t scream. She couldn’t run. She couldn’t fly. What she saw made her freeze.

From the waist up, the filly was perfectly normal albeit in need of a couple showers, but from the waist down - and where her hindlegs and tail should have been - was a conjumbled mess of flesh-like matter that led further into the darkness.

“iS aN-nyponY Th- eRe?” It repeated again.

Rainbow Dash wasn’t paying attention to the ‘filly’ at this point. She was too focused on the darkness that which the fleshy tube disappeared into.

Suddenly, two blue points of light appeared in the darkness. The lights looked almost like changeling eyes if they were held up to a light source, but these had two major differences. The first was that they were ‘wiggling’ sporadically as if they were a pair of upset foals squirming in a parent’s embrace.

The second was that they were three times her height off of the ground. The pair nearly touched the top of the shutter’s frame.

Then they locked on her. The two blue pinpricks stopped squirming and focused on her solely.

“iS aN-nyponY Th- eRe?”

Rainbow had enough.

She leapt into the air and flapped her wings only to feel a horrible stinging sensation in her right one. Letting out a cry of pair, Dash looked down quickly to see another fleshy appendage - with a spiked tip on the end - hooked inside of her feathered pride.

On instinct, Rainbow flapped harder to escape danger as her kind had always done. They used their Celestia-given gifts of wings to flee - or fight - danger as all pegasi had for centuries. This only amplified the pain tenfold as Dash screamed this time before she was yanked down forcefully.

The mare hit the concrete in a daze with her head making contact first. Her vision was beginning to swim slightly but she could still make out the ‘filly’ approaching her. It then locked eyes with her.

Not the terrifying blue ones, but the filly’s cold and dead ones, and to Dash it was somehow worse than the latter.

Rainbow still didn’t get a chance to see whatever had plunged itself into her wing, which made her both relieved and terrified at the same time. The blue eyes continued to seize her up for a few moments more. Dash refused to move, scream, or even breath during those moments.

Quick as a flash, the ‘filly’ was dragged into the darkness and out of sight. The blue eyes turned away from her and for a moment Rainbow thought that she had convinced the thing she was dead.

If only it were that easy.

If only…

Rainbow felt a sharp tug on her impaled wing and her eyes widened to the size of grapefruits when she realized what it was doing.

It was dragging her away into whatever dark crevice it crawled out of.

“No! Celestia-dammit no!” She screamed while trying to pry the meaty hook from her feathered appendage to no avail. The more she struggled the more the pain amplified, causing fresh tears to be squeezed from her eyes and run down her cheeks. She wasn’t sure if her injuries or the tears were clouding her vision.

Another tug. Another wave of pain. Another scream.

Another inch closer to her demise.

Rainbow had so much she wanted to do in life! She wanted to finally fulfill her dream of joining the Wonderbolts, see the world, find a special somepony - all of which she would never be able to with whatever plans this thing had-

The sound of something whirring nearby broke her presumably last thoughts but she didn’t turn her head away from the dark entrance that she now lay defeated at the foot of. This gave her the perfect view of a volley of tiny projectiles flooding into the darkness.

The thing dragging her away screeched in either pain or anger as it roughly retracted it’s spiked limb from Rainbow Dash and disappeared completely out of sight.

But she heard it.

Screeches, scuttling of sharp talons, and the breaking of glass inside the building were heard, but thankfully the sounds were getting further gradually. Rainbow used her forehooves to backpedal away from the abyss that was the shutter entrance until she bumped into something.

Something living.

She shrieked and spun around to have something firm pressed against her muzzle, clamping it shut.

It was a hoof. A clothed hoof.

“Keep quiet! That thing isn’t alone!” A familiar male voice - modified by a slight metallic filter - commanded in a hushed tone.

Rainbow didn’t argue and instead nodded frantically as she looked up to see a dark blue helmet with a purple visor glaring down at her.

The suited stallion removed his hoof and fixed his gaze at the entrance.

“Are you hurt?” He whispered, switching on the flashlight to his weapon and revealing nothing but a blue and crimson blood trail inside the jewelry store before them.

Rainbow didn’t want to look, but knew she had to. Slowly, she brought her right wing up to her face and almost fainted at the sight.

There was a gaping hole in the middle of it where her primary feathers should have been. Blood leaked out of it and onto her lap.

The stallion took his eyes off of the entrance and took notice of her injuries.

“Here.” He said before reaching into a side compartment on the suit and grabbing some bandages that he wrapped the wing in. “That’ll stop the bleeding but we have to get out of here now!”

Almost as if on cue, more shrieks filled the alley from seemingly all sides. The stallion frantically whipped his weapon from side to side, the flashlight beam scanning over everything. Quick as can be, he reached into his suit and pulled out another ear-piece object.

“Put this on. It’s easier to handle weapons with.” He ordered.

Rainbow did as she was instructed, the device clipped into place easily and started glowing a light blue. After a few seconds of figuring it out, she created a blue appendage and flexed it as a test.

“Can you run?” He asked, handing over the machine pistol taken from Talos to the shaken up mare.

“Y-yeah. I think.” Rainbow replied, getting to her hooves and gripping the weapon.

“Then start running.”

As soon as those words left his mouth, the screams stopped.

Rainbow looked to him for answers but the stallion’s gaze ignored her as he looked to every possible alley entrance. He pressed something on the suit’s chestplate and a compartment with a large hole on it rose from his left shoulder plating.

“Why the fuck aren’t we running?!” She asked, still whispering.

“Cover your eyes when I say, got it?”

“What? We need to be getting out of here!”

“Not gonna happen. Took me a moment but I figured out what attacked you - and it doesn’t let anyone get away. So we kill it or it kills us.”

“And how do we do that?”

“Aim for the eyes. The things inside keep them animated and functional.”

“That makes no sense, but whatever. As long as it dies I don’t care!”

Faintly as a whisper, the two could hear pained breathing. Rainbow whipped her head about while the stallion stood still, rooted to the spot and poised for the kill.

“Shit…” Was all she heard him mutter under his breath before she was grabbed and knocked to the ground on her back.

“Now!” He yelled, and Rainbow put her hooves up to shield her eyes.

Even with her vision defended, she still saw something white and extremely bright being discharged from his suit. Directly above, which was now in front of her, she heard screeches of pain and the scrapping of sharp limbs as something thrashed in pain.

Rainbow then felt something firm, but not too rough get her to her hooves. It might have been him or it might have been herself. She wasn’t sure because her focus wasn’t on that.

Dash’s focus was on the monster before her.

It was huge - three maybe four ponies tall in total - but barely resembled anything she recognized. The head was clearly equine-like even with the torn open muzzle, dried lips, and hungry blue eyes, but that was about where the similarities ended. The creature’s body was a mess of flesh-like tubes, appendages, and sharpened material which resembled bone. She couldn’t count them as it was thrashing like an overturned spider. Rainbow couldn’t even tell where the bone ended and the flesh began in some spots - not that she wanted to look at the struggling thing for much longer.

The stallion on the other hoof wasn’t taking this time to sight see. He charged the thing and jumped at it, pinning it’s head and snapping jaws to the concrete while putting his body - and suit - weight on its writhing body. The creature continued to blindly thrash as the flash hadn’t completely worn off yet. It aimlessly flung its few free limbs and tried to find it’s attacker, who barely dodged each swing. His strength was clear but the creature could overpower him given time.

Something they were running out of.

“You gonna take a fucking picture or help?!” He yelled, sounding slightly out of breath.

Rainbow snapped out of it and rushed around the thing as she didn’t dare to get closer than necessary.

“What are you waiting for?! Take out the eyes! I’ll hold it!” He continued, barley dodging another swipe.

Rainbow raised the pistol and after a few moments of adjusting to aiming with a ‘makeshift horn’ she huffed in frustration.

“I can’t get a good shot. You’re in the way!” She replied.

“Oh for fucks sa-” Was all he got out before the thing batted him off with a tendril.

The suited stallion went flying back into the wall and managed to barely catch himself.

“Get back!” He commanded. “It’ll tear you to shreds without armor!”

The creature found its footing as it began to rise up while using its squirming appendages to balance itself. It rose to full height and looked down at its attacker with hatred and hunger burning in its eyes.

Rainbow swore she saw him return the same - if not a greater - look of hatred towards the beast. The two were sizing each other up and waiting for the opposer to make a move. She still couldn’t get over the size of the thing. It towered over the stallion despite him being a head taller than herself. The creature was clearly trying to use its size to intimidate the two and it was working.

On one of them.

“The opening!” The stallion called to her from the other side of the creature. “Get inside and find the shutter’s control box!”

Rainbow did as she was told and sprinted to the darkened store. After dodging a stray tendril, she made it and was a little weary of the darkness coating the place due to her recent - and ongoing - encounter but was relieved when her ear-piece activated a flashlight beam automatically.

Huh, neat. She thought while frantically looking around the nearby walls.

“I don’t see anything!” She called out.

By this point, the creature had attempted to strike her armored companion but he was able to thrust out of the way before returning fire. Almost as if it had anticipated the attack, the creature used its limbs to make its main body and head nearly impossible to hit. The creature raised two more spiked appendages and was in the process of striking when another white flash filled it’s vision.

The thing started screeching and shrieking as it raised some of its limbs to its face while the remaining ones lashed out in a blind attempt to strike its assailant. The stallion used this time to dash past the creature, barely dodging to prevent his head from getting sliced off by sliding underneath a stray spike. He barged into the store and joined Rainbow in her search for the box.

“Ah ha!” Rainbow exclaimed in triumph. “Found it!”

He practically shoved her out of the way as he tore the box’s door off the hinges. His ear-piece’s flashlight came to life and illuminated the box’s contents revealing components that Rainbow was clueless to their purpose.

“You actually think a door will stop that fucking thing?!” She asked while keeping her gaze fixed on the recovering beast.

“I’m not trying to stop it - I’m trying to kill it, remember?” He replied sarcastically while fiddling with the internals of the box.

The creature was definitely pissed off now as it whipped its head around and locked eyes with Rainbow instantly. If the glare wasn’t enough of a sign, the violently snapping tendrils started to carry the thing towards the duo.

“It’s coming!” She yelled.

The stallion’s pace quickened and in a second, he turned his head from the box while his hooves were still inside of it. The creature had to take a moment to duck down and fit into the entrance and when it did, he connected two wires and the metal shutter from above slammed down faster than Rainbow thought possible as it took the creature to the floor with it.

The creature let out a wheeze of surprise and pain as it was suddenly struck and then pinned to the cold hard floor. Three of it’s tendrils had made it inside, but were sliced off in the downward assault of the shutter. The thing thrashed so violently that Rainbow thought it was going to force the shutter off of it right then and there.

But it didn’t.

Instead, the stallion lined up his slab-barreled weapon with the creature’s eyes - made easier by it’s pinned down head. Without another word, he pulled the trigger and five holes were torn through its face, two of which in each eye socket.

The creature let out a few more pitiful sounds and struggled before it dropped dead. A blue glow started to drain as some strange substance leaked onto the floor and dried out into a dull grey-blue hue.

Rainbow just kept her eyes on the dead thing, not even noticing as the stallion disengaged the shutter override and lifted the metal doors up. He walked over to the corpse and grabbed a tendril in his tethered grip before laying it out straight like a rope without slack.

Then he raised a hoof and stomped down as hard as possible.

In one swift strike, the fleshy appendage was cut clean in two.

Rainbow half expected the thing to get mad and rise up to finish them off before remembering the creature’s recent demise. Instead, the body slightly rocked as the impact from the attack moved it.

The stallion continued to do this to the two dozen limbs, and was getting a considerable amount of blood and bits on his suited hooves, but it didn’t phase him.

“Those eyes are also alive too.” He stated, answering a question she hadn’t verbally asked but was thinking. “If more of them find its corpse and dig in, this thing would just rise up again.”

“Do you do that to all of them?” Rainbow asked, not sure of what else to say besides try to continue the conversation. Anything but thinking about her brush with death.

“No,” He answered after another stomp. “Just the ones that are a pain in the ass.”

“W-what is it?”

“A Mimic.” He replied while holding up the tendril-bound ‘filly.’

“Yeah, I get it.” Rainbow said, trying to look away from the sight.

A moment later and the Mimic was dismembered to the stallion’s satisfaction. Part of her wanted to run right then and there, but Rainbow would rather never see that thing again.

“Let’s get you back and Ivory will look at your wing.” He said, while rubbing his clothed hooves off with a nearby rag.

“Hold on - how are you so calm about all of this?! And how do you know what that is?!” She asked, raising her voice.

“Keep your fucking voice down - unless you want it’s friends to find us too.” He scolded, checking his weapon’s ammo count. “And how do you not know what that is? Does your group never leave your house or something?”

“Well, yeah, but we never saw some abomination out of all Haywood’s horror movies all mashed together!”

“You’ve never seen a Damned before? I find that hard to believe.”

“Damned? You called that thing a Mimic. Which one is it?”

He gave her a look like she just told him putting a gun to his head and pulling the trigger would have zero consequences.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No - I’m not, genius!” She replied with a mixture of post-stress fear and irritation in her tone.

“Okay, you know what - let’s table this till we get back to the lighthouse. I don’t feel like getting jumped by anything else because you can’t learn how to put a sock in it.”

Rainbow wanted to retort, but he was already leaving the building.

“You coming? I really don’t feel like having to kill another newly turned Damned tomorrow.”

She growled softly and muttered a string of curses under her breath, but still caught up to him.

Twenty minutes later…

A couple minutes of what felt like hours to Rainbow later, the two had snuck past shadowy shapes and moans of terrible things she couldn’t help but picture in her mind, and were at the gate of the fenced off lighthouse.

“Talos! We’re back - open the gate!” He called to the other side of the wall.

No response.

“You’re friend fall asleep on the job?” Rainbow asked, chuckling slightly at her own joke.

“No, probably has headphones in again. I’m gonna kick his ass if that's the case.” The stallion replied, with Rainbow only hearing the first sentence as the second one was muttered under his breath.

“Talos!”

Again, nothing.

“Fuck it, I’ll do it myself.” He stated, holstering his weapon on his back and messing with the nearby control box.

Rainbow waited impatiently, fidgeting and tapping a hoof on the ground absently. She was trying to distract herself from whatever nightmare she was in right now, but joking and avoiding the subject wasn’t working quite so well.

Finally, the gate started to creak open, allowing the two to step inside. He sealed the gate shut behind them and the duo continued up to the residential cabin of the lighthouse.

Along the way, Rainbow looked for any signs of this ‘Talos’ or ‘Ivory’ he had mentioned but the place seemed baron. Like they were the only ones in it.

“They probably went to sleep or some shit.” Came her companion’s answer to an unasked, but thought question.

Damn, he is good at that. She thought with a mixture of impressed and a little unnerved feelings about his ability to read others.

The two entered the house and the stallion shut the door behind them. Rainbow’s wing had mostly gone numb by now and that worried her greatly. Her bandage was also practically red rather than the white it had once been.

“Go sit down on the couch. I’ll get more bandages and meet you back here.” He said before heading for the hallway.

What does he want? Rainbow thought. She had been asking herself that a lot recently, but now had to know.

“Wait, why are you doing this?” She finally asked, causing him to halt for a moment.

“You want honest?” He asked, turning to face her.

She nodded.

“I have to make sure you aren’t bullshitting me about this group of yours. If you are stronger than you said - and try to put my group in danger - then I can put a stop to it.”

“You mean shoot me?” She asked, unamused.

His look was enough of an answer.

“Okay, great to know.” She said with a hint of sarcasm.

“Hey, you asked.” Was all he said before turning back and heading into another room.

Rainbow returned to the couch to find that the pieces of rope hadn’t been cleaned up. She couldn’t help but look at the items before roughly shoving them aside and trying to keep tears of repressed memories from her eyes. Then she sat down and had time to look at the room better.

She noticed multiple makeshift cots on the floor with old and stained bedding on top.

Where are his friends? She thought, but before she could think any further, he returned.

The stallion had a couple of medication bottles and more bandages in a pile tethered close to him that he dumped on the coffee table next to her.

“Alright, I’ll wake her up and she will have you patched up in no time.” He said before turning and heading towards the door.

But he didn’t go to the door. Instead he went to one of the empty cots and put his hoof next to the bed’s surface but just above it.

Then he began to shake his hoof back and forth against the air.

Rainbow was confused and was about to say something until he spoke.

“Ivory - wake up. I need help with something.” He said to the empty cot.

Then it dawned on Rainbow.

Once the stallion seemed satisfied that ‘Ivory’ was awake, he stood up and gestured to Rainbow.

“She went outside and got clipped up pretty bad. Can you take a look at her?”

“Uh… Are you okay there?” Rainbow asked.

The stallion turned to his left for a moment before realizing who she was addressing. “Me? Yeah, why?”

“I don’t know how else to say this, buddy - but there is nopony there.”

“What?” He asked and nearly let out something resembling a chuckle. “Are you blind or something? She is right here.”

“No, I mean there is not anything there. You’re seeing things!” She tried again, more serious this time.

“Yeah, can we cut the bulls-” He replied but was cut off once he turned back to his left side.

She assumed he saw for real this time judging by his reaction.

Rainbow didn’t know exactly what he was thinking but his expression wasn’t a good one - that’s for sure. He looked stunned, confused, even a little horrified. To put it simply...

He looked broken.

Chapter 9 - "Always"

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It was real.

No - it couldn’t have been! They were beside him all this time and would be until the bitter end - right? That’s what the stunned stallion had thought, no clung to ever since shit hit the fan.

His friends never mentioned the elephant in the room of how long they would last before the jaws of death finally caught up to them, instead they just lived day to day and hoped that it could wait for another sunrise. They all had ways to distract themselves from their inevitable ends, but Storm’s only distraction was them.

They were all he had.

He never thought about it or stated it aloud but it was clear he would have blown his head off long ago if they hadn’t needed him to stay alive. They needed him and he needed them. Sometimes the line drawn of who was in need more was shifted or blurred but right now it was clear.

He needed them.

“No, no, no…” Storm muttered to himself as he looked down at the four empty cots where Maverick, Ivory, and Talos would have been - no should have been.

He had completely forgotten about the rainbow-maned mare in front of him, who was probably trying to say something to him, but he couldn’t hear her.

All he heard was the ringing.

That damn ringing. It repeatedly thumped in his head over and over like a hammer would to a nail until he couldn’t take it anymore.

CLANG!

Storm had absently dropped his Sweeper - the weapon clattering to the ground loudly. He turned to the hall and took off down it before practically slamming into the door.

Then he saw it - or rather, them.

Propped up against the backboard of the stained bed was a rotting skeleton of a pony with a smaller skeleton cradled in its arms.

A foal’s skeleton.

Further down and towards the foot of the bed was another foal skeleton. Storm remembered that spot as the same one he sat at just two nights ago to comfort Raine.

Then it hit him.

He had been cradling a corpse. A fucking foal’s corpse.

Storm just kept staring at the sight before him. He didn’t blink, didn’t speak, didn’t move. Just stared while the deafening sounds in his ears assaulted him.

A feminine gasp came from behind him, but he didn’t hear or acknowledge it.

The only thing that could possibly take his eyes off of the gruesome sight were three more skeletons which were scattered at the foot of the bed. The closest one to his slightly trembling hooves was missing half of it’s skull, but the lower half of a beak and talons on the end of it’s arms confirmed what or rather who it was. In between the griffon remains and bed were two more equine skeletons. One had broken ribs and thin bones where wings should have been. The other had a horn on it’s cracked skull.

Rainbow Dash didn’t know what to do. She had helped defeat Nightmare Moon, Discord, and many others alongside them. She had overcome so many challenges both big and small in her life that all looked like a breeze compared to this.

How long had this guy been living like this? Were his friends even alive in the first place? It didn’t matter. They were gone and he was alone.

Alone.

Rainbow Dash portrayed herself as the most fearsome and dexterous pony in all of Equestria, but even she had her own fears - and being alone was at the top of the list. She rarely ever had to worry about that with five of the Equestria’s most awesome friends at her side, but the thought of something creating a wedge between them and leaving her alone terrified her, but she would never admit that to anyone.

Never.

Nevertheless, she had a faint sense of what the stallion in front of her was going through. She wanted to help even if her only interactions with him so far had involved nothing but rudeness or violence so far. Nopony deserved this kind of fate.

She was going to try and get his attention - for what purpose was lost on even her - but she had to do something. Anything was better than standing in the doorway to a den of death. Dash might have been attempting to pry her gaze off of the sights before her and turn to him, but she noticed something else in the room in the process.

A reddish-brown string of words were scrawled onto the wall behind the gruesome scene that read;

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FUCK WITH US!

Rainbow didn’t have to be a genius to piece together some sort of puzzle about what happened with the text. The silence of the room was beginning to unnerve her. Most ponies would have screamed, broke down and cried if they ever discovered something this awful but he wasn’t.

He was just standing there and staring.

The only sign that he wasn’t a painted sculpture was that in the short amount of time she had looked away from him, his gaze had also found the writing on the wall and now it was stuck there.

Without a word, the stallion turned around and walked past her. Rainbow had to dodge against the wall slightly to avoid being knocked over in his unresponsive retreat as he seemingly didn’t even register that she was there.

Rainbow had so much she wanted to say. She wanted to ask what exactly happened. Ask who could be heartless enough to do this and what they meant by fucking with them. She wanted to try and get him to respond. Anything but this quiet game that was bound to end terribly. She could tell that much just by his reaction. Instead all she got out was;

“Hey…”

No response. Not even a glance back in her direction.

“Hey…” She tried again only to get the same result. Rainbow knew she had to do something.

“Hey!” This time she had caught up to him and tugged on his shoulder plate. “Say something, any-”

She stopped mid-sentence when he swiftly and roughly shrugged her hoof off and turned to face her faster than she thought possible. The look he gave her practically screamed that she was going to be torn apart then and there.

“I want you gone by morning.” He stated coldly.

“What?” She asked more out of reaction than confusion.

“You heard me.” He replied. “Get a suit, keep the pistol, and get the fuck out of here.”

Then he turned away again and continued heading for the living room.

Rainbow was stunned. She was trying to make sure he was okay - if it could be called that - but instead all she got was some asshole parent telling their foal that they had reduced curfew after a stupid comment.

“What the hell gives?!” Rainbow shouted at him, nearly forgetting the recent discovery as the stress of everything that has happened so far finally reached a breaking point at his attitude. “I’m trying to help you and ‘fucking leave’ is your response?!”

He stopped, but didn’t face her.

“Help me?” He restated before snapping around to her. “You’re trying to help me? Real fucking help you’ve been so far - running off and nearly getting us both killed. Then I drag your ass back here and find out that the only family I had left is gone and to top it all off - I’ve been running errands for Celestia-knows how fucking long for corpses that can’t even use the shit I’ve risked my neck for!”

“How the hell am I supposed to know that I would wake up in some nightmare world where there are monsters and insane assholes at every turn?!” She spat back. “You think I asked for this? I would much rather be at home or chilling with my friends than here! You could have kept whatever this is to yourself and continued to bunk with your ‘friends’ for all I care!”

Rainbow almost didn’t realize what she said at the last part until it was out of her mouth. At first she was shocked and almost apologetic, but that quickly turned to fear when he didn’t respond to her outburst. She thought for sure she had struck a nerve and that he was planning to fully take out whatever anger he held in on her right here and now as soon as his ear-piece began glowing and it picked up the discarded weapon on the floor in between them.

But death never came.

Instead, he levitated the weapon onto his back and turned around before uncharacteristically opening the door gently rather than expectedly slamming it open. He stepped out without another word.

“Wait, I didn-” She tried to apologize when-

SLAM!

Yep. There it was.

Rainbow decided that it probably wasn’t the best idea to follow him at least until he calmed down so she resolved to head back over to the couch where the bandages were. As she wrapped a bundle in her hooves and prepared to wrap her injured wing, she couldn’t get the way he snapped at her out of her head.

It was too familiar. The indifferent, almost cold response. The aggressive and life threatening tone. The feeling made her shudder slightly in a way she hadn’t in so long. It was way too similar. It reminded her of him.

Storm was a patient stallion. He had lived with a griffon that seemingly tried to annoy the shit out of everyone in the group for fun, his best friend practically coined the term ‘punny,’ a mare that couldn’t go more than a few sentences without flirting, and in addition - two very ‘expressive’ foals for a majority of his life.

But something in him had snapped. Maybe it was the sight of his only family dead at his hooves, maybe it was the fact that he had been living some illusion for who knows how long, maybe it was having to babysit a full grown mare who was more daring and brash than Talos and Maverick combined, or maybe the stress of everything finally got to him.

He didn’t even know his own age and wouldn’t have known what year it was if it weren’t for his suit’s interface. He had forgotten so much that he wanted to remember and wanted to forget so much more that wouldn’t leave him. No matter how hard he tried.

Was this hell? Was he finally being punished for all the shit he had caused and his friends were made just for this very moment? Were they made to give him the slimmest sliver of hope before being yanked away just so whatever fucked up God had him constrained to this world could be entertained?

Storm didn’t know. He didn’t care. He only cared about them - or so he wanted to believe. He didn’t know if his supply runs were actually for them or for him. They were the one thing where he was required to concentrate one hundred percent on the task or he would die. It was the perfect distraction from thinking.

Was this the real reason he was out risking his life all day? Not for his group, but to fulfill his own selfish needs of running? No, surely it was because he couldn’t face his own demons so then he could at least keep others from being consumed by their own…

Right?

He didn’t know. Not anymore. He couldn’t think and didn’t know what to feel. All Storm knew was that he had to get out of there before he took any of it - or anymore of it - out on that mare. She might be a pain in his flank, but she wasn’t the problem. He already knew what the problem was...

Just not how to solve it…

It had taken him everything to not vent - no, unleash - any of that anger on her right then and there. He just had to make it out of there. Anywhere but that sight. Those words.

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FUCK WITH US!

What did that mean? Who did they mess with to prompt that - or more importantly why weren’t they dead before even getting the chance to hurt his friends? Then a thought hit him. A terrible thought that he tried to beat down like he would to a pissed off Damned attempting to take his throat.

Did I do that? He couldn’t help but think.

It was entirely possible. If he had been hallucinating all this time then maybe he accidentally or even purposely killed them.

Storm didn’t realize it at first but he had been starting to breath heavier. His jaw was set and teeth clenched tightly, which were now starting to ache from being in that position for however long. His wings were also being harshly pressed into his sides.

He managed to pry his wings free and breath a little more evenly, but he couldn’t unclench his teeth. It felt like they were the only thing keeping him from exploding right then and there. He couldn’t yet. Not until he was far enough away from her.

He was feeling the weight of everything all at once. Anger, sadness, guilt - all the emotions that had been festering up inside of him for years were now boiling up like a pot of scalding hot water with a sealed lid that in time would burst open.

And he was close.

Dangerously close.

But he couldn’t burst just yet. Not when somepony else was watching. Even if he barely knew the mare who was dropped in front of him the day prior - hell, he didn’t even know her name still - but that didn’t change anything.

He wouldn’t show everything that had been eating away at him long before the world went to shit but now he couldn’t. Letting your emotions out made you look weak. Looking weak got you killed. Either something out there got you killed or something inside would.

Finally, he had reached the workshed where he practically broke the door down to get inside before slamming it shut and collapsing on the other side with his back sliding down the door. The metallic scraping on the wooden door resounded through the whole place, but it was better than the silence.

Anything was.

Storm crossed his forelegs and placed them on his chest before burying his head into them and sighing. His outtake of breath sounded more like an attempt to hold in a breakdown than just a sigh.

He didn’t know what to go or where to go now. What would he do now that they were gone. He could just go out there until something finally killed him and that would be the end. Storm Surge; one of the last survivors of this hellhole - taken not by any of the horrors Equestria had fallen to but rather his own guilt.

“I guess it’s true what they say, huh?” A male voice asked from directly in front of him.

Storm shot his head up and pulled his Sweeper from his back while deactivating the safely all in one motion. The weapon’s flashlight beam scanned the dark shed and discovered nothing.

No one was there.

“The only one strong enough to kill you, is you.” The voice continued. “Funny isn’t it?” This time it was right in his ear.

Whipping his head left revealed nothing once again. Storm stopped moving and held his breath as he listened for any sound of the voice’s owner. After a few moments, he started to think that he was just imagining things and was turning back to resume his earlier position.

That's when he saw him.

Then it started to come back.

“Can you hear me, asshole?!” A rugged male voice asked.

Storm could in fact hear him now that the ringing in his ears had started to dissipate, but he couldn’t see the owner of the voice as a flashlight clipped to a rifle barrel was aimed directly at his face. His lack of vision didn’t mean much as he already knew who the voice belonged to.

Something hard and blunt stuck him on the side of the head, causing him to fall to his side before being yanked up roughly.

“I asked you a question!” It continued.

Suddenly, the flashlight beam was removed from his vision, allowing Storm to see the dark purple stallion with a stained green mane who the voice belonged to. The stallion’s expression conveyed a mixture of slight annoyance and sadistic enjoyment at once.

Despite the proximity of the stallion’s face, Storm wasn’t focused on it but was rather listening to the sounds of the stallion’s friends having their way with Ivory and Nourish just meters away from his downed position. The two mares clearly weren’t enjoying themselves as inferred by the sobbing, gagging, and grunts of pain when one was stuck violently across the face or cut with one of the stallion’s blades.

Storm couldn’t look the stallion in front of him directly in the eye as his comrades continued to violate his own friends.

“You hear that?” The stallion continued. “That’s the sound of what happens when you fuck with us, asshole!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Storm spotted the recently deceased corpses of his best friend and helpful annoyance, Maverick and Talos. The once boastful and filterless griffon was now missing most of his head as it had been blown off by a sniper while he was on watch duty. Instead only a portion of his lower jaw and back of his skull remained.

He was the lucky one…

Normal it would be crazy to call someone who’s head had been blown off as lucky, but it was the truth. Talos had the quickest death. He had probably only heard the shot, felt the pain for maybe a fraction of a second, then everything would have gone black.

Maverick wasn’t so lucky.

The violet pegasus had been in Storm’s position at first. They were both shot multiple times in the gut and hindlegs, rendering them immobile and at their attacker’s mercy. The two still managed to take out a considerable amount of their attackers while downed, but their sheer numbers overwhelmed in the end.

They were dragged into an upright sitting position along with Ivory and the pregnant Nourish while a purple and green stallion - who they assumed was their leader - had asked who the leader of their own group was.

When nopony would answer, the leader had pulled a pistol on Raine, who was balling loudly after the chaos of the fight had woken her up. Nourish begged and pleaded for them to take her life instead but the leader still waited expectedly for an answer. While it was true that the group had no official leader, somepony had to take the blame.

And that somepony was Storm.

Afterall, the attack on their community was his idea. Storm had been out bartering for supplies when he came across them - a group of nearly two hundred stallions and about sixty mares all holed up in the remains of Manehatten’s hospital. Storm had discovered the true nature of the place - that it was a breeding facility and its owners were the sickest pieces of shit the wasteland could produce.

While he wanted nothing more than to drop every stallion in that place, Storm wasn’t stupid. He knew he couldn’t take on two hundred armed ponies by himself, but he was also desperate. About this time, Nourish had been with them for over a month and they had to prepare for the birth of her third foal. They lacked all sorts of equipment and medicine needed for a nonfatal labor session but now in the middle of a decently-well stocked hospital, the answer had been clear to Storm.

They had to steal the supplies.

Later that same night, Maverick, Talos, and himself snuck in, took out guards, and had made it out with some medicine and small machines for the birth. They would have made it out clean, but Talos managed to lose his Tethertech in the building, thus giving them a holographic map of where they laid their heads and brought them to this point.

It brought them to their end.

The leader of the hospital community smiled upon finally getting his answer. He lowered the pistol with his magic and turned to Nourish.

“See? A little cooperation is all it takes.” He said with a sincere smile.

Then in a flash, he raised the pistol once again and fired.

BANG!

Raine’s tiny head stood no chance as it became a crimson paste on the wall.

Nourish screamed, Ivory had tears beginning to well up in her eyes, while Maverick sat there slack-jawed. Storm just stared at the foal’s remains, a blank look on his face. The gunshot had been right next to his ear, so all he heard for a few seconds was a pestering ringing noise.

“Why did you do that, you sick fuck?!” Maverick yelled, being the only one to dare and lash out.

He had spread his wings and lunged for the leader only to be yanked back by the stallion keeping him upright. Now pressed face down with a barrel against his head, Maverick waited anxiously as the leader approached him and lowered his head to be on the same level as the downed pegasus.

“Why?” He repeated with a false oblivious tone. “Because you took too long to answer.”

“That’s no excuse to take somepony’s life!” Ivory added, tears spilling from her eyes.

“Oh, so I should suffer for your friend’s dumbass decision of stealing my shit,” He replied, gesturing to the unresponsive Storm, “-and not get to spend time with my girls?”

“You have daughters but are okay with shooting somepony else’s?!” Ivory spat back, confused and angered at the same time.

The leader looked surprised at first. He turned away from his hostages and looked at the other armed stallions before they all burst into laughter. When the chorus of laughter died down, the leader returned his gaze to Ivory.

“Sweetheart, I don’t mean daughters. I mean my investments - broodmothers. See, the guys and I were planning on having an all nighter to beat our top scores, but now we are stuck here punishing you and your friends. Oh, how life is unfair.” He said that last part with a shake of his head.

Then he smiled. Sinisterly.

“Well… I guess this whole thing isn’t entirely a waste.” He continued happily. “Afterall, I did get two new toys out of it.”

Ivory’s eyes widened. Nourish was too busy sobbing over her daughter that she hadn’t heard that last part.

“In fact, I think I’ll take you two for a test run right here and now.” He stated matter of factly before whistling to one of his men.

Two stallions grabbed Ivory as they attempted to pin her down. The mentioned mare kicked and fought as hard as she could to no avail. Maverick was shouting threats and curses at the stallions, then to the leader, who just watched without a care in the world.

Eventually, the leader sighed as he looked at Maverick, who had tears of anger in his eyes at seeing his marefriend being abused and violated in front of him.

“I can’t enjoy the show with this one making all this racket.” He scoffed. “Cut his tongue out.”

When nopony moved, the leader pointed to a random stallion in the group, and that stallion moved forward with knife in hoof. Maverick was beaten just to make sure he couldn’t resist, and had his tongue - along with many other things - cut out or off. He died with his gaze forcefully on Ivory being raped while he bled out.

The leader made a sound with his tongue to get Storm, who couldn’t stand to look at his friend’s discarded corpses any longer, to look back in his general direction. Storm still couldn’t meet the leader’s gaze.

He killed them. No, not this bastard in front of him.

He - Storm Surge, had gotten his friends killed.

It was all his fault.

It always was.

It always would be.

“We’re going to leave you now.” The leader stated, not caring if Storm saw or heard him. “We’re going to finish up with the girls, shoot them and the remaining kid, then we are going to leave you to live with what you caused.”

The leader then roughly grabbed Storm’s destroyed suit by the collar and yanked it to get his attention for real. “And if we ever see, hear, or even smell you near our place again, then you won’t be so lucky. Got it?”

True to his word, the stallion had killed Ivory, Nourish, and Snow after they had their fun. They didn’t force Storm to watch as he kept staring at the floor with a broken and blank expression on his face. Then they left.

They left Storm bleeding and broken on the floor surrounded by his dead friends. His dead family.

“Can you hear me, asshole?!” The stallion asked as if nothing was different.

“You…” Storm hissed through clenched teeth.

The angered stallion got up and readied his weapon only to have the hospital leader raise a hoof casually.

“You can lower that weapon, sport.” He said without any real care in the world.

Storm didn’t reply, but rather kept his piercing eyes locked with the leader’s from the other side of his weapon’s sights.

The leader chuckled while looking him over.

“The world hasn’t been kind to you, has it?” He asked, almost sincerely.

No answer.

“I feel like I’m turning into you, ya know - the whole talking to myself thing here.” It continued with a chuckle.

“What do you want?” Storm finally asked, his tone displaying zero tolerance for the pony that stood before him.

“To help you.” Followed by a genuine smile.

An explosion of glass filled the room where the leader once stood as Storm fired at him and into the glass-side of a window. Shards scattered in all directions, a few even cut Storm’s face, but he didn’t flinch, instead he just kept staring down the iron sights at the spot where that stallion had just been.

“Where was all that fight when I killed your buddies?” The same voice asked from his right this time.

Before even realizing it, Storm had already swivelled on a dime and fired off another shot in the voice’s direction. He knocked a couple of cans and tools off of the table in a loud choir of clattering noises.

“You are only hurting yourself there, sport.” From his left. “You’ll just have less ammo to deal with the real monsters if you keep this up.”

“Real monsters, huh?” Storm replied coldly. “And what makes you any different than them? You kill, torture, and break ponies just like them.”

“Ya know, I spent a lot of time asking myself that very same question.” The leader said as he looked almost dazed slightly, gazing off into the distance. “It took me a lifetime to find an answer and trust me, you aren’t going to like it.”

“Try me.”

The leader smiled. Storm couldn’t tell whether it was a genuine amused one or a sadistic one. Maybe a bit of both.

“Decent folk don’t make it. They don’t have what it takes to make it like us-”

“Us? We are nothing alike!” Storm spat back, clearly growing tired of the conversation’s direction.

“Oh? Is that so?” An exaggerated raised eyebrow followed the stallion’s response. “We’ve both killed - both the living and dead - just to keep ourselves alive. We’ve both taken from others to survive. We’ve both gotten those we loved killed-”

The leader stopped himself and faked a hurt expression upon mentioning that last part. “Actually, no we haven’t. They got themselves killed because they were too weak - too decent. Not like us, Storm. You’ve seen it. You know what it takes to survive and the only reason your friends aren’t here anymore isn’t your own fault. Hell, it isn’t even my fault. Its their-”

“Finish that fucking sentence and watch what happens.” Storm growled.

“What would happen, Stormy?” He asked, mimicking Ivory’s tone. “You can’t do any worse to me than you already did.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?!” Storm was yelling now, finally reaching the end of his extremely long rope - showing that eventually they all have an end. “You tortured, raped, and killed them for my fucking decisions! You should have taken me out instead! They didn’t do shit but you all walk away free!”

“You really don’t remember?” The leader asked, curiosity coating his voice.

The look of still hatred he got was enough of an answer.

The leader chuckled his awful cackle once more before replying. “After we left you, the message was clear or so we thought. Three weeks later and you had already repaired your suit, weapons, and healed enough to fight back. You took my men down one by one - not sparing a single one…”

Storm’s angered expression turned to one of disbelief and slight confusion at this.

“Wait, there’s more. When we finally figured out what was happening, I still had half of them and sent them all after you. You slaughtered fought more savagely than I have ever seen any creature - monster or living - in this whole wasteland. It was actually impressive - not at the time, but looking back it was impressive. You even choked one of them with his own organs!” He laughed at that last part like it was the funniest joke ever.

“What happened to you?” Storm asked, clearly wanting to get to the chase and not amused.

“You made what I did look like foals play. Let’s just put it that way. Celestia, that was the worst three slow hours of my life. You kept me alive through most of it too. Once again, impressive, sport.”

Neither one of them spoke after that. The leader just held his shit-eating grin while Storm didn’t break eye contact. The leader watched him as he processed this information.

After a few moments, the leader finally spoke up again. “You still feel guilty, right? I can see it in your eyes. Ponies like you don’t say much with words, but I can read your eyes and let me tell you, Stormy - they say a great deal about what you are thinking.”

“Don’t fucking call me that.”

“Oops, my bad.” The leader said in mock surrender as he raised his hooves momentarily. “I forgot that only mommy is allowed to call you that-”

The stallion couldn’t get the rest out as a volley of shots rang out in the small building, breaking objects, shattering glass, and making a ton of noise - drowning out his taunting in the process. The firing only stopped when it was replaced with a faint click! Click! Click! sounds.

Storm didn’t have to look down to discover that the ammo counter on the side of the weapon flashed a red ‘zero’ for it’s ammunition count after becoming accustomed to the very weapon he invented. But that wasn’t in his mind right now. Right now, tearing the bastard limb from fucking limb was his only priority regardless of the true nature of that stallion’s real being.

Suddenly, the door to the shed behind him slammed open with such force that it sounded like a pissed off parent coming into a foal’s room after discovering they had failed a class. Storm spun around and aimed all five barrels and flashlight into the face of…

The mare. The same rainbow-maned one from before.

She made a sound that was a mixture of a surprised scream and an annoyed huff of having a bright light in her face. It took Storm a moment to come down from his anger-filled delirium but when he did, he realized what was happening and lowered the weapon.

The mare had her good wing shielding her face from the beam - or was it the weapon? Not like it would do much. Anyway, she lowered it and faced him.

“What’s going on here?” She asked after her vision was freed. “It sounded like a war was happening in here.”

“No, just the ‘lumbering lunatic’ going crazy, remember?” He replied half spitefully, half sarcastically.

He noticed that the mare’s gaze gradually started to refuse to meet his own. “Yeah, uh - about that…” She continued while absently rubbing a hoof on the back of her neck. “I shouldn’t have said those things. Especially the uh - ‘friends’ part.”

Storm didn’t respond but kept examining her. He couldn’t decide if he was trying to determine if she was just another hallucination or just trying to detect bullshit in her apology. Years of being forced to read others helped in determining that she was being sincere.

Neither one of them said anything more in that moment until Storm made the next move. “I shouldn’t have either. You just… just caught me at a bad time. It’s not your fault and blame will be placed where it is due.”

Another spurt of silence as the mare was trying to figure out what to say and then she finally found it. “It’s not your fault eith-”

“Don’t.” He said, sighing before rubbing a hoof over his forehead.

The longest period of silence began with neither one of them knowing what to say or due. So instead of standing there awkwardly, Storm began picking up everything he had knocked over in his frustration, scrapping the unusable pieces and salvaging what he could.

Without a word, Rainbow turned on the lightswitch and began to assist him in grabbing some of the items on the ground. She almost jumped when the switch also activated a nearby Tethertech, which beeped loudly as it resumed playing a song that had seemingly been muted until now.

Storm listened for a moment with a dead look on his face that said more than words ever could. Rainbow caught the look and reached for the device to turn the song off when a hoof stopped her own. Storm couldn’t look her in the eye as he softly shook his head.

“Maverick loved Maretallica - this song especially.” He said while his trance was fixed on the accidentally activated device on the table.

Rainbow didn’t know how to reply to that so she tried to change or at least brighten the subject. “Uh - he had great taste in music then. Love rock.”

“Yeah…” Storm replied almost distantly. “He is the whole reason I got hooked on it too.”

The two continued to clean up in an awkward silence only penetrated by the music. When they finally threw out the scraps and organized what was still usable, Storm stopped at the next suit on the rack beside where his own was recently placed.

He saw a few holes in the golden suit, so now he would have to check for additional damages in addition to finishing the prepping for getting it combat ready once again. Sighing and grabbing a tool belt, the stallion used his Tethertech to wrap the utility belt around his back then he placed some welding goggles made from old Wonderbolt goggles around his head.

“What are you doing?” Rainbow asked, stifling a yawn. “Don’t you ever sleep?”

“When I have to.” He replied, his tone and attention clearly on the holographic diagnostics screen in front of him rather than focused on her. “You might want to get some though.We’ve got a long journey tomorrow.”

“We?” She asked, not entirely sure if he was serious.

“Unless you want to take my hallucinations with you as a guide, I’ll help you make it to Ponyville tomorrow.”

Rainbow didn’t reply to that at first, but he continued before she got the chance.

“Don’t worry, they won’t even see me. I’ll be gone long before you are reunited as soon as I deem it safe.” He said, sensing a possible question about to come out.

“And if it’s not?”

“Then I’ll deal with it.”

She had been expecting an answer like that but it didn’t make it any less unsettling. This guy definitely wasn’t going to stick around for Pinkie’s reunion party. Wait, ‘this guy?’ Had she still not even learned his name yet? He probably didn’t know hers either.

“Hey, what’s your name?” She asked, throwing the previous subject out the window.

“Storm. Storm Surge.” He replied. “I’m guessing yours is ‘Rainbow Brash’ or something?”

Rainbow responded with a ‘really’ look at his attempt at what she guessed was his form of joking. “Gee, how’d you guess?” She replied sarcastically before adding; “It's Dash. Rainbow Dash.”

When neither one of them went further with the banter, she began observing Storm’s work on the yellow suit that she guessed was hers now.

“Need any help?” She asked.

“Do you even know what this is?”

“I think I can figure it out.”

The skeptical look she received was the biggest nonverbal way to say ‘are you sure about that?’

“Do you want my help or not?”

“Well, you might as well get used to this thing now.” He replied before tethering a rolling stool next to him.

Rainbow plopped down on the stool as Storm grabbed the suit’s helmet and displayed some of the internals. The night went on similar to that as the two worked on getting their equipment up to speed for a journey that Storm hadn’t made in forever, but was sure about one thing;

It was going to be trouble.

It always would be.

Chapter 10 - "Rules"

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Storm Surge wiped a hoof over his forehead - brushing against his disheveled onyx and blue mane back - and sending the sweat coating his face flying off. Turning his head to the east, he spotted the very tip of the sun that was rising in the backdrop of the broken city of Los Pegasus.

The radiation would be rising soon and he would be confined to his metal prison, so he sped up the pace and finished filling the massive hole at his hooves. Within a few more moments, the hole was full with only two signs that it had existed in the first place. The disturbed dirt was the first but also the least obvious when compared to the seven wooden crosses at the head of the recently filled grave.

Sitting at the base of each cross were different items for each creature buried there. The cross furthest to the left had a broken sniper rifle sticking halfway out of the ground. The next one had an empty first aid bag, and the third had a sport’s themed necklace.The next four were closer together rather than somewhat evenly spaced apart. The fourth cross was the same size as the first three and had a foal’s bottle buried halfway in the ground at it’s base. Three more smaller crosses surrounded the fourth with one on each side and one in front.

Storm knew he needed to get to the suits before the sun fully rose up, but he couldn’t take his focus off of the makeshift grave for his family. Instead he laid down flat on his back and gazed up at the still darkened part of the sky where the stars were still visible, but like all good things, they would be swept away by the tides of life.

He wanted so bad for Maverick to find him there and sarcastically congratulate him for finally taking time off of runs, or Talos doing some annoying shit to make him get up and deal with it, or Ivory being a flirty pain in the flank, hell, he’d even take the crying of two - soon to be three - foals at once.

He would give the world - despite how little that statistically meant - to have all of that back. They were the only shining light in his life of the blackest tunnel imaginable. Sure it was a faint light, but no matter how small the shine, it gave him a reason to keep going.

Now he couldn’t get that light back. The tunnel was an abyss that consumed him without their shine to look towards. Now he only had the glow of his visor to light his path ahead.

But that wasn’t enough.

That was surviving. Not living.

Well… maybe he had one more reason. If getting this Rainbow Dash back to her friends would at least distract him from his own situation then he would do it. If he could make sure nopony else would have to suffer this fate then he would do it.
It was all he had.

Storm’s survival-ridden part of his brain wanted him to drop his thoughts and get to his suit before he subconsciously sat there waiting to kill himself with the radiation, but something was keeping him rooted to the spot.

His vision had started to blur slightly, looking almost like his visor when rain droplets from a flare were beginning to pelt it. Suddenly, he found that trying to look directly at the crosses or the artifacts placed underneath was making it worse. Instead, he looked straight up as a knot was being tied in his stomach.

He had so much he wanted to say to them, but he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t find the words and even if he could then what difference did it make? Those were pieces of fucking wood - not his friends. His friends were hollow piles of bones underneath his very hooves.

Then he saw it.

High above the very planet he lay upon, was a single stationary star in a cluster of many dim ones. This star began to seemingly shine brighter gradually until it was outshining the others around it.

Then another one began to shine just as bright.

Then another, another, and several more until a total of seven stars brilliantly tore in the abyss of space with their respective glows.

Storm didn’t know what he was feeling upon seeing that, but he knew that he didn’t like it. The feeling could be compared to the metaphorical knot in his stomach being pulled taunt roughly and without warning, then slowly starting to get ripped apart by a blade or claws. All the while, he was struggling to keep the thinning ties together.

The sun finally rose high enough to wash away his view of the glowing stars, which he didn’t know if that was better or worse. This was how he dealt with every fucking problem. Ignore, no - avoid it until he outran it or couldn’t run anymore. At least this time he didn’t have to make the call to run, the sun above did that for him.

As the first of the slight tingles on his coat began, Storm got up and attempted to mentally gather himself before tethering the shovel onto his back and making his way down to the shed.
Once inside, Storm practically punched the lightswitch full force without even thinking about it, making the switch fall off of the rusted wall and dangle by a few wires.

“For fuck’s sake…” He muttered while fumbling with the fallen device and tethering a screwdriver to his side.

After a quick switch repair, the stallion turned to his suit for one final examination. He had done a pretty good job tuning it up last night and the process was sped up thanks to a certain rainbow-maned companion, but he hadn’t gotten a chance to wipe it clean from the Mimic encounter.

Storm grabbed a blue tool belt from a table and a rag from a rusted trash bin and began to scrub the suit’s helmet plates, making sure to pay extra attention to the cracks of the plating. The last thing he needed was stray blood flying at his eyes should he need to activate the helmet quickly.

Should? No, when.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed another crimson splotch on the suit’s left foreleg armor plates. Using his Tethertech, Storm grabbed the hollow appendage as a reminder to deal with it next.

A few moments of hard scrubbing later and the crimson stains were gone, allowing the dull blue to ‘shine’ once again - if it ever did in the first place. Storm discarded the bloodied rag but something caught his eye in the process of turning to the trash bin.

Next to his own suit, was the fully completed goldish yellow and grey suit that used to belong to Maverick. Storm had forced himself to focus on today’s mission last night and it helped that he had somepony to talk to, but now in the isolated setting there was nothing stopping him from looking at it differently.

So you can fix the suit but not him, huh - you fucking coward… Came a voice in his head. He frankly didn’t know if it was his own or somepony else’s at this point. He wasn’t even doubting it came from the suit before him.

Shut up and focus! Storm mentally scolded himself. There was plenty of time for self pity later. Right now he had a job to do.

Removing his gaze from his late friend’s suit, Storm reached for his own armor. The stallion unlatched the clamps holding it, but kept the suit held up with his telekinesis so that it was standing upright. Then he undid the main mechanical zipper of interwoven locks located down the middle and stop on his hindlegs to slip inside. Keeping himself braced against the repair station, Storm redid all of the straps and zipper before the mentioned components snapped together with an airtight click. The segmented ring on his chest piece glowed it’s usual purple as did the other electronic sections of the suit after everything was firmly in place.

Storm tugged on the neck plating to move it to a more comfortable position before flexing his muscles and stretching out so that the thick fabric and metal plates were more evenly spread. Now that the suit was up to code and equipped, all he had to do was pack and wake up Rainbow, who was sleeping in the lighthouse living room.

On a workbench in the center of the room, splayed out in no particular order was an assortment of weapons. Firearms, tools-turned-guns, blades, and even a few pieces of lethal looking equipment.

The weapon closest to the corner he was standing at was a bullpup submachine gun of the late Royal Guard known as a Bullhound. The SMG was extremely compact by using the Tethertech grip’s back to also act as a magazine slot. No stock was present on standard issue Bullhounds but this one was anything but standard issue. An ‘L’ shaped scrap of metal was bolted on the back of the weapon, serving as a folding stock that was bolted to a refined door hinge. Towards the front of the SMG - on the barrel side - was a solar powered flashlight that was held in place by a custom tacrail. One magazine was already in the weapon while another was laying beside it.

Next to it was the machine pistol belonging to Talos - er, Rainbow. Storm had found some more magazines for it and placed them adjacent to the sidearm. Across from those two weapons was a heavily modified shotgun made from the combined efforts of Maverick and himself.

What started out as a standard pump shotgun for home defense became something more when the wooden fore-end and stock were replaced with jet black steel ones to prevent rotting. Much like the Bullhound, a flashlight was attached to a makeshift tacrail on the side in addition. But the most prominent change on the weapon was a large cylinder stuck in the middle of the grip and barrel, replacing where the shell loading port would have been. The round compartment had six holes, five of which were visible while one was blocked from sight by the receiver. The shotgun’s cylinder magazine was designed similar to a revolver where each shell had to be loaded individually, but there was a reason for this. Now multiple types of shells from Dragon’s Breath to Snowdrop Shells could be loaded in and selected at will. All the user had to do was release the clamps and spin the cylinder until the desired shell type was ready to be loaded into the weapon. As for ammo, three ordinary buckshot shells and a single Dragon’s Breath sat right next to the cylinder.

That was where the firearms ended on the table. In the middle and moving on down towards the opposite corner were a couple bladed weapons such as a hunting knife, a machete, and a small push dagger that was barely bigger than two bits placed side by side. Finally, at the end of the bench were three small canisters, two of which were identical. Those two had thin cylinder casings that were a dull blue which made his suit’s blue shade look polished in comparison. The outlier of the canisters wasn’t exactly a canister. It was an oval shaped item with a green hue and slanted pin running down the side. Two smokes and a frag grenade.

This was all he was able to salvage after they were- No! Not going there now. He couldn’t afford to. All he had to do was focus on the task at hoof.

Using his tethered limb, Storm lifted the shotgun in front of his face and did a one-over check on it for any damage, then he checked the flashlight, loaded the four shells into the weapon, and spun the cylinder before pumping it and placing the shotgun on his back. The suit’s back plate magnetically snapped the firearm to it. Then, the stallion looked over the melee weapons and picked up the knife and placed it in a sheath on his suit’s hip.

In addition to the knife, he also grabbed the push dagger and a piece of mane-resistant duct tape. Folding the tape with the sticky side out, he fused the tiny blade with it and then used a hoof to pull his disheveled mane upwards before planting the sticky blade carefully behind his ear to where it wouldn’t cut him. Letting his mane back down, Storm pressed into the taped spot to ensure it would stay. Turning his attention to the furthest corner of the bench, he picked up a smoke and the frag, then placed them into his suit slots.

Levitating a dark brown bag out from under the same bench, Storm began to put the weapons and gear he didn’t equip into it.

SMG, pistol, machete, flash… He mentally checked off with each item that was deposited inside the bag.

Once everything was securely inside, Storm turned to a wall mount where his Sweeper rifle was being held in place for prior repairs and cleaning. Tethering it off of the wall hooks, he loaded it with a fresh round magazine and placed his two spares into the suit’s inventory. And lastly, he placed the weapon on the other magnetic back slot of the suit.

After getting properly geared up, the stallion faced the faded gold suit and sighed. This is going to be heavy as shit. He thought before grabbing the suit with two tethered appendages and lifting it off the rack. Activating his helmet and still carrying the suit, he opened the door to the shed and led the hollow suit out before shutting it behind him.

By now the sun was almost fully visible on the horizon and the air wasn’t safe as Storm’s radiation meter read 87% on his suit’s HUD. The only safe places would be indoors such as the lighthouse or shed. Once he reached the front door to the house, Storm got inside quickly to not let any of the rotten air inside when an unarmored pony was inside.

Speaking of which, the mentioned mare was still asleep on the couch and snoring soundly. Storm walked over to the coffee table and propped the other suit and bag of weapons against the side of the appliance.

Usually he would have wanted to leave immediately for a trip like this one, but he actually wanted to arrive at Ponyville when the sun went back down. It was less of a chance for them to get jumped or spotted. He didn’t have a problem being out there with the Damned. He knew how to handle them.

It was the living he didn’t know how to all of the time.

So instead of rushing out the door he decided to let the mare sleep in for a bit or at least until he took care of something first. Sitting down in the armchair opposite of the snoring pegasus, Storm deactivated his helmet and pulled out a small black sketchbook from his suit’s inventory.

The stallion tethered a pencil in his grip and skimmed through multiple sketches and drawings of various Damned until he got to a blank page over half way through. Pausing for a moment, he opened his suit’s holographic interface and searched for his encounter with the blind mare turned Damned the other day. When he found a decent frame of the creature, he froze the playback and began to sketch on the book while using the image as a reference.

A couple minutes later and he was satisfied with the illustration. Closing the holographic tab, he returned his attention to the page. In the small space above the drawing, he wrote the word Snatcher. Underneath the drawing he began to write notes about the creature.

Extreme jaw extensions and strength. Extended reach of head. Quick recovery. Candidates for transformation: Earth pony mare, tbc…

In the middle of writing, he began to hear soft groaning coming from directly across from him. Looking up from his work, Storm saw that Rainbow was beginning to stir from slumber and stretching absently in her drowsy state. Her injured wing twitched and moved out from being curled on her back slightly, the crimson stained bandage around it looking more loose than before.

As her eyes slowly opened, Rainbow sat up and yawned while rubbing her eyes. When she removed her hooves, the mare found herself in the crummy living room with Storm sitting across from her. He was paying no attention to her and scribbling something into a small book.

“You’ve got a diary? Wow, I guess ya learn something everyday.” She managed to joke despite her dry throat.

“Yeah, I’m writing about the dumbass who charged into Damned territory the other night.” He replied, no bothering to look up from the book.

Rainbow couldn’t tell if he was trying to sarcastically return the joke or was serious about that last part. “Hardy har.” She continued with false sarcasm, “But seriously, what is that for?”

“Damned catalog.” He responded dryly. “We - I… kept a log so we could learn how to deal with each form accordingly.” Suddenly, an idea hit Storm as he finally looked up from the book and at her. “Maybe you should take a look at it before we head out.” He suggested.

The mare shrugged and held out a hoof, so he tossed the sketchbook from over the coffee table and into her hoof. Rainbow caught it expertly despite her groggy state and opened it up. She looked through the first page, for a couple of seconds, then moved on to the next. At the third page, her eyes widened slightly as she removed her focus from the book and to him.

“Did you draw these?” She asked.

“Yeah. Takes less time than writing a description.” He replied, knowing full well there was a different reason he preferred illustrating the horrific creatures.

Rainbow looked back down at the page before continuing. “They look good.”

His silence made her think he might have taken the comment another way. “The drawings - I mean. The real ones are disgusting.”

“You don’t know the half of it.” Storm replied while checking his holographic screen for the time.

The mare continued to flip through the pages in silence. Admittedly she wasn’t soaking up as much info as present, but was distracted by the drawings and the things portrayed in them. Each of these Damned were creatures she had seen and interacted with at one time or another before, but now they were deformed and twisted. Storm must have noticed her facial expression change on some of them because he soon spoke up again.

“Better get used to them now.” He said with a sligh yawn. “The real ones don’t sit around and let you study them.”

Rainbow glanced up from the book once more and looked him directly in the eyes. Even from her position she could see the faint traces of red marks on the edges of them.

“Did you even sleep at all last night?” She asked, genuinely concerned.

“No, I… had some things to take care of.” He replied carefully.

Dash could tell he wasn’t willing to elaborate more on that so she let it lie. “Okay… uh, so are we ready to head out?”

The stallion nodded before gesturing to the suit and bag in front of her. “Yeah. Put your suit on and all of the gear in the bag is for you.”

Rainbow got up from the couch and put on the suit. It was far from comfortable as shown by her constant tugging on the joint areas and wing slots - specifically her injured wing that barely sat still on her back.

“Ugh! How do you stand wearing these things?” Rainbow complained, clearly less excited about the restricting apparel. “My wings feel like they are wrapped in duct tape.”

“It’s better than them getting infected out there and being forced to amputate.” Storm added. “That reminds me, we need to change your bandage soon.”

“Why not now?” Rainbow asked with a twinge of fear in her voice at the mere mention of losing her wings.

The thought alone almost made her shudder. If there was one thing Rainbow couldn’t afford to lose, it was her wings. She was still unsure about the nature of her injured wing and if it would ever live up to its full potential when this was all over.

If it ever is over.

Rainbow had been lucky enough to have enough distractions upon waking up here to not have to think about the fate of her wing, but one thing that was eating away at her was the chance of her friend’s survival. Were they even still alive? Any of them or perhaps none?

No - she couldn’t think like that now. Not when she was getting closer to finding them! All of them were probably holed up somewhere in Ponyville, still looking for a way to turn this all around and now that she was back… er - awake rather - they could stop all of this! The hellhole she was currently in would just be some distant nightmare that would be forgotten in time.

“We’re out of bandages.” Storm replied. “We can hit some houses when we get closer.”

“The sooner the better.” She mumbled while tugging at a strap to get the suit on completely.

Storm noticed her struggle and got up from the chair before grabbing the final few straps and tightening them for her. The mare must have not been paying attention to his movements at first because she almost jumped when he grabbed the strap and assisted.

For a moment, neither one said anything as he stepped back to let her get the remaining easier ones. Storm tethered a couple items out of the bag and placed them on the table.

“The pistol clips to your hip holster and the machine gun on your back. Put the machete and smoke grenade in your inventory.” He informed.

Rainbow did as she was instructed, storing everything except for the SMG that she now carried with her own Tethertech.

“Ready?” He asked, activating his own helmet.

The mare nodded. “Yeah, how do I turn this thing on?”

“Helmet icon on your chestpiece.”

Pushing the button made Rainbow’s back plates open as a golden and grey helmet was telekinetically assembled around her head. Her helmet looked almost identically to his own in shape but her visor was a light green and had two large horizontal slits as opposed to his “X” shaped one.

“This is awesome!” She commented as the HUD began to pop up around her vision. “Hey, what are all these images for?”

“Icons.” He corrected. “They display radiation levels, time of day, and a lot more shit that you’ll need. We can discuss it all on the way.”

“Great.” She grumbled. “Story time with Stormy.”

“Don’t call me that.”

The stallion’s tone meant business but he couldn’t see the mare’s amused grin from behind her helmet.

After both were geared up, the duo headed out the front door and shut it behind them. Rainbow noticed that she could faintly hear her own breathing through the helmet. It wasn’t an annoying sound, but rather a rhythmic and strangely comforting one.

But that comfort was short lived once she glanced across the lawn. Up ahead and to the left were seven crosses planted on top of some recently disturbed soil. She felt her heart sink upon seeing the smaller trio of crosses in the mix.

Dash was behind him, so she had the perfect opportunity to examine him without being spotted. The stallion didn’t seem to notice the graves at all, as if he hadn’t just recently dug them or refused to believe they existed. Instead he was heading to the gate with her in tow like this was normal - or the closest thing to it.

She wanted to say something - anything to try and make him feel better. He might not show it but she could tell he was hurting. Rainbow was the same way. She would bury her emotions behind a wall of heroics, awesomeness, and bravery, but the truth was that even she felt the weaker emotions too.

“Hey…” She began, unsure how to continue.

Storm stopped for a moment, refusing to face her or the combined grave.

“They’re in a better place now.” She continued, not knowing what else to say.

Silence.

“I know.” Storm replied coldly. “Any place is fucking better than here.”

Then he kept walking forward.

Rainbow had started to see a pattern here - even after only two days. Whenever she brought up something that was personal or tough for him to talk about, he would turn into an indifferent asshole on a dime. She wanted to help him after seeing how this was all affecting him, but reluctantly accepted that the best method was to let him figure it out.

After reaching the gate, Storm stopped, manually unlocked and slid the metallic gate aside allowing Rainbow and himself exit. Once the mare was through, he slid the gate shut with a reverberating slam and locked it.

“Ponyvilles about a day's walk from here,” Storm began, breaking Rainbow out of her thoughts momentarily, “So we’ve got plenty of time to cover the rules.”

“Rules? What is this - preschool?” She retorted, insulted by the way he brought the topic up as if she was some school filly in need of discipline.

“No, its survival, and just like everything it has rules.” He corrected while checking around their surroundings. “Rule one, never let your guard down out here. What should you be focusing on right now?”

“Listening to you - duh!”

“Wrong. Listening to me, checking around for any signs of danger, checking your suit’s HUD, and being prepared for anything.”

“What do you mean by danger? I thought those things only came out at night.” She asked.

“They do. The radiation in these parts is too much for their rotting bodies to handle.”

“So what do we have to worry about then?”

“Others.”

“Others?”

“The living. If you ask me, they are twice as deadly as the Damned.”

“Wouldn’t more ponies increase our chances of making it though?”

“No, it will increase our chances of getting stabbed in the back.”

“Gee, you really have issues with others, huh.”

“I have issues with anyone I don’t trust.”

“Then why help me? Shouldn’t you not trust me?”

Storm was silent for a moment before responding. “That’s different. Apparently, you haven’t been out there all this time. You haven’t spent all your time figuring out how to play on other’s weaknesses. The others measure you by what they can take from you - how they can use you to allow them a little more time.”

“You make it sound like everypony is a monster.”

“We all are. You aren’t standing today if you’re innocent.”

This time both were silent momentarily until Rainbow continued on. “That still doesn’t answer the question. I trust you to get us there alive, so do you trust me?”

“Guess we’ll find out.” He replied. “Back to what I was saying - You can’t ever let your guard down out here. If you see anything and I mean anything let me know.”

“That doesn’t exactly narrow it down much.” She grumbled to herself, but not quietly enough that he didn’t hear it.

“Scope glints, smoke trails, strange sounds, silhouettes, that kind of anything.”

“Got it.”

“Rule two, never fire unless it's absolutely necessary. All the ammo for that gun your carrying is on you. No spare mags and I can’t make more. Also check what or who you're firing upon before pulling the trigger. Keep your index appendage of your Tethertech next to the trigger but not on it.”

“Relax, I can handle a gun.” The mare replied confidently.

“Okay, just don’t shoot me in the ass.” Storm replied, his tone revealing half belief in her statement. “Let’s wrap this up. Rule three, do everything I say - no matter how little sense it makes or what your morals are about it.”

She gave him a look that wasn’t pleasant upon hearing that one.

“Not what you’re thinking about, so relax.” He added after seeing her expression. “Where to shoot something or when to shoot it. That’s what I mean.”

Her face softened into more of the neutral expression that she had on most of the time in the little amount of it he had known her. The duo continued as they rounded the edge of Los Pegasus and began to follow the dirt road that led into a thick forest up ahead in the distance.

“So, uh - how long has it been like this?” She asked, trying to change the subject.

Storm had to think for a moment. Holy shit, he hadn’t even been keeping track of how long it had been since everything changed.

“Well, it’s currently September 25th, 2039.” Was all he could muster up for an answer after checking his HUD.

The stallion barely registered the sudden halt in the hoovesteps behind him, but still managed to turn around just in time to witness her reaction.

Rainbow’s jaw dropped. “It’s been like twenty seven years!” She exclaimed, hoping he was mistaken or joking.

“So you can remember that on the dime, but not anything else about what's around you?” He asked.

Rainbow wasn’t listening to his sarcastic dig and instead answered with a question of her own. “I touched some sort of crossbow-looking thing in a cave and it sent me to sleep for almost thirty years and the world went to Tarterus?! How does that make any sense?!”

Yeah… and I’m the crazy one… Storm thought while listening to her ramble on.

“Hold up,” He finally interrupted. “You couldn’t have been sleeping for twenty seven years unless somepony was guarding you with their life all of that time.”

“Maybe I got lucky and those things didn’t find me?” She replied, trying to make some sense of this whole ordeal.

“Nah, there is no such thing as luck out here. If that was the case, you would have been dead in the first few months - tops.”

Then something clicked in Rainbow’s head. “Wait! If I was missing all of this time then we couldn’t have stopped those things when they attacked!”

“We?” He asked, clearly not following.

“The Elements of Harmony.”

Nothing. Just a blank expression as if that didn’t answer his question.

“Seriously? You’ve never heard of me or any of us at all?”

He shook his head, that indifferent unamused expression not leaving his face.

“Element of Loyalty and pulled off a Sonic Rainboom as a filly? None of that sounds familiar?” Rainbow asked with a ting of pride at the first part. “Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie - none of those names ring any bells? At all?!”

“Nope.”

I’m the one living under a rock… She thought at the impossibility of anypony in Equestria not at least hearing of the heroic efforts of herself and her friends. “Okay.. well, anyway - all of us need to be together for our powers to work. So if I was gone all of this time, then we couldn’t stop those things from destroying Equestria!”

“Celestia couldn’t stop it, so what makes you think six mares could?” Storm replied.

Rainbow hadn’t even thought about the princesses up until this point. Were they even still alive? “What happened to her?”

“Remember what I said about the radiation outside? Well, she tried to fire some hidden superweapon on the source of the Damned. The papers called it the Solar Flare Cannon - a huge piece of machinery that had apparently sat cloaked in the atmosphere for Celestia-knows-how-long until it was needed.”

“Tried?” Rainbow repeated, not entirely sure if he was bullshitting her or not.

“She did fire it. Twice to be exact. Once in the Undiscovered West - where she thought the source was - and again directly down on Canterlot-”

“What?! Her own city?! There’s no fucking way thats true!”

“I still have the papers about it somewhere around here if you don’t believe me.” He replied, clearly not caring if she did or not.

“Why would she do that? Wouldn’t that kill thousands?!”

“It did. Her included. I didn’t plan on sticking around to ask why and frankly I don’t care. It’s done now.”

“So you just sat in your comfy lighthouse all this time then?” She retorted, not amused with his lack of empathy for life.

“No, not the whole time…” The stallion replied, answering carefully as if he was trying to not give too much away.

“Is there more to that answer?”

“No.” His tone clearly screamed ‘drop it’ on all accounts before switching back to his usual indifferent one. “We should get going before too much time is wasted.”

Rainbow wanted to press further - not just on this, but on many things surrounding him. This guy was like a Daring Do book if most of the important plot was torn out, leaving her to infer any major points but keeping her interested enough to want to ask the author herself.

A few more minutes of walking later, and the two pegasi began to hear what sounded like one hundred waterfalls at once. Turning to their immediate lefts, they found themselves at a rapidly flowing river. The waves were violently clashing together and drowned out the sound of both pony’s breathing filters completely.

Rainbow tried to say something but the current just barely overpowered her voice, and the stallion in front of her didn’t notice. Instead he was looking upstream, then downstream for something. Tugging on his shoulder plate, Dash got his attention and repeated herself.

She was about to get frustrated when he seemingly ignored her and began fiddling with his suit’s chest piece console. Suddenly, a small transparent box appeared on her suit’s HUD.

Incoming Voice Call from: STORM SURGE. Accept?

Rainbow selected the appropriate button on her console as the text box disappeared and was replaced with a tiny signal bar at the top right.

“What was that?” She heard Storm’s voice ask through a slightly static-laced filter.

“Why is this river so violent now?” Rainbow repeated her question for a third time. “My friends and I came here once and it was nowhere near this bad.”

“The Solar Flare Cannon.” He answered. “That thing fucked up a whole lot more than the atmosphere. Just wait until we encounter a flare.”

Rainbow would have asked what exactly a ‘flare’ was, but she had a feeling she would know soon enough.

Storm didn’t continue as he kept scanning the ravaging river. After a couple of seconds, he pointed a hoof further up the river.

“There. That’s our ride.”

The mare followed his gesture down the bank to find a wooden rowboat that was wedged in between a cul de sac-like cut in the ground. The waves were repeatedly pushing the boat into the muddy bank and the oars would have been making creaking sounds if it weren’t for the waves overpowering the noise.

Both ponies approached the boat and looked it over. The wood had long since rotted and was turning a darker shade with a mixture of green coating the outsides. The oars matched the rest of the vessel in appearance but were completely intact. The rest of the boat wasn’t so lucky. Towards the top, multiple cuts and scratch marks were engraved alongside a few holes, but thankfully - nothing was wrong with the bottom of the boat.

“You’ve got to be kidding.” Dash muttered into the comms, but Storm still heard her.

“It’s either this or walking straight through the Everfree - and trust me, you do not want to go through that place. Let’s look around for some parts to make it steadier.”

“Ugh! That will take forever.” Rainbow whined impatiently. “Can’t we just fly there? I’m like twice as small and light as you, so just carry me.”

“No, we can’t.” Storm grunted while pulling the boat onto the bank completely.

“Why not?”

“I can’t fly.”

Silence.

“You can’t fly?” Rainbow half asked, half repeated, still trying to wrap her brain around that statement. “How can you not fly? You’re a pegasus!”

“Never learned.” He replied, only half focused on her while examining the now landlocked boat.

“Didn’t your parents ever teach you?”

Storm stopped messing with the boat at that question. “Let’s find the parts. There's a department store nearby. Come on.” With that, he got up and began backtracking.

Rainbow followed him in silence, and was thinking about what he said along the way. How could somepony not have learned to fly by now? His wings looked perfectly healthy, so it couldn’t have been some injury or disability. No, it didn’t have to do with his ability, but rather who should have taught him. She couldn’t imagine a single pegasus who didn’t crave the adrenaline rush from soaring through the sky as fast as their wings could carry them, to feel free and alive up there.

Five minutes later and the duo had made it to the front of Lock Box’s Department Store. The dried bricks made the stained glass of the front doors and windows stand out with ease, but that didn’t make it any easier to see inside.

“Hold on.” Storm said as he approached one window.

Suddenly, he turned his Sweeper around and smashed the butt of the weapon’s stock into the window, shattering the glass and breaking the silence surrounding the place. Quickly, he began to walk backwards with his eyes - and weapon - raised straight ahead.

The stallion stopped roughly at Rainbow’s side and kept staring into the store. What felt like hours to the mare must have only been a minute before he spoke up.

“It’s clear. Let’s go.” He said before approaching the door and opening it.

The interior of the store was relatively small, but had at least a dozen aisles. Rainbow looked around at the scattered products, destroyed carts, and even a few skeletons here and there.

“Okay, we need slabs for support. Wood works, but I’d prefer steel. Some of that strong Tar Tape too.” He listed.

“Got it. What about you?”

“I’ll hit the power tools and appliances sections. Got an idea.”

The two split up with Storm going right and Rainbow going left. The mare had guessed based upon the ceiling-hung sign that read ‘woodworking and home improvement’ while Storm had seemingly known exactly where his destination was.

The stallion made his way through the mostly picked clean power tool section until he arrived at a rack of scattered screw guns. Some were on the floor, other’s barely clinging to the rusted steel racks. Picking one up with his tether, he examined it in depth for any major signs of damage before clipping it onto his suit.

Storm then shifted through the electric batteries for said gun, but he found that all of them had been corroded and were unusable.

Suit power it is. He thought while throwing a discarded battery over his shoulder.

After picking a suitable screw gun, Storm made his way to the real destination of his subtrip - the appliances section. He started scanning through while walking down the aisle at a moderate pace. Toasters, Microwaves, Micro-oven, Mixers - there! Perfect.

Grabbing two of the largest and most powerful mixers - according to the labels - Storm tethered both appliances and set them down on the floor. Then he retrieved a screwdriver from the back of his suit and took the exterior plate off.

“Shouldn’t be too hard.” He mumbled while examining the insides and making a mental checklist of what he will need.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had already stored some metal plates and small wooden beams into her suit and now was in the process of searching for this ‘Tar Tape’ that her companion had mentioned.

She was now in the third aisle after not finding anything when another call came in.

“You alright over there?” He asked.

“Storm, we’re like half a building away. I’m fine.”

“Okay. Just making sure. Listen, I’ve found everything on my end. You done yet?”

“Almost. Just need to find this tape.”

“I’ll head over in a second.” He said before ending the call.

A few moments of searching later, and Rainbow had finally come across the specified tape. Pocketing two full rolls of it, she turned to leave and saw the blue suited stallion approaching.

“Found it?”

“Yep.” She replied triumphantly before noticing two mixers being tethered behind him. “Uh, what are those for? Do you plan on baking cookies while we row?”

“You’ll see.” He replied, turned away, and gestured for her to follow.

The two pegasi made their way back to the boat and emptied their respective inventories of the recently acquired tools at its side.

“Wait a second and I’ll have this up and running.” Storm directed while plugging some stray wires from his suit into the battery slot of the screw gun.

Sparks flew from the slot, but he didn’t seem to mind. A quick pull of the trigger and the tool spun to life. Satisfied with its performance, the stallion placed it aside momentarily as he grabbed two steel plates from Rainbow’s pile and placed them on the inside of the boat’s back.

Grabbing the screw gun with his hoof and tethering the steel in place, he drilled the plates into the back of the boat before giving them firm tugs. Storm then tethered one of the box-shaped mixers into place on the other side of the plating - outside of the boat. Using the screw gun once more, he bolted the mixer to the steel plate on the other side.

“You can’t be serious.” Rainbow commented into the call from behind. “Those things won’t get us going for five minutes! Why don’t we just row? It's probably faster.”

“No it's not.” He replied while bolting the second mixer. “I’ve made sure of it.”

“Rowing would still have allowed us to be on the water by now.” The mare grumbled.

“Patience means nothing to you does it?”

“When waiting to see my friends it doesn’t.” She replied, tapping a hoof impatiently on the ground.

Storm ignored the rest of her rant while patching up the wall leaks with the wood and remaining bolts. When it was done, discarded the now out of battery screw gun and turned to Rainbow.

“Alright. It’s ready.”

“Finally.” She replied.

“Just get in the damn boat.”

Rainbow did just that and impressively vaulted over the side even in a suit. Storm pushed the vessel back into the rampaging waters before getting in himself. His vault rocked the boat considerably and Dash had to grab on to the side momentarily.

Once he was in, Storm turned to his makeshift motors and activated them. The spinning steel of the mixers was almost enough to drown out the current, but their performance outshined their noise-making ability. The boat started to power forward at decent speeds as Storm sat down adjacent from Rainbow.

“If we get close to the shore, use the oars to redirect.” He commanded.

Rainbow hardly heard his advice and instead was too excited about the coming reunion with her friends. Maybe they could actually put the world back together now that they would be reunited. Soon this would all be some sort of forgotten nightmare and things would return to normal - or at least as normal as they could be…

Right?

Chapter 11 - "Ashes"

View Online

The small group of ponies and a single griffon were gathered around a small campfire housed in a ring of metal plating, located just outside of the lighthouse. The unicorn mare of the group had placed a soundproofing spell inside the walls of their residence to ensure that the foals inside the lighthouse and the creatures of the night wouldn’t hear the chuckles and laughter of the friends.

Maverick sat with Talos to his right and the recently rescued newcomer - Nourish - to his left as he did his best to recite a story despite his drunken state. This night had become a monthly tradition for the group, but due to the presence of a new family member, Maverick had decided to go with an old story about his own foalhood. A story that two ponies sitting here had already been through.

“So, Ms. Rose has already started collecting our homework and I’m reaching into my bag for mine when it hits me…” Maverick says, pausing for a moment to take a swig of one of the many bottles being passed around the circle, “I never did mine. In fact, I never even took it out of the bag!” He continues with an exaggerated laugh, “But my folks promised me that I would be taking summer school if I came home with one more ‘F’ and it's lookin like I’ll be spending my summer in boredom until ‘Mr. Invincible’ over there comes in to save the day!” A gesture of his hoof to Storm, who was deep in reading something in his pocket book and not paying the story any mind.

“Ms. Rose had gotten on to us helping each other with assignments long ag-” Maverick continued before a playful punch to the shoulder from his right interrupts.

“Each other?” Talos repeated, slurring his words. “You mean, Storm saving your ass.”

Maverick gave a gesture that was a mix of mock surrender and a shrug that displayed the thoughts of ‘you got me’ without having to even verbalize it. After a chuckle from both of them, the violet stallion continued.

“Anywho, she had caught on to that a while ago so she began making ‘A’ and ‘B’ copies of all our assignments and made sure Storm and I got different copies. I had an ‘A’ and he had a ‘B’ which had probably been done five minutes after he got home. So, here I am, trying to fix it all before it's too late-”

“You tried to finish a whole assignment in a few seconds?” Ivory giggled, accidentally cutting him off due to her alcohol induced non-existent filter.

“Nah, I was trying to think of a good excuse for my parents!” Maverick corrected, earning a chuckle from Talos, Ivory, and even a slight one from Nourish, who was just happy to be a part of a family rather than property to one. “So I’m like internally freaking out when Storm notices and grabs my paper and then guess what this fucker does? He finishes the whole thing - front and back - in less than a minute! Ms. Rose had no fucking idea and even told me she was pleased with my effort and that I got every single question right!”

“I guess Storm’s always been an egghead, huh?” Talos laughed, nearly falling off of his makeshift seat.

Maverick helped the griffon steady himself while attempting to hold in snickering at his friend’s drunken clumsiness. Ivory was less resilient at holding in the humorous scene before her and starting giggling. Nourish’s small smile had grown bigger even though she was a bit nervous around everyone after only being here a few days.

Ivory was the first to come down from the laughter at the funnier-than-it-should-have-been display. Her gaze turned to his right, where she saw a sight that Storm was still buried in his book. He was leaned back at the slightest of angles, forehooves crossed over his chest with one of them sticking up to hold the book in front of his face, and his eyes were scanning over it’s contents in concentrated manner.

Storm was going over the list he had created with Nourishes help the day prior as he tried to memorize it in addition to mental map out when he should have everything by before her due date.

Sheets
Rubbing Alcohol
Cotton Balls
Oxygen Machine
Scalpel or knife
Baby food/formula
Diapers
Nursing Pillow
Thermal bottle carrier

There were many more items on the list, but the stallion’s vision started to blur after going over them for the upteenth time in a row. It wasn’t the size of the list that bothered him, but the fact that none of it was crossed off and in their possession was.

A gentle nudge to his left broke his concentration and he quickly lowered the sketchbook, meeting Ivory’s eyes that held ‘the look’ in them. The one that showed she was concerned about something and was going to voice it despite knowing he would give her the same answer.

Instead, what he got was different. In the blink of an eye, the mare swiped the book from his hoof and quickly scanned through the page he had been on. When she was finished, Ivory sighed softly before handing the book back to its owner, but dropped it on the ground by accident.

“Ya know, one of these days, I’m going to die.” She states in a half playful, half serious tone, ignoring the book. “So is Talos, Maverick, hell, - everypony is. You’re gonna be the last one standing, Stormy. And when that happens, you’ll wish you had taken the time to just say fuck it and enjoy yourself for once.”

Storm was about to voice his objections to how her drunken mind put that sentence when his intentions were interrupted by the sound of Talos and Maverick fighting over some bottle of hard cider across from them. Ivory chuckled at the scene and went over to scold her coltfriend and Talos before this got out of hoof.

While the mare was trying her best to seperate the two males, Storm’s eyes were fixed on his fallen sketchbook that had opened to his list, which was illuminated by the glow of the nearby fire. The flame’s glow danced on the page like an alert notification telling him that something had to be dealt with urgently. Before reaching down to pick it up, his gaze shifted up to Talos, who was chugging the remains of the bottle, Maverick whose head was being cradled by Ivory and being thanked for ‘being the better stallion’ by giving up the bottle, and Nourish who was watching it all with a sheepish smile on her muzzle.

Just the sight before him was almost enough to forget that they were literally just placing distraction after distraction in front of them to avoid the truth that everything was gone. Everypony else was trying to find something to hold on to - anything to have a reason to wake up and make it through another day.

What was he doing? Trying to run from yesterday in hopes that tomorrow was better, but the truth is that it never would be.

The crashing of the river’s waves was the only sound muffling the metaphorical alarm of the rowboat’s makeshift motor. The passengers of said boat were struggling to position themselves to combat the bumpy ride but they made due with Storm Surge tilting the mixers to keep their momentum up and Rainbow Dash occasionally rounding a tight corner or stray piece of debris with the wooden oars.

For the most part, the ride had been silent on the ponies part. They had a communications channel, so conversation was not out of the question, but neither would say a word.

Or maybe there was nothing to say.

Storm had never been one for conversation even from a young age. He often only spoke when spoken too or if it was necessary, and would leave the talking to a certain charismatic violet pegasus in the past. Storm had learned that he could absorb a lot more about a pony by listening rather than speaking - a skill that saved his ass quite a few times up until now - but in the silence of a two pony boat, it only served to make things uncomfortable or awkward even.

But what could he say?

Nothing.

All the stallion could do was watch the overhanging trees that cast their shadows like spindly claws reaching out for their small vessel. Each passing shadow nearly made him unholster his weapon on a dime, but he continued to look forward and pay attention to the rhythm of his own filtered breathing as a way to drown everything else out.

Storm noticed that the mare sitting up front, who was facing away from him slightly with one forehoof on the side of the boat and another resting on her chin in a laid back banner, and gazing forward almost longingly as if she hadn’t just found herself in hell the day prior.

He found it so strange how she was rarely afraid. The only time he had seen her panic was when she woke up and during the Mimic encounter. Every other instance, she had been rearing for some opportunity for action or to get the hell out of here. While most outsiders would have praised such bravery, he knew better.

If you were fearless, then you were stupid. If you were stupid, then you were dead.

But that was why he was here. He had learned to fear the outside, then how to deal with it, and how to overcome it. If she couldn’t learn to fear it, then he would have to deal with it for both of them and make sure their heads remained above water.

For however long that would last.

Despite how much of a pain in the ass she had been these past few days, Storm wouldn’t have minded her staying a bit longer. It was better than the silence which would follow and encase him permanently after her departure. He hadn’t even thought about what to do with himself after getting her back, but he knew what the answer was without any clarity.

He just didn’t want to think about it. Not yet.

Priorities. First, get Rainbow back to her group and then whatever comes after-

Then he saw it. Standing on the bank, to the left and where the tree’s ended was a figure. A figure wearing an ATS suit - a golden one. While that was fairly common, it wasn’t the suit that disturbed him. It was the familiar custom sniper rifle it held.

Storm was too busy staring at the figure that he entirely drowned out Rainbow’s yell just before the boat slammed into the bank. Rainbow was knocked into the middle of the boat, while Storm was flung off of the vessel and into the waters below.

The suited mare scrambled to her hooves quickly and grasped the side of the rocking boat, looking for her companion.

“Storm!” She shouted, nearly drowned out by the current. “Where are you?!”

Storm was currently being tossed around like a midget in a circus underneath the ravaging waves. His only advantage being that his visor didn’t match the color of the water and he was able to see his surroundings decently well.

He heard Rainbow calling for him, presumingly from up above, as the channel crackled from being overloaded by too much noise. It was hard to think while being spun constantly, but the stallion had an idea.

Activating his blade, Storm extended his left forehoof out and hard as possible, causing the blade to dig into the soil and anchor him to the spot. While he was stationary for the most part, the current made his lower half bob up and down like a rag in the wind. Using his right forehoof, he reached upward, breaking the water’s surface and barely grabbing onto the ledge of a lower spot on the bank. With a swift pull, the stallion heaved himself halfway onto the bank and dug his blade in there before hoisting the rest of his body up and onto the safety of the shore.

Getting into a kneeling position, then sitting up, Storm got to his hooves and deactivated his blade just in time to see Rainbow, who had also gotten onto the bank, walking over to him.

“There you are.” She stated, irritation clear in her tone. “Can you not say a simple ‘yeah, I’m not dead’ in the channel?”

“Can you not overload the mic and give me a headache?” He weakly retorted, catching his breath.

“Hey, I’m not the one who nearly drowned us just now!” She reminded defensively. “What was that back there anyway? Weren't you the one who said never to get distracted out here?”

Storm turned his head towards where he unmistakably saw the figure only find nothing there. He started to scan the rest of the area when a rough shove in the side interrupted. The mare’s small frame against his own heavy one and suit barely moved him, but it was enough to get his attention.

“Hey! Are you even listening?!”

“Yeah…” He replied, trailing off for a second before continuing. “There's something I need to check out.” Storm then walked past her and towards where the figure was.

The stallion suddenly stopped just a few steps from her as something else popped into his head. “You did remember to tie the boat up, right?” He asked, turning to face her.

The absent minded rubbing of the back of her helmet was all the answer he needed, but she confirmed his worries nevertheless. “Uh… about that…” She sheepishly replied while turning her head towards the river.

Storm did the same just in time to see the boat drifting around the corner of the bank and out of sight quite possibly forever.

“Great…” He muttered, then turned back to his intended destination. “You comin?”

Though nopony could see her face, Rainbow’s expression was one of confusion at the swift turn of events. What had ‘Mr. Survivalist’ seen that caused him to nearly send them both under?

Guess we’ll find out… She thought while jogging slightly to catch up to him.

A couple minutes later, the duo had left the noise of the waves behind along with the need for an open comms channel, since they could speak without any additional ambience. Despite the clear air, neither one spoke a word. The thick, claw-like limbs of the Everfree trees had completely dissipated into a clearing with a different kind of tree.

These trees were a lot less overgrown - resembling slightly warped circles with straight trunks in contrast to their bent and hanging counterparts. The leaves were turning a brownish-black with fall ending and winter just around the corner, but a few still retained patches of mossy green here and there.

Both ponies were scanning the treeline, each for their own reasons. Storm was looking for any signs of danger or that familiar - if not impossible - figure while Rainbow was just looking around wondering how the world could be so quiet. It wasn’t boring like she would have expected, just unnerving. The only sound she could hear was the crunching of their hooves over leaves and her own metallic breathing.

It was the little things in life that she hadn’t noticed until now such as that sound. Those little details weren’t worth taking note of. They were boring and she had much better things to do than ponder them. But now the world was quiet enough for her to notice.

And she hated that.

A small object being crushed underneath her hoof broke Rainbow out of her thoughts. This object didn’t crunch like the plethora of dead leaves surrounding the two, instead it squished and split under her touch. Looking down, Rainbow almost didn’t recognize the faded round object that shared the same color as a deep champagne. She rolled the object over to view the opened insides better and found seeds in the rotten must.

Apple seeds.

Wait a minute! These threes, this clearing, these apples. Then it hit her.

They were at Sweet Apple Acres.

Or at least the very tip of it’s outskirts. Wiping her hoof on the thick pile of leaves next to the rotted apple, Rainbow found the faintest trace of one of the many dirt trails that led to the farm’s center. Judging by the rest of the surroundings, she was worried about how much the farm could have changed - or even if anypony was alive - but she had to know.

She had to.

From the looks of things, the two were heading through the trees and towards Ponyville if her guestimate on their surroundings was correct.

“Hey!” She started a little too energetically, causing him to flinch slightly. “Let’s go this way.”

The stallion turned and followed the direction she was gesturing to, taking a moment to silently scan over the path. To her, it was like he was a foal trying to decide between two flavors of ice cream with the short few seconds he stayed silent, weighing the options.

“No, it’s too much of a detour. We won’t make it to Ponyville before dark if we do.” He replied.

“I’ll take that chance then.” She stated, determination coating her voice, before walking down the trail leaving him standing there.

Storm turned to face where he thought the figure would have most likely gone by now but turned back when she said something else.

“You comin?” It was almost snark-like in tone.

With an irritated sigh, he began after her, the unforgiving part of his mind knowing that this would bite them both in the ass later.

A couple minutes of walking through the trail, and a white fence had appeared at the sides, signaling that they were close to the farmhouse. Rainbow was practically bouncing and kicking up leaves as she trotted through the trail. Storm had also picked up his pace to keep up with her, which wasn’t easy, but as long as she was in his sights, any danger could be prevented.

Hopefully.

The farmhouse finally came into view where the fence ended and arched over with a string of dead plants at both sides. A stone well was located to the immediate left of the arch and appeared to be mostly intact. To the right, a weathered and destroyed chicken coop stood on its last legs. Further in the back was the barn itself.

The once lush red and pearl white wooden structure was now desaturated with years of neglect and abandonment. The white had become a sandy beige resembling sand with gravel particles within and the red had faded, looking like a crude bronze. The windows where shiny glass and potted flowers used to be were now stained, cracked, and lacking any flora whatsoever. The Apple-shaped windmill that had been at the top of the building was now just a jagged stump of a pole, presumably knocked off during a flare.

While Rainbow was busy looking over what used to be one of her favorite places filled with amazing memories, Storm was stuck on a collection of smaller buildings on the far side of the farmhouse - or more accurately - who was next to the buildings.

The figure was back. Though he could barely see it from the distance, the build and glowing visor were enough to let him know who it was. Even if he didn’t want to believe it. He was staring directly at the two, and it almost seemed as if he was locking eyes with Storm.

“You been here before?” Storm asked, not taking his eyes off the spot.

“Yeah - many times…” Rainbow answered, trailing off before adding; “But not like this. Its’ so…”

“Different?”

“Yeah… that.”

“We need to cover as much ground as possible to make it to Ponyville in time.” He stated, checking the time, which read 10:07 AM, and momentarily taking his focus off of the figure. Upon returning his gaze to the spot, Storm discovered that the figure was gone.

“I’m going to the barn. Maybe somepony is still there.” Rainbow said, her voice displaying that she was trying to convince herself with the last part.

Storm checked his HUD to find that the radiation levels were only at 21% due to the fact that they were so far from the atmospheric tears. The further one got from Los Pegasus or Canterlot, the lesser the radiation’s harsh effects hit. Meaning it was entirely possible for somepony to be living here still.

And that worried him.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll go check out those buildings over there.” He gestured with a slight nod in the structure’s direction.

“K. See you in a bit!” Rainbow replied, losing the battle to restrain herself from bounding off towards the barn in that second.

“Hold on.” He ordered, grabbing her hoof and stopping the mare in her tracks. An exaggerated sigh was his response as she turned to face him. “Damned can be out here during the day. The radiation is low enough for them to be holed up inside of buildings, so be careful. You remember where to aim, right?”

“The blue thingies.” Dash answered, clearly not in the mood for any more tips.

“Plexers.” He corrected. “And I shouldn't have to say this, but don’t ever take your helmet off around them - no matter what!”

“Gee, thanks, dad.” She replied sarcastically before swatting his hoof away and heading off.

Storm stayed rooted to the spot for a moment, contemplating if he should go with her. A reckless attitude like hers and lack of patience wasn’t going to get her far. He might have listened to his conscience, but he had to check out those smaller buildings.

The pony behind them couldn’t be who he thought it was, right? He had buried that pony just this morning, so there was no way it was him. Somepony could have swiped the rifle from his grave and were keeping watch over the two now. If that was the case, then they were going to fucking pay.

He would make sure of it.

Unholstering his Sweeper and switching the safety off, Storm began his own journey towards his respective destination.

The stallion had checked his open comms for any sign of another ATS user for the past twenty minutes, but the only one he got was Rainbow’s suit.

Should show her how to hide that signal. He thought, but that was for later.

He was in the now currently. Now, he had some possibly deranged or at least sick bastard who has his dead friend’s rifle for whatever reason. Now, he had a very real danger that was following him. Now, he had real problems.

Once he was within spitting distance of the four smaller structures, Storm stopped and listened. He held his breath and stood as still as possible, listening for any signs of life. Hoovesteps, the loading of a weapon, breathing, anything.

But nothing came out of the buildings or around the corner for him.

Though he didn’t show it on the surface, Storm’s mind was beginning to cloud with rage at the mere thought that some fucker would dare take anything off of his friend’s gravesite. It took everything he had to remain composed and approach this correctly.

Upon pressing a button on his chestpiece, a small rectangular module lit up with electric purple accents, as it was unlocked from its resting place and began to hover. The small transparent window of a live video feed from the device popped up on his HUD. Controlling the device with his Tethertech, Storm sent it to the left while he stalked to the right of the buildings.

Pressing himself against the already cleared side of the nearest building, Storm turned his attention to the device’s feed, which was scanning through the front of all four destroyed structures. Each structure was small enough that he could see inside them from the already caked on damage. Once the module was at the end of the fourth building, he had it round the corner to find…

Nothing.

That could only mean one thing - this pony was directly on the backside of the building. Storm mentally prepared himself to fire every round he had at this stranger the second he saw them. Readying his rifle and placing the camera device on the opposite side, he counted down in his head.

3…

2…

1…

Now!

Storm swung around the corner with his weapon raised high and his camera on the other side in case the figure tried to flee, but he only saw nothing.

Nothing. Again. No graverobber or survivor waiting to take him out. Nothing.

After a moment of scanning the rest of the nearby treeline, Storm decreed that there was no way somepony could have crossed an open field of that size without him seeing them. It was like this stranger had vanished into thin air.

Was this all his mind fucking with him again? It had found toying with his friends pretty amusing apparently, so maybe that was all this was. Just a vision of Maverick to remind him that the mentioned stallion could be standing here with him right now if he hadn’t been a selfish, wreckless-

Enough! Storm mentally scolded himself while shaking his head slightly. There was time for self pity later. Right now, he had to check on Rainbow.

As he turned to leave, his hoof brushed up against something hard sticking out of the ground. Looking down revealed it was a stray plank of wood that didn’t match any of the nearby buildings in color or size. The plank was located in a small impression in the soil that had been eroded away by years of violent weathering.

Brushing aside the buildup of dust and dirt on the plank, he discovered a fraction of a label that read ‘-ells’ with a western themed border on the edge of the cut-off text. Activating his blade, Storm dug the weapon into the soil next to the plank and began to push aside the dirt in an attempt to free whatever mystery item was below.

A couple seconds later revealed that the object was not a wooden plank, but rather a small wooden box, which he had almost halfway out of the ground by now. The part with the label was still completely concealed by the Earth, so after deactivating his blade, the stallion placed his hooves on either side of the freed portion and pulled.

The box gave relatively easily as the dirt separated around it with each steady tug. When it was finally free, he wiped the remaining grime off of the lid to reveal the full title which read “Whinnychester Buckshot Shells.” Alongside the label, he was able to see a western-themed decorative border with an icon of a cowboy stallion in the center of said border.

It took a small amount of effort to pry open the box with his hooves due to how long it had been supposedly buried down there, but he managed nevertheless. Upon opening the lid, and displaying contents that hadn’t seen the sunlight in Celestia-knows-how-long, he was greeted with a nearly stocked row of shotgun shells.

Well I’ll be damned… He thought while looking over the interior.

Coated in a faded velvet interior were twelve cylinder shaped compartments to store the label’s intended contents. The first four slots were empty, but the remaining eight had standard-issue buckshot shells snug tightly next to one another. Grabbing a shell and examining it, Storm was surprised that it was in perfect condition and looked safe to use even after all of these years. The stallion grabbed three shells in a hoof full and pocketed them into his suit. Then he grabbed three more, did the same, and was about to pocket the remaining two when a thought accrued to him.

What if the only reason these had remained here for so long was because somepony was still using them? What if he had just robbed some survivor or group of a last resort stash and would be the death of them? No! Not ever again.

Stopping his hoof from grabbing the remaining two shells, Storm closed the box with the remainders inside and placed the box back into the hole. Then he pushed dirt into the hole and attempted to halfway conceal it as it had been before he arrived.

Getting up from his crouched position, Storm holstered his Sweeper before grabbing his shotgun off his back and loading a few of the newly acquired ammunition into it’s cylinder. Once the shells were loaded, he racked the first one into the chamber with an audible click.

While he was fortunate to have found this ammo cache, everything about this was wrong. So wrong. This figure with seemingly nowhere to go vanishes and he just happens to find a nearly untouched ammo box for a weapon he just happened to have on him…

Storm didn’t like these odds. He knew there was no such thing as coincidence - especially in this world - but this was just too wrong. Something else was going down here. It had to be. He needed to make sure Rainbow was alright.

Better check on her. He thought while hailing her suit on his comms system.

“Dash,” He started, allowing the static to clear out. “I found some supplies. Anything on your end?”

Silence.

“Dash?”

“Dash?!” He repeated louder in case static or something on her end was blocking him out. “Answer me dammit!”

Still nothing.

Storm was about to try and reboot the channel when suddenly, a barrage of static filled his ears.

“Wh-ere ar-e -y-you go-in-g?” A distorted mare’s voice asked through the static.

It didn’t have the same raspy sounding tone as Rainbow’s, but he did feel like it was familiar in a way he couldn’t quite place yet.

“Who is this?” He asked, looking around with shotgun raised. “What have you done with Dash?!”

No answer. Just static.

“Answer me, asshole!” He demanded.

Ten Minutes Ago…

Rainbow Dash had wasted no time in reaching the front door to the farmhouse, which was off of it’s hinges and covered in dead vines on the ground. Inside the building, rays of sun broke through the shattered windows and many cracks in the rotted wood, giving the place an almost angelic feeling to it.

Almost, being that the furniture and everything inside looked like a hurricane had come through the place. The couch was nearly ripped in two and blocked off a portion of where the door had once been, almost as if somepony had tried to barricade it. Multiple shelves, tables and other appliances were in complete ruin.

Papers, clothing, tools, and rotted food littered the floor as the mare carefully walked through the building. On one wall, there was a dried bloodstain with multiple holes in it, resembling what might be made from a shotgun blast. Rainbow shuttered. It was like this place wasn’t the one she had known ever since meeting her friends. Sure, it was the same building - same layout and all - but it was completely different at the same time now.

It was wrong now.

The mare continued to search each room, only finding ashes of whatever happened here. Ashes of a story that she would probably never know. There was no way to tell if this happened a year ago, or twenty. All she knew was that all that remained of it were ashes.

Eventually, she came across a closed door in the upstairs part of the building. Trying to open it yielded no results, but she was able to push it slightly, meaning the door wasn’t locked. It was barricaded. Using significantly more force by putting her whole body - in addition to the suit’s weight - into slamming the door inward, it finally gave in and Rainbow was sent tumbling over a dresser where she fell to the other side on her back.

The suit had tanked most of the impact, so she wasn’t hurt, just slightly disoriented from the sudden change in positioning. Turning her head to face the inside of the room, her eyes widened and she recoiled in shock.

Laying on the ground, in whispering distance from her own armored head, was a skeleton. Rainbow backed into a nearby wall and scanned the rest of the room for any immediate threats. Other than the skeleton, all she saw was another bloodstain on the wall and more holes located on the other side of the bed.

Slowly, she got up and approached the skeleton before examining it, but not daring to touch it. The frame was small, lacking wing joints or a horn - meaning it was an earth pony - and quite possibly a mare. The bones were extremely thin, brittle even. And that's when it hit her.

Was that Granny Smith?

It had to be! Unless some random elderly earth pony holed up in here years prior, the skeleton before Rainbow had to be her. The identity of the skeleton didn’t stay in her head much longer upon noticing that it was missing a part of it’s skull and an entire forehoof bone was severed from the main skeleton.

Suddenly, a notification popped up in the corner of her HUD, signaling that an unknown caller opened a comms channel with her.

“Dash, I found some supplies. Anything on your end?”

It was Storm.

Rainbow could barely reply, her focus was entirely on the sight before her, so she turned away and responded. “N-no, the place is picked clean. What’d you find?”

“Dash?”

“Yeah?”

“Dash?!”

“Are you deaf? I’m right he-” The mare agitatedly replied before being cut off.

“Answer me dammit!” He sounded stressed now.

“I have been!” Rainbow retorted. “Something must be wrong on your end. Maybe the-” Again, she was cut off by a demand from him.

“Who is this?! What have you done with Dash?!” He was practically yelling at this point, as if someone had really pissed him off. “Answer me, asshole!”

Has he lost his fucking mind?! Rainbow thought, flinching slightly at the additional outburst. With a sigh, she ended the call and exited the room. I need to get home before he accidentally shoots me at this rate… She started to think, but mentally slapped herself for it. The guy was obviously traumatized by what happened to his friends - and quite possibly more from what little she could tell - now this was the result. He couldn’t help it, but that didn’t make her worry about either of their sakes any less.

The mare had just rounded the corner for the living room when something large slammed into her, knocking her out of her thoughts and onto her back. With a surprised grunt, she landed and scrambled for the machine gun that had fallen out of her hooves. Rainbow was stopped when an extremely bright flashlight beam clouded her vision and forced her to block her visor from the light.

As soon as it appeared, the light vanished, revealing Storm - who put down his shotgun and switched off the flashlight - before looking down at her.

“You alright?” He asked, his tone slightly raspy from earlier, as he extended a hoof downwards.

“I should be asking that.” She replied, accepting his hoof and tethering her weapon back into her grasp. “What did you hear in the channel?”

He didn’t answer at first. It was like he was purposely choosing each word that he was about to speak. To Rainbow, that meant he was hiding something.

“Static.” He finally replied.

“That's it?”

“That's it.”

“Really?” She snorted, “Then who were you yelling at?”

The stallion froze. Previously, he had been slightly fidgeting in place almost expecting some sort of attack or something, but now he was a statue as he replied.

“Just thought I heard someone.” Storm answered at last before swiftly changing the subject. “Come on, it’s getting close to noon. We should get going.”

Rainbow paused momentarily before replying. “Uh, dude, Ponyville is only like ten minutes from us now. We’ve still got five hours left.”

“I know. We need to scout it out before entering.”

“Scout it out?” Rainbow half asked, half repeated. “Are you planning a heist or something?” She continued sarcastically.

The look he gave her was the ‘not in the bullshitting mood’ one she had started to get accustomed to recently. “No, I’m planning to not walk into an ambush or any other nasty surprises.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes at that. He couldn’t see her gesture of annoyance, but it was more of a subconscious reaction at this point. What the hell did he know? Ponyville was a place of wonder, laughter, and might as well be the capital of friendship if such a thing existed. Even if everything had changed around here, there was no way every shred of that could disappear.

Right?

“Okay then.” She started. “Let’s go waste time stalking ponies instead of meeting them and getting this over with.”

“You’ll thank me later.” He replied. “Until then how about we tone down the smartass comments.”

Rainbow lifted her good wing and curled every feather with the sole exception of her primary one located in the middle as a response.

With that, the two turned and exited the building, leaving Sweet Apple Acres as it was…

Ashes of the old world.

Twenty Minutes Later...

Rainbow huffed impatiently as she absentmindedly tapped a hoof on the floor of the third story building she had found herself in for the past eternity.

The two had found some resemblance of civilization in Ponyville. The central part of the town where the mayor's office and market square were located had been walled off by towering concrete barriers, of which Rainbow could barely see over with her position. All that was visible being the tops of two dozen buildings that looked surprisingly intact.

She couldn’t see any of the town’s residents, but judging by the almost brand new banners hung on the top of some buildings, the place was still inhabited. The suspense of finding anypony else, especially her friends, was eating at her like one of those creatures would if they caught her.

Another minute or two ticked by and she finally had enough. With a frustrated grunt, she connected to the comms channel to reach Storm, who was prone on the roof of the very same building she was inside.

“What's taking so long? I could’ve had us in there in ten seconds flat.” She complained.

“You would have gotten us killed in ten seconds flat. It’ll go by faster if you’d stop calling every couple of minutes.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Rainbow retorted, followed by a brief moment of silence before continuing. “So, uh, see anything interesting?”

“They’re preparing some kind of a gathering. There’s a banner that says ‘Remember the fallen for they live on in our hearts, in our bodies, and in our spirits’ above the center building.” He replied. “There's a lot of them too. At least thirty, but none of them are armed as far as I can tell.”

“They are ponies, dude - not monsters. Just try to relax and don’t make a scene in there for Celestia’s sake.”

“You don’t know that.” He retorted cooly. “You won’t ever know until it’s too late, and by then, you have to be willing to act accordingly.”

Though he was focused on the scene below, Storm could almost sense an eye roll from the mare below in addition to the brief silence that followed.

“Okay, got it.” She said quickly, brushing off the advice in an annoyed tone. “Did they pass your inspection test? Can we go now?”

Storm didn’t reply right away. Instead he kept scanning over the insides of the community. Nothing looked wrong, but nothing looked right either. Where were the lookouts? The armed guards? All he saw were market booths where ponies were chatting, trading, and acting like none of this hell existed in the first place. Despite the feeling in his gut, he had no tangible evidence of something being amiss, and in addition to that he also had the worst most impatient pegasus up his ass to speed things up.

Normally, he would be thinking something along the lines of it being her funeral, but the truth is that if - no when - things go south, it would be both of their funerals. But that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was that he didn’t mind the thought.

Not one bit.

“Fine.” He finally answered. “Let’s go check it out. If shit hits the fan and we get seperated, then meet me back at that farm.”

Yeah, as if I’m spending another day with you… Rainbow thought upon hearing that. “About time.”

Dash exited the house just in time to meet with Storm, who had just climbed down with surprising stealth and agility for both his size and suit.

“Another thing,” He began. “The radiation level out here is at 4%. That's low enough to not do permanent damage and barely even be noticeable. I saw a lot of them without masks or suits on, so it’s safe to do so.”

“Finally.” Rainbow sighed in relief and deactivated her helmet. The metal plates were tethered neatly into the compartment behind her head, revealing her sweat coated mane to the world. The air around her both tasted and smelled of the faintest of a sweet and sour hybrid like she had just finished eating a green apple lollipop.

“Better hope they don’t have any snipers itching for a fight.” He commented on her action of removing the helmet.

Unsurprisingly, his own blue and bronze helmet remained on. Rainbow could feel the judgemental glare he gave off even with the protection of the visor’s purple lens. She was starting to get sick of being bossed around like some newbie employee who couldn’t do anything right in the manager’s eyes.

None of this would matter for much longer thankfully. Soon she would be reunited with her friends - at least some of them had to survive after all - and the two could go their separate ways. She just hoped he wouldn’t do anything rash before her and the others could fix this world.

But then it hit her. Maybe he could help. Despite the snarky, know-it-all pain in flank he was to her, Rainbow had to admit that the stallion did know his way around both the monsters and gadget-making as well. She made a mental note to ask him about that later, but the first thing is first.

It was time to see if her best friends had hopefully made it and had been spending all of this time planning for a way to fix their future. That’s got to be it, after all, the girls were smart enough to make it this far…

Right?

“Holster your weapon.” Storm ordered, as he did just that and placed his Sweeper on his back.

Rainbow did the same and swung the machine gun onto her back before following him to the front gates of the community. In contrast to the interior of the community, the outside did match the rest of the world. The buildings were decrepit, ransacked, and barely holding on.

The gate was made of concrete and stood about three and a half stories tall just like the rest of the wall. All in all, the structure seemed to be decently maintained as it had little cracks, dents, and stains on it.

Storm stopped in his tracks while the mare advanced towards the gate. No guards at the gate? Thats off… He thought, growing uneasy. His eyes began scanning the tops of nearby buildings for the glint of a scope or sign of movement.

“You afraid of ponies in general or somethin?” Rainbow asked, having noticed and looked back at his position. “Come on, I’ll hold your hoof if it helps.” She offered, chuckling at her own joke.

“Shut up.” He grunted, walking past the snickering mare.

Once the two were within spitting distance of the gate, Storm knocked on it three times loudly, making sure the plating of his suited hoof hit the stone for an amplified effect.

While he had been expecting guards or marauders to jump out of nowhere, or even the scope glints and laser sights to rest on their bodies, hell - he even expected somepony to tell them to ‘screw off’ with a loudspeaker from the otherside.

They didn’t get any of the ‘usual’ greetings most communities had. Instead, the gates made a grinding sound as they began to separate slowly. It took everything Storm had to not immediately ready his weapons at this strange occurance.

His eyes locked with about two dozen others, all of which had stopped various activities and looked like a frozen frame of a movie, to watch what the noise at the gate had been. Storm felt like deformed zoo animal that all of the colts and fillies were staring at in strange wonder.

The duo stepped inside, with Rainbow entering - a smile on her muzzle - immediately while Storm lingered for a moment before taking after his excited companion.

They walked for a bit with Rainbow waving at a few ponies. Some waved back, some smiled in addition. Others ignored her or whispered to one another.

“See?” Dash reminded. “They’re just ponies. Nothing more.”

Storm didn’t answer. He just kept walking and silently examining everypony that came into his view. He was thankful the suit concealed his face as his expression was probably one of distrust or hostility if he had to guess.

Ivory had coined a term for ‘the look’ he gave newcomers and ponies he didn’t trust or like. ‘The Storm Stare’ was what she called it while drunk off her flank one night. The playful mare had even tried her best to replicate it herself, but it only looked goofy and ended in Maverick having a laughing fit at her attempts.

In the time that he had remembered a brief bit of his friends, Storm had absently let his mind wander and lost track of Rainbow, who was now an entire street length ahead of him.

Rainbow had apparently found somepony she recognized, which was a grey pegasus mare who had a yellow mane and matching eyes, both of which weren’t properly centered. The other pegasus hugged her suddenly, causing Storm to subconsciously place a tethered appendage on his weapon out of reflex.

When it was clear the gesture had no ill intent, he removed the appendage and walked over to the duo. He stopped a couple steps away so as to not interrupt their conversation or maybe it was because he wanted to avoid others. Whatever made him feel better.

After hugging the mare goodbye, Rainbow returned to his side. Any traces of her irritated and scared side completely absent now.

Rainbow was about to say something when a voice from behind them beat her to it.

“Welcome to Ponyville!” A sophisticated mare’s voice greeted. “Anything you-”

The voice stopped and Rainbow’s facial expression froze on the spot. Storm turned around and was met with a dirty white unicorn mare roughly the same age as Dash. Her mane and tail were a pristine purple and done up elegantly in curls with string. The unicorn had a shocked expression on her face that transformed into one of pure excitement and happiness.

“Rainbow?” She half asked, half identified.

“R-rares?” Rainbow stammered, making Storm unsure if she had meant to think that rather than say it aloud.

The unicorn giggled at her friend’s stunned expression and response.

“Welcome home, darling.”

Chapter 12 - "Somewhere Between Happy"

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Paranoia.

The concept is such a powerful thing. The feeling of being threatened by anything - and everything - surrounding oneself didn’t sit well with the armored stallion lightly. Even if there was no logical reasoning for his concerns, the voice - or voices - in the back of his head wouldn’t relent.

No matter how hard he tried to turn them off.

If there were any legible dictionaries left, he imagined his conscience would be in there under ‘double-edged sword,’ which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. But right now, seated in the makeshift revamped diner the unicorn mare - Rarity - had invited both him and Rainbow to, it was a problem.

No matter how much he tried to actually let his guard down and relax because they were safe for the time being - or hell, even being happy for Rainbow - who was giddily catching up with the white unicorn sitting across from her.

He couldn’t do it.

“No way!” Rainbow chuckled, not believing what she had just heard. “There is no way you were actually put in charge of Ponyville!”

“It’s true,” Rarity replied, taking a sip of one of the recently delivered beverages to the table. “When Mayor Mare passed about ten years ago or so, I was working under her as an apprentice and we both knew that her time was coming so she taught me everything I know.” She stated with a sadden expression at the last bid.

Storm didn’t see a saddened student mourning the loss of a teacher. He saw the work of a bullshitter. A damn good one too. Nopony was that calm about something like that. They were either hollow or in a fury of rage and tears. There was no exception to that.

Suddenly, a random mare in a torn waitress’s apron had found the trio’s booth. “What’ll it be today, miss Rarity?” She asked, putting emphasis on the ‘miss’ part.

“The usual. Oh! And don’t forget to ask my friends here what they would like.” Rarity replied in a carefree tone before addressing the other two seated across from her. “Everything’s on me, so have at it, darlings!”

“I could get used to you being mayor!” Rainbow replied, earning a laugh from both mares, then she turned to the waitress. “You guys don’t have hayburgers and fries by any chance do you?”

The waitress paused upon hearing that and as subtly as she could, glanced to Rarity. No words were spoken, but a silent conversation was clearly going on between the two.

A conversation Storm didn’t like one bit.

Rarity nodded as subtly as possible before the waitress answered Rainbow’s question. “Yes, we do. Any preferences?”

“Extra ketchup, hold the mayo. Thanks.”

The mare scrawled her order down on a levitated notepad with lightning efficiently. Then she looked at Storm. “What about you, sir?”

“I’m good. Thanks.” Storm replied emotionlessly and almost forgot to add the ‘thanks’ at the end with how caught up in his examination process he was.

“If you change your mind, I’ll be around.” The waitress stated before smiling and disappearing into the kitchen.

“Anyway, where was I?” Rarity half asked Rainbow and herself. “Oh - yes! Nopony else was qualified for the position. Everypony here at the time were either traders or scavengers. They preferred to solve problems with bullets or ridiculous prices.” She scoffed.

“Why did you take the job, though?” Rainbow asked, taking a sip of her own drink. “No offense, but you are the last pony I’d expect to go through with something like that.”

“Are you implying that I can’t handle stress?” Rarity lightheartedly chuckled. “Well, to answer your question, I didn’t have any real input in this community. Dressmaking isn’t exactly a renowned trade in today's times and so I decided to do something that did matter.”

The waitress returned just as the mare finished up her sentence. In her magic, she held a tray which contained a large plate with a hayburger, fries, and a small salad were on one side. On the other, a caesar salad with all the fixings and more. Lowering the tray down to the table’s height, she used her magic to place each order in front of its respective pony.

Rarity verbally thanked her, and Rainbow’s hungry eyes at the sight of her own meal were a gesture of gratitude enough. Before leaving, the waitress asked if they needed their drinks refilled. Rainbow, who had gulped down her own gladly accepted. The mare levitated a pitcher of water over to the table and refilled both her and Rarity’s glasses. When she was about to refill the stallions, she noticed something rather odd.

His cup was full. In fact, it hadn’t even been so much as moved an inch since she placed it there twenty minutes ago.

“Do you not like the drink, sir?” She asked, earning the attention of both Rainbow and Rarity as well. “I can get you something else instead.”

“No, I’m fine.”

The waitress glanced to Rarity, who nodded. Then she left with the pitcher and tray in her magic. After watching the swinging doors to the kitchen close, Rarity turned back to her guests, finally deciding to address the distrusting glare one of them had been giving her.

“You can stop giving me that look, darling.” Rarity asked, addressing Storm. “I assure you that I don’t bite unlike those brutes out there.”

“That’s what worries me.” He replied, his tone lacking any room for bullshit.

Rarity giggled, brushing it off with a wave of her hoof. “I don’t know who you are basing me or any of these fine ponies off of, but we aren’t like the other places. I can assure you we have nothing to hide.”

“Those who don’t never feel the need to say that.” Storm replied coldly.

“That’s a fair point, but have you noticed that your weapons haven’t been taken from you at the gates?” Rarity countered. “If I wanted to do something to you, I wouldn’t have allowed you to keep everything. That is, if I could even do anything to you. You’re the most built and not to mention strapping colt I’ve seen since Big Macintosh.”

Storm didn’t reply, but he didn’t let up the glare either. This prompted Rainbow, who was trying to ignore her friend’s girly flirting, to take over the conversation. “Hey, uh... Let me talk to him for a minute, Rares.” She said while getting out of her seat.

The stallion was paying her no mind, because Rainbow had to roughly tug on his forehoof to even get him moving and out of the booth. The two exited the diner without so much as a word to each other, but judging by Rainbow’s swift yet heavy steps and body language, she wasn’t happy.

Once the duo were around the corner of the building and alone except for a large dumpster blocking the back alley, Rainbow turned on her heel and spoke her mind.

“What the hell was that?!” She demanded to know. “You’ve said nothing for the past half hour and just keep staring at my friend like she…” Suddenly, she stopped mid sentence, just barely halting herself before the realization of what was about to be said hit her.

“Like she what?” Storm furthered, almost instantly catching on to her intended words. “Killed my friends? Yeah, I know she didn’t. Not them at least.”

“What are you implying? Rarity is some sort of murderer?”

“No. But she is hiding something. I know it.” He replied, glancing over his shoulder and at the corner to the diner’s entrance momentarily.

“I’ve known her most of my life, and there is no way she would do anything even close to that. She’d probably faint at the sight of blood!” Rainbow’s voice was gradually raising as her intent to defend her friend grew stronger.

“Most of your life, huh?” He countered. “And how long is that exactly? Is she like a mother to you or something?”

“What?! Dude are you out of your mind?! We’re friends! She’s one of the six I told you about-”

“Then why is she older than me? I thought these were supposed to be your childhood friends.”

Rainbow stopped for a moment. The realization hit her like the aftershock of a sonic rainboom. How could she have not noticed Rarity’s age?! Sure, the wrinkles under her eyes and different mane style might have been a clue, but what did that mean for her?

“I uh… hadn’t even realized that…” She finally answered, embarrassed at her lack of perception.

“How old were you when shit hit the fan or when you touched that weapon or whatever your story is?”

“Twenty two, but I still am the same age somehow!”

“The only explanation for that would be some type of magic-induced cryosleep spell. That’s the only thing I can think of.”

“I don’t think I was in some cry...sleep thingy. We’re getting off hoof here!” Rainbow grunted in a frustrated tone.

“Manners are more important than solving this?” Storm asked sarcastically, earning a glare from the mare.

“For now, yes. I finally found one of my friends and have a chance to fix all of this.”

The stallion made a brief sound that was a mix of a chuckle or a scoff, prompting an irritated response from the blue pegasus.

“What?” She asked, a primary feather’s length away from punching his face in.

“Fix this? There is no fixing this, Dash!” He stated, his own voice rising at the last part. “This is what we have and so we deal with it.”

“Well I’m not going to! I’ll find all of my friends and we’ll put the world back together no matter what it takes!” She countered confidentiality.

“Looks like you’ve already got a headstart then.” He replied. “Go back to ‘miss shady’ in there and go play make believe with the others because there is no fixing this world. It's what we were dealt and it's what we’ll die in!”

“Screw you.” The mare hissed.

“I’m not trying to be an asshole, but you’ve got to accept things the way they are or you’ll die. If you want to go on some wild goose chase for a fake future, then go for it. But if I were you, I wouldn’t willingly leap into something’s jaws like that.” Storm added, trying to lower his voice to a normal tone.

Rainbow Dash didn’t respond, so he continued.

“Look, you are one of the few decent ponies left. I don’t know how you managed it all these years, but you aren’t like the others… and that's why you’re going to die. I tried to make you see that, but you're too stubborn to realize it…” Still no response, just that glaring daggers look she held. “-I can’t hold your hoof through this forever, but I know you’re barely hearing me right now. The second I walk away you’ll be preparing to be the hero and you’ll get both yourself and your friends killed because of it.” He finished, barely pushing through the last sentence.

When it was clear she wasn’t going to say anything further, Storm turned around and began walking in the opposite direction of the diner.

“You're full of shit.” She finally said when he was a few steps away.

Storm halted momentarily, mentally weighing the possible conflict he was about to get into.

Just ignore her...

Then with a sigh, he kept walking away.

“Now you’re just going to run from me - from this chance - just like you run from everything else, is that it?” She continued, louder this time.

That's it.

In a flash, he had spun around to face her - and actually got a bit closer in that simple turn. Any bystanders wouldn’t have been able to tell who had a more angry look on their faces between the two.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” He seethed, looking her dead in the eyes.

Despite the height and build difference, Rainbow didn’t falter on her own expression and continued. “Don’t think I don’t see it. The way you change the subject or get pissy when anything you can’t face comes up. You may hide it, but you’re in pain and the only way to stop it is to run. Trust me, I know-”

“You know?” Storm replied with a harsh, almost shouting tone that knocked any of the confident determination out of the mare, who flinched slightly at being suddenly and roughly cut off. “You don’t know shit! Did you ever wreck your whole family’s life?! Get your grandfather and only friends killed because of your stupid actions?! Shoot your own broken and pregnant grandmother?! Huh?!” He was full on shouting now.

Luckily, nopony was around to hear or see the outburst except for Rainbow, who was stunned at his sudden flip. Normally something like this wouldn’t have affected her, but it reminded her of times she would rather forget. Upon regaining her composure, the rainbow-maned pegasus tried to continue.

“Storm, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to-”

“You know what? Forget it.” The fuming stallion cut her off again. “My job’s done. You're here, you're safe for however long you choose not to be a dumbass, so I’m out of here.”

Rainbow couldn’t decide if she wanted to verbally lay into him for that or try and stop him from leaving on these terms. Instead, she did the only thing she could for this situation…

Nothing.

She just watched as he turned slowly and walked around the corner of the diner and out of her sight.

That was the first time she had seen any real emotion out of him, and while it was healthy to release it as an old friend had once told her, it was also terrifying. When he started yelling, the mare had fully expected punches to fly but it never ended that way.

Rainbow had just now started to look back on what she had said. In retrospect, her choice of words could have been better but they were true. While she had never experienced any of those horrible things he had mentioned, the mare had been in a dark spot herself and knew how he handled it because she was just like him.

Neither of them wanted somepony else's help - no, pity. That didn’t help. It only made her paranoid that said pony would take advantage of her the way…

No, not right now! Rainbow mentally stopped herself, looking back to the corner where she hoped he would somehow reappear either to resolve unfinished business or apologize. Hell, anything, but he wasn’t going to show.

She had blown it. Her chance at another piece of the puzzle to save the world - and possibly a new friend in all of this - were gone because of her stupid mouth. But the damage was done and she had a gut feeling he would actually shoot her if she tried chasing to confront him at this moment.

With seemingly no better options, the blue pegasus returned through the diner’s front doors and to her seat where Rarity was patiently waiting. Both mare’s orders had been replaced by some kind of chocolate desserts sometime in her absence and were sitting at the table like an offering to the gods.

Rainbow nearly forgot about the argument outside upon plopping down and preparing to dig in, but as soon as she saw Rarity watching her hold the spoon to the dessert happily, the true moment was snapped back to reality.

“What’s bothering you, darling?” She asked, her expression turning neutral. “Did something happen between you and your coltfriend?”

Rainbow nearly choked on her food upon hearing that. After composing herself and knowing that she wouldn’t be forced to waste her dessert, she replied. “He’s not my coltfriend.” Normally, she would have chuckled at the audacity of that, but right now the mare wasn’t in a joking mood. “He’s like forty. If anything, you’re more likely to be with him than me.”

“Oh, so he is on the market then?” The white unicorn chuckled, prompting an eye roll from her friend. “Joking aside, I suspect something did happen. He didn’t return after all.”

“Yeah, he’s… uh… not going to be coming back. Not for now I don’t think.” Rainbow added, avoiding Rarity’s gaze and choosing her words with care.

“I’m sorry. I truly am, darling.” She sympathized, looking out the dirty window. “If you don’t want to discuss it yet then I understand.”

“Thanks, Rares.”

The two became very quiet after that. Just the sound of fork in salad and hay crunching was heard from their booth as they finished their respective meals. Eventually, the waitress mare returned again to collect the empty plates.

“So, will you be attending the festival tonight?” Rarity asked after wiping her muzzle and chest with a napkin.

“Festival? What festival?” Rainbow asked.

“Nopony’s told you?” Rarity replied. “Well, I shall do the honor then. It's one of the new traditions we started since I took over for Mayor Mare. We call it the Remembrance Festival. It’s a magical night of song, dance, and honoring those we loved - and lost - along the way.”

“Well, here's the thing…” Rainbow said, trying to think of how to word the next part. “I’m not exactly sure who I’ve lost yet. I just woke up yesterday.”

“What do you mean?”

“This is going to sound crazy, but remember that crossbow looking thingy we found years ago? Well I touched it and got blinded by some purple light. Then I woke up here.”

Rarity looked at her concerned for a moment then replied. “Darling… that thing never did anything. Don’t you remember?”

“What?!”

“You touched it and nothing happened. I mean, you did complain the whole way back and we were a touch disappointed, but no bright purple light ever came out from it.”

“How are you not freaking out about this?! Didn’t you notice that I’m still like twice as young as you?”

“Ouch,” Rarity responded in a mocked hurt tone. “Don’t remind a lady of her age, Rainbow Dash. I know I’m not getting any younger.”

“Seriously. All jokes aside, you didn’t think anything of this?!” She asked, gesturing up and down her body with her hooves.

“Well, honestly I thought Twilight might have found some sort of deaging spell to give you and herself some more time.”

“Twilight?” Rainbow repeated, a puzzle expression coating her face. “More time? Rarity, you aren’t making any sense.”

The mentioned mare frowned before continuing. “Twilight’s research -the research she told me you had been spending all these years helping with?” She asked, attempting to jot the pegasus’ memory.

“Research? I haven’t been doing any egg-head homework - I’ve been asleep or in some cry-” Rainbow paused, trying to remember the term.

“Cryosleep?” Rarity asked, earning a nod from her friend.

“Yeah! That’s the one. I didn’t even know Twilight was alive until you told me just now.”

The white unicorn absently pushed a curl of her mane out of her eyes and glanced downward slightly before responding. “Well, to be honest I don’t even know if she is at this point. You see, Twilight had been sending me letters about her research on that item she labeled as the Harmony Enforcer.”

“The crossbow thing I touched?”

“Yes, that's the one, darling.” Rarity confirmed. “The engravings around it depict some sort of…” The mare paused, as if unsure on how to put her sentence into proper words. “Prophecy or so she claimed. One with these beasts and such. And that weapon you mentioned. She claims it is the key to our salvation or some nonsense. I couldn't stand to watch Twilight tear herself apart, so I left.”

“Do.. you think she could be right?”

Rarity giggled uncomfortably, composed herself and then continued. “Twilight doesn’t know what she is talking about, Rainbow. She lost her mind years ago in all of her research about that Enforcer and the worlds and all that. I only acted like I believed her so the mare would stay in touch but recently…” She trailed off.

“Recently?” Rainbow asked, eager to hear more.

“Recently… she stopped.”

“The studies?”

“The letters. All of them. I would get one a month, maybe two if I was lucky, but for the past three months I haven’t heard or seen a word from her. I don’t even know if she is still alive.” The unicorn wiped a small tear that had formed in the corner of her eye.

“You didn’t look for her? You’re mayor for Celestia’s sake!”

“Rainbow…” She began, letting a small sigh hiss through her teeth as if trying to decide between scolding her friend or patiently explaining herself instead. “You don’t understand the first thing about running a community. I have responsibilities for my ponies. I have to make sure they are safe, fed, and alive - even if that means putting the safety of one of my best friends behind the safety of an entire town. It’s not easy and I couldn’t sleep for the first few weeks knowing that Twilight could be hurt or worse, but you live with it. You have to. I know it's hard to accept for the Element of Loyalty, but it's what I had to do.

The subtle reminder of her plan resurfed in Rainbow’s mind suddenly. “The elements! We can use them to fix all of this! All we have to do is find the girls and then both worlds or whatever is going on are fixed! I can go back to my… uh… timeline and you can all live in yours like before!”

Rarity had the smallest trace of a hopeful smile, but it quickly dropped. “That sounds truly wonderful, darling - it really does - but I have to admit that you sound like Twilight right now. We can’t go off of ‘what if’s’ and false hope. I can’t risk my ponies on search parties for Twilight and the Elements. It’s just too dangerous.”

“I’ll do it.”

“Pardon me?”

“I said I’ll do it!” Rainbow repeated with more determination that the previous time. “I’ll find Twi and then the rest. Then we find the elements and bam-” She continued, ending with a hoof pump. “-World saved!”

“I missed that brash bravery so much.” Rarity replied. “Well, I know stopping you is impossible so I won’t waste either of our time with that. But, listen to me, Rainbow…” She continued, her tone flipped to dead serious on a dime. “The outside is a terrible and dangerous place that shouldn’t be treated lightly-”

“Psh! I know how dangerous it is, Rares.” Dash interrupted with a carefree wave of her hoof. “I did make it here in one piece, didn’t I?”

Rarity’s mouth opened as if she was going to say something, but then she stopped and averted her gaze.

“What?” Rainbow asked.

After a moment of contemplating, the white unicorn finally faced her friend. “Darling, I don’t mean to be a downer when I say this but…”

“But?”

“I know you couldn’t have done it on your own.”

“What?! What makes you say that?”

“Well, the beasts and even other ponies out there require a lot of careful handling that you probably wouldn’t last long against alone.”

“Are you saying that he carried me here?” Rainbow asked, a mixture of an annoyed and pouty expression on her muzzle.

“No, no, no - not at all, darling.” Rarity quickly added. “I’m sure you helped… a bit…”

“Thanks.” Rainbow muttered.

“But judging by his distrust for us and how calculating he was, I’d say that stallion knows the outside pretty well.”

“Let me guess, you want me to go apologize to him and beg him to join me out there?” Rainbow asked, tired of this beating around the bush game.

“Guilty.” Rarity replied, a sheepish expression on her face. “I just don’t want you to end up hurt - or worse - and this is your best chance, Rainbow.”

The blue pegasus put both hooves up to her eyes and rubbed them as if trying to calm a blistering headache. “I know, I know. It’s just…” She trailed off. “I’m not that good with words and stuff. I totally pissed him off and don’t know what to say.”

“Just say whatever comes from the heart.”

Rainbow chuckled. “That is the most sappy thing I have ever heard.”

“Oh Rainbow, I think you have a better chance out there by yourself than you do attempting to learn romantics.” She teased.

An eye roll from the pegasus was her only response, earning a round of snickering from Rarity, who tried to suppress it with a hoof to her muzzle but to no avail.

“But I know she’s still out there. We just don’t know where yet.” Rarity added with a small hint of hope.

“We’ll find her.” Rainbow declared, meaning every loyal word. “I won’t rest until it's done. Well, maybe nap, but… ya know.”

Rarity giggled before facing her pegasus friend. “I wish they could see us right now in this moment - having a good time like we used to. None of survival this, survival that, kind of stuff.”

“You don’t have to wish.” Rainbow replied. “Because soon we will all be here. Just like the old days.”

“Hm, and here I thought lack of patience was your thing.” Rarity added, prompting a small series of laughs from each mare.

It may have taken the test of her patience, nearly dying, and having to partner with the world's most paranoid stallion, but in the comforting presence of the white unicorn behind the walls of a secure and friendly community, she felt safe.

She felt at home.

Meanwhile, Storm Surge was in the process of leaving the community and was heading through the rows of market booths and small buildings all the while trying to control his breathing. Throughout the walk, all the stallion could think about was mentally chastising himself for his outburst towards the blue pegasus.

It all happened so sudden. Normally, he would be able to keep his cool in any situation like that. He had taken and dealt with other’s shit for decades and had to mold his own poker face just to survive in those situations, but all it took was one sentence for her to break his mold.

He had no clue whether it was the recent revelations that made him suddenly snap or if she was just good at getting under his skin. Nevertheless, she was able to pull it off and now he had lost his only chance at not spending the rest of his days - however short those were - alone all because of his stupid mouth.

But none of that mattered now. He had blown it and there was no going back. Life was full of decisions where you only got one shot and he wasted it. Again.

As he walked, Storm took a moment to examine the community’s interior once more. There were still no guards - anywhere for that matter - posted on towers or even cutouts on the walls. No snipers on the rooftops of the few buildings that matched or surpassed the walls either. No defense of any kind besides the walls themselves.

Inside the borders, ponies were busy trading at various booths offering food, drinks, ammo, weapons, and an abundance of other things. This was normal as every community had some form of bartering whether the price be blood or bits. The factor out of the ordinary was the expression on each of the ponies’ faces.

They were all smiling.

Not slightly lifted grins or brief ones. Huge, beaming smiles that expressed real happiness. Storm looked through the crowds for even a single one that didn’t sport the creepiest smile, but could find none.

The stallion finally reached the front gates of the community and was greeted by a mare and a stallion on either side.

“Heading out?” The mare asked, her smile never faltering.

Storm eyed her suspiciously for a moment before responding. “Yeah. Can you lower the gate?”

“Sure can, pal!” The stallion replied for his female counterpart, causing Storm’s ‘what the fuck’ glare to turn towards him.

And with that, the same stallion grabbed onto a level on the side of the wall next to an electric box. Putting all of his weight down, he pulled the lever all the way down and the gate doors began to grind open.

“There ya go!”

“Thanks…”

As he walked past the two, Storm was half expecting to get jumped or halted for any reason but they let him through. Stopping to turn around, the mare waved goodbye cheerily as the stallion pulled the lever back up.

It took an internal struggle for Storm to break free from looking back at the now closed off community, but he finally turned around with a sigh. Checking his HUD, the grey pegasus found that it was currently five till noon, meaning he had a little under five hours to get back to the lighthouse. Without the boat, it would take him twice as long easy just to reach it, so he decided the best bet was to find someplace to hole up before then.

Before he took off, Storm glanced back at the walls of the community. Most ponies would have prefered to stay in there over out here any day or night, but not him. He knew the Damned. He understood them. Damned typically didn’t lie. They were straight forward and wanted him dead. He wanted them dead. It was a simple - no bullshit relationship.

What really went on in there, he didn’t want to know. Storm would have gone without any more glances if it weren't for a certain pegasus he might have left to a worse fate back there. No! That was stupid. She was finally with her friends and would make it. Maybe she’d even wisen her ass up and live a good life, er - as good as one could out here that is.

Still, it didn’t sit right with him. The lack of defenses, the smiles, the cheerful nature, Rarity - all of it didn’t add up. No community got by being that passive or careful. No leader as seemingly nice as she was ever survived their own group or others.

Right then and there, Storm decided that he would give this place one more lookover. He’d stay for the festival and if everything checked out then he would leave them be. If he did find anything amiss that threatened both himself and Dash’s lives…

Then he’d deal with it.

But right now, the stallion couldn’t bear to be inside those walls any longer. Whether it was not being able to own up to yet another mistake and apologize to Dash or the wrongness of the community, he had to leave at least until the festival.

Now the question was how he would occupy himself for half a day. Well, at least that was one thing he could do easy. Snoop and search for answers. If the eyes of the community wouldn’t allow for it, then he could search outside the walls.

Storm knew better than anypony that all it took was one single breadcrumb to find the rest of the loaf. All he needed to do was start looking. But where would be-

Then he saw it.

Or rather him.

About four buildings away from his position, Storm saw the faded golden armor and the custom sniper rifle sticking off of the wearer’s back. The blue visor wrestled with the glare of the sun overhead, but it beckoned him like the beacon it was nevertheless.

Shit… not you again… He thought while activating his helmet.

In the short few seconds the purple visor had cleared up and was snapped into place, the figure had vanished. Pulling his Sweeper off of his back and into his grasp, the stallion began to stalk the phantom figure with extreme care. His weapon was constantly ready and iron sights were matched with his eye as he rounded a few corners, scanned every building, and every crevice until he came across a wide open street with buildings on either side.

At the middle of the street and to his left was the figure. It was facing a decent sized building and looking back in his direction. Then it turned it’s head and stepped inside without a second glance.

What game are you playing? He thought, slowly advancing towards the building himself.

When he got to the front doors, Storm found that they were wide open and a dark interior was daring him to enter. Looking up provided no answer as to what kind of building it was as the sign had long since faded. The only hint was a dual set of smashed windows at each side of the entrance that sported destroyed mannequins.

Turning on his flashlight, Storm checked each immediate corner in the building’s entrance before fully stepping inside. His purple visor and white flashlight battled for illumination superiority in the dark lobby, with the latter winning the battle.

His flashlight scanner over multiple posters of elegant dress designs and accessories with some matching sets on mannequins nearby. After finding nothing of interest, Storm made his way to the only other door in the lobby and opened it.

That’s when the smell hit him.

Normally, smells didn’t bother the stallion. He was around death and decay nightly. Even if the bodies of most Damned had long since hardened into bone and the smell had stuck rather than gotten worse, he was still used to the wretched scent. It didn’t help that he rarely bathed unless a stream or generator-powered shower was on standby so he probably wasn’t going by any Playcolt standards or anything even close.

But this… this was worse. This was the smell of a thousand corpses. In one house.

The flashlight beam revealed his fears as it swept over a literal pile - no wall of bodies. The ones furthest behind were so far gone that they were brittle skeletons at best. The scene looked like an evolution chart of the stages of decay with the back being the final stage, the middle being the center, and the front being the start.

A few of the front corpses had most of their flesh on them, signaling that they had been dead no longer than a few days at best. Even with all of this, it wasn’t the smell or the sight that got him. It was the faces. Or more accurately…

-the lack of faces…

Each corpse’s face had seemingly been sliced clean off - coat, skin, and all - leaving only the inner layers of flesh and bone remaining.

“What the fuck…” Storm muttered, picking up the head of one of the fresh corpses and examining it more closely.

The head had a clean line where the skin and coat had been removed, but it was damn near perfect - almost surgical in nature. Like the work of a skilled sewer or doctor could pull off with a scalpel or needle.

Storm let the corpse’s head drop as he let go and looked around for any additional factors on the scene, only to find nothing but more dress designs on the wall and scattered papers on the floor.

This wasn’t the most uncommon sight he had ever seen. Bandits and other sick fucks got off in their own way - this being one of them - but there was no evidence of this being done by the Ponyville community other than it being so close. It made sense with how little they seemed to leave the gates to have a dumping ground of corpses within this proximity.

Maybe that was just it. Maybe this was just a grave site and nothing more. Maybe some Bandits or creatures found it and ate the faces, but at the same time he knew that wasn’t the case. The cuts were too precise - too clean - for a savage or bandit.

Every part of him wanted to march back into those walls, slam that prissy unicorn against the wall and demand answers at gunpoint, but he wasn’t stupid. Even if they didn’t show it, he knew that community was armed. Much like the mare that led it, they were full of lies.

But once again he had no real proof. So now all he had to do was wait for it to rear its ugly head and then he would strike. All he had to do was make sure he was ready for when that time came.

Back at the Ponyville Community, Rainbow Dash had been following Rarity around the town in a tour of sorts as the unicorn mare stopped to point here and there in spots of importance.

“And here is our infirmary.” She stated matter of factly with a hoof. “We can take a look at the nasty wing injury here.”

Now that she mentioned it, Rainbow’s wing was itching again from the tightly wrapped and now blood stained bandage. Dash’s wing fidgeted upon remembering the phantom pain.

“By the way…” Rarity began, pausing as if not sure how to approach the wording. “Did he do that to your wing?” She finally resumed.

“What? No, no. Storm didn’t do this.” Rainbow replied, lifting her wing up to her eye level. “Actually, if he hadn’t stepped in, I would have lost a whole lot more than a couple feathers.”

“Well, it's a shame he didn’t stay longer.” Rarity purred, then added “We have many ways to show gratitude around here…” with a wink.

Rainbow felt like throwing up in her mouth at a certain image involving the middle aged unicorn that she quickly beat out of her head. Apparently it was obvious by the sudden change in expression and possibly blush on her face, causing Rarity to address it.

“I’m just kidding, darling. Now where were we… oh, yes - getting your wing looked at. Come on.” She stated with a wave of her hoof while leading her pegasus friend inside.

The infirmary wasn’t actually a medical building at all. Instead it was what used to be Sugarcube Corner so long ago, but Rainbow wouldn’t have even noticed if it wasn’t for the shape of the building’s interior being the same cut. The many glass units and counters were replaced by rusted bed frames and old cots, acting as a makeshift sickbay which was surprisingly empty except for the two mares.

The only thing she recognized with certainty was the once golden bell on the front counter which the white unicorn rang. After a few seconds, a middle aged earth pony mare with a dirty white coat, extremely short pink mane and tail emerged from where the kitchen used to be.

“Nurse Redheart?” Rainbow half asked, half greeted.

“Doctor Redheart, actually.” Rarity correctly politely, gesturing to the stunned Earth pony mare.

“Rainbow Dash? How are you-” The doctor replied, only to be silenced by a look from Rarity. “It’s great to you, really…” Redheart then quickly replaced her intended sentence and composed herself. “What can I do for you girls?”

“My wing is pretty banged up.” Rainbow stated, displaying the wounded appendage for the mare to see. “Can you make sure there's no… uh - permanent damage to it?” She had to choke past that last part at the mere idea of it.

“Of course!” Redheart chirped. “Follow me, girls.”

The doctor led them into the backroom where a makeshift doctor’s office was set up. From the looks of things, the survivors had managed to snag a lot of Ponyville hospital’s equipment and set up shop in here with the rest of the gated community.

Redheart stopped directly next to the door after all three mares were through and looked to Rainbow. “Before we go any further, I need you to remove the suit and any electronics and lay them here.” She directed, pointing a hoof at a table placed beside the doorway. “They mess with my equipment’s readings and I’d rather not give out false information.”

“Gotcha.” Rainbow replied, trying to remember how to take off the suit.

A couple of tugs and messing with buttons while the other two watched in silence made the mare chuckled nervously while wishing she had paid more attention to what Storm had shown her. Eventually, she pressed the right button and the locks disengaged, allowing her to remove the suit like an exaggerated onesie.

The blue pegasus leaned the suit up against the table and placed her weapons on the top. She turned to join the nurse when Rarity cleared her throat and motioned to Rainbow’s ear with her muzzle.

Oh yeah! Reaching up with her hoof, Rainbow removed her Tethertech and placed the device on the table alongside the weapons and other equipment. Then she bounded after Redheart towards a corner of the room.

Rarity on the other hoof lingered where Rainbow’s discarded gear had been placed. While Redheart was getting Rainbow set up for examination, the two were discussing something - probably medical related questions - but the unicorn paid them no mind as she looked over the equipment.

A customized and lethal looking submachine gun was the first thing she noticed. It was clear that her ex-companion had some skill in the weaponsmithing trade and that thought troubled her. The blade and pistol weren’t anything special, but they meant he was well armed if he could spare guns and an entire suit for a stranger.

The mare joined the other two girls at the other end of the room after her examination of the gear.

“How are we doing?” She asked in her casual tone, turning to Redheart who smiled. “Great. There are no signs of infection or anything fatal. I’ve given her some antibiotics as a precaution just in case.”

“Excellent.”

“So when will I be back up in the air?” Rainbow asked, a hint of hopeful expectancy in her voice.

“Well, the affected parts will have to fall out naturally before the new ones grow in, so… two months or so.” Redheart answered.

“Two months?! I can’t wait that long! Is there any way you can speed it up? Maybe a spell or medicine or something?”

Rarity chuckled at her friend’s childlike impatience. “Darling, she’s no miracle worker. These things just have to be resolved naturally. And besides, after tonight you won’t even be thinking about flying with the fun we’re going to have.”

Rainbow sighed. “If you say so, Rares.”

“I still need to apply a new bandage to her, then you’ll be all set.” Redheart interjected politely, earning a nod from Rarity.

“Thank you, nurse. You’ve done wonderful as always.” She said, then turned her attention to Rainbow Dash. “I have something that needs tending to, but I’ll be in my office after if you want to stop by before tonight.” She offered to Rainbow, who gladly accepted.

With that, the white unicorn exited the infirmary building and whistled in the direction of a small group of ponies passing by. Three stallions and a mare. The four came over and crowded around patiently.

The unicorn mare of the group had a light grey coat that bordered on ash white, a dark blue mane done up in a bun, and a small set of rectangular glasses. Her visible cutie mark was a small notepad with a pen going through it diagonally.

“Planning Period,” Rarity addressed to the mare, “I need you to reserve two rooms in the hotel for our guests”

Planning used her magic to grab a notebook from a saddlebag around her back, causing a few loose sticky notes and slips of paper to go flying but neither mare paid attention as she scanned through the book’s contents.

Upon flipping to the correct page, Planning stopped and furrowed her brow slightly. “We only have one room to spare, miss Rarity.” She said, her expression almost looking afraid as if the mare would lash out or yell at her like an angry parent to a disobedient foal.

“How many beds?” Rarity asked.

“Two, just like every room on that floor, ma’am.”

“Excellent. That will work then. Book them.”

“On it.” With that, Planning turned on her own Tethertech and called the receptionist at the hotel and did as she was asked. When the mare had thanked the receptionist and hung up, she turned her attention back to the mayor. “It’s room 12. Second floor. The keys are on the front desk for when they are ready.”

“You really are the best assistant a lady could ask for, Planning.” Rarity complemented, earning a sheepish smile from the mare.

“Just doing my job, ma’am.”

“I know. And I know you’ll keep at it.”

Just as they finished up, Rainbow came out of the infirmary at that moment, sporting a new and clean bandage.

“Rainbow, your sleeping arrangements have already been made for the night.” Rarity informed, turning to her pegasus friend. “Room 12 on the second floor. Keys are at the front.”

“Thanks, Rares.”

“My pleasure, darling.” Rarity replied before turning her attention to the three stallions. “Fetch her gear and place it in the room, please.”

One of them nodded and then left the circle while the other two followed suit, leaving only the two friends and Planning.

“Wow, can you really make them do anything?” Rainbow asked, a bit stunned by the obedience of the others.

“I didn’t make them, Rainbow.” Rarity replied, chuckling slightly. “They follow me by choice. They trust me as a leader just as I trust them. Leadership is a two way streak after all.”

“Well that’s one thing we agree on.” A sudden male voice said from beside the three mares.

Planning jumped at the sudden addition as the three turned to see Storm, who was still armored but helmet was down, standing just a few steps away. His rifle was tethered by his side idly, but it was clear he had no intent to use it.

“Perfect timing.” Rarity commented before addressing the stallion. “Well, I am truly grateful we are beyond the staring stage…” She trailed off, just realizing that she did not know his name. “Say, we were never introduced properly. What is your name anyway, darling?”

“Storm…”

“I must give my thanks for your help in getting Rainbow Dash here safely, Storm. I apologize that I never got a chance to at the diner.”

“No problem.” He said, his tone lacking much care for the conversation despite it already starting.

Rarity looked from him to Rainbow and wasn’t sure which one looked more uncomfortable so she devised a plan. “Well, I see that you two have some making up to do, so we’ll leave you for the moment. Come on, Planning.” She exited with a wave of her hoof towards the other unicorn mare.

Once the two were out of sight, the heavy weight of the air didn’t relent as neither pony knew what to say or how to approach the subject. Finally, it was the mare who broke the uncomfortable silence.

“So, you’re… staying for a bit then?”

Storm inhaled then exhaled through his nose, almost how one would control their breathing after being majorly stressed before responding. “Yeah… Guess so.” Then he looked to the side for a moment, almost as if looking for something or someone. “Just for that festival tonight. Get my mind off of things…”

“Yeah, I get it. Uh… see you around then?”

“Sure…”

“Alright. I’m gonna go get settled in.”

Despite the start of the conversation, none had actually taken a shot at the elephant in the room. But with seemingly nothing to say, the pegasus mare began walking in the direction of the hotel-like building.

“Hey, listen…” He started, trailing off momentarily and causing her to pause but not turn around. “I was an asshole - am an asshole, I shouldn’t have taken that all out on you. I’m sorry.” He finished, his indifferent tone showing a hint of genuine emotion.

Rainbow was frozen in place for a moment, as if not sure how to approach the strange apology, but then she turned to face him. “I am too. I was too caught up in my own plans that I didn’t think about anything other than trying to fix this. I shouldn’t have said that and you’ve already done enough getting us here.”

After both apologizes were out, the uncomfortable silence reared its ugly head once more. The distant conversations and sound of trotting, laughing, and other noises filled in the empty silence created by the two. Then it was Storm who finally broke it.

“You really think you’ve got a shot at fixing all this?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.” Rainbow sheepishly admitted. “But I’m gonna try. And thanks to Rarity, I’ve got a headstart on where to look.”

“Huh…” He mused, thinking about his next words. “Good luck then. You’ll need it.”

“I’d need it a lot less if we had your help, ya know.” She tried to convince, looking to his face for any signs of an answer only to find that indifferent expression. The mare knew the gears in his head were turning and calculating every possible outcome much like another egghead she knew, but he didn’t show it unlike the lavender unicorn.

“No, I… wouldn’t be of much help to anypony right now…” He replied cryptically, but she had a vague idea of what he meant. “I’m seeing things now. That’s why the boat crashed and why I left. I know its not real, hell your wearing his armor and the rifle is buried back there, but I can’t fucking get it all out of my head. It’s only a matter of time before I lose it and accidentally blow off someone else’s head or my own.” He honestly added.

Rainbow didn’t reply for a second as she took a page from his book at choosing her words carefully. “That's… that's normal. I would see things all the time and react to even the slightest… uh - reminders back when I had something like that happen. You can overcome it and I'll help if you’ll come with me.”

He was about to respond when Rarity bounded back over and halted the conversation indirectly. “How is everything now, darlings.”

“Fine.”

“We’re great, Rares.”

“Splendid.” The white unicorn replied. “I take it I’ll see you both at the festival tonight then?”

Rainbow nodded, but Storm eyed their host for a moment before doing the same albeit less eagerly.

“Excellent! Oh! I almost forgot - I already booked your room, Storm. It’s free of charge so don’t sweat it.” The stallion’s expression didn’t change or soften at hearing that, but she continued nevertheless. “The keys are on the front desk and it’s room 12 on the second floor.”

“Wait! That’s my room.” Rainbow realized, turning to Rarity.

“I know, but we only have one left with how booked we are for tonight. Don’t worry, the room has separate beds.” Rarity reassured before turning to Storm. “I just hope snoring doesn’t bother you.” She winked.

“Hey!” Came an agitated response from the blue pegasus.

“Great.” Storm replied in his typical monotone way.

Author's Notes:

Happy late 4th of July, everyone!

Got to say, I had a lot more fun and ease writing this chapter over last but at the same time I didn't. The finally draft before you all is my fourth attempt at building it from the ground up and I know I promised a 10,000 word chapter for Ponyville, but now I've got something better. Two at least 8,000 word chapters for the town totaling somewhere around 16,000 minimum so stay tuned!

Oh, and a couple things about the occasional art in the chapters. Yes, this drawing is also mine but it has a few differences since the last one. The drawing of Storm repairing his suit is done in my style while this new drawing is done in a messy, sketch-like style of FiM because it is easier to make it as concept art of sorts and get out quicker and has a more authentic feel to it. If you guys like it or want me to go back to my old style then let me know.

Chapter 13 - "... and Total Fucking Wreck"

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Room 12. A mirror image to every other room on the second floor where guests would get to bask in the privacy of their own company uninterrupted.

The carpeted floor was mostly clean with the exception of a few stains here and there that had accumulated over years of misuse or other more important matters. The walls were once a brilliant seafoam green but now resembled more of a mossy color complete with sunken patches to match the texture. A dirty beige popcorn ceiling topped off the room with a clear browned spot in one of the corners, hinting at a pipe leak or past spill upstairs.

Two queen sized beds sat at the side of the room furthest from the door and sported dull grey sheets and dual matching pillows, one of which was messy disheveled with wrinkled sheets as if in recent use. A faded golden suit was lazily splayed on the ground next to the side of the bed. On the nightstand, a discarded Tethertech and machine pistol were placed. In addition to this, a machine gun was propped up against the wall beside the nightstand.

The other bed in contrast was perfectly made as if no creature had ever tampered with it. A dull blue suit was propped straight up on the wall between the bed and the corner where a wooden desk with an oil lamp was placed snugly against the wall and illuminated in segments of sunlight creeping through slitted blinds of the single window.

Sitting in front of the desk was a grey stallion with a disheveled blue/black mane and beard to match. His full attention was on the slab-barreled weapon which he constantly rotated above the table in a purple tethered grip, checking for any damage or signs of wear and using a rag to clean any spots where there was grime.

The gentle grazing of cloth on steel was accompanied by the melodic tunes playing out of his own Tethertech, acting as background noise in the mundane task at hoof.

🎵 I’m waking up at the start of the end of the world... 🎵

The stallion stopped his cleaning upon noticing a particular spot on the side of the weapon.

🎵 But it’s still feeling like every morning before… 🎵

The dull grey paint in said spot was easily coming loose after a simple rub of the cloth, revealing a couple of thin cuts.

🎵 Now I wonder what my life is gonna mean when it’s gone… 🎵

His brow furrowed slightly, as if he was trying to remember how or when the cuts came to be. Suddenly, he got an idea. Moving the rag repeatedly along the cuts, he scrubbed until the rest of the loose paint gave and fluttered off like discarded feathers in the wind.

Subconsciously, he drowned out a portion of the background song during this newfound discovery.

🎵 Then I can’t remember caring for an hour or so... 🎵

Then he saw it - or rather them.

🎵 Started crying and I couldn’t stop myself… 🎵

Three engraved letters. Three dash marks in front of each.

🎵 Started running but there's nowhere left to go… 🎵

-S -F -M

The stallion could hear the cobweb-ridden machine that were his memories starting to whir to life upon glossing over the letters - or rather the meaning of them…

The wooden door to the small tool shed creaked open, allowing the bright rays of sunshine to cover the interior, revealing a row of farming tools, a couple basic tools, a workbench with all the lights already switched on, but most importantly - two pegasus colt’s that had been eagerly fiddling with something on said workbench when the opening of the door caught their attention instead.

One of the colts had a light grey coat, a short cut black/blue mane, and electric purple eyes. This one was finishing up with some bolt or screw as inferred by the screwdriver in the purple glow of his Tethertech - a device that nearly dwarfed his entire ear. The other colt had a faded violet coat, a shaggy black and red mane, and was a hair taller than his counterpart. This second colt had his hooves braced on the table as if it would channel his excitement at whatever the two were messing with.

The senior aged stallion who was responsible for opening the door and impeding the boy’s progress had a bittersweet tired expression with a faint smile on his grey coat. His dirty blonde mane was turning grey in patches while his mustache had suffered a full-on grey fate. He let out a faint smile upon noticing what was on the bench.

“Working on a project, are we boys?” He asked in a carefree tone while approaching the other two.

“Nah,” The violet colt replied, meeting the elder stallion’s gaze. Then his tone turned to sly as he gestured towards the other colt. “I’m waiting for Storm here to pony up tonight’s desert after I prove that it’s impossible to put more than three-”

“And done.” The other colt - Storm - cut him off while putting down the screwdriver and sporting a knowing smile in triumph.

The violet colt and grey stallion both faced the object on the table, which was an airship repair tool that the oldest of the bunch had stashed in the shed prior, but this tool had one major difference - a slab-like end with five points jutting out.

“Five tips, huh?” The stallion marveled aloud while picking up the tool and inspecting it. “It works?”

The little grey colt nodded. “Yep. It’s got single fire or simultaneous fire.”

“It’s not enough to win the bet, you have to egghead out over it too, huh?” The violet colt pouted, prompting the stallion to lay a gentle hoof on his shoulder.

“Don’t sweat it, Maverick.” He chuckled, “Someday one of us will be able to name something Storm can’t build.”

“Yeah, but it’s gonna be me first!” The colt boasted.

“So sure are we?” The older stallion mused. “Remember which one of us actually worked in this line before.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be on the lookout, old man.” He lightheartedly taunts.

The stallion chuckles at the childish comment before turning his attention to Storm. “Say, that could really be useful in the industry with a few adjustments.” He stated, pointing at the tool. “But it’s missing a few things…”

Storm shrugged as if to say ‘have at it’ as he handed the tool over to the stallion, who got to work on installing an industrial flashlight and stock for extra rivet storage. Storm and Maverick watched eagerly as the elder went to work, asking for a tool every now and then - a task that Storm performed almost instantly, but his counterpart had trouble identifying the sizes and terminology of certain tools.

When it was all said and done, the stallion revealed the finished product to the colt’s who were impressed to say the least. “Woah! That thing looks like some sort of rifle now!” Maverick exclaimed. “We should title it something cool like the Destroyer or Eviscerator!”

The stallion chuckled at the colt’s expressive ideas but noticed the other colt, who was being quiet as if he was lost in thought. Deep thought. The grey colt finally spoke, addressing his friend.

“It’s not a weapon, Mav.” He playfully scolded. “It doesn’t need to sound menacing when it's just used on airships.”

“I know, I know, but just look at it,” Maverick countered, pointing to the tool with both hooves. “An awesome name is only fitting for an awesome...uh...tool.” He continued, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly upon hearing himself for the first time. “Okay, scratch that…”

“How about we name it after what it does? It sweeps up any support beam damage easily with the five barrels, so how about the Sweeper Tool?” Storm suggested.

“The sweeper part is cool, but the ‘tool’ part kinda throws it off.” Maverick replied. “Hey, what about calling it a Sweeper Rifle?”

“But it’s not a rifle.”

“But it’s cool sounding!”

“It doesn’t make sense th-”

“Oh, come on, man! You made the thing and Forge helped, so can I just name it? Please?”

“Alright. Sweeper Rifle it is.” Storm relented, earning a hoof bump from Maverick.

“Now it’s only missing one thing…” The stallion - Forge - added, revealing two precision heat guns. “Signatures. A good inventor never forgets to make it official!” WIth that, he handed both tools to the colts and helped them engrave their respective ‘-S’ and ‘-M’ into the side of the tool.

“You too, grandpa.” Storm said, returning the heat gun to Forge. “You taught me everything I know about this stuff, so it only feels right.”

“Well, alright, if you insist.” Forge replies with a false sense of pushing back his own giddy pride and taking the gun. The stallion then added his own ‘-F’ in between both colt’s own signatures and turned off the guns.

“Welp, looks like you boys are already on your way to changing the engineering game one too many late dinners at a time.” Forge chuckled, ruffling both colt’s manes playfully. “Speaking of which, we better get in there. Your grandma is probably done with dinner, Storm.”

The three shut off the lights and put all of the tools in their respective places before leaving the shed and locking it up for the evening. “Oh, and I hear she is making her famous fudge pie!” He added, just remembering the scrumptious detail.

“Aw yeah!” Maverick pumped, until a realization hit him about the prior bet. “Aw, man…” he whined upon remembering.

“Relax, I was just kidding about the bet part.” Storm said, noticing his change in demeanor. “I’m not gonna take your desert.”

“Really? Thanks.” Maverick replied happily, his ears perking up. “I was totally gonna take yours if I won that, thought.” He teased.

“Like that’ll ever happen.”

🎵 I sat down on the street and took a look at myself… 🎵

Storm placed the weapon back down on the table and discarded the rag to the side.

🎵 Asked where you going, you know the world is headed for hell… 🎵

Then he switched off the table lamp before putting a hoof to his Tethertech and turned off the music. Once it was all said and done, he couldn’t avert his eyes from the three engravings that had long since been buried under paint coats and grime until now. Running a hoof across his forehead and into his messy mane, the stallion sighed sweeping his other hoof across the engravings as if removing their own painted prison could remove them from their prisons down under.

Suddenly, the knob to the room’s door began to jiggle. Storm hung a forehoof across the back of his seat while turning around to view the closed doorway. Then the clicking of a lock could be faintly heard as a key was presumably inserted into it. Upon that revelation, the stallion turned back around to resume tidying up his workspace, paying the now opening door no mind.

A cyan face with a prismatic mane poked through the open doorway as the mare entered. She had two takeout bags secured in her mouth, one of which she lazily discarded onto the messy bed and the other she placed on the neater bed before addressing the room’s only other occupant.

“Do you always have to lock the door everytime one of us leaves?” She asked, shutting the door and slightly agitated at the string of key-related hindrances for the past couple of hours since getting this room.

Instead of accepting the verbal challenge, the stallion remained silent while closing his sketchbook that displayed crudely drawn blueprints for his weapon and tossing it onto the nightstand. It was at this moment that he noticed the faintly grease-stained bag sitting at the foot of his bed.

“What’s this?” He asked, picking up the bag and opening it to examine its contents.

Rainbow Dash watched as he indifferently shifted through the bag. Though she couldn’t see any discernible emotions on his muzzle, she knew disapproval was the most likely one if he did show any.

“Hayburgers.” She answered, hoping to change a seemingly made up mind. “It’s nearly dusk out and I thought you should eat something.”

“From the diner?” He questioned the food’s origin.

The mare nodded, prompting him to swiftly close the bag and shove it to the side. This action earned a sigh from her as she picked the bag up and held it out to him.

“They’re safe. I watched the cook make them.” Rainbow assured, thrusting the bag into his chest. “She gave me strange looks for being there the whole time, but I promise that nothing was done to them.”

After a moment of hesitation, Storm grabbed the bag and put it on the nightstand. “Maybe later.”

“If that’s not gone by tonight, don’t blame me if it disappears before morning.” She replied, putting a playfully sarcastic emphasis on ‘disappears.’

A light series of knocks on the door severed any further discussion. The mare and stallion shared looks for a moment before he nodded to the door. Rainbow walked over to the room’s only entrance as Storm tethered a blade - disconnected from his suit’s slot - behind his back while keeping his eyes glued on the closed door.

“Who is it?” Rainbow asked.

“It’s me, darling.” A familiar sophisticated voice responded from the other side.

Without any more words, Rainbow opened the door, revealing Rarity and the grey unicorn mare - Planning Period - behind her. Rarity was right next to the door, indicating that she was the one to knock as she sported a beaming smile and saddlebag on her back. Planning stood a few paces back in the hallway and sported her usual clipboard.

“Rarity?” Rainbow addressed, a bit puzzled by her friend’s sudden appearance. “I thought you were getting ready for the Remembrance thing?”

“Festival, darling.” The white unicorn corrected casually. “Thanks to my assistant here,” She gloated, gesturing to Planning, who was trying to sheepishly disappear behind her clipboard. “-everything is already wrapped up and ready for tonight. So, I thought I would stop by and help you two prepare for it.”

“Prepare?” Rainbow questioned. “What’s there to prepare for if it’s just partying?”

Rarity giggled at her friend’s lack of context. “It’s much more than just partying, Rainbow. I can assure you. I’m really here to help both of you with your apparel.”

Once the definition of the word was found in Rainbow’s mind, her eyes widened slightly. “Oh, no…”

Another giggle from Rarity. “Oh yes! Cleanliness is still one of the most important virtues!”

A groan from the blue pegasus was her only response. “Please don’t tell me we have to wear special outfits or anything like that.”

Rarity looked to Planning as if to verify, but the mare shook her head after a one over of her clipboard. “Not this time, no. But I don’t see the discomfort in it. A lady should want to look presentable after all.”

“Well, not this lady.” Rainbow replied, putting a clear tone of disgust at how the word ‘lady’ was used.

“Fine, we can skip the full ride.” Rarity sighed, as Planning marked something off on her board. “But you should at least shower and style your mane.”

“That I can do.”

“Excellent.”

Then the white unicorn’s gaze fell on the stallion in the room’s corner, who had placed down the blade sometime during the girl’s conversation as if he didn’t need it.

“As for you…” She began, approaching Storm who didn’t move a muscle. “I know there is a strapping gentlecolt underneath all that rugged mane and beard. How about we take a look?” She asked, opening the saddlebag, levitating some mane gel and scissors out of the bag, then snapping the scissors open and closed as to emphasize her point.

“Touch me with those and you’ll lose that hoof.” He threatened, torn between keeping his glare on her or the scissors.

“Oh, come on, Stormy.” She playfully begged, batting her eyelashes at him. “If you just let me take off a trim and style your mane, I’m sure there is a reward in it for you.” She added, puring at the ‘reward’ part.

Planning shifted her gaze away uncomfortably, sporting a blush while Rainbow suppressed the urge to throw up in her mouth at her friend’s not so subtle flirting methods.

“Oh great, then I’ll wake up missing a limb in the morning.” Storm sarcastically responded. “I’ll pass.”

“I’ll just leave these here if you change your mind…” Rarity said, while dropping the two items back into the saddlebag and placing it on the floor next to the bed. “I suggest you do. It’ll be very worth your while, darling…” She added, tracing a hoof along his toned chest and causing the stallion to flinch her touch away. “But the same goes for you too. At least wash yourself before tonight, please.”

Storm didn’t respond as Rarity turned to leave, gesturing to Planning with a hoof to follow. He wanted nothing more than to have that mare out of his sight, but something needed answering. Something he couldn’t stop thinking about.

“You haven't told us exactly what happens at this festival…” He says to Rarity’s back, causing the mare to promptly stop but not turn back.

“... It’s a chance to make peace with yourself and those you have lost.” She answered after a moment of hesitation. “Followed by more festive activities to lighten the mood afterwards.”

Whether he was satisfied with that answer, the unicorn mare didn’t care as she left the room with Planning in tow. After the door was shut behind them, the uncomfortable silence returned to the room.

Storm waited a few seconds before going to the window, peaking through the blinds, and upon spotting the two mares walking out of the building, he turned back to the rest of the room. Rainbow was sitting on the edge of her own bed and was beginning to dig into her own burger. The mare moaned in tasteful bliss upon biting into the still fresh meal as if it was the last one on the planet, not even noticing the stallion who had started to go through the saddlebag.

Scissors, gel, spray bottle, hair ties, curler, multiple brushes, deodorant, cologne, and a full bottle of shampoo were all dumped onto his bed, rattling loud enough to draw Rainbow’s attention. While she had expected him to start checking each item or maybe even pocket a few useful ones like the scissors, he surprised her by tethering the bag to his face and peaking inside.

Turning on his Tethertech’s flashlight, Storm scanned the inside of the bag until he found it. A less than desirable expression came over his face as the stallion reached inside and pulled out something that Rainbow couldn’t see.

“What?” She asked while he was examining something small in his hoof.

Storm brought his other hoof up to his lips as if to silence her then spoke. “Just another hair tie…” He lied while holding out a small circular device that was black in color and had tiny grey holes in the center.

It took her a moment, but countless action movies had prepared Rainbow for what she was seeing.

A listening device.

A small one at that. Too small as if they weren’t meant to find it. The tiny circle was half the size of a bit and would have been bypassed at first glance if it weren’t for his light.

Storm tethered the device as he walked to the shared bathroom and then dropped the small dot into the toilet. Then he flushed it without a word and came back out into the main room.

“Still think I’m paranoid?” He asked, the listening device clearly putting him in another one of his trademark bad moods.

“There has to be some normal reason she put that in there.” Rainbow replied, trying to defend her friend. “Maybe somepony else did that and she didn’t know…”

The ‘are you shitting me’ look the stallion gave her quickly squashed that possible explanation.

“Or,” She added. “Maybe she put it there to make sure nothing bad happened up here.”

“Define bad.”

“I don’t know, maybe she trusts you as much as you trust her.” Rainbow shrugged. “You aren’t exactly the most friendly looking guy around here.”

Storm didn’t have a comment on that statement, but still didn’t like the possibilities the device hinted at.

“She really isn’t bad, Storm.” Rainbow finally continued. “She’s even trying to hit on you for Celestia’s sake! I know Rarity, and that wasn’t just flirting. She was serious.”

“What are you getting at?”

“What I’m getting at is that you - or her - aren’t getting any younger. And judging by…” She paused, trying to think of how to word the touchy subject. “Recent events… you could really use something like that. Somepony like her would do you some good.”

He scoffed through his nostrils at the mere thought of it.

“I mean it!” Rainbow added. “If you can’t find happiness then maybe you can try finding it in somepony else.”

“No, you can’t.” He replied coldly. “Even if I could, all it would be is another thing to be taken away in the end.”

Rainbow stopped, a puzzled look on her face forming. “So, you're just going to avoid all the fun things in life from now on then?”

“I’m avoiding the pretty lies. And that one out there is a walking definition of that.”

“Geez, do you even have a fun or happy side?”

“I have whatever side I need to have.”

“Whatever that means…” Rainbow mumbled before speaking up. “Look, just try to enjoy yourself tonight. If anything goes bad - which it won’t - you get to lay all the ‘I told you so’s’ on me that you want. Okay?”

After a moment of doubt or thinking - or maybe even both, the stallion hung his head slightly and responded. “Okay…”

The doors to the mayor’s office were pushed open gently by a blue aura of magic as Rarity and Planning Period walked inside for what must have been the millionth time. The interior of which had been rearranged an equal amount of times to accommodate the mayor’s currently orderly tastes.

Rarity’s office consisted of four rooms. The first was a small main lobby area with past paintings and photos of various landscapes, former mayors, and even a couple of her friend’s adventures from what felt like a lifetime ago dotted the walls in an orderly fashion as they lead a hierarchy towards the receptionist desk.

Sitting behind the desk was a scrawny colt who looked like he would have just been out of high school. He had a forest green coat with a short black and brown mane, brown freckles to match, and a pair of circular glasses which were pointed downward at a book he was lost in. The colt’s hind legs were crossed and elevated casually on a stack of papers, giving him a relaxed look.

It took Rarity clearing her throat to snap him out of his slack-induced trance. The colt looked up briefly, ignoring the two mares and returning his gaze to his book before realizing who was standing in front of him - which is when he snapped back to attention and put down his hooves.

“Is everypony accounted for, Wild Bristle?” Rarity asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Bristle replied, closing his book swiftly and grabbing the stack of papers which he had been using as a hoof-rest previously. “We’ve got thirteen this time.”

“How many vessels?”

“Fourteen. Including the one you requested.”

“Wonderful. Is it ready at the moment?”

“Yes, ma’am. It’s waiting where you requested.” He confirmed. “Do you want me to call her down here yet?”

“Not yet.” Rarity replied after checking the clock on the wall. “But I do have an additional task for you now…” She continued, motioning to Planning who lifted up a few papers on her clipboard until she found the correct one, tore it off and handed it to the colt.

Pegasus stallion. Roughly middle aged. Grey coat, pigeon blue and onyx black mane. Blue ATS suit with unknown caller ID.

The colt looked over the paper with a confused expression on his muzzle, prompting an explanation from Rarity.

“Those are the features of a pony I need to be kept away from this place when the time comes.” She explained. “I’ve already had Planning take care of backup should he become a problem, but your job is to notify us when to send them.”

“Understood.” He replied, placing the sheet next to his book.

With that out of the way, the two mares bypassed the desk and headed into a small hallway with three doors. One on the center left that read ‘Mayor’s Office’ in a once golden plaque. Two more on the right that were spaced out evenly. The closest one read ‘Restroom’ which the girls walked by without a care. Stopping at the final door, which read ‘Storage,’ Rarity opened the door to reveal a small walk-in broom closet with a single dim light above that complimented the yellow rug below. A mop and bucket combo, unlabeled boxes, and cleaning supplies occupied the room on metal shelves.

Using her magic, Rarity moved the rug aside, uncovering a wooden trapdoor. The mare opened the door and took a few steps down when she noticed something. Turning around, she discovered that Planning was looking down the stairway hesitantly, biting her lip as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t.

“What is the matter, darling?” She asked her assistant.

“I-it’s just…” Planning started, but halting trying to find her voice. “I don’t like being around them. Regardless of how safe we’ve made them. Can I just stay up here, miss Rarity?” She asked, her eyes holding a plea at the last part.

“There's nothing to fear.” Rarity tried to reassure. “We’ve done this countless times before and have had zero accidents since perfecting our method. I’ll admit that the vessels aren’t exactly pleasant to look at, but once we see who they really are then you’ll forget all about it.”

“I know, but it just…”

“It just?” Rarity inquired.

“I-it just feels wrong.” Planning finally finished. “I’ve never been able to sit through any of these even when you offered to let me see my sister. I stayed in my room the whole night and haven’t participated unless you needed me elsewhere since.”

The white unicorn thought for a moment before sighing and replying. “Alright. You can stay up here if it bothers you that much, but I want you as Bristle's second set of eyes. As much as I love him, that colt isn’t the most perceptive.” She shook her head at the mentioned colt’s limitations.

Rarity took a few more steps down and then closed the door behind her before Planning moved the rug back into position over the door. As the rug blocked out the light overhead, Rarity contemplated her choice of an assistant - which wouldn’t have been the first time - and her weak stomach to things like this. Sure, it made things way easier to have an obedient assistant, but she was starting to wonder what good a gutless one would be from here on out.

Shaking later matters from her head, the mare lit up the pitch black stairway with her magic, casting a faint blue glow where shadows spawned from and danced across the walls with her every movement. With every step down…

She grew closer to what she had been waiting for ever since the tradition started.

The stairway ended at an impressive and bulky looking stone door that required a keycode to unlock alone, but Rarity had the combination memorized with how often she came down here each month.

After the lock clicked, she spun the wheel on the front of the door to retract the inner bars and then used all of her weight - in addition to her magic - to force the door open. When she was through, the door closed and resealed itself completely behind the mare.

Without even a glance at the self-sealing door, Rarity’s attention remained forward. It remained on her.

On Scootaloo…

Rainbow Dash had just finished drying her mane with a raggedy towel after spending longer than she normally would have in a shower. Ever. But nopony could fault her for it after fighting to stay alive, being stuck in a cramped and hot suit, and everything else in between.

As much as she hated to admit it, she imagined this bliss was how Rarity felt while getting pampered at the spa back when that was a thing. Dash had been pleasantly surprised upon discovering the shower had hot water and she was in no rush or in fear of wasting it as her stallion counterpart refused to use the thing.

Speaking of which, he was currently in the last stages of suiting up and tightening the last straps when she exited the bathroom. Rainbow inhaled a sigh through her teeth at seeing this.

“Okay, seriously?” She asked, not sure whether to sound irritated or concerned so she went with both.

“What?” Storm returned in his indifferent tone, not even facing her but rather putting his complete attention on the suit.

Rainbow stopped for a moment as if waiting for him to face her but she was using this silence to think of a decent way to say what needed to be said. But getting his attention came before the hard part.

“Storm…”

The stallion picked up his weapon, loaded it and slid it on his back without acknowledging her.

Trying to grab his shoulder yielded fairly poor results as he flinched and brushed it off, but at least it did get his attention.
“Dude…” She started again now that they were actually making eye contact. “You’ve got to talk to somepony about it.”

“Yeah, great idea, but there is one tiny problem with that…” He replied, the hurt buried beneath the asshole-like tone which was resurfacing once more. “- those I would have done that with are fucking dead.”

There it was. At least he was up front about it.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t try.” Rainbow continued, but upon seeing the subtle head shake and that she was both physically and mentally losing him judging by his intention to turn away. “What you said earlier about me not knowing is true…”

Storm was now leaned over the back of the desk chair and looking down at the open blinds, only halfway facing her. Rainbow could tell that he was slipping so she had to act fast.

Luckily, fast was her specialty.

“I had others to help me through my problems, so in a way you are right. But you are wrong about getting it out not helping. Even if you don’t think it will at first - hell, I didn’t think it would either and I was wrong.”

Still nothing. He wouldn’t fully acknowledge her.

“...You’re angry and on edge all the time. It doesn’t take a genius to see that, but if you don’t face it then it will kill you. All of it. It’ll overpower you and drag you down with it no matter how strong you think you are…” She said, her tone breaking for a fraction of a moment at taking herself back to a certain place in time.

“What difference does it make?” He asked, finally speaking out. “If it’s not that, it’ll be a Damned tomorrow or a bandit the next day. Besides, everypony has their own shit to deal with and mine is a full package as is.”

“I’ll do it.”

“What?” He was facing her now.

“I’ll do it.” She repeated, meaning it even more the second time as shown by the determination.

His head lowered as he made something in between a scoff and a chuckle at hearing that.

“You’ll do it?” He asked, the slightest tang of humour in his tone.

“Yeah, what’s so funny about that?” Rainbow defended herself, starting to get irritated by his response to her attempted help.

“And you want to help me because?” Storm asked, his bullshit detector starting to wake up.

“I’ve been there. I don’t know how many times I have to say it, but I mean it.” She replied. “Even if I can’t offer an answer right there, you at least can get it out.”

“No, Dash. It’s not your job-” He tried to brush it off, but she quickly cut him off.

“And it wasn’t your job to get me here, but lookie where we are now.” She stated, waving her hooves outwards toward the room to enhance her point. “Now it’s my turn to return the favor.”

“No, I don’t deserve that.”

“What the hay are you talking about?”

“You want to know why I helped you? Honestly?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Because I’m a selfish bastard. That’s why.”

“What? How does that-”

“A day’s long trip where my full focus was on keeping myself and you alive was perfect for putting the other shit on the backburner. I didn’t do it out of the kindness of my heart - Hell, I don’t know a single fucking creature that does anything for that reason anymore - you just happened to get something out of it.”

Rainbow was speechless for a moment. Her mouth hung open slightly, but the gentle breeze of the room’s draft reminded her to close it.

“I’m not your problem and you're not mine.” He continued when she wouldn’t or rather couldn’t. “Let’s just get this Remembrance night over with and go our separate ways.” Storm didn’t mean to sound so blunt and like nothing mattered, but at this moment it didn’t.

A second later and Rainbow finally found her voice. “Okay... “ She replied, her voice hinting at something had changed inside. It wasn’t irritation. It wasn’t hatred. It wasn’t sarcasm.

It was regret.

With that, Rainbow walked past him and out of the door, shutting it gently behind her and leaving the stallion alone.

Storm started to feel like a migraine was heading his way. Putting his head down and placing more of his weight onto that chair and sighing was all he could do now.

It hurt, but the truth had to come out. It would have eventually - purposely or accidentally - and it might have been worse then. She wanted him for some saving the world suicide mission? The world wasn’t even fucking worth it at this point. His was already gone so what was the poi-

There you go again, asshole… Storm thought as the selfish thoughts subconsciously returned. Shaking his head, he caught a momentary glimpse of the outside world through the window.

He caught a glimpse of someone looking straight up at him.

That suit. That rifle. That pony. They were back.

And they were looking straight up into his own eyes.

Snapping his direction towards Rainbow’s discarded gold suit by her bed confirmed that this couldn’t be possible.

A chorus of agonizing screams, hushed whispering and taunts, followed by sobbing started to overlap one another in his head until he had enough.

Storm’s breathing started to come in shorter bursts as his chest tightened. His lip quivered slightly for a moment as he got up from his leaned position on the chair, throwing the seat into the desk a whole lot louder and forcefully than he had intended.

This ends now… He thought while shoving open the door to the room.

Rarity stared into the burning blue eyes of Scootaloo. The two pinpricks of light barely could hold still for any given amount of time as they thrashed in their sockets as if searching for something - or someone.

The white unicorn’s expression was one of discontent as if she had just opened a brand new appliance only to discover that it was faulty right out of the box and wanted a refund.

Sure, the face was still Scootaloo’s. The orange fur was mostly intact and was holding together quite well with the staples placed around it in a ring and binding it to the body. The skin of the lips hung loosely with each twitch ‘Scootaloo’s’ jaw made, showcasing an empty row of missing teeth. Soft gurgles and pained moans came from ‘Scootaloo’ as if she was trying to say something to the mare observing her from a chair across.

‘Scootaloo’ was securely placed into her own seat - a metal one with shackles for all of her hooves and a magical spell in place for extra measure. Her once razor sharp blade-wings, teeth, and claws had all been removed as an added precaution as well.

Her body was more of brownish red rather than the orange she had grown used to, which was a concern. Upon turning to one of the armed guards on either side of her chair, Rarity felt included to address this crisis.

“Excuse me, but what is this?” She asked, clearly upset.

“It’s the face you asked for, ma’am.” He answered, a little startled at her sudden change in demeanor. “That vessel was the closest one we could find to her original color.”

Rarity stood up from the chair and suddenly slapped the guard across the face as hard as she could muster, which surprisingly brought him to the ground. Whether it was shock or actual strength, he fell nevertheless. And under her burning eyes, the guard got up onto his hooves and got back into his spot without a word or even a look.

“This is my friend’s first and only chance to have the transition with her sister and you will not spoil it under the excuse of not searching enough!” She hissed at the guard, who refused to meet her eye. Then with a heavy sigh and attempting to compose herself, the more ‘lady-like’ side returned. “It will have to do for we are out of time. Rainbow is coming down within the hour and I wanted this to be perfect but I guess when you want something done right, then you have to do it yourself.” She muttered distastefully while walking away from the chairs.

“Get Scootaloo ready. I’ll be back with the guest of honor.” Rarity ordered the other two without so much as a glance.

On the other side of the gated community, Planning Period closed the door to her small apartment and let out a heavy exhale of breath. The two room apartment was dimly lit by the glow of festival candles outside her window but it wasn’t enough to see much of the interior so she lit a few of her own candles around the room with her magic.

Once that was done, the mare closed the blinds on her side window and made her way to a mattress which was sporting torn sheets and was resting on the floor with no bed frame. She placed her hooves on the side of the mattress and gave a mighty shove, sliding the bed into the wall and revealing a particular patch of wooden floor which had jagged cuts in the shape of a square.

The square was no bigger than her head so with her magic, Planning removed the square and looked into the pitch black cutout in her floor as she contemplated something that needed to be done for the longest time now.

The mare’s hooves were shaky at the mere thought of what she had been trying to work up the courage to do ever since her sister was…

Trying to put the past out of her mind, Planning reached into the hole with her magic and pulled out two items.

The first was a note.

The second was a pistol.

On a piece of fading yellowish paper, the last words her sister had ever written to her were splayed.

We’ve gotta get out of here now! I just found out what the mayor does to you if you have a dead family member, best friend, or significant other and sis, I’m not letting that happen to you! I’m gonna try and end this tonight but I can’t without you. Please meet me at-

The welling tears in Planning’s eyes didn’t allow her to read the rest at the memory of her failure to help her sister. Then what came after was horrible. What came after was something nopony should have to endure - not even this Rainbow Dash that she knew nothing about - but it didn’t matter.

It had to be stopped.

She had to be stopped.

Planning wiped her eyes with a shaking hoof before placing the note back in the hole and putting the wooden square over it, leaving the pistol on the surface with her. The mare scooted the mattress back over the hole and then focused on the would-be tool of justice.

She knew that the transition was the only time Rarity was alone except for the victim of the tradition, so she had to act now. Pulling out the magazine revealed a single round was at her disposal.

The mare returned the magazine and loaded the weapon.

Then she placed it in her saddlebag and walked out the door.

Chapter 14 - "The Quick and the Damned"

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The faded gold plaque reading ‘Room 12’ was flung from the wall upon the impact of its respective door being slammed shut. The fed-up stallion exiting from the now closed doorway didn’t even register the damage caused in his wake. His only goal was finding out what the point of this fucking game was.

And by Celestia’s name he was gonna.

While he didn’t notice the product of his anger, two mares that had been previously chatting a few rooms down in the hallway certainly did. Their conversation halted and both of them swung their heads in his direction momentarily before whispering ensued.

Storm didn’t pay them any mind as he rounded the corner to a stairwell that led to the first floor lobby. Paying the receptionist, who probably said something along the lines of him coming back soon, no mind as he walked by, the stallion exited the hotel through it’s front doors.

The second he stepped outside, his goal was nearly lost upon the sight before him. Olympic-like torches dotted the various paths and streets of the town square, creating a sense of hierarchy towards the redecorated shop boothes and stables.

Putting his goal back on the top of the priority list, Storm walked through the town center and passed by a few of the booths. An apple stand where it’s respective treats were dipped in some strange caramelized liquid, a sweets stand giving out what were most likely expired candies, and another roasting what looked like some sort of small rodent-like creatures.

Storm’s observations were cut short once he reached the exact same spot he had seen the figure. Looking around in all directions earned him some questionable looks from some of the townsfolk and even a few whispers, but he paid them no attention.

He had more important matters at hoof.

Where the hell are you? He thought, scanning from one alleyway to another, one building to another, and one window to another.

When his search yielded no results, the stallion was torn between giving up and lashing out at nothing and everything at the same time. He scanned the crowds as if the figure could have been trying to blend in amongst the townsfolk but once again, no dice.

“Dammit.” He quietly cursed, spinning around again towards the more vacant part of the town, as the rest was immersed in the festival at the moment.

Upon turning back to the nearest alley, he finally found his target.

The suited figure was at the very end of the trash littered alley and - as always - was staring straight at him - or so he thought as the blue visor blocked out any view of it’s eyes.

Storm’s muzzle quivered in anger as he pulled the Sweeper from his back and loaded it, earning worried looks from the few still watching him, but he didn’t care. The figure made no motion to raise it’s own weapon or retreat as he began advancing towards it.

But that only made him angrier.

“What do you want from me?!” Storm growled at the figure, aiming his weapon at it.

No response.

“You’ve been following me around all day,” He continued, “So it’s gotta be something!”

Again, nothing.

“Answer me!” He was yelling now.

The figure just continued staring at him. It gave no signs of being frightened, threatened, or even annoyed by him. Instead it just kept staring. No further words were exchanged as the two glared at one another.

Then it moved.

Not it’s whole body, but just it’s head. The movement was so slight as if it was turning just enough to see past him.

Storm was about to ask it what it was doing when he realized the figure was focusing on something rather than idly staring off into space.

Now he was torn between turning around to see what the figure was so intrigued about and keeping his eyes on it. But as it always would, curiosity killed the cat. He would just have to be quick about it.

Shooting a glance over his shoulder, Storm was greeted with the same scene from before. The townsquare festival. Ponies laughed, talking, and even a few dancing as they had given up on watching him when he had entered the alley fully. There wasn’t anything to see really. Just three boothes, another building with a painted red cross on top - presumidly making it a hospital of some sort. And in the dead center of it all, the mayor’s office.

That was where the figure had been staring. No doubt.

But why?

As swift as he could, Storm spun around to face the figure for answers only to find that it was gone.

Again.

In the maybe three seconds he had taken to glance behind him, it had vanished.

The stallion saw that the alley had a door down at the end - on the right side of the wall - which was shut. He knew it couldn’t have vanished without making a sound as the door looked rusted to hell, but lately that figure had been disappearing like a phantom anyway, so what are the odds?

Storm got to the side of the door and braced himself beside it with weapon in tethered grip. He had no real plan if he did see it on the other side - hell, he didn’t even know if the thing was corporeal or not - but he was sick of it.

This was ending.

Now.

Placing a hoof on the doorknob, he had just begun to turn the knob when it happened.

The knob turned on it’s own. And the door began to open…

Planning Period was giving it her all as to not shake at the mere idea of what she was about to do. The silenced pistol was burning a hole in her saddlebag and making the mare think she would be stopped for some random reason, searched, then when the truth was beat out of her, a terrible fate was waiting at the end.

She was about to close her door when the feeling of being watched crept over her. Looking to the left of the crummy alleyway her apartment was in, Planning was greeted to a familiar sight of the Remembrance Festival. Thankfully, nopony was looking her way and questioning why the mayor’s assistant wasn’t currently with her boss.

Questions were the last thing she needed right-

Suddenly, a strong clothed forehoof wrapped around her neck.

The grip was rough, as if it truly meant business, and the owner of the hoof wasn’t in the mood for games. Before she could scream, the cold steel of a blade was pushed against her throat. Not enough to cut it, but enough to start cutting if need be. Subconsciously, the mare swallowed a growing lump in her throat, which grazed the blade and reminded her how very close to joining her sister she was.

“Quiet…” A male voice demanded, barely above a whisper.

Planning didn’t know if she should nod and risk hurting herself, verbally and quietly respond, or just do nothing. Nopony was coming to help as the music and festivities just an alley’s length away had no idea about her predicament.

So she did the only thing she could.

Nothing.

“Inside, now.” The voice ordered.

The mare complied with the order, as she slowly retreated into her apartment,she felt the hoof around her neck be removed but the blade never left.

Her door closed quietly behind her would be captor, but she still didn’t dare to turn with an extremely sharp blade at her throat. Planning had no idea what he wanted. She had heard stories of robberies or rape of mares but never expected to be on the receiving end inside of these walls.

Until now.

But neither one came.

Instead the blade tickled her fur as it was retracted inside of some slot as a mechanical clinking sound could be heard from below her head. And then the hoof with the blade was removed from her neck as well.

“W-what do you want?” She finally got out, still terrified about her uncertain fate.

“The truth.” The voice responded.

Wait. That voice! She knew exactly who that belonged to.

“Storm?” She asked.

No response.

“L-look, we want the same thing here-” The mare continued only to be cut off.

“Bullshit.”

Planning finally decided to turn around, revealing that her guess was correct, as the pony who stood before her was the same suited stallion with that same emotionless expression - but now it held something different.

Impatience.

As if just looking at her was a waste of time and he should have just slit her throat without a second thought. That is what Planning felt like under his glare.

“I’m serious.” She tried again, looking out the window before continuing. “We both want Rarity gone.”

His expression changed ever so slightly. But for a pony who spent her life reading faces, she could see it. He had the slightest hint of surprise on his muzzle.

“That's some bold talk coming from her favorite lapdog.” He carefully replied, with his tone making it clear he didn’t believe her one bit. “What’s in it for you?”

“Justice.” Planning answered with more confidence than she had used in her entire life. “For somepony that deserves it. And it’s long overdue…”

Not a word more was spoken as the two engaged in a staring contest of seizing one another up - an act that Planning found uncomfortable - as she prayed that her answer was good enough to be allowed to live and possibly gain an ally in this.

“Justice for what? What is it that she does exactly?” He finally asked.

“It’s hard to explain.” Planning replied, trying to find the right words. “But it’s some sort of personal project she’s been doing ever since Mayor Mare died. When Miss Rarity took over and her own sister was killed, she lost it. We wouldn’t see her for days after and my sister, who was Mayor Mare’s receptionist at the time, was the only one given clearance to enter the office after nearly a week of silence from her. When she found out what Rarity was doing with the faces - with the bodies - she tried to stop her but my sister was…”

The mare paused and her demeanor changed as she tried to suppress a sob at the mere idea of saying the words aloud.

Luckily, or rather unluckily for her, Storm however didn’t beat around the bush. “Dealt with?”

“Y-yeah…”

“I’m sorry.”

“W-what?” She asked, not sure if she had heard him correctly.

“I said I’m sorry.” He confirmed. “I know what you’re going through and you shouldn’t have to.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“...Let’s just say there are a lot of good ponies dying for the wrong reasons lately.”

An uncomfortable silence was born from that statement as Planning absently kicked the ground with a hoof. Storm was messing with a holographic screen on his Tethertech for a second.

“What's your ID?” He finally asked.

“00172894A-9.” The mare responded from memory.

Using a tethered digit, the stallion entered the numbers into the screen and pressed enter.

A chirp resounded from Planning’s own Tethertech, signaling that she was connected to a new channel.

“If you're going to help, then we need to be in touch.” Storm stated, closing the screen.

A smile started to form on Planning’s face when his next words eradicated it.

“-But if you cross me, then whatever you saw back then will look like foals play. Got it?”

After a moment of contemplation, she nodded frantically.

“Good. Now, where is she?”

Suddenly, Planning remembered why her soon-to-be ex-boss was so excited.

“Shit…” She muttered upon realizing, before her voice became higher and more frantic. “Tonight’s the transition! She’s going to do the same to your pegasus friend!”

Storm’s eyes widened slightly, but the fear was still present.

“Fuck…” He muttered before speaking up to her hearing level. “Where’d she go?”

“Rarity has her by now, It’s already-”

“Where’d she go?!” He repeated, more aggressive and desperate this time, causing the mare to flinch.

“T-the mayor’s office. The storage closet in the back, there is a trapdoor under the rug that leads to where they’ll both be!” Planning answered, still unsure of her fate.

“I’m going.” Storm declared raising his weapon and heading for the door, only to be grabbed by the mare.

“No! You can’t just barge in there!” She protested. “They are looking for you now! Rarity knew you were suspicious and placed hidden guards in the crowd.”

“Then I’ll have to avoid the crowd.” Was his only response as the stallion practically slammed open her door and exited before Planning could get anything more out.

Then she heard his voice in her ear, thought it had some slight static in addition.

“Gather her stuff and bring it somewhere safe. I’ll notify you when I’ve got her.” He ordered, sounding slightly strained as if he was running or climbing.

“Okay. Good luck.” Planning replied, reaching into a nearby drawer for the hotel masterkey.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash found herself sitting at a picnic table-style area right beside a cider booth. Finishing the last of her mug, the mare practically slammed it down on the table. Under normal circumstances she would have been in bliss after finishing her favorite citrusy beverage, but whether it was the stale taste in her mouth or the nagging truth in her head was unknown to her.

She had been so stupid.

There was no way to sugarcoat it. Not anymore. She had actually believed there was a chance he would have been a key piece in fixing whatever had happened to this world, but the truth was clear now…

Maybe it always had been. Maybe she was too blinded by false hope to face the cruel reality, but just as Dash had been to him about his friend’s fates, he had been a catalyst to her reality of the world.

It was so stupid.

A simple truth managed to knock the fight out of Rainbow Dash - Equestria’s fastest and bravest pony - even after all of the hardships and challenges she and all of her friends had endured, but even more importantly, overcame.

“Something the matter, darling?” A familiar prissy voice asked from the blue pegasus’ side.

Rainbow turned her head just in time to see Rarity sit down beside her. The white unicorn’s step and slide into the seat was graceful - or lady-like as she would have put it - and a slight smile was plastered on her face despite the concerned tone.

“Everything’s great, Rares.” Dash lied, absently tracing flight patterns into the wooden table with her hoof.

Neither mare spoke for the next few moments. One had nothing more to say and the other was trying to figure out what to say.

“I know you tried, Rainbow.” Rarity said, finally breaking the silence. “But… some of us are beyond help - no matter how much you care about-” She was cut off when Rainbow began a raspy chuckle, earning a slightly confused look from the unicorn.

“Beyond? No, he’s just too fucking paranoid for anything.” Rainbow scoffed. “It’s like he didn’t even try to give this place or you a fair shot! All he did was stare and be rude to everypony. I had to tell that lumbering lunatic that you were hitting on him otherwise he wouldn’t have even noticed!”

When her bottled up rant was finished, a hoof slammed down on the table - knocking the empty mug over - while displaying her anger.

Rarity’s lips pursed slightly and she let out a faint sigh. “You need a break from all of this, darling.”

“I want all this to be over.” Rainbow admitted, a trace of breaking in her voice. “I want everything back to the way it was before all of this. I want all of us back to how we used to be!”

That comment sparked another burst of dual silence until Rarity let out a chuckle.

“Remember when you wished the world wasn’t so… what was the word you used to describe it? Oh! It was boring. That’s the one.” She said before her tone dropped and became serious again. “Now we would all trade this for ‘boring’ in a heartbeat anyday.”

Rainbow didn’t respond to her friend’s attempt to lighten the mood, even if the attempt did suck. It was the effort that counted, but right now all Rainbow could count was all the reason why this all sucked.

“I’m going to be brutally honest with you Rainbow.” Rarity tried again. “There are times when I sit at my desk and ponder the unthinkable, and there are many times where I get close enough to do said unthinkable. But it’s nights like these that make it all worthwhile. These are nights where we remember the good times - where we remember the good ponies that have gone on to better places. When I look around and see everypony forgetting their pain for one night of happiness, those dark moments are the furthest thing from my mind. And if he can’t find happiness in remembrance then that shouldn’t affect your own experience.”

“How are you so good at this kind of thing?” Rainbow asked, surprised by Rarity’s words.

“Practice, darling.” Was her response. “A whole lot of it.”

Rainbow was just about to raise her hoof for another glass when Rarity gently pushed it down to the table. “Let’s go, darling. I’ve got something that might help you.”

And with that, the white unicorn got up from the table and motioned her friend to follow. Both mares left the streets of the festival and made their way to Rarity’s office. After reaching a distracted and scrawny colt at the desk, the mayor of the two cleared her throat to gain said colt’s attention.

The colt quickly put his book down and addressed Rarity before his gaze landed on Rainbow.

Then it turned to uneasy.

“I-Is she the one?” He asked, looking back to Rarity.

For a fraction of a second, Rainbow could have sworn that she spotted a threatening glare from Rarity directed at the poor colt, who fidgeted uneasy in his seat upon seeing it too.

“Yes, Rainbow is our guest of honor, Bristle.” Rarity replied in a cheerful tone unlike the mood Rainbow thought she saw on the unicorn.

Huh, Mr. Paranoids starting to get to me now… Dash thought spitefully, shaking her suspicions off.

In the short few seconds the blue pegasus had gotten lost in thought, Rarity and the colt - Bristle - had resolved whatever topic they were debating about and the colt was reaching underneath the desk to touch something.

“Silver Platter, the guest is here. Bring out the goods.” He said to what Rainbow presumed was an intercom or at least a button turning one on.

A few moments later, and a silver and blue unicorn mare entered from the doors in which Rainbow and Rarity had come through a couple minutes prior. She had a huge grin on her face and sported a tray with festive-looking mugs on top.

The smiling mare levitating two mugs to their respective consumers, earning a thankful praise from Rarity and a simple thanks from Rainbow. The white unicorn instantly - and unlady like - gulped her own beverage down while her pegasus friend was busy looking at the contents of her own.

A dark purple liquid stared back at her own Magenta eyes as Rainbow tried to identify what the drink was.

“It’s wonderful. Try it.” Rarity assured.

“What is it?” Rainbow asked, still unsure as to the drink’s contents.

“What are you, your coltfriend now?” Rarity playfully shot back, earning an unpleasant look. “Just try it, darling. It’s a surprise.”

“...Okay then.”

And with that, Rainbow followed suit in wolfing down her own drink, draining the mug of its contents in mere seconds and ending in an unlady-like burp which would have made Rarity cringe.

But it didn’t.

Instead, the unicorn just gazed at her with a knowing smile as if she knew some slumber party secret that wasn’t being told to Rainbow.

“What?” Dash asked, but as soon as the words left her slightly wet lips, Rarity started to wobble.

Then she multiplied. And contorted. And a whole multitude of strange things which were now starting to twist the rest of the room as well.

The desk, the walls, the ceiling, hell - even the colt behind the desk were all going through the same dizzying effects as Rarity.

“W-what's happening?” Rainbow tried to ask, barely catching herself from falling in the process.

She could barely speak. She could barely think.

“R-rares?” She continued, but the knowing smile still lingered.

“I’m sorry about this, darling.” Rarity finally replied, sounding like her voice came from all sides of the poor dizzy pegasus. “But I did say this was a surprise, so we can’t have you ruin it by peeking!” She added with a high pitched spark of excitement.

That was all Rainbow heard before everything finally went dark.

Rainbow Dash had blacked out.

Storm grunted as his hooves hit the hard gravel ground below him. He had just used a nearby dumpster and apartment balcony - with a little help of his suit thrusters - to vault over the side of Ponyville’s wall.

Now he was just outside the seemingly safe community and found himself on the faded path of a street. To his right, a straight line of various destroyed buildings towered over the stallion as a visual hoofprint of the old world.

Many of the buildings were overgrown cottages with dying vines and moss as fall was ending and winter would soon hold it’s icy grip on the wasteland. Despite what they say, Hell does freeze over, and this would be solid proof.

Activating his helmet and waiting a moment for his HUD preferences to load, Storm continued his visual search of the area, which led him to spotting the town’s theater. The roof of the massive building was halfway caved inward, presumidly crushing an equal amount of interior space as well. Not a single window was left unharmed with the only remnants of their existence being shards of stained glass poking out of some of the frames.

“Group three, search this whole area - buildings and all!” A male voice called from around the corner and behind Storm’s current position. “He couldn’t have gone far!”

Shit. This just got real.

Judging by the distance of the voice, this ‘group three’ had just left through the front gate and would be rounding the corner any moment, so Storm ducked behind the nearest object, which was a half destroyed carriage. Turning down the brightness of his suit lights and being aided by the nighttime fog would definitely assist in hiding him.

Thinking fast, the stallion activated the camera device on his suit, which hovered around the carriage and positioned itself out of sight from any approaching creatures. Through a small window on his HUD, Storm counted seven armed ponies - five stallions and two mares - all of which were wearing rags, makeshift armor, and sported basic weaponry.

It was no debate that he could take them all out with relative ease, but their weapons weren’t silenced like his own, meaning a gunfight would just draw reinforcements and give up his one advantage over Rarity - the element of surprise.

But he had to be quick otherwise Planning might be right about Rainbow, so avoiding unnecessary conflict would be the way to go. Storm already had a rough blueprint of the community and he knew that the mayor’s office was well on the other side of the street separating Planning’s apartment and the festival.

So all he needed to do was circle around to the other side of the wall and hop back over.

Simple right?

“Group two, stay on your end of the wall. We’ve got this covered!” The same stallion from before ordered into his own Tethertech channel.

Shit.

Of course it wouldn’t be.

Storm continued to peek through the camera device as he made a mental list of everypony’s position. Two stallions stood at the corner of the wall, next to the front. Another was approaching from his right, where he had just landed a few moments prior. A mare was keeping even pace with the stallion but to his left and was steadily getting closer to rounding the carriage. The other mare and a stallion were searching the closest destroyed cottage to the gate. The final stallion, who had been barking orders until now, was on his ear-mounted device with presumidly another group of this rag-tag search party. He was standing out in the open and facing the cottages and theater as if also on guard.

“I have something!” The stallion to his right called out. “Hoofprints. Recently too. Grace, get over here and track him!”

Storm slid his camera device under the carriage where it returned to his suit upon hearing that. The mare known as Grace - who had been combing the side of his carriage and gazing into the upper floors of the cottages until now - stopped her search and began to head down the side of the destroyed carriage.

“This better be the real deal this time, Carve.” She grunted while making her way to the stallion.

Storm could feel beads of sweat start to run down his forehead as he activated his hoof blade. He heard the crunching of gravel get ever so closer until the hoovesteps were right around the corner and then…

With a burst of speed many wouldn’t think possible of him, the stallion leapt up and grabbed Grace before pulling her down roughly with him. One of his hooves was clamped tightly on her muzzle while the other - the bladed one - was at her throat.

“Quiet!” He ordered, barely above a whisper, to the mare who was flailing her hooves at his helmet as if trying to pry him off.

Then he slit her throat.

It was a quick and clean cut which ended her muffled whimpers and attempts to call for help. When the mare’s body went stiff, he gently placed her down on the now bloodstained gravel.

“Grace?” Her stallion friend asked from the spot where the mysterious hoofprints were. “We don’t have all day, get your flank over here”

“Grace?” He asked again, only to get no response.

By now, Storm had moved her corpse around the carriage and he had repositioned himself behind a neck-high rectangular cutout that housed a dead tree. His new spot was only a step or two from the carriage so the next part would be easy.

The stallion who was calling for his friend started moving from the hoofprints and towards the last known spot of his comrade - which required him to move around the carriage.

“I swear if you have earphones in again…” He muttered angrily right before rounding the carriage.

Then he saw the body of Grace.

Just as the stallion’s mouth opened to call for his group, a blade was impaled through the back of his neck, coming out the front and allowing him to see the weapon of his own murder.

No screams erupted from his blood-filled throat. Only a faint gurgling sound came out before his life was also ended.

That’s two. Storm thought while piling the stallion's corpse next to the mares.

Peeking over the stone rectangle, Storm saw that the two stallions at the front were looking the other way and the rest were inside of the first cottage.

Now was his chance.

Using any cover in his path, Storm sprinted along the wall of the community. Looking back every couple of seconds, he made sure none of the other’s turned to his way.

Thankfully they didn’t.

In record time, the stallion had made it to the corner of the wall. Only a couple more steps to go and he would be around-

“Check the theater, too. It’s got lots of hiding places!” A male voice ordered from right around the corner followed by multiple hoovesteps.

Shit!

Putting the breaks on, Storm skidded to a halt right at the corner of the wall.

Quick! Think! He mentally scolded himself while looking around.

Gravel, rocks, bottles, dead leaves… wait - bottles!

Using his tethered grip, Storm quickly picked up a random bottle off the ground and hurled it over the corner of the wall where he heard it shatter just a few hooves away.

And just in time too. The hooves and muzzle of the first guard had just reached the corner and was sticking out where Storm could see it when the sound of glass shattering filled the air.

“What was that?!” A male voice asked.

“It’s got to be him!” A female one joined.

The pair of hooves - and the sound of three more - turned around and faced the noise.

Pulling out his Sweeper and turning the safety off, Storm shot out from around the corner to find himself facing the flanks of three stallions and a mare who were training their weapons and flashlights where the sound came from.

The group didn’t even have time to turn around before Storm aligned each barrel with the back of each guard’s head. Then he pulled the trigger.

The four dropped dead, a rivet deep within each of their skulls.

Quick as can be, the stallion snapped to the side of the wall where his most recent quad kill just happened. Looking back at the original side he had just exited revealed that the other group was at the second cottage and had no idea, but after that building, they would find the bodies for sure.

He had to act and fast.

Throwing caution to the wind, Storm sprinted down the entire length of this street without any cover or care as his heavy armored body made audible crunching sounds in the gravel and leaves.

Another corner.

This side had no search parties to his luck so he continued sprinting for where the mayor’s office would be on the other side. Once he got there, Storm climbed on top of an overgrown carriage.

Okay. Halfway up there. Where to next… He thought while looking around for another piece of leverage.

Then he saw it.

A light post. Made of steel.

“Here goes nothing…” He mutters while storing the Sweeper on his back.

Using all of his strength, Storm leaps from the carriage to the light post. Grabbing it with his forehooves, the stallion gains momentum and uses his thrusters to propel himself over the wall…

-and into a window.

An explosion of glass filled his ears - and the room - as the armored stallion was sent tumbling onto the ground. When he didn’t hear any yelling guards or screaming civilians, Storm took a moment to just sit there in the new found pain of throwing his heavy and nearly middle aged body over a wall and through a window.

“Ugh… fuck me…” He groaned while slowly getting up and brushing shards off of himself.

That's when he saw him.

Standing a few steps away from his half crouched position was a teen colt with a book in his fetlock. His mouth hung wide open and he appeared to be frozen in place as he stared at Storm.

Luckily for Storm, his reaction time was quicker. Rocketing up and extending a hoof, he punched the colt in the face, knocking him out cold.

Once the stallion got his bearings, he grabbed the body’s hooves and dragged the colt’s unconscious form into the hindleg space underneath the desk, hiding him from sight. The stallion got up and was about to walk into the adjacent hallway when his gut told him something was missing.

Something wasn’t right.

Looking back at the desk, Storm saw a small plaque that read ‘open’ on the receptionist desk. Using his Tethertech, he quickly swapped the sign to read ‘closed.’

That’s better. He thought while stepping into the hallway.

The hallway itself was fairly small, meaning he could see the three closed doors within it. The one closest to him on the right had a restroom sign, signaling its purpose. To the left and a little further down was another door with a golden plaque that read ‘Mayor’s Office.” And then he saw it.

At the far end and to the right of the hall was one final door which had a more degraded plaque that read ‘storage.’

Bingo.

The stallion was about to take his first step into the hall when a sudden and mind splitting headache hit him. Reaching a hoof to his head and grunting in response, Storm squeezed his eyes shut for a moment out of instinct. Then he opened them and saw it.

Candles.

Placed evenly on each side of the hallway floor. On each side of every doorway. All of them sat in rusted cans. Even the dancing shadows cast by them were the same as that place from before.

“Shh… He’s almost here…” A mare’s voice cooed in the distance as it was followed by a scream.

Then in an instant, they were gone.

The candles, the cans, the mood lighting, and everything. The hallway looked normal again.

Storm took a few glances from the front to the hall that he was now at the end of, as if trying to determine what in Celestia’s name had just happened.

Then he heard a scream. A real one.

Dash’s scream.

Fuck.

The first thing Rainbow Dash felt was pain.

Pain in her head and in her limbs. Not the blunt or stabbing pain of being struck or impaled by a bone-like blade, but the drowsy pain of waking up after not sleeping at all.

If it was amplified by a thousand that is.

And hers definitely was.

Groaning, the mare attempted to put a hoof to her head only to find that her limbs weren’t responding - or rather couldn’t respond. Straining her hooves to try and break free yielding no results but soreness to her body.

Rainbow whipped her head around, trying to get her bearings in the darkness of the room but to no avail.

“Ah!” A familiar voice said from the darkness. “You're finally conscious, darling!”

“R-rarity?” Rainbow asked, slowly recalling the last events before she got this point in the first place. “Where am I?”

“My workshop.” The unseen unicorn stated matter of factly. “All artists need one after all.”

“Why can’t I move?!” Dash asked, trying to hide the growing fear in her chest and voice.

“Calm down, darling.” Rarity instructed, ignoring the question. “These are just necessary precautions and you’ll be free at the end of this. I swear.”

“Precautions? For what?!” Rainbow added with a strong tug at her binds.

Still no use.

“Scootaloo’s transition.”

“W-what-” Rainbow started to ask but was silenced when an array of flood lights burst to life, momentarily blinding the mare.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Rainbow heard the light clip-clop of delicate hooves approaching from her side. But then they passed her.

Once the stinging in her vision passed, the blue pegasus opened her eyes to see a few things in front of her. Rarity, who was obstructing her vision. Another bound pony with an almost bronze colored coat which had a bag over their head and was also bound to a chair across from her.

But the other pony’s chair was different. While Rainbow’s was some wooden one from a furniture store or home, the other chair was custom made out of steel and looked like it could hold Big Macintosh if he took an assload of steroids and became evil all of a sudden.

Rarity turned around to face Dash, revealing a brilliant and excited smile on her face. The unicorn mare placed a hoof on the burlap sack on the other pony’s head as she spoke.

“Rainbow Dash, say hello to your sister!” She beamed while getting a grip on the bag.

Then she pulled it off.

And Rainbow saw it.

She saw Scootaloo.

Scootaloo saw her.

They locked eyes.

Rainbow might have screamed, but she wasn’t sure. All she could do was focus on that torn and stapled face. Those angry blue… ‘eyes’ which were locked on her in fixed hatred.

‘Scootaloo’ began to thrash violently in her bindings as she roared, not taking her ‘eyes’ off of the rainbow-maned pegasus for even a second. The snapping of bones filled the room as the bronze colored mare tried to break free from it’s bindings.

Rainbow was speechless. Her mouth hung agape as she had the most intense stare-down with this ‘thing.’

“T-that’s… thats…” She tried to speak but couldn’t find the words.

“Scootaloo.” Rarity finished for her. “She was one of our best scouts, but sadly one of them took her down just a few months ago. I knew you would want to see her one last time before the transition so I saved her for you!” The unicorn added cheerfully.

Rainbow barely heard the explanation as her focus was still on the creature before her. It was trying everything within its limits to get out of that chair and get to her as if Scootaloo herself was angry at her for failing to keep her safe.

“That’s not Scootaloo…” Rainbow finally got out as another bone snapped in the thing’s body and it got one inch closer to breaking it’s way out of there.

“What are you talking about, dar-” That was all Rarity got out before ‘Scootaloos’ blue orbs ripped themselves from their fleshy prison and leapt at the mare who had just turned to face the creature.

The Plexer’s made skittering noises as they quickly dug into Rarity’s eye sockets, splaying blood and juices everywhere in the process of digging their new home. The poor mare barely had time to get a hoof up to defend herself by the time the tiny creatures had made it to her face.

Her dying screams were completely drowned out to the only living pony in the room as the mare was contorted and transformed into something else. Her bones snapped, her fetlocks sharpened, her jaw was contorted as it extended and unhinged like a serpents, and her tail fell out before being replaced with a fleshy appendage with a claw on the end.

‘Rarity’ shook the remaining loose body fragments which were discarded off of itself before getting up and locking eyes with Rainbow, who was too horrified at watching her sister’s face being stapled onto a corpse and then have that same face attack one of her best friends.

The creature roared, displaying it’s ganguly and newly formed teeth. Rearing back on its hindlegs, the newest Damned lunged for it’s victim.

BANG!

A gunshot echoed through the tiny room from behind the bound mare, whose face was covered in crimson splatter and a few bits of flesh. Rainbow had flinched and her eyes widened at the sudden sound, allowing a few of the droplets to get within her eye.

Upon shaking her head to clear the obstruction, she discovered that the thing which used to be Rarity was now an entire head short and lying on the floor. Bits of gore and even a few Plexer parts littered the ground near it’s exploded head.

Dash turned her head as far back as the chair would allow, revealing Storm - whose helmet was off and who was also holding a shotgun with a still smoking barrel - and an equally disturbed look on his own face.

Without a word, he holstered the weapon and activated the hoof-blade. A couple of slices later and Rainbow was freed from her bindings, allowing her to fall to the floor and reach out for the discarded face of Scootaloo.

The mare’s shaky hoof stopped halfway when she realized what was going on. Retracting the appendage didn’t do the shakiness any good as it had spread to her entire body by now.

“No, no, no…” She muttered over and over again quietly. “Not you too, Scoots.”

The blue pegasus felt the warm droplets of tears starting to roll down her cheeks as she stared at the remains of her sister.

A sudden, but gentle hoof on her shoulder snapped her out of her stare, causing the mare to look up at its source. Storm didn’t meet her gaze, but instead was focused on Scootaloo with his head hung and expression displaying a hint of regret.

Rainbow returned her eyes to the horrifying sight below as the two gave their silent respects. She knew looking at it wasn’t a good idea, but she couldn’t stop. Those empty sockets were pleading to know where she was all of these years. The ripped mouth was frozen in a permanent scream that held her last terrified moments.

The soul crushing moment was interrupted when something beeped from above the rainbow-maned pegasus.

“Storm!” A mare’s voice crackled through the static of Storm’s ear-mounted device. “They found Bristle’s body and know where you are! Get out of there now!”

Rainbow hardly heard Planning’s frantic warning over the channel, but her stallion counterpart certainly did.

“We’re on our way.” He responded coldly as if his attention was elsewhere, but in reality, it was.

Turning the channel off, he removed his hoof from Rainbow’s shoulder and racked another shell into his shotgun.

“It’s going loud from here on out.” He informed the unresponsive mare, who was still kneeling on the floor.

“Dash?” He asked, trying to get her attention but not set her off at the same time. “We have to go, now!”

The sound of a dozen hoofsteps from above filled Storm’s ears.

“Check the office, We’ve got the restroom!” A mare’s authoritative voice ordered from above.

“Dash!” He harshly whispered. “They’ll find that trapdoor eventually. Some might already know about it!”

Still no response.

BOOM!

A distant explosion from above shook the very earth the two were underneath, causing dust to fall from the ceiling and down onto them. Screams and shouted orders from above drowned out the ringing in Storm’s ears and apparently it also broke Rainbow out of her trace as the mare was now up and looking around much like he was.

“What the hell was that?!” One of the voices above demanded to know.

“I don’t know! Call-” Another voice was interrupted by a staticy signal from a Tethertech.

“They’ve breached the walls! All teams head for the East wall now!” It ordered before the sound of retreating hoovesteps filled the ceiling.

Storm and Rainbow only had a moment to share a look of confusion before the screams started.

Then the gunshots.

And finally, the roaring.

They were here.

Chapter 15 - "Evolution"

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Author's Notes:

Important!

For those who don't know, the author's note of the previous chapter is retconned, meaning it is no longer cannon. I wasn't thinking straight and was too eager to end this arc so we could move forward to the next one (which I am really excited about) and shouldn't have tried to rush through it. Thanks to coming to my senses with a little help from dedicated readers like Mix-Up, I have made it a point to return to my roots of quality over quantity. I would rather have three brilliant Dead Spaces over twenty mediocre battle royale games. From now on all story points and events must be in the actual story and not in an author's note. So if I can't do that, it won't appear at all or I'll make it fit. Bottom line is, no more half ass shit on my end.

On a more positive note, this is a chapter that I am really excited about. It's probably the best one quality, length, and plot-wise since the previous Ponyville arc started. There are a lot of little things that are important to the plot in this chapter, so if you can catch them then the key to foreshadowing is in your grasp!

That is all. Enjoy another chapter!

Boom!

Another explosion shook the ground beneath the hooves of Storm Surge and Rainbow Dash. Debris and dust from the wooden ceiling above was sent all over the room, creating a fog-like atmosphere around the two pegasi. The force of the blast alone was enough to shake the limp corpses of Rarity and the would-be Scootaloo as well.

Suddenly, the dim lights above went out and submerged the entire room in darkness.

“Shit…” The stallion of the two muttered before the whirring and snapping of metal could be heard as his helmet assembled around his head. A purple glow coming from the visor faintly illuminated their surroundings which was assisted by the flashlight on his weapon.

“Sounds like an army up there!” Rainbow remarked, suddenly out of her shocked state after seeing the remains of her sister end up on one of those things. “What does your diary say to do about this?!”

The mare could feel his glare from behind the glowing visor, but the hailstorm of gunfire above killed any further conversation right before it reached the metaphorical gate. Whatever was happening above sounded nothing like what she had seen in the movies. Each explosion of every single firearm was louder than the next and had a fade to them as if the bullets were whistling their last breaths, but it wasn’t the firing itself that caught her attention.

It was the screaming.

Both pony and Damned alike were screaming in pain and anger as they slaughtered one another above. Some of the closer gunshots would abruptly stop when a mare or stallion’s voice croaked out its final cries or a demonic gurgling would be heard signaling one of those things had fallen instead of a living counterpart.

In her daze, Rainbow didn’t even notice that Storm hadn’t shared her interest in listening to the show above. Instead he had his shotgun aimed directly at the ceiling latch - which had a ladder leading up to it - his flashlight acting as a perverted spotlight for whoever found them first.

Rainbow hoped it was the guards. At least they might not open fire right away when bigger problems were at stake.

“Fall back!” A mare’s voice ordered from above. The two below almost missed it with everything else going on, but the proximity made it possible to hear. “Get the mayor into the-”

She was cut off by the crashing of glass and concrete as the ground started to shake above. More dust flew into the room below, causing Rainbow to avert her gaze and swipe at her eyes to get it out. Now Storm’s attention was above as well despite his shotgun and flashlight still focusing on the door.

“What the fuck is that?!” A stallion’s voice - which was Bristle’s - cried from above.

“Does it matter?” The mare responded harshly and with authority. “Just kill it before it reaches the mayor!”

A storm of bullets erupted from above, but the ear splitting sound was nothing compared to the earth-shattering roar which followed in its wake. The ground began to shake once more as something above advanced into the building, smashing all sorts of support beams and furniture as presumed by the destruction which the two below were hearing.

“Fuck this!” Bristle yelled before one of the gunfire’s sources halted and the barely audible clop of hooves running against wood was heard.

“Bristle!” The authoritative mare called out angrily. “Get back to the line!”

“I’d rather live to see tomo-” The colt tried to respond only to be cut short. “Help! Get it off-!” He started screaming until a sickening sound of snapping bones overpowered the fighting.

The scene above continued like this for some time with something stomping around and gutting anypony it could reach until the firing stopped completely. So did the stomping and roaring.

It all just went silent.

Rainbow and Storm shared looks of uncertainty at the sudden change but neither knew - or wanted - to say it.

Then they heard it.

“P-please… don’t…” The same mare’s voice from above begged. Her authoritative tone was reduced to that of a whimpering animal in suffering and her throat sounded like it had blood in it.

A gradual growl from the thing above started to rise from it’s throat and then the mare started pleading more desperately.

“No! Plea-”

Her screams were cut short when something powerful slammed into her, crashing through the ceiling and falling into the basement where the other two stood.

A twisted mass of corpses - which was balled up to resemble blunt fists - had pushed the mare’s body through the wooden floor and into the basement, or rather the bloody pulp which used to be said mare.

Equestria’s fastest flyer didn’t even have time to process or react to what she was seeing, but lucky for her, a hunk of metal slammed her into the corner of the room and out of sight of whatever made the hole.

Storm quickly and quietly got off of her as he spun around to lay prone with his back against the wall and shotgun aimed forward. The stallion switched off his flashlight and put a hoof to his visor to hide it, but left a little crack for himself to see through.

This small viewing window gave him the perfect show of that huge fleshy appendage being lifted up and out of the hole as the owner of the limb let out a victorious roar, which was answered by many smaller ones with different distances away respectively.

The thing above stomped away from the building as Storm and Rainbow sat huddled and facing the hole while awaiting their fates. By this point, the grey pegasus had removed his hoof and was in ‘full combat mode’ as he got up and slowly walked around the hole.

Aiming his weapon upwards, he checked all possibly angles of the hole in case whatever created it might still be around. Meanwhile, on the other end of the room, Rainbow Dash had gotten to her hooves and was locked on the same point of interest.

“I got-” A mare’s voice suddenly filled the center of the room, but was cut off as a flashlight and shotgun barrel were swung straight at her face.

The mare - who turned out to be Planning - fell backwards and placed her hooves in front of her face as if they were titanium shields against the boomstick currently in her face.

Once he realized who was in the basement with them, Storm lowered the shotgun. Planning peaked out from her forehoof fortress to see that her head was not about to be splattered on the wall.

“I got all of your stuff.” She stated, lowering her forehooves and gesturing to a huge saddlebag with a golden suit next to it. “We need to get out of here fast!”

“Yeah, no shit.” Was Storm’s response as he was busy helping Rainbow with the suiting up process. “How the hell did you get here in the first place?”

“Teleportation spell.” Planning answered matter of factly. “It’s short ranged and hurts to use, but I’m starting to get the hang of it.”

“Can you get us out of here then?” Rainbow budded in hopefully as the final straps were tightened on her suit.

“No, it takes time before I can use it. I’m new to this kind of stuff.”

“For fucks sake…” Storm muttered at the extinguishing of the potential escape.

“Sorry…”

“Guess we’re fighting our way out then.” He stated indifferently, as if the high likelihood of death above wasn’t a factor to him.

“Wait!” Planning intervened. “That’s your plan? Just run out there and hope we make it?! There's hundreds of them up there!”

“I know.” The stallion replied coldly while tossing Rainbow her machine gun. “We make a break for it, avoid the big crowds and the fucker that did this…” Pointing a hoof at the huge hole above, “and then head for a barn not far from here.”

“What good will a barn do if a solid wall couldn’t stop them?!” Rainbow asked, loading her weapon.

“It’s a chokepoint.” Storm informed. “We control the entrances and funnel the stragglers who will follow us. Once they are taken care of, we can head to the lighthouse.”

“Uh, one problem with that, genius…” She continued. “The boat floated off, remember?”

“And guess whos fault that-”

“Guys!” Planning interrupted the potential hostility with a wave of her forehooves. “We need to focus! I’m with Storm on this. Let’s head to the barn and by then I should be able to teleport us to… wait - where is this lighthouse?”

“South Luna Ocean’s bay.” Storm responded.

“Los Pegasus?! That place is heavily irradiated! I can’t last ten minutes there!”

“My place is safe from all that. I’ve got a half mask, so that’s covered. Can you teleport us outside the city or at least close?”

Planning nodded uncertainty, but it was better than nothing.

A purple tethered appendage grabbed Rainbow’s pistol from her flank and levitated it to Planning.

“You know how to use one of these?” The owner of the appendage asked.

“Sort of.”

Loading the pistol slowly, he continued. “Now it’s loaded. And…” Then he switched the safety off. “-now safety’s off.” Then the mare took the weapon.

By now, the trio had gathered at the ladder with Storm volunteering to go first despite no vocalization. As he placed a hoof on the wooden rung, the stallion turned to look down at the mares.

“Make your shots count. We don’t have a lot of ammo to waste. If it’s blue and glowing then shoot it. Got it?”

Both mares nodded, the suited one more enthusiastically than the unarmored one. With that, the stallion reached the top of the ladder and peaked out before scanning around with his shotgun.

With a grunt, he vaulted up and out of the hole, landing on his hooves in a defensive stance and sweeping the weapon’s flashlight around. After deeming the immediate building safe, he motioned for the girls to follow.

Another explosion and more screams filled the night just as Rainbow - followed by Planning - ascended the ladder and joined him on the surface.

“Quickest way to the gate is around the diner and through the cottages.” Planning informed as the trio began their journey. “The only problem is from here to the diner is wide open and we’ll get spotted for-”

CRASH!

Out of nowhere, an interruption in the form of a guard’s corpse smashed through the remains of the office lobby’s front window. The stallion and both mares quickly slammed themselves into crouched positions against a fallen support pillar of concrete.

Removing his camera, Storm tethered the device around the pillar and opened the holographic menu for it, and that's when he saw it.

Standing on the far end of the market square was the biggest Damned he had ever seen. It stood just above the height of the two story cottage the thing was currently pulling it’s ‘arm’ out of - the same arm which had crushed through the ceiling just moments prior as well.

The thing was made of more corpses than he could - or care to - count, with all of them fused together by rotting biological matter and another dirty white material which looked like bone. These white parts sported jutting spikes and ridges which would be nasty to get swiped or impaled by no matter what armor or suit the victim had on.

As for the shape of the creature, it was odd but that didn’t lessen the threatening aura coming from it’s presence. It looked like one of those tripod cameras that Storm had seen in the window of an electronics store from the old world as the creature had three large arms made up of bodies and that white matter. For it’s actual body, a thick string of more corpses and matter ended in a bulbous head with over two dozen squirming blue orbs and a mouth that could swallow three full grown ponies at once.

This thing was now standing in the middle of the action as the smaller variants swarmed the rest of the fleeing and fighting townsfolk. It was looking directly at the corpse it had just impaled on the window bar, but Storm felt as if it somehow knew a camera was watching it.

But thankfully, the thing stomped off to the next cottage and began its latest assault on whatever poor family was probably huddled in there to be sa-

A group of blood curdling screams from the home and a hunting roar from the creature confirmed his guess.

“Shit…” He muttered, apparently loud enough for the others to hear.

“What is it?” Rainbow whispered, starting to get up as to peek over the debris, when an armored hoof roughly shoved her back into a crouched position.

“Can you not paint a target on my head for five fucking minutes?!” Storm hissed but not before his hoof was angrily swatted away. “We need to get around the market area and preferably without that fucker noticing us!”

“And how do we do that?” Rainbow asked, clearly angry at being reprimanded like a foal.

“I think I’ve got an idea…” Planning added, pointing a hoof at the discarded corpse that lay just a few steps away.

Storm followed her hoof to where on the corpse it was pointing at. Just above the dead stallion’s flank was a utility belt made from rags and clips, but it was the contents of said belt that interested him more.

Three faded white canisters with chipping labels of a smoke cloud forming next to a group of equine-like figures.

Smoke grenades.

Using his Tethertech, the stallion unclipped all three canisters and levitated them to his concealed position and passed them out - a grenade for each pony.

“Here’s the plan…” He began. “On the count of three, we sprint out that hole in the front. I’ll pop a smoke between us and the market while you two make a break for the cottages. Try and save the other grenades - we’ll need them to escape unnoticed.”

Rainbow nodded confidently while Planning gave an uneasy nod.

“Okay. Good.” Storm continued, switching to his Sweeper and loading it in the blink of an eye. “Just follow my lead and if all goes to hell, head for the farm right outside of town.”

“Sweet Apple Acres.” Rainbow corrected.

“Right. Here we go…”

“Three…”

“Two…”

“One…”

“Go!”

The trio shot up from their crouched positions with the stallion leading and the mares hot on his heels. They rushed through a hole caused by the big Damned - who thankfully wasn’t finished destroying the same cottage to notice them - and entered a warzone.

Many buildings were in ruin and some were even on fire. Bodies littered the streets of both Damned and ponies alike. A few survivors were positioned on top rooftops and were shooting at Slicers, which dive bombed them from above as their ground-restrained brethren made literal walls of flesh to reach the roofs.

But now was not the time for sightseeing. Storm quickly pulled the pin on his smoke grenade and tossed it into the street, which earned the attention of a hoof full of Damned judging by the confused growls, but on the bright side, they hadn’t seen who did it.

Not yet at least.

The stallion made sure both mares were through to the back of the diner before he started behind them. Upon catching up, Rainbow was already at the far corner of the diner’s back wall and peeking around for any danger.

“It’s clear, let’s g-” She stated, taking a step into the open when a forehoof roughly slammed the mare back into the wall.

Though it took all she had not to verbally - and physically - lay into the stallion who had just done that and was holding her against the brick wall of a building, she knew there must have been some reason for it.

And there was.

A gesture of his head nodding to where she had just been planning on heading into was only her answer. Rainbow peeked down as subtly as possible but saw nothing. The blue pegasus was about to ask what it was when she finally saw the two floating blue orbs at the end of the alley.

A Hunter - one of the few she actually remembered from his catalog.

“It’s not alone…” He whispered, while looking around and seeing more pairs of orbs scanning the battlefield for any stragglers.

Besides the one at the alley’s end, there was one inside of the nearest cottage on the left - as shown by the blue glow which passed by the window momentarily. The third one was inside the diner and just a brick wall away from them judging by the sounds coming from inside.

“I count three.” Storm stated, pointing to each one’s estimated position. “We alert one and the others will all know.”

“How do we avoid them then?” Planning asked, trying her best to conceal herself behind a nearby dumpster.

“Guess we’re gonna have to use another smoke. It’ll draw their attention away long enough to sprint through.”

“I’ve got it.” Dash offered, clutching her own smoke in her tethered grip. “Tell me when!”

Storm waited until the predatory gaze of the blue eyes were out of their direction before giving the order.

“Now!”

Rainbow Dash tossed the smoke directly at the one in the alley adjacent to the trio, causing the now concealed creature to let out a call for it’s kin. The diner Hunter smashed through a window and joined the first while the cottage one simply crawled out from over the window and charged into the smoke with it’s sharpened tail held high.

“Go!”

All three ponies rushed through the alley, past the smoke and confused beasts, and continued down the alley where - according to Planning - they would be only a few cottages from the main gate to the-

A screech filled the air directly above, causing Planning to cover her ears, Rainbow to jump back a bit, and Storm to raise his weapon up towards the noise.

On the roof of the nearest cottage was a fourth set of angry blue eyes which were looking directly at the trio. The creature uncloaked, revealing that it was hanging from the roof by it’s currently dug in tail spike.

Dropping to the ground, it let out a series of calls which were answered right around the corner. Both mares spun around to see that the three Hunters from before were now slowly approaching from behind.

Storm, however, was locked in a staring contest of hatred with the fourth one. A contest that would be considered for dominance of the alpha back in the uncivilized world - er, the original uncivilized world that is.

The Hunter’s concave maw twitched as fresh crimson droplets escaped only to find salvation on the ground below it’s sharpened hooves. It’s blue eyes were squirming at their ‘stems’ but the very tips focused calculated hatred and hunger on the armored stallion before it. A low growl was emitting from the creature as it sized up it’s latest prey.

Suddenly, Storm heard a strange noise from one of the flanking Hunters. Normally the Damned made sounds like demented birds or insects with their signatures growls and roars while hunting, but this was different.

It sounded… happy - if one could even imagine a hellspawn as such.

Then the other two behind him started to make the same sound, causing the one in front of him to perk what was left of its ears up. The hungry orbs removed themselves from him and stared past him instead.

Normally, Storm would have never dared to turn his back on these fuckers, but this was different. This was wrong. What the hell are they so infatuated with?

With his weapon still aimed straight ahead, the stallion turned his head around to see that the Hunters were all focused on the girl’s position. The unicorn of the bunch was clearly trying to keep it together as she shakily held her pistol at the creatures.

But they weren’t focused on her. They seemed to gaze past her as if the small insignificant mare was nothing compared to what they wanted more.

Then it hit him.

Not a physical attack, but the realization.

They were looking at Rainbow Dash, who was glancing from each creature to the next and changing which one her machine gun was on frequently while shouting threatening phrases he doubted they understood or cared to heed.

RAAAAARRRRR!

An earth shattering roar pierced through the warzone backdrop before the sound of stomping strides replaced it. The Hunter in front of him started it’s ‘cawing’ again, prompting the others to stop their more happy noises and ready their tails - all of which were directed at Rainbow.

“Get down, now!” Storm ordered the two mares who followed his command without question.

Rainbow grabbed Planning and flung them both into a prone position just in time to see five oversized rivets fly over their previous position and nail the three beasts in the face.

The ones on the right and left dropped instantly as four of the rivets hit them directly on both blue spots, but the middle Hunter made it out with one ‘eye’ remaining. This Hunter was momentarily stunned as it fell backwards but caught it’s mangled body mid-fall.

Storm was in the process of swinging back around to the front Hunter when a tendril wrapped around his throat and cuffed it with a vice-like grip. Even with his draining oxygen, the stallion could still see the scene before him somewhat clearly. Rainbow had just opened fire at the remaining Hunter and had killed it, but she had not noticed what was going on behind as the massive Damned from the market suddenly appeared from the alleyway’s entrance.

Through his slightly fogged visor, Storm could see the Hunter’s tail point which was aiming a bone-projectile where his brain would be inside and was preparing to fire. In a flash, the stallion activated his blade and slashed upwards, severing the tail just as the projectile fired, which made a CLINK sound as it grazed the metal and flew into a nearby window.

Using his thrusters and raising a hoof, the grey pegasus unleashed a furious right hook to the Hunter’s face, breaking it’s rotting nose and caving in one of it’s now smashed eyes. Right now all he could think about was reducing this filth of the Earth to a bloody pulp.

And he was going to do just that.

The rear gunfire coming from Rainbow and Planning who were trying to hold back the giant Damned - which was currently shoving aside buildings to get inside the alley - was nearly drowned out by Storm’s own bloodlust for this unlucky Hunter before him.

Digging his blade into the creature’s throat made it spurt out a crimson bath that splattered onto his helmet, partially smearing his visor, but the pained wheezing and screams were worth it to him. His hoof plunged deeper as the unseen veins on his muscles began to bulge at the strain.

More blood. More screaming.

Storm could feel his left eye start to twitch but paid it no mind as all of his attention was on snuffing this thing’s ‘life’ out. Once and for all.

“Storm!” A distorted and distant female voice echoed.

Tighter.

“Storm!”

The blade was all the way in now.

“Storm!”

A rough shove to his shoulder knocked the stallion out of his trance, making him realize two things. One, the Hunter had been dead for a few seconds and two; Rainbow Dash was frantically shaking him and pointing behind where-

RAAAAARRRR!

Oh shit!

The titanic Damned was now almost to them and it didn’t look pleased. Getting to his hooves, Storm retracted his blade and joined the other two mares in their mad dash for the alley’s exit. The creature watched them for a moment before violently digging it’s body out of the alley and around the corner, presumidly to flank it’s prey.

“To the left!” Planning shouted, nearly tripping over her own hooves in the sudden change of direction.

The trio was now sandwiched between two cottages and were running for the now visible gate that was just a stone’s throw away. The only thing blocking their path was a rusted fence that stood at about two and a half ponies tall.

Storm slid past the mares and turned around to face them. Crouched on his hindlegs and putting his forehooves in a cuffed position, the stallion motioned for them to step on. Planning was the first who quickly stepped onto his hooves and was lifted over the fence, falling on the other side clumsily before composing herself.

A chorus of smaller roars of normal sized Damned started to come from around the alley’s corner where the Hunter fight had taken place just moments prior. Rainbow and Storm shared looks upon hearing their doom approaching, but the stallion’s position never faltered.

“Go!” He ordered. “I’ll look for a way around.” His hooves were still cuffed while he waited for the armored mare to accept his help.

But she didn’t.

Instead all he got was a head shake. “No way! I’m not leaving anypony behi-”

“Celestiadammit, Dash!” He interrupted harshly like a stern parent. “This isn’t up for debate! I’ll make it out, I swear! Now go!”

Rainbow looked back at the alley wall, which was lit by faint torchlight - revealing half a dozen ganguly bodies approaching the corner.

With a frustrated sigh, the mare stepped onto his hooves and rather gracefully vaulted over the fence while landing next to Planning. Once she was over, Dash turned around and placed a hoof on the chainlink as she watched the approaching slaughter.

Storm got up and began sprinting toward the advancing shadows but just as the first mangled muzzle rounded the corner, he jumped to the left and through a window, shattering the glass in the process and alerting the remainders to his position.

“Rainbow, we’ve got to go!” Planning reminded while turning to run for their close salvation. “He said he’ll be back now let’s-”

The same thundering roar from before resounded out to the center of the town, where the colossal creature was now looking down at Rainbow with it’s seemingly hundreds of ‘eyes.’

“Rainbow!” She continued while making a break for the gate herself, but none of the Damned paid her any attention.

Even the ones who had seen and heard Storm smash through the cottage’s window were now piling on top of one another at the fence as they tried to reach Rainbow Dash before the bigger one did.

Rainbow finally started to run towards Planning. She hated doing this. Running away from danger was not her style, let alone leaving a friend behind, but she had no choice. As awesome as she knew she was, Dash understood she was no match for the giant beast - which was now bull rushing her.

The fence-climbers had gotten half of their ranks over the minuscule obstacle and were also charging from behind as the two mares ran for their lives. Rainbow blind fired into the crowd behind her, even hitting a couple of the creatures, but they didn’t stop or falter as they steadily gained.

When it became clear the creatures would never reach the more athletic mare, the huge one used it’s third appendage to grab a smaller Damned - which seemed to not show any signs of stress or resistance - and flung it at the mare.

Rainbow barely had time to register the growing shadow on the ground before she turned and was hit dead center by one of the Damned, and causing her weapon to go flying in between her and Planning, who hadn’t even seen her partner fall to the ground. The creature in question was one of the recently converted and basic ones with only sharper teeth and claws that the catalog had called a ‘Spawn.’

It’s basic status meant jack shit when it was on top of the pinned mare and trying to get at her neck. Rainbow used all of her strength to keep the beast’s jaws at bay, with one hoof on its forehead and the other on it’s chest.

Though she couldn’t see it with her pinned position, Dash could hear the stomping of both the huge Damned and it’s smaller brethren - all of which would be here for a prismatic buffet soon if she didn’t do someth-

A bloodstained blade pierced the side of the Spawn’s head, puncturing both blue orbs, stopping their squirming and glow in the process as well, before the creature’s corpse was flung aside. Rainbow’s blue drool stained visor was met with an ‘x’ shaped purple one.

Storm pulled the blue pegasus to her hooves just as another Damned - a Slicer - had begun it’s dive bombing descent onto them when a chorus of gunfire and a spray of bullets clipped it’s wings and grounded the creature directly at Storm’s hooves. The stallion wasted no time in stomping the Slicer’s head in and with one single downward thrust, it’s brains were splattered on the ground in a puddle of gore.

Both him and Rainbow took off towards Planning - who was holding Rainbow’s smoking machine gun - with the remaining horde on their heels. The unicorn tossed the weapon back to it’s rightful owner before the sprint to the gate resumed once more.

“I’ve got the gate,” Storm called, starting to sound slightly fatigued. “Dash, cover me!”

With that, the armored mare spun around and began firing into the approaching crowd as her stallion counterpart grabbed the crank for the gate and put all of his strength and metallic weight into opening it. Thankfully, the large Damned was at the back of the group, giving Rainbow better shots at the smaller ones.

She had managed to take one down and was almost done with another by the time the gate was halfway open. Planning slipped through the gate and motioned Storm to follow. Realizing that the gate wouldn’t hold on without him, the stallion activated his blade and plunged it into the crank.

Then he detached it from his hoof slot and called for Rainbow to follow. Both pegasi dashed through the gate and just as the horde reached their position, Storm raised his hoof and retrieved his blade while slamming the gate in their faces all in one motion.

Planning had a hoof on her heart as she breathed heavily, looking like she didn’t believe they had made it out in one piece. Rainbow Dash’s heart was also pounding. This was a familiar feeling for Equestria’s most death-defying stunt mare but it was different this time. Normally, her heart was pumping at the exhilaration but now it might have been fear of being so close to death. Storm’s chest rose and fell rapidly but his gaze never left the gate where a whole choir of angry beasts roared from the other side.

“T-think that’ll hol-” Planning didn’t even get to finish her sentence as a huge dent by a presumed colossal creature was made in the gate.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here…” Was Storm’s only response as another hole was pounded into the gate.

“Great… more running.” Planning panted, earning a snicker from the other mare.

The trio continued to move through the outskirts of desolate Ponyville for about ten minutes as Rainbow Dash led them to Sweet Apple Acres. Throughout the entire journey, Storm felt uneasy as they had not encountered a single Damned. Judging by the time, which read five till midnight, the horde should be out in full force by now.

He didn’t exactly know how many were left after all these years, but he knew enough to determine that the assault on Ponyville wasn’t all of them despite it being an assload. And another thing - why did those Hunters and the big fucker have it out for Dash? They started getting excited upon seeing her like a puppy seeing it’s owners returning for what felt like the longest twelve hours of a work day ever.

Answers later, focus now! The stallion mentally scolded himself. Just because he saw no more Damned doesn’t mean they weren’t out here. For all he knew, that assault was merely the door greeters and the real party was elsewhere.

By this point, the group had found themselves halfway down the path of dying apple trees from earlier. Until now, nopony had spoken a word and the only sound besides crunching leaves were the respective breathing of each runner.

“There it is!” Rainbow exclaimed with her typical enthusiasm. “The barn!”

“How far can you get us from here?” Storm asked, side glancing at Planning while they continued sprinting.

“The main road - I think.” Planning said, quickly adding the last part.

“Works for me. Let’s get-” The stallion stopped mid sentence.

His hooves also stopped working, causing him to halt to a stop. The other mares turned to question but once they followed his gaze straight ahead, then they understood.

Over the hills - where the trees had died out completely - was a wall of blue.

Glowing blue.

The only way to tell those were individual Damned on those hills were the faint gaps in between each pair of dots. There was no swear in Storm’s vocabulary to describe how fucked they were now. The wall spanned the entire discernable horizon - at least from the trio’s point of view - and was only growing closer by the second.

“Please tell me that spell is ready!” Rainbow hoped aloud, causing a stunned Planning to momentarily snap out of it and reply nervously that she needed a few more minutes. “What now?” Dashed added, looking to Storm, who still hadn’t removed his gaze from the wall of death approaching them.

Storm blinked, and saw the rotted stage of Salvus where Nourish was about to be snuffed. The same seemingly hopeless but determined feeling that was present when he and Maverick liberated the mare returned.

“We fight…” He finally replied.

The barn door slammed shut followed by the screeching of a nearby couch which was placed behind it by the two armored pegasi. Once the appliance was in place, the blue suit’s owner tossed a half-mask to the unicorn of the group.

“Put this on and teleport us the second you are ready!” He said, taking inventory of his surroundings. “And preferably the sooner the better.” He muttered soon after upon hearing the clattering of sharpened hooves and army outside.

The trio were now in the main room of the barn. The front door was barricaded by a couch, leaving two windows on either side that were exposed to the approaching horde. One wall led into the rest of the house, where Planning was busy shoving rubble in its opening to prevent any excess intruders. Across from that wall, two more windows taunted the group’s safety. And to top it all off, the back wall across from the door had a single window as well.

Two entrances blocked off, but five were still open. Not very good odds.

“Pick your places, everypony.” Storm ordered just as the glowing eyes became visible from outside the windows.

“I’ve got these.” Rainbow declared, taking the long wall opposite from the barred off rest of the barn.

“I’ll take the front.”

“Guess that leaves this one…” Planning gulped before checking her pistol and positioning herself in front of the singular back window.

Just as everypony’s defense point was decided, the first scarred head of a Spawn appeared in the left front window but was quickly reduced to a corpse by Storm’s Sweeper.

More Damned appeared at the windows following the original. On Rainbow’s side, a Slicer flew in through the window and landed inside. After letting out a blood curdling scream, the creature put it’s bone-like wings up to it’s face just as the armored mare started unloading on it.

“What the hay?!” Rainbow yelled over the gunfire. “It's not working anymore!” She whined over the past strategy failing.

“It evolved, dumbass!” Storm shouted while pummeling a Hunter into the wall of the room’s front. “Find a new way to take it down!”

Rainbow was running out of time as the newly armored creature started advancing towards her on it’s hooves. As far as she could tell, the Slicer’s bone-like matter had only hardened on the wings, making the hooves fair game.

Lowering her weapon, Dash shot into it’s hooves and sent it to the ground with a pained cry. The Slicer’s wing bones flailed as if trying to hit her even from it’s downed position, giving her a chance to get it’s face.

And so she did.

“Ha! Check me out now!” The blue pegasus boasted just as two more Damned replaced it in her windows. “Oh, buck me…” She added while repositioning her gun.

Even Planning got some unwanted action in the form of a Spawn that she had just barely shot down which now lay dead at her hooves.

The fighting continued for what felt like hours as endless variants of Damned replaced their fallen brethren. For every two that fell, four more took their places.

Rainbow aimed at a Mimic which was struggling to enter through the tiny window and pulled the trigger to have nothing happen. Nothing besides an annoying clicking sound, signaling that she was out of ammo.

“Horsefeathers! I’m out!” She announced to the others.

“I’m getting close too!” Planning responded, trying to hold a shelf against her window. Multiple spiked hooves and appendages stuck out from it, but with assistance from her magic, the mare was holding her own somehow.

“Dash!” Storm called, tossing the mentioned mare his shotgun.

Rainbow snatched up the weapon with her Tethertech and pumped it, allotting a satisfying CLICK from the weapon.

In his second long distraction to toss his partner a firearm, Storm was grabbed by a Hunter at his front, forcing him up and on his hindlegs. The beast and stallion alike looked like they were about to start slow dancing as both were standing and grappling with their forehooves. The Hunter’s maw opened and wrapped around Storm’s helmet, leaving scrape marks as it attempted to pry the device off of his head.

While it was focused on his head, the stallion used it - literally - to shove the creature off of him before harshly kicking one of it’s hindlegs, snapping the bone, and forcing the screaming beast onto its knees. In one swift motion, Storm swung the downed Hunter around and with one hoof around its neck and the other on it’s chest - to prevent it’s claws from being raised - all the while holding the creature in a standing position.

Using his Tethertech, Storm grabbed the Hunter’s tail and aimed it at a Slicer crawling through the window. Finding a pressure point in the fleshy appendage, the stallion forced the tail to fire the bone-projectiles back at it’s own kin. The Slicer dropped after two of the shards pierced it’s blue orbs and sent it to the ground.

“I’m ready!” Planning finally announced, removing herself from the shelf that fell the second she was away.

“About time!” Rainbow snarked after blasting a Spawn in the face. A literal mountain of corpses was formed on both her and Storm’s side of the windows which assisted in slowing down the rest.

After hearing their departure was moments away, Storm flung the Hunter to the ground and turned its head into pulp, making his hooves look like they were stained with cranberry sauce.

No sooner than the three had grouped up in the room’s center, a huge arm of flesh smashed through the front door, making a hole for the horde to come through.

“Anytime now, Planning!” Storm commented while throwing the remaining smoke at the hole, hoping to at least confuse the creatures outside.

What he got in response was a series of bone-projectiles rocketing through the smoke and into the room.

“Shit!” He subconsciously roared while positioning himself between the girls and the shards.

The stallion raised his armored hoof over his helmet, deflecting two of the shards, but a sharp and sudden pain in his abdomen confirmed that one had made its mark. Luckily, the rest of the projectiles missed anything living and scattered onto random furniture and the back wall.

Planning’s horn was now glowing brilliantly - even brighter than a Plexer would - enveloping the room in a white glow before said glow burst.

All three ponies were coated in her magic and transported out of the barn, leaving a very angry horde - and even angrier titan - behind. The huge Damned had opened enough to see inside for the trio’s final disappearing act and it wasn’t pleased. In a fit of rage, it swung at the barn, smashing the building and a few unlucky Damned in the process.

Nearly an hour had passed since the small group of exhausted ponies had teleported to the outskirts of Los Pegasus, ran through the surprisingly monster-free city, and arrived behind the magically sealed gates of the bay’s lighthouse. The moon’s comforting embrace gave off a faint outline of the residential living quarters, the tower itself, and the walled off yard where seven makeshift graves stood against the mostly barren scape.

Besides the spectral glow of the moon, one source of light stood out. Located further down the bay, a soft yellow glow came from the workshed at the docks. The yellow light peeked out from the boarded up windows, only allowing small pinpricks of it’s rays to escape into the outside world.

Inside the faintly illuminated workshed, a mess of parts, tools, and weapons littered the central workbench. Propped up against said bench was a recently cleaned Sweeper Rifle that was missing it’s pneumatic air tank and rivet canisters - both of which were the center of focus on the bench. A purple telekinetic appendage just finished loading a batch of freshly made rivets into a previously empty canister before being slid next to a small pile of its brethren.

Upon finishing the third rivet canister, Storm Surge leaned back in his chair and stretched his well-worn limbs that had been bothering him even an hour after his adrenaline and boiling blood had settled. Taking a rag and wiping the oil from his forehooves, the stallion then proceeded to them to rub his eyes and let out a sigh.

A few hours from now would mark the second day he had gone with no sleep and barely anything to eat. Luckily, he had scrounged some leftover canned goods, and after giving the girls first pick, he took his own can and retreated to the shed for some much needed maintenance. But even with the hunger problem solved, the fatigue still nagged at him without relent.

Sleep could wait. This was more important.

Being alone with the same tools and devices he had kept up for nearly three decades was easy for the stallion. Thinking about how royally screwed his newfound group was however wasn’t. They weren’t even a group but rather three strangers forced to retreat together under harsh circumstances come to think of it.

Which is exactly why he had to be ready. Ready for when death decided to pay them yet another visit. The recipe for survival had been simple to him until now. Stay one step ahead of everything else and you made it out. But once again, the rules had been broken and they had evolved their ways once more.

All the while his kind stayed the same.

The kindness, decency, and everything else that living creatures still held onto was dangerous. Damned didn’t have or need those elements. They lacked empathy, morals, or even fear.

That was why they were on top and equine-kind was scavenging to stay alive at the bottom.

But now the demented fuckers had purpose. Ever since the world became a wasteland and a hoof full of communities were formed, the Damned ranks scattered all around the planet as opposed to their organized attacks of the first few years. Back then, they had purpose to reduce the population as quickly - and brutally - as possible while creating chaos so nopony could plan a coordinated attack back.

When only the few stragglers remained, there was no purpose in moving that clustered and they dispersed to enjoy their spoils like a corrupted king does after a war. They avoided the communities which had put everything into safety measures such as walls, ranged weaponry, and suits. Instead the Damned drug out their game of cat and mouse by picking off scouting patrols and stragglers such as himself which would eventually hand the ashes of the world to them.

All of this changed today. They willingly charged into harm’s way, broke down walls and sacrificed so many of their kin just to do what? Finish off Ponyville?

It didn’t add up.

A community that had stood mainly untouched for decades was just suddenly attacked for no reason? There was something going on here. Something Storm didn’t want to find out, but had a feeling fate wasn’t done with him just yet.

While the sudden attack on the community was odd enough, the way those Hunters looked and acted upon noticing Rainbow Dash was straight up bizarre. Hunters were one of the most common fodder types in their ranks, so Storm had plenty of experience in documenting their habits, but what they expressed at Ponyville was unlike anything he had seen before.

They seemed happy or excited to see her as if she was the last box of chocolates on the supermarket shelf during Hearts and Hooves Day, which would help them avoid a sound verbal beating from their special somepony. And in addition to that, when the rest of the horde noticed her, they had ignored Planning and him for the most part unless they were strictly in between the path to the blue pegasus.

Maybe they got bored of the slow and steady approach? Maybe they decided to place a bounty for sports sake? Could Damned even know what a contest was?

The more he thought, the more the stallion’s head hurt. Whether his injuries from earlier had anything to do with that was irrelevant. If shit kept up like this, then he would find the ugly truth soon enough.

And he was going to be prepared to unload on said truth when the time came.

Moving on the next task - which was changing out the pneumatic tank for the Sweeper - replacing the old charge for harder hitting and more accurate shots. Storm unscrewed the valve which sealed the air inside the canister and placed a rag on a stick before digging around inside, clearing out any buildup inside. Once that was done, he removed the stick and resealed the valve.

Reaching a forehoof over to the side of the table, the stallion grabbed a hoof-held air compressor made up from spare parts. After unscrewing a small cap, plugging the device in and pumping to the desired level of pressure, he removed the compressor and resealed the cap. Following this, a quick wipe down of the outer tank marked the end of it’s maintenance and the part was reattached to the weapon’s stock.

Storm lifted the Sweeper up with his Tethertech and dry fired it a couple of times to test the pressure quality. It definitely sounded stronger than the previous two days, signaling it was back in mint condition - or as close as a wasteland weapon could get. After his satisfaction was guaranteed, he tethered one of the rivet canisters to the loading chamber of the Sweeper.

Luckily, his suit would require no further attention as it was the first thing he had worked on upon getting home. The damage was identified, fixed, and the scratched parts were repainted with the last drops he had left. As an added measure, Storm even removed the hoof blade, checked it for damage and cleaned the dried gore off of it.

Once the realization that his work was done for the night hit, the grey pegasus was also hit with a heavy yawn - a reminder of his losing battle with sleep. Maybe it was his battered body whispering in his ear like a metaphorical devil on his shoulder telling him that he needed to sleep, but right now all of his self-taught survival instincts were actually considering risking blowing off the whole new Damned customs for a few z’s. But before any decision could be made, he pressed a hoof to his recently bandaged abdomen, checking if his work would stick.

“Long day?” A familiar stallion’s voice asked from behind.

Not familiar as in the good type, but familiar nonetheless.

It was the voice of the hospital group’s leader. That same condescending and slightly smug tone retained despite the semi-serious question.

Storm ignored the voice as he continued the cleanup of his workstation, placing tools in their respective spots and throwing away old wires, rags, and rivet casings. But as much as he really didn’t want to turn around, the only exit to the room was in the same direction as the voice.

“That bad, huh?” It continued, followed by a playful scoff. “I really don’t see what's got ya down. You’re still alive, are slowly rebuilding your little empire, and to top it all off - the first two in that empire are some fine females...”

Tethering his Sweeper, the stallion walked it over to a hook-rack on the wall where his shotgun was stationed. After making sure the weapon was in its proper place, Storm’s eye was caught on the engravings he, his best friend, and his grandfather made into the rifle.

“You got it pretty good, sport. They’re the best at a young age - when they’re scared of what the future holds and need a big strong stallion to hold them at night - then you’ve got yourself a good time. If only I’d waited a bit longer then I could have gotten a piece of that action myse-”

“Get to the point.” Storm interrupted coldly, still not taking his eyes off of the engravings.

Momentary silence filled the room and the stallion could imagine the leader’s mouth agape as if in slight shock at the boldness. But like the monster-filled night, the fucker’s irritating voice returned as it always would.

“I see what's going on here.” The leader resumed after a moment of contemplation. “You may not realize it - or want to realize it yet - but your hope is coming back. You spent your entire life trying to keep others alive that even when all is lost that is all you can think to do. When you can’t fix your own problems, helping others is a way out and benefits them as well, right?”

No response.

The stallion continues anyway.

“Now you’ve got others and no matter how much you try and deny it, you are starting to enjoy their company. It’s better than nothing, huh, Stormy? That Rainbow one reminds you of your pain in the ass griffon friend, doesn’t she? And the unicorn, she is the more rational and gentle natured of you all. Remind you of Ivory? Of course she does!”

In the recently polished exterior of the Sweeper, Storm could see the bastard sitting in a random chair by the door with his four hooves crossed on the chair’s back and supporting his front half. It took the stallion a moment to register the pain in his clenched jaw that his teeth were creating, but he bared through and listened for wherever this was going.

“I’m trying to warn you that this will end no differently than it did when I was around. Think about it, sport - two pretty and healthy mares in a world of degenerates, beasts, and harsher elements than anything imaginable. I’m no chef but that is a recipe for disaster if I ever heard one. The shy one is bound to slip up and get you - and everypony else killed for sure. And then there is the rainbow-maned one. She’s got spunk and fight in her. Name one stallion out here who doesn’t like that in his latest trophy. But that’s not even the biggest problem with her…”

Echoes of Damned roars, screeches and cries of agony started to build up in Storm’s ears by this point.

“Those things really have taken a liking to her. Think that’s just a coincidence? Well, it ain’t, sport. By saving her from being a fish out of water, you started something that there is no going back from. Not unless you stop it now.”

“What do you mean exactly?” Storm finally spoke up, turning to face his late nemesis.

“Think about it.” The leader added, getting out of his chair and standing up while using his hooves to emphasize certain points. “Ever since you found her, everything has gone wrong. Your wonderland with your buddies disappeared, the painful memories are coming back, and everything she does ends in skin being ripped off your own back. Like I said, it's not a coincidence that everything is getting harder. Her presence upset the balance of things-”

“Balance of things?” Storm interrupted, raising a brow. “There is no balance or winners out here. No matter who comes out on top, the monsters will win. Whether it's from out there or right here.” With that last line, he gestured to the leader with a hoof.

“Wow, you got to my point before I could even get to it. Bravo, sport!” The leader chuckled, earning an unamused expression from the other stallion. “That’s exactly what I am getting at. The monsters - as you say it - will always win. Your spunky bundle of joy out there doesn’t stand a chance in this mission of hers and you know it. It will end in misery and a painful death at the claws of those things unless you do something about it.”

“Do something about it, huh...” Storm replied, clearly beyond irritated at the whole ordeal. “You want me to join her suicide run? Is watching me foalsit enjoyable for you or something?”

“A little.” The leader shrugged admittedly. “Not much else to do when I’m just a figment of your imagination after all. Anywho, as much as that would be entertaining, I was thinking of something more… generous - ya know, in the spirit of that unicorn mare you blew to bits earlier.”

Still not amused.

“If you really want to stop her from experiencing the same pain you’ve already gone through, then you have to make sure she never gets the chance to come into contact with it…”

Storm’s electric purple eyes widened slightly, but it was enough for him to notice.

“That’s right. You have to stop her.”

The smallest of amused grins remained on the leader’s face as the two stared in silence. When it was clear nothing more was to be said, the leader let out a fake yawn and stretched his hooves.

“Well it is getting late, so I’d sleep on it if I were you, sport.”

Then he was gone.

All it took was a blink of Storm’s eyes for him to vanish.

The stallion had no idea how long he stood there, rooted to the spot, as he was lost in the sea of his own thoughts. The worst part about it all wasn’t even seeing his face, but rather that he was right about it all.

No, this wasn’t right. Rainbow Dash was free to make her own decisions and some trauma-induced voice in his head shouldn’t interfere with those choices. Another yawn broke his train of thought.

Fuck. This can wait till morning… Storm thought as he began to close the short distance in between his position and the door when his hoof hit something.

Looking down, he was greeted with the saddlebag that Planning had given him as a token of thanks for allowing her to come with them. Storm’s focus, however, wasn’t on the bag itself, but rather what was inside the bag.

Reaching into the saddlebag, he fished around for the one item that was still inside. The leathery texture skidded across his hoof tip, signaling that he had found it. With no further doubt, Storm pulled out the sliced off face of the mare he had heard labeled as Scootaloo.

For a couple of moments, he couldn’t do much more than gaze into the hollow sockets of the orange mare. Storm didn’t know much about this mare other than she meant something to Rainbow - and whatever that Rarity bitch was trying to do with her remains - wouldn’t be a proper burial for this pony.

But this can’t… Storm’s train of thought resumed as he sighed, tethered a shovel to his side and exited the workshed with the face in his grasp.

Meanwhile, up at the top of the lighthouse balcony - where the gentle breeze assisted by the crashing waves below - two mares looked over the landscape of what used to be their world. For the blue pegasus leaning against the concrete railing, the apocalyptic sight before her was almost unbelievable. Had she not ventured out and nearly lost her life twice in it, the reality of her situation would have been long lost in the hope that it was all some nightmare.

A nightmare that didn’t seem like it would ever end.

Even if her makeshift plan to find the elements was just a sliver of hope, it was possible. Now with one of the element bearers rotting in a basement as a demented corpse, that sliver was no more. Her hope was no more.

Planning could only watch from a folding chair by the door - which had empty bottles littered the side that she had scooted away upon getting up to the balcony - as Rainbow defeatedly stared into what they had just narrowly escaped from. Years of being the mayor’s assistant trained the mare to read others. Things like their expressions, intentions, and thoughts from their body language alone could form a pretty good idea of what that pony was feeling.

There were many things she could read from the pegasus’ own body language. Regret, sorrow, anger - a whole bunch of nasty and painful emotions that were all fighting for the top spot in her attention. Planning half expected her to break down the same way she had when her own sister was presented like that, but it never came.

She just stood there. Staring.

But eventually, all silence must be broken.

And hers was no different.

“I’m going to die out here…”

Upon hearing those cold, yet broken words, Planning’s muzzle subconsciously drooped downward into a frown. The mare got up from the folding chair, knocking over a bottle in the process - not that it disturbed the sulking pegasus across from her - and walked over to the railing.

“...You don’t know that.” Planning attempted to reassure while leaning on the railing like the other mare. “I… overheard your talk with Miss - er, Rarity, and actually became giddy myself at hearing a chance to change all of this.”

Rainbow didn’t respond. Instead she just kept staring out into the night.

“You know, I never got a chance to see the old world. Not like you and Storm. But it sounds great. Fun, free, and safe…”

Just as the grey unicorn finished her sentence, a volley of light flew by the night sky, piercing the inky abyss and stars in its wake.

A shooting star.

“Did you guys really used to make wishes upon those things?”

“...Yeah.”

The uncomfortable silence resumed after that short if not delayed answer. Only the bay wind whistling through their manes kept the world from total silence.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Scootaloo?” Rainbow finally asked. Her voice was distant, almost indifferent. Even despite her tone, Planning could hear the anger. She could feel the anger.

“I…” She started, but caught herself before making any verbal mistakes. “I-I don’t even know where to begin. It’s complicated an-”

An agitated snort came from the blue pegasus upon hearing the last bit. It sounded like a cross between a ‘bullshit’ scoff and an attempt to shrug off a hurtful joke directed at her.

Then she turned to face Planning for the first time.

“Complicated?” Rainbow repeated on the verge of hysteria. When her tear-stained magenta eyes met Plannings, then the unicorn knew she had screwed up. “What was my sister’s fucking face doing on that thing?!” She roared, causing Planning to flinch slightly.

“S-she was just trying to help you-” Planning choked out only to be cut off.

“She? You mean Rarity?” Rainbow asked, earning a series of rapid nods. “W-what do you mean ‘help’?” The fight slowly draining out of her tone upon hearing that.

“When Mayor Mare passed, Rarity was her heir to the town. She tried to make Ponyville more of an appealing place by removing the guard towers and armed sentries everywhere - and instead masking them as regular townsfolk. She did this in the hope that travelers would be able to recognize the ‘little slice of the old world’ - as she put it - so violent outbursts, scuffles and other brutish occurrences could be defused before they even started. Something about it sparking memories in a pony’s brain that makes them remember how things used to be.”

“What does any of this have to do with Scoots?!” Rainbow inquired, running out of patience and her cool.

“I-I’m getting there.” Planning defended before continuing. “Everything was going well until her sister was killed…”

“Sweetie Belle?”

“You knew her?”

“...long story, just… just continue.”

“Okay…” With a clear of her throat, the grey unicorn did just that. “Sweetie was one of our ‘runners.’ We would send small teams of two out to scavenge for supplies, look for survivors and potential newcomers, that sort of thing. Her and Scootaloo usually signed up as partners for the same routes - which were getting further from the town each day with resource drainage - so the danger was increasing with each run…”

“Why would Scoots sign up for something like that?! That’s like signing a suicide pact!”

“She said something along the lines of it’s what you would do…”

Rainbow’s heart dropped.

“Scootaloo was always making her decisions based on what she thought you would have done. She took the most risky assignments and always made sure a random family got their share of the run’s stock before she even touched her own. She was the most loyal pony Ponyville had even including Rarity.”

“H-how did she… she… ya know…” Rainbow stumbled to ask, but couldn’t finish her sentence.

“We aren’t exactly sure even today.” Planning replied, discerning the question. “We found her and Sweetie in a shack on the other side of the Everfree. There was no sign of forced entry, bullet holes, or struggling at all…”

Rainbow’s brow raised, which Planning took as a sign to elaborate more clearly.

“I-I’m only going off of what another runner group told me here, so I don’t know how accurate it is. Rarity and that group are the only ones who have seen the bodies before the transition. They said that Sweetie’s eyes were removed - surgically precise too - with no trace of where her eyeballs were. She had the words ‘I see it now’ carved on her abdomen. She died from infection.”

The blue pegasus had an increasingly mortified expression beginning to grow on her muzzle.

“Scootaloo… Scootaloo was… different. She was still alive. The runners said her wings were cut clean off, taped to her forehooves and had shards of steel from her destroyed rifle stuck in them. She looked like one of those flying monsters but you know… alive. Her abdomen also had a message carved into it that read ‘Take me now.’”

Planning could no longer meet Rainbow’s eye, so she continued looking out into the night instead.

“She charged us… Stumbled towards the group on her hindlegs and those… appendages while screaming about us being blind and that we needed to see… The runners said she gave them no choice. They dragged them back in body bags and requested an audience with Miss Rarity.”

Imagines of a mangled and rabbid Scootaloo started playing in Rainbow’s mind while she attempted to process the new information Planning was giving her.

“Rarity was never the same after seeing what was left of her sister. She would retreat into her office for hours and never talk to anypony except for my sister - who was her receptionist, and that was only to thank her for bringing food to the closed door. Rarity finally allowed others to see her when a group of stallions with power tools and heavy looking equipment came in to work on the storage room. I didn’t know they were really adding that basement until my sister found out.”

A sniffle from the unicorn snapped Rainbow back to reality for the time being.

“She tried to stop Rarity. Thought what she was doing was… insane - dangerous even and threatened to have her exiled when the public found out. That’s when she was…”

“You don’t have to say it. I know…” Rainbow finally said, her voice dry as the rotten apples she had left an hour ago.

“Rarity wanted to… spread her tradition and give ponies one last chance with their loved ones before saying goodbye. She split up the runners into two categories. Half of them actually did their job by scavenging while the other half were forced to try and capture those things, declaw and dismember them until they were ‘safe’ and place them in holding cells at the back of the basement for what she called the transition. So many good ponies died in the first attempts at caging them… but eventually she got enough to make it work. Anypony that had a sibling or family member pass away would have their faces removed and stuck to one of their bodies - giving an illusion that they were alive. The family member would be forced to have one last act of remembrance with their dead other before they transitioned on to the greater beyond. It was enough to break most ponies into fearing Miss Rarity. Over time it became normal - or rather, they became demoralized to it and followed her out of fear. Not respect.”

“I-it’s still so…” Rainbow started, facing the landscape herself. “Unreal. Why would Rarity do something like that? That doesn’t sound like the Element of Generosity I knew at all!”

“This world changes us.” Planning sighed. “We either conform to what we have to be or it kills us. There were many mornings I woke up thinking to myself if it was even worth it anymore. I became the assistant to a psychopath that had hurt my family just as she hurt others.”

Tears were flowing from Planning’s eyes now.

“At one point, I-I stopped thinking that the bullet in my gun was for her but rather more deserving of me. I killed just as many ponies and made more suffer mentally because I was too afraid to do anything about it…”

Nothing more was said as the two mares stared out into the night. One was lightly sobbing as a wing reached over to wrap around her back in a gesture of comfort. Rainbow knew she shouldn’t be taking her anger out on this mare. Planning was just as scared - if not more - that she was. Another victim to a lifetime of mental abuse from both the world and a psychotic influence.

She knew first hoof what fear did to you. No matter how tough you thought you were, true fear beat any fight out of you like the strike of a hoof.

Rainbow knew that very well.

There were some nights she still woke up freaked out thinking she was still in that house. Her muscles would be hurting from how tensed up she was, sweat would be dripping down from her mane, and the dropping pit in her stomach would be growing larger until she calmed down and realized where she was.

Just something as simple as a comforting embrace was enough to snap her back to reality when she needed it most. During the earlier days after it ended, the moments of panic and disorientation wouldn’t be limited to occasional dreams but occurred in bursts of waking moments and Fluttershy would have to gently snap her out of it.

After a few minutes, Planning’s sobbing died down and she sniffed before speaking.

“I-I’m sorry…” She choked out, barely audibly.

“It’s not your fault…” Rainbow trailed off, removing her wing at last.

The silence momentarily resumed before Rainbow decided that the next thing the mare needed - which also helped herself in a lot of stressful cases - was a nap.

After being assured that everything was ‘awesome’ between the two and that there were no hard feelings, Planning agreed to lay down on the couch downstairs, leaving Rainbow Dash on the balcony alone with only her thoughts to torment her.

In the walled-off yard below, a shovel pierced the dirt for a final time but remained embedded in the soil - a sign of a job well done. Normally, the stallion who had just discarded said shovel would have looked over his work once more before continuing, but a now throbbing cut in his stomach prevented any thought of that. Instead, he pressed a hoof to the bandage to make sure it was secure despite his previous movements and additional sweat build-up.

When it became clear his makeshift medical job would hold, he shrugged off the nagging in his sides while looking up towards the lighthouse balcony. With an exhale through his nostrils that produced a brief cloud of vapor, he looked back down at the newest addition to the graveyard.

An eight patch of recently disturbed dirt topped off with a cross.

Now there was only one thing left to do.

A couple of moments later, Storm found himself in the living room of the residential building - where a familiar grey unicorn was attempting to sleep on the couch. Her forehoof was draped over her eyes as if trying to hide them from a nonexistent source of light or to prevent somepony from seeing something in them.

Deciding not to disturb the slumbering mare, he moved past her and into the building’s main hall on his quest to the balcony. A sturdy wooden door - that he had seen thousands of times - led up to the top point of the structure on his left, but Storm couldn’t bring himself to open it just yet as another door at the very end of the hall caught his attention instead.

Like the balcony access, it was wooden and faded but not as thick or sturdy to keep the elements at bay. The stained carpet and chipping walls didn’t even register in his mind or vision as that door had his full attention.

Swallowing the lump in his throat and wetting his bottom lip, Storm tore his gaze from the door and returned it to the entrance to the intended destination. The second his hoof wrapped around the doorknob, he heard it to his right.

A foal’s cry.

Not the typical ‘feed me’ or ‘change me’ cries, but a sound of genuine fear and discontent. It was slightly muffled by the closed door at the end of the hall. Storm had half expected to hear a familiar motherly voice attempting to comfort it.

But it never came.

Instead the crying resumed - uninterrupted.

That same damned sound echoed in his head just as persistently.

Once his vision started to swim is when the stallion decided to get the fuck out of there. Practically throwing open the balcony access door, he shoved himself inside and slammed the door behind himself.

As if it would stop the noise gnawing at his ears, Storm slid back-first down the door to keep it out. He hadn’t noticed it until now, but his heart was pounding so hard in his chest that it might have been visible from his coat if he was in a cartoon.

But he wasn’t. This was real.

Too real.

The wailing grew in volume.

It forced him to cover his ears with his forehooves. Somehow, this action didn’t make the noise let up even one bit. It was still assaulting him full force alongside a new ringing that faintly began to drum in the background.

Just when he thought the foal’s vocals couldn’t possibly be strained anymore, everything stopped.

Completely stopped.

The crying - recently turned wailing, the dull ringing, everything stopped suddenly.

BANG!

A single gunshot replaced the chorus of suffering right before the noises returned to silence. No matter how hard he tried not to, the mental image of Raine’s headless and lifeless corpse dominated his vision.

Storm had no idea how long he stayed like that - propped up against the door with his hindlegs curled and forehooves on his head. Nor did he care. All he knew was that he had to get away.

At any cost.

So doing just that, the stallion got to his hooves and began the process of ascending the spiral staircase until he reached the top.

The balcony.

The second he stepped onto the open surface of said balcony, the breeze of the ocean’s wind hit him full force. It wasn’t enough to take anypony - let alone a pony of his size - down, but it did ruffle his unkempt mane and tail just like it was currently doing to the prismatic pegasus facing away from him.

Speaking of which, the mentioned mare was leaning against the concrete railing and looking out onto what was still a surprisingly Damned-free landscape. The shimmering white orb above cast an angelic effect around her body in the form of a white outline. Just looking at her now made him realize just how… off she was from the rest of the world.

The world was stained - tainted even. Besides a semi-messy mane and a wing injury, she was clean. The world was cruel and took no care in whose light went out, she tried to make it work for everypony. The world was ruined - destroyed ruins of civilization everywhere while it grew further and further distant each passing day. She still had hope for that old world which was so far away.

But right now, the world and the mare did have something in common…

Both were broken.

The world was broken literally. A breed of monsters that came out of seemingly nowhere followed by solar strikes and decades of neglect left it that way physically. Rainbow was broken spiritually.

He couldn’t blame her.

Seeing one of your best friends turn into a husk of what they used to be followed by a monster wearing your sister’s face on the same day would do that to anypony. The way she distantly stared off into the ashes said it all for him as he had done the very same thing so many nights after too much cider or bullshit in general. Hell, he came to this very same balcony to do what the sulking pegasus was doing right now.

Well, the hallucinated fucker was right about one thing - sort of.

He had to stop her…

Not from trying to fix what was already broken, but from this.

Seeing it as the only option, the stallion decided to make the first move.

“Hey…” He said dryly - not because of lack of care, but because of the previous events that had taken a toll on his throat.

A quick and small flinch in the mare’s entire body let him know she had not been expecting him nor knew he was there until this exact second.

“Hey…” She replied, sounding distant and refusing to turn around.

When it was clear the conversation would go no further on her end, Storm moved to the railing a couple steps down from her - but where he still had a view of the landscape - and placed his own forehooves on it in a similar fashion to her own.

With seemingly no other way around it, he knew where it had to go next. Clearing his throat, he continued.

“We need to talk about today.”

Initially, he got no response. Each pony kept gazing on their respective spots of the land in silence as he finally heard a gentle sigh from his left and shifting as a hoof kicked against the pavement.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t waste that much ammo ever again - I know.” She huffed, not even sounding like the usual pain-in-the-ass fighter from before.

“That’s not it.” Storm calmly corrected. “You… did pretty good out there actually….”

No comment.

“But that’s not the point. I… I saw what you had to go through. I know it’s not much, but I’m sorry.”

Still nothing.

“I didn’t like or trust her, but Rarity didn’t deserve that. Neither did Scootaloo…” He would have continued, but the muffled sound of quivering lips holding in an oncoming breakdown from his left interrupted.

The sound itself was nowhere near loud enough to actually interrupt, but the notion of it was. Storm didn’t even have to look at her to know what her face looked like right now. Clenched eyes trying to hold in fresh tears, clenched teeth and set jaw holding back sobs or a string of curses, and quivering lips assisting to hold in sobs.

And just like that, the dam broke.

While the blue pegasus let out all of the build-up of stress, loss, and a mountain of emotions she was forced to go through in just a few horrible hours, her good wing went over her face as to shield her from embarrassment of showing weakness around another pony.

Storm just stood there - head down and stance still as a statue - a few steps away and let her pour everything out in silence. He contemplated trying to say something or raise a wing to wrap around her back - even lifting said wing halfway across but retracting it when the realization that it could make things worse despite the intent - not that she noticed.

He waited for however long it took until the sobs became faint sniffing before trying again.

“I need to show you something.” He blurted out, not sure how to approach it from there. “Can you do that?”

A series of subtle nods facing away from him was his answer. And so with the distraught mare in tow, Storm descended the stairwell and exited the front door to the residential part. He didn’t need to turn around to check if she was still following. The light sniffing and faint clop of hooves confirmed that much.

The duo arrived at the makeshift grave site and stopped in front of the eighth cross. When it became clear that she didn’t notice the object of the journey’s purpose immediately, he pointed a hoof at it. The total number of graves began to click in her head, allowing the blue pegasus to discover that the eighth one was new and not one of his own.

“I snatched what was left of her - the actual parts I mean…” He elaborated, cringing upon realizing how that sounded when talking about a severed face of somepony. “It… just felt fitting instead of… the alternative.”

Silence.

Not even the sniffing broke it.

Pure silence.

“I’ll just go if you want to say a few words to her…” He finished, refusing to meet her eyes while turning to leave.

Storm got a couple of steps away and was in the process of heading in the general direction of the workshed when he heard it.

“Thank you…”

It was faint, barely above a whisper even.

But he heard it. Clear as the wind whistling.

Her tone still had vague traces of the breakdown from moments earlier in it by the increase in pitch and occasional breaking or voice crack in such a short statement. But it was genuine. It was sincere.

That didn’t matter to him though.

It was done.

He had done his best to ease her pain. Just as he had spent a lifetime trying to do for his family, but now she was a part of that family, whether she - or he for that matter - liked it.

Whether he didn’t respond was for his own sake or hers, Storm didn’t know. All he knew was that he had to get out of there.

At any cost.

So he continued walking to the edge of the bay, down the path, and onto the docks where the workshed stood against the clashing waves below. Opening the door and turning on the lightswitch revealed the same old haven he had come to know - now more than ever - in recent times.

Storm was never good at describing his own feelings. Even before all of this. He took things as they came and went but this was different. He felt the usual - the sense of fault in responsibility, the anger in the day’s events and what could have been done differently, all that was the same.

For reasons unknown, the stallion’s eyes drifted to the Sweeper rifle on the wall. More specifically, the three engraved letters on the side.

His throat was becoming more parched by the second but his body was not entirely devoid of liquids as a single tear rolled down his right eye, riding his cheek and being snuffed out in his forest of a beard below.

He didn’t even notice it as his full attention was yet again on some object which demanded and deserved it.

*STATIC*

“...H-el-o?” An extremely distorted voice rang out from his suddenly activated Tethertech.

What the fuck?

“...e.llo? Ca- you h--r me?” It continued.

Suddenly, an extremely radiant light broke through the cracks in the boarded up windows as a bellowing horn resounded throughout the night.

Shit!

Without even thinking, Storm was already suiting up as he accidentally tightened the straps too taunt in his haste to gear up, grab his Sweeper and burst out the door.

That was when he saw it.

Floating about a block away over the South Luna Ocean - and shining enough spotlights to be a Damned diner neon sign - was a huge vessel of wood, steel, and other materials that stood out against the moonlight above.

The stallion knew this device all too well as his grandfather - one of the few fond memories that remained in his survival racked brain - worked on many of these in the old world.

The titanic object before him was an airship.

A fucking airship.

Chapter 16 - "Revelations"

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A giant standing across from an ant.

A colossal beast against a single insect.

A force of destruction against a creature that stood no chance.

Even with the clear difference in power, the ant still stood its ground; For it’s queen, its brothers, all of the others in the colony it had to protect. Even if it had absolutely no chance to do so, that ant would stand its ground till it’s last breath for them.

This is exactly what the lone armored stallion atop the bay’s cliff was doing. With one hoof raised to his visor, shielding the blinding spotlights on his form, and his weapon raised in the direction of the titanic metallic beast above, he stood his ground knowing full well a tiny ant could never take down a raging giant.

The whirring sound of the ship’s wing-like turbines drowned out the static-laced voice coming from his ear-piece as the vessel grew closer to the bay. Closer to him. Closer to one of their ends.

“S--nd d---, We’r- -ot ho--t-e” It exclaimed, but he couldn’t make out much from the connection other than the possibility that it was female.

Suddenly, a large bang resounded from above as a male voice called out “Look out below!” just in time for Storm to see the silhouette of a long, flat object heading straight for him.

Jumping backwards and landing on all four hooves, the stallion maintained his shooting posture as his weapon never left the airship’s general direction, while something slammed into the soil just a few steps from where he had been standing.

Even through the blinding lights above, he could make out what the object was. Whether it was the bland and obvious outline of said object, or his familiarity with the flying vessel, Storm knew what it was.

A ramp.

A landing ramp to be more specific. To allow ponies to enter or exit the ship. His answer was the latter as three figures stood atop the ramp - all of which had green lasers pointed directly at him - meanwhile, his own quint barreled rifle was staring back at them.

“Put it down, jackass!” A gruff, yet strangely adolescent sounding male voice commanded from the direction of the figures.

His tethered grip above the trigger tightened. A sliver of more force and the weapon would discharge.

“I mean it! Nopony has to get hurt!” The male voice continued, possibly seeing the subtle change in his trigger finger, before chuckling. “Unless rough is more your style…”

That's it.

The fraction of force needed to pull the trigger was milliseconds from being met until-

“Stop!” A different and female voice demanded, causing the three figures to remove their lasers and turn in the opposite direction immediately while the one male seemed to sigh and shake his head, “Everypony just hold on a minute!”

The three above seemed to be at ease when a fourth figure - which was more slender and a bit shorter - stepped onto the peak of the ramp and prompted them to lower their weapons completely.

“For Celestia’s sake, Hunter, kill the spotlight!” The female voice ordered while her silhouette began to descend the ramp.

Not a moment later, the blinding lights above were deactivated, allowing Storm to see the ramp’s inhabitants more clearly. The three at the top were all stallions, barely of adult age from what he could tell, and all sported ragtag setups made from old ATS suits with ammo pouches, knife holsters, and one of them even had pieces of old guard armor on his midsection. All of them did have one constant which were machine guns of the same model as Rainbow’s with the addition of tactical lasers mounted to the barrels. The trio atop were no longer in a battle ready stance as two of them leaned casually against the ship’s railing while another sat on his haunches on the ramp.

The mare heading down the ramp on the other hoof wasn’t geared up for war. She was almost Storm’s own age, a unicorn, had a lavender coat, dark purple if almost indigo mane and tail with lighter stripes in each, and lighter purple eyes which were covered by rectangular rimmed glasses. A faded, white fabric coat overhung her rather small frame and had clipped pens in the chest pocket, a notebook in the large side pocket, and a saddlebag on her back. While her appearance had nothing red flagging about it, her face did.

She looked like a foal who had found their long lost toy and were as happy as can be. Now, the expression itself wasn’t the worst part, but rather the fact that it was directed straight in his direction. Straight at him.

“It’s him…” She whispered through her wide eyed stare at him.

From Storm’s angle, he could only read the words escaping her lips but he deciphered them nonetheless.

He knew nothing good could come from being recognized but with his only two choices being taking the shot and maybe killing a few before he was inevitably mowed down and leaving the two girls in the house at these asshole’s mercy or waiting to see how this all played out, he had to choose the smart option. Or rather, the only option.

With what most would call a ‘friendly smile’ was plastered on the mare’s face as she trotted down the ramp and towards his position. Storm remained rooted to the spot with his weapon still raised to where the barrels were pointed directly in line with her eyes. Despite the clearly hostile gesture, she seemed oblivious to the firearm in her face as she trotted up to be within a hoof’s reach from him and only stopped because a slab-barrelled weapon was blocking her from getting any closer.

“Hello!” The mare chimed happily with the most friendly tone he had ever heard. “Sorry about the lights, Hunter is a little trigger happy at the moment.” She said while gesturing to the sitting stallion above with a tilt of her head.

No response.

Storm was just lucky she couldn’t see him through the glowing purple visor, which allowed him to study - or more accurately judge her from behind it’s protection. While something about her attitude wasn’t sitting right with him, it was nowhere near the red alert that Rarity pony gave him back in Ponyville.

The silence gave birth to an uncomfortable staring contest between the two before the purple unicorn broke it. “I’m not going to hurt you!” She continued. “Not that I could anyway, you’re invaluable to us after all!” The mare added matter of factly.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Storm asked, not budging an inch with his stance or weapon.

“Oh, so he does speak!” The central stallion atop the ramp mused aloud to his comrades, earning an unamused look from the mare in return.

Returning to the matter at hoof, the mare sported a sheepish expression towards Storm as she replied. “Sorry, but we had to make ourselves known. I tried to hail you on the comms, but something was obstructing the feed.”

When it became clear the conversation was going nowhere to ease the suited stallion’s distrust, the lavender mare tried a new tactic. Not new per say, but one that had stood the test of times - both new and old.

The mare raised a hoof, causing Storm to flinch backward slightly and tighten his grip on the Sweeper. This sudden action caused the mare to also flinch while looking at him quizzically. Her hoof hung in the air with nothing attached to it.

No knife, no weapon, nothing.

It just hung there. Empty.

“I’m Twilight Sparkle.” She introduced, making it clear the gesture was a hoof shake. Upon getting no response, the lavender unicorn tried to help the would-be conversation along. “All these years and you’ve been the one place we thought impossible to live - right next to the source! I should have known you wouldn’t have been deterred by them in the slightest!” She continued, switching to the lighthouse and rest of the place with a wave of her hoof. “And all of this… Did you do all of this yourself?”

“...No.” He answered slowly, trying to determine the point of this conversation.

“Nevertheless, it is remarkable. No wonder you’ve lasted this long - not that we doubted you - but this is just what they needed to see-”

Suddenly, the central stallion above interrupted with a huff of his breath. “You don’t need to suck his dick, Princess. P can do that just fine…” This earned a few chuckles from the other two before he continued. “Besides, how do we even know that’s him? Anypony can wear a helmet with an ‘x’ on it!”

X? My visor? What the fuck is- Storm tried to mentally descipher only to have his thoughts torn away by Twilight’s response to her male comrade.

“That’s no way to treat anypony, Trail Hunter! Let alone a new friend!” The mare retorted, turning to scold her companion.

Is she fucking serious? Storm thought, still trying to decide if this mare was just crazy or another Rarity waiting to happen. Hell, maybe she was both.

“Again, I’m sorry about him.” Twilight returned to Storm. “We usually have somepony else do the meet and greets. Somepony with social skills.” She slightly growled that last part at the stallion who smirked in mock surrender.

“What's goin-.” A slightly scratchy female voice demanded from behind the stallion, revealing Rainbow Dash with her gun drawn until she noticed who was in front of him, prompting her to lower both the weapon and her jaw.

The unicorn - Twilight Sparkle - shared an equally baffled expression as her pegasus counterpart, causing her to temporarily lose all focus on the armed stallion in front of her. The two mares locked gazes of both bewilderment and happiness, allowing their eyes to do the conversation which wasn’t being vocalized. Finally, it was Rainbow who took the initiative to break the silence.

“Storm… lower the gun…” She said, sounding like more of a suggestion than a command with her dazed tone. The slight turn of his helmet in her direction and silence indicated an uncertain gesture.

Then he did just that.

The slab-barreled rifle was lowered with it’s tips pointed to the soil while he continued to keep a grip on the handle. Just in case. Without even noticing it, the stallion realized his position had become placed directly in between Rainbow and the airship’s inhabitants. The second he had stepped aside, Twilight had closed the distance and wrapped her forehooves around the blue pegasus.

Across from Storm and on the other side of the embracing mares was Planning Period, who was grinning slightly at the display of reunited friendship before her. For a brief moment, she locked eyes with Storm, starting and ending a silent conversation of their own in just mere seconds before the two averted their respective gazes.

“Oh thank Celestia you're safe!” Twilight exclaimed, the corner of her eyes starting to get watery. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you, Rainbow!”

“Right back at ya, Twi- wait!” Rainbow replied, nearly at tears herself when a sudden realization hit her. “How are you not questioning all of this?!”

A slightly puzzled look from the lavender unicorn was her only response, prompting Rainbow to reiterate by moving her hooves up and down gesturing to her body - or more accurately her age.

“Oh, that.” Twilight replied as if the revelation didn’t phase her in the slightest despite the impossibilities of the age differences among other things. “I’ll explain later, but we need to leave and soon.” She added, her confident tone turning to one of urgency like the flick of a switch.

“What, why?”

“Because they just rang the dinner bell and every one of those fuckers is on the way right now…” Storm interjected.

“We had nothing to do with that.” Twilight defended, sounding more like an informative instructor than an accused individual. “They were coming for you the moment they saw both of you together.”

This earned a set of confused looks that were traded between both pegasi, who then turned to Twilight. “Uh… what does that mean exactly?” Rainbow asked.

“Like I said, answers will be provided but we need to leave. Now!”

The purple unicorn turned towards the ramp, the stallions atop moved aside, and even Planning Period began to follow but Storm and Rainbow lingered.

“Hold up,” Storm interjected, cutting the increasingly frantic mare off. “Like Hell we’re getting on that thing without knowing who-”

“Are we really going to do this again, dude?” Rainbow asked from behind, sounding mildly ticked off at the stallion’s bluntness to another one of her friends. “It’s Twilight! I know we can trust her for a fact!”

“You tell yourself the same thing about the other unicorn too?” He retorted, earning a scowl from the pegasus.

“Will both of you knock it off?!” Planning suddenly shouted, stopping any further conflict before it could even start. From the look on her face, even she hadn’t expected the sudden verbal outburst as she covered her muzzle with her hooves.

“We’re wasting time here!” Twilight informed, motioning to a stallion on the deck who quickly pulled out a set of impressive looking binoculars and began scanning outward. “If you really don’t trust me, I’ll drop you right back off here and never return, but please hear me out!”

“Flare incoming!” The stallion with the binoculars shouted from above, causing the party below to swing their heads in his intended direction. A single glance at the raging fury of electric current and dark clouds confirmed his exclamation.

“We need to get above the clouds before it hits!” Twilight informed the others. “Storm, Rainbow Dash, I can’t - no, won’t leave without you two!” Then she turned to Planning. “You can come with us or not, your choice, but the rest of us have to leave!”

Planning was already on the tip of the ramp after seeing the approaching flare and gaining an invitation, but Rainbow lingered with the rest on the ground. She looked to Storm as if asking him to trust her despite no words being exchanged. This caused him to look up at the airship for a moment before returning to her gaze temporarily.

“Shit…” He muttered under his breath before speaking up for her to hear. “Okay, fine. We’ll go. Get your stuff and I’ll be right back.”

Rainbow’s neutral expression was turned to one of slight happiness and hope at hearing his agreement before she darted off to grab her gear from the residential building. Storm, however, lingered next to Twilight - who was the only one on the ground with him now.

“I’ll hear you out, but the second you try anything - and I mean anything, you’ll wish your lap dogs up there had shot me...” He promised, his voice getting real low as his electric purple eyes locked with the mare’s own lavender ones.

She gave a friendly nod of understanding despite how clear the threat had phased her. With that settled, Storm began his own journey to the workshed where he threw open the door, gathered his shotgun, a couple of tools, and the pitiful pile of ammunition remaining.

A few moments later, and he had returned to the base of the ramp where Rainbow - who was fully suited up - was already ascending the platform.

CRACK!

The flare was closer now as he could hear the electric war going on within it’s cloudy mass. With time of the essence, the stallion swifty followed up the ramp and stepped onto the ship’s deck. A mechanical whirring behind him resounded as the ramp was retracted back into the hull and was capped off with a THUNK!

Not a second later, the sounds were replaced thanks to the airship’s turbines powering up and initiating the rather quick ascent into the sky. Most would expect a sudden takeoff of an airborne vessel to be rough and unstable, but he knew what to expect thanks to the evenly placed turbines and architecture of the ship. Storm watched as the bow glided just above the flare and surpassed it in altitude, giving the whole crew a hauntingly beautiful view of the storm below which Planning and a few other crew members were gawking at.

Storm didn’t share the same strange enjoyment at the sight. His focus was on his current location rather than what was left behind. Towering over his own relatively large form was a sun themed ballonet which had spiked flaps protruding from the spherical center and ending in a gradual fade towards the ship’s rear, resembling an elongated teardrop of sorts. Though he couldn’t see them all from his position on the massive vessel, Storm knew that a total of twenty four ballonet strings to hold the massive sun-like structure above and tether it to the ship below. The deck itself was mostly bare with only a few crates, strange looking cannons, and crew who were safe miles above anything below residing on it.

Most would consider an airship a way to escape the horrors below, but he didn’t - no couldn’t dismiss the feeling that he wasn’t safe from what was below but rather he was trapped with those above.

Speaking of the ones above, there were about a dozen ponies on the deck - all of which were staring at him with the same expression Twilight Sparkle had prior.

Fuck.

Most held looks of wonder and amazement as if they had just met their favorite singer while the trio of stallions from before were more neutral if not indifferent to his presence. Somehow he liked that more than the wondrous looks the rest gave his way.

Examining the ponies was the first thing he did right away. The first was that stallion named Trail Hunter, who was chatting with the same duo of armed stallions by the side railing. Not even a few seconds of listening to the way he talked told Storm this guy was a real cut and dry asshole. He wouldn’t doubt this Hunter had some high level on whatever hierarchy this place ran off of, meaning only one thing…

He could be trouble.

The other two, however, he couldn’t go off much besides that they would most likely follow their friend into Hell knowing full well he would throw them to the wolves to save his own flank. As for the rest of the deck members - two mares in similar white coats and the stallion who previously had the binoculars - only time would tell.

One of the two mares waved in the newcomer group’s direction, catching Twilight's attention and prompting her to rush over. While Rainbow and Planning discussed something that was drowned out by his ears, Storm listened intently to the conversation between the coated mare and purple unicorn.

“We might have found another one.” The coat wearing mare said, levitating a clipboard in front of Twilight. “If P finishes the repairs soon, we can make it by tomorrow evening…”

Twilight continued looking over the information on the board while the mare informed her about whatever they were discussing. Her expression was neutral and didn’t show any interest, fear, or even anything. Just indifference that was quickly replaced by determination as she replied.

“I want Runner groups C through E to be prepped as soon as possible. Have them check their gear - twice, and make sure they’re all well fed and rested up before hoof.” She ordered, despite her tone sounding more like a friendly request but the other mare heeded it without hesitation nonetheless.

What are you up to? Storm thought as he eyed the coated mare that disappeared into the ship’s cabin with urgency in her step.

Twilight was poked in the side by the remaining coated mare, who gestured in Storm’s direction with her head before whispering something and earning a nod from the lavender unicorn.

With recent events in mind, he wanted nothing more than to pull his gun on this ‘Princess Twilight’ and skip the potential repeat of Ponyville, he just couldn’t. Was it his conscious - not like that was even a part of him anymore. No, it was something else. And he had some semblance of an idea what.

Looking to his left, Storm was met with that ‘something’ or rather someone who just so happened to be looking in his exact direction to meet his eyes. Rainbow Dash’s own magenta eyes locked with his as she nodded her head in the opposite direction that the group was walking in. Then she stepped away from the group as did he.

“You really buying this shit?” He asked, eyeing the distancing group.

Briefly checking to see if anypony had noticed their sudden departure, Storm was relieved to see that most of the ponies on deck were walking to the cab or idling about with their own tasks to notice. An unsure exhale came from the blue pegasus’ nostrils as if she was trying to decide how to word something before actually letting it out.

“I...” She began, taking a glance at the retreating group momentarily alongside him. “I know what we’ve just been through, but please just try with this. Just one more time.”

A similar sound escaped from his own muzzle, sounding like the sigh of a parent who was at their limit with a hyperactive foal. His gaze didn’t meet her own, but rather was towards the floor before moving to the group - which had stopped at the door to the ship’s interior and were looking in their direction - then it returned to her.

“I… don’t know if that’s possible.” He replied, straining to get it out as if he didn’t want to admit it. “I’m not a fan of repeating the same mistake twice - especially when lives are at stake.”

“Lives?” Rainbow repeated, picking up on that keyword. “You mean Planning and me?”

He nodded.

“Look, Storm… you don’t have to worry about us. We’ll manage-”

“No, you won’t.” He cut her off. “What you call ‘managing’ would have ended up with you being traumatized, turned into one of those fucking things, and Planning would have been a slave to that place until the end of days.”

“Why do you care about what happens to us anyway?” Dash asked, her question coming out both honestly and slightly agitated at being treated like some foal who required babysitting.

His head turned away from her ever so slightly, but with nothing else to focus on, she noticed it immediately. She had struck some sort of nerve.

“Storm?” She asked, trying to get his attention.

“Because it’s all I have left now.” Came his delayed answer. “There, happy? Now can we get this over with so I can see who we have to avoid - or shoot - to stay alive?” The last part came out as agitated if not sarcastic.

Obviously, he was in no mood to further elaborate on that answer, so Rainbow went with the part that could still possibly be salvaged. “Maybe that’s your problem,” Rainbow replied as the two began walking back towards the group while continuing their conversation. “You can’t make any friends if you have a gun on them all the time.”

“You can’t make any mistakes if you do.”

Storm could feel a look directed his way from her, but didn’t turn to meet the challenge. Twilight and the others were waiting patiently by a large set of double doors overcast by a black plaque where white lettering read ‘Flight Lounge.’ While placing a hoof on one of the doors, the lavender unicorn turned towards Storm and Rainbow.

“I know this is a lot to take in,” She began earning a ‘you think?’ look from the addressed stallion. “But please try to understand their excitement. Both of you are the last pieces to the puzzle and some of them were starting to lose hope.”

And I’m starting to lose patience on answers… Storm thought as the doors were pushed open and held by Twilight’s magic for the group to enter. A ramp was on the other side of the entrance, which was illuminated by twin sets of fluorescent lights above, giving clear visuals to the nearly spotless interior.

As the group walked down the ramp, the grated floor made a soft clanking sound which reverberated throughout the immediate interior and served as the only break in the uncomfortable silence. For every polished item, an industrial-grade one followed suit, giving a strange contrast to the surroundings. Another set of double doors - which mirrored the previous set down to the last speck of nonexistent dust - sat at the bottom of the ramp and were bypassed as well.

The second those doors opened was the exact second Storm’s heart stopped. He knew what to expect as nearly every model of airship in this one’s class had a similar flight lounge - and even layout if he was lucky - but it wasn’t the ship’s blueprints that worried him.

It was the stares.

Everywhere he looked, a set of eyes returned the gesture. Sitting on the lounge benches, behind the security booth, at the hallway to the bathroom - everywhere. Many were in disbelief or wonder while a few whispered to one another. A filly that couldn’t have been older than ten pointed a hoof his way, causing her mother to gently lower the hoof and promptly scold her daughter for pointing.

If this was ‘in the shit’ - as they called it - he was ten bodies deep in it by now. Storm couldn’t move. His body forcibly halted as if his hooves had brakes, his breath hilted inside his throat, and the muscles in both his jaw and body tensed. Despite his body’s involuntary reactions, the other ponies in the room - except the small group with Twilight - didn’t notice the change. They were all too distracted by something wondrous that had to do with him.

Twilight and Rainbow shared brief looks with the unicorn silently addressing this sudden change in her guest’s demeanor and the pegasus hesitantly trying to answer with an expression of both understanding to her friend’s reluctance. Somehow, Twilight was able to get at least some idea from the gesture, so she broke free of her spot in the group’s lead and approached the stallion from his side.

Storm, who was too preoccupied to notice the mare flanking him, nearly jumped out of his skin and suit - despite not physically showing it - when she spoke up.

“If you don’t like the attention, then you might want to lower the helmet.” She whispered, sounding like a friend trying to tell a helpful secret to another, all the while following his gaze towards the others. Before he could even ask, the lavender unicorn continued by answering his would-be question. “Everypony knows your visor-mark from memory by now, so removing that would help you blend in more.”

He was hesitant to respond or do anything immediately after the advice was offered, but slowly a tethered digit was raised to his chest piece and the button to begin the helmet’s retraction progress was pressed. The hiss of depressurising air made a pen drop look like foal’s play in the nearly silent room, causing Storm to cringe at the sound. Like the legs of a dying mechanical spider, the individual plates on the helmet fold into one another and waved over the stallion’s frazzled black mane before nestling into the back piece of armor.

Once the helmet was sealed inside the back plate, the world could now see it’s owner’s tired purple eyes, disheveled mane, and wild beard. Those same eyes held nothing in them. Millions of thoughts and emotions were running through his head but his eyes would not dare show it. The gawkers in the room continued to look on even with this apparent ‘mark’ that was his visor now gone.

A masucline whistle came from Storm’s left, forcing him to snap his head on a swivel in the direction only to discover something - or rather somepony - that was equally annoying and dangerous.

Fuck…

The former hospital leader stood a few steps from Storm’s own position as if he was a part of the group. The black and purple stallion wasn’t looking in his direction but was scanning the room of awestruck crewmembers with his trademark shit eating smirk plastered on his muzzle.

“Wow.” The leader said with a faint chuckle while turning to face Storm at last. “You’ve got some admirers, sport.”

Really? This shit now?!

Storm huffed while making a mental note to ignore the stallion, only to have him replaced with an equally as annoying one. Trail Hunter - who was now in the lead of the group - snorted impatiently before turning to the rest of the room. “Alright, shows over. As you were!” He ordered, causing most of the onlookers to tear their eyes away from the small group and continue their own respective duties.

All but one were now minding their own business. That one was the same filly which had gestured at him with a hoof earlier. Her beaming, blue eyes sparkled with a hope that most had never imagined experiencing as she continued to infatuatedly stare at the group headed her way. The filly’s mother had returned to sorting items in a crate nearby, her unattentiveness allowing the daughter to stare onward.

As he walked closer to the filly, Storm felt his heart thud against his chest - each time increasing in pace. He could hear each beat, every pump of blood as it rushed through his body. The thumping began drowning out the world around him as it grew greater…

Thump!

By the time he reached the filly - as the group was passing by her location - his lungs refused to work in tandem with his throat. The filly took a small step outward and with a beaming smile she looked up at his significantly taller form.

“Hi!” She exclaimed.

Rainbow briefly flashed a warm smile at the filly before turning to Twilight. “You have kids on this thing?” She asked, dumbfounded.

Twilight nodded. “Actually, we have entire families on board.” The purple unicorn stated matter of factly. “This is Prism Beam.” She continued, introducing the filly, who was absently ignoring them and focusing on Storm entirely.

“Are you really him?” She asked wondrously.

“Who?” Storm finally replied, out of instinct more than actually processing her question.

The filly’s face turned to one of visible confusion. “The Marked One. You have the helmet.”

Marked One? What the fu-

“You are him, right?”

“Uhhh…”

“Prism!” An older female voice called from behind the filly, who instantly jumped upon hearing it, before swinging around to face her mother.

Prism’s mother quickly came up to the small group. “I’m sorry for that. She is just so excited to meet you - we all are.” She explained, looking at Storm, who was at a complete loss for words. The mother’s tone and expression mirror her daughter’s in that it was warm and inviting as if she meant every word, but this didn’t ease his paranoia any.

“But mommy, he can help!” Prism revolted, pushing past her mother and right next to Storm. The filly reached into a tiny saddlebag and pulled out a small white object that she handed to the stallion - who slowly took it as if in denial. Once it was in his sight, Storm realized that the object was a photograph.

A photograph of Prism, her mother, and a stallion who appeared to be around the same age as the assumed wife. Turning the photo around revealed that his guess was true and that this was taken whenever they joined the airship as shown by the note next to the date.

“Prism, don’t-” Her mother tried to stay with a raised voice only to be swiftly cut off by a pleading one.

“He can find daddy! I know he can! Princess Twilight says he can help us all!”

Suddenly, Twilight cleared her throat and allotted all eyes to focus on her. Once they were, Twilight looked down at the filly. “We haven’t stopped looking for him, Prism. These things take time and I have our best Runners out there right now, but we can’t risk anything right now. Not when we are so close!”

A pouty look dominated the filly’s face, prompting Twilight to continue. “But after I finish briefing our new friends here, we can revisit this. Okay?”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” Twilight confirmed with the raise of her hoof to signal it.

“Cross your heart?”

“Hope to fly.”

“Stick a cupcake in my eye.”

The leader suppressed a laugh. “Awww, ain’t she the cutest thing?” He said in a cutesy-mannered voice while punching Storm in the shoulder playfully. “Too bad she’s probably next. Hell, they all are.”

Shut up. Storm wished as if that simple thought could erase this demon. But it didn’t.

Everything was presumably wrapped up as Prism returned to her mother’s side after waving to the despondent Storm a goodbye of sorts. Twilight addressed the rest of the group while motioning to a stallion in the security booth.

“I know you have questions, so lets get some answers, shall we?” She rhetorically asked, leading the group past the booth, where something caught Storm’s eye. A map - more specifically a blueprint of the ship’s emergency exits - which in turn gave a basic layout of it’s interior.

Score.

As indiscreetly as he could, the stallion used his chest camera to snap a silent picture of the wall-mounted map and saved it to his suit. Luckily - or rather - methodically, he was at the back of the group now so nopony noticed his subtle action.

“Smart move, Stormy.” The leader said with a mocking click of his tongue. “You just might make it out of this one too!”

A few twists and turns followed by another ramp led the group to a relatively large room with benches that mirrored the flight deck’s seating down to the last cut. At the opposite end of the grated floor was a deep cut in the ground which continued down into the ship in a straight line and out of the group’s view. More ponies milled about this room, but most of them were seated in those clustered booths. A couple read, some had drowned out conversations with their friends, spouses, or even kids, but most of them hadn’t even looked up to the newcomers.

The only lookers were a couple armed ponies who wore dark purple ATS suits with the title of ‘Security’ on their chest plates. Their visors were down, allowing Storm to see the questionable looks directed at him as well as his group. Once they decided the newcomers weren’t of any interest of threat, they resumed their own tasks.

Well, it beats staring… Storm thought just as a horn bellowed out from the cut in the room.

Out of the gash in the wall came a rectangular shaped box which looked to be the size of a small room. This ‘box’ was being dragged through the air inside the cut’s confines by a circular pulley system that no doubt went further than its current location. This box had glass panels on the front, back, and side facing the group, revealing about two dozen ponies who were crammed into it. Much like their counterparts, the inhabitants of this box were seated and distracting themselves while the ones who didn’t have a seat stood. This visual information was all Storm needed to verify the true nature of this box-like object.

It was a tram.

Trams were typically used on the military or industrial airships that were massive in size and allowed for the workers to get around quicker in the event of a catastrophe or emergency. But these devices also came in handy for getting the workers off of their sore hooves for just a few short moments until the next task arose.

A sudden chime resounded as two glass doors slid open and a few ponies began to pour out in single file. Some remained on the tram, presumably waiting for a different stop. Once the miniature waves of bodies left the box, Twilight led her followers onto the tram. A relatively young stallion wearing a dark blue uniform and straight hat asked where they would like to go, to which the unicorn mare replied “The Science and Medical Deck.” The stallion nodded while pressing some controls at the front of the tram’s interior - which was a complete work of industrialization in contrast to the mixed state the rest of the ship was in. The floor was solid, but a dirty grey with some stains of dirt and grime. The walls were a faded orange and nearly blended into the torn leather seats.

Twilight found a few empty seats at the back of the tram, followed by Trail Hunter who stood in the corner. Rainbow plopped down in the seat opposite of Twilight while Planning took the last of the empty facing rows. Storm was one of the last to the fray and he stood a few steps from Hunter in the back of the enclosed box. And finally, the late hospital leader joined in the back with the other two stallions.

Almost nopony was talking on the tram and most had tired or serious expressions on their faces as deducted by Storm who was busy examining them all. A few wore lab coats, some pieces of armor and clothing, one of them even had a lightweight yellow suit on which looked like it belonged in a hazardous environment or engine room. Clearly a serious crowd or blue collars or so they se-

“Cigarette?” That familiar, if not annoying voice asked from Storm’s right, snapping him out of his preoccupation.

As if his brain was rebooting after the metaphorical power cord was yanked out, it took the stallion a moment to process the question before responding. “Don’t have any.”

Hunter chuckled sarcastically, a sound that was both deep and high at the same time somehow. “I meant, do you want one?”

“No…”

“Suite yourself.” Then Hunter lit his own, which had been resting in the corner of his mouth since the group had boarded the train.

“Hunter!” Twilight scolded upon hearing the conversation. “Can’t you read the sign?” The mare gestured to a ‘no smoking or open flame’ sign by the front of the tram.

“Relax, Princess,” The stallion shrugged off, continuing to raise his zippo towards his muzzle. “I’ve done this a thousand times and nothing has ever happened.”

The lavender unicorn’s face displayed clear frustration with her arrogant counterpart. “If it wasn’t a problem, there wouldn’t be a sign for it now would there?” She replied, reaching for the cigarette with her magic only to be swiftly evaded by a turn of his head.

Hunter was about to retort when the small object was yanked from his mouth by a different purple glow where it was lifted up and crushed against the wall of the tram. The stallion looked to Twilight in a half pissed half confused manner as if asking how she had materialized two bursts of telekinetic magic at once, only to catch the mare’s eye and see that she wasn’t looking in his direction but rather beside it.

Trail Hunter turned to see that Storm’s earpiece was glowing the same exact shade of purple as the appendage that had destroyed his cancer stick prior. Storm was looking straight ahead and at some advertisement on the tram’s wall as if nothing had happened - as if he hadn’t just destroyed something that took valuable resources to acquire.

“What the fuck was that?!” Hunter snapped, turning a few heads in the enclosed box - including the other two mares.

“Oooh, somepony is in trouble!” The leader hooted, but Storm’s focus wasn’t on him at the moment.

Storm faced Hunter indifferently before replying. “Ignorance.”

This really pissed the latter off. Who the hell was this newcomer to come onto his ship and touch his shit?! Well, he was about to find out.

“I think you’ve got the wrong guy, Princess.” Hunter said while not taking his hateful glare off of Storm’s indifferent one. “This is no savior, this is some jackass comedian!”

“You’re the one who was about to have an open flame inside a box full of wires and pneumatic parts and I’m the jackass?” Storm sarcastically questioned. “It takes one cut or leak for this whole thing to go up in flames.”

“So some sciencey shit gives you the right to stomp out my cigarette?” Hunter retorted, sounding more ready to take a swing with each syllable. “I want a new one in return, asshole!”

“Come on, guys lets no-” Twilight tried to start only to be interrupted by Storm’s response to Hunter.

“If you didn’t want to lose it then you shouldn’t be a dumbass. I don’t owe you shit on something you lost out on in the first place.” Storm’s tone was calm with a hint of annoyance which only spurred his would-be opponent on more.

“Enough!” Twilight finally snapped. “He’s right, Hunter. Even if it's a small chance at an accident, you should heed the warnings. Now, I’ll refund your damn cigarette, just don’t start this today!”

The mentioned stallion snorted like a child not getting his way before looking away from Storm, who was silently staring at him as if expecting some move of retaliation.

“Wow…” Rainbow commented, earning an annoyed head shake from Twilight.

“Believe me, that was a good outcome.” The unicorn responded, turning her voice low so that only the two would be in on the conversation. “He usually starts with a swing and ends with security getting involved. I’m just glad he didn’t hurt your friend-”

Rainbow snickered.

“What?” Twilight asked, slightly puzzled.

“That guy? Hurt Storm? Fat chance.” She chuckled at the mere thought of it. “He could wipe the floor with that jerk blindfolded.”

“While that might come in handy,” Twilight sighed. “I’d prefer my crew to still be breathing and internal conflict only puts us further from our goal so avoiding it is the best course.”

“You haven’t changed a bit, Twi.” Rainbow lightly commented, earning a subtle downcast look from her friend.

“Let's… just wait until we get off the tram.” She carefully responded.

“Okay…”

The remainder of the short tram ride was in silence after the other’s gazes were removed from the defused scene. An uncomfortable blanket was draped over the moving box in which neither stallion had any intention of removing the metaphorical blanket or clearing the air. Neither faced one another - not out of shame or regret - but rather for each other’s sake.

Another horn blare, another soft chime - signaling the tram was stopping. A centered screen that resembled an earlier digital clock read ‘Sci/Med Deck’ in divided blocky lettering. With a huff, Hunter pushed himself from his leaned position on the back wall, and began as the first of the group to leave. On his way, the sulking stallion bumped shoulders with Storm roughly, trying to initiate a challenge only to receive that dagger-glaring stare before moving on towards the door. Twilight sighed and shared a brief look with Rainbow as the two mares got up and followed Hunter. Planning was the last to get up, leaving her in the back with Storm - who watched the front of the group as they exited and muttered “Dick…” underneath his breath which was barely picked up by the grey unicorn.

Much like the tram’s sudden change in appearance, this deck was no exception. While the trolley-like box had been industrial grade to the max, the science deck was spotless and modernized in contrast. The grated floors had finally ended, replaced by sleek ashen white tile which had zero spots of grime on them. This little detail was further evident when Storm stepped onto it as his worn and less than clean hooves left soft grey marks on the ground. As for the room they were in, it was a mirror image of the other tram station excluding the white overlay and cleanliness with the seating and restrooms being placed in the exact same locations. The oval shaped lights above were impossibly brighter than their wall counterparts and they forced Storm to squint underneath their glow.

Trail Hunter spun on his hooves and in a shocking twist of emotion, turned his agitated state into one of mock happiness as he extended a hoof outward, gesturing to the room. “Welcome to the egghead deck!” He sarcastically introduced, but thankfully nopony outside their little group was paying him any mind. “Here is where you’ll find the boring pieces of the old world and more questions than we care to answer-”

“Thanks for the escort, Hunter.” Twilight interrupted, her tone displaying a clear endpoint in her annoying. “You can return to your station now.”

With a mocking bow to the would-be princess, the stallion left the scene and returned to the tram. Twilight was busy apologizing or justifying his behavior but Storm wasn’t listening. The leader waved ‘bye’ to Hunter as he quickly slid into a seat that a mother was offering her child and forcing the two to stand. Maybe it was the boiling pot of stress which had been eating away at him since the beginning talking, but at this point Storm wanted nothing more than to give that jerk a sound beating - the one from this ship that is. Maybe it would get him kicked off the ship and away from this time bomb waiting to happen.

Hey, win-win… He thought sarcastically.

But now he had to know more. While this whole situation had screamed red flag from the second it had begun, the direction appeared to be positive at least. Well, not in his mind, but in most ponies. Once again, only time would tell and that clock was moments away from reaching its expiration date.

Another passing of security later and the group - minus one - found themselves heading down a pristine white hallway with multiple doors on either side. Most of these doorways were closed but a few were open, giving Storm a brief glance into their purpose - which was revealed to be hospital-like rooms for the injured or sickly.

“You gonna rob these ‘fine folk’ too?” The leader asked, gesturing to a similar piece of medical equipment from one of the open doors. “I think you can pull it off this time, sport! I ain’t around to bite you in the ass after all.”

That’s it…

“Can’t you go bother somepony else?” Storm growled, his voice real low - not to be intimidating but rather to suppress it from earshot of the others.

His efforts nearly went unnoticed, but a shared glance with a female nurse - who had been passing him the hallway - forced him to endure a look of half confusion and half hurt at his would-be insult. Shaking his head at her as if to say ‘not you,’ Storm continued onward with the leader bouncing in tow.

As they went on, the layout of the pristine hallway started to become less hospital-like with the lack of mirroring rooms, decline of medical staff, and more lab-coat wearing ponies much like the unicorn leading them. For the most part, the hospital staff had ignored the newcomers as they were too busy with their patients, clipboards, and whatever agenda they had of their own. But these presumably science deck workers were a different story.

Way different.

The first souls that the group encountered were two mares - both dressed in the matching white coats with their manes done up in a bun - that both seemed to recoil in a strange wonder at the sight of the group, but Storm knew the truth.

They were reacting to the sight of him.

Instantly, both of them looked to Twilight as if to ask some silent question to which she smiled energetically and nodded. Storm was starting to sweat at the prospect of being displayed like some petting zoo animal even if that wasn’t the intention. Twilight subtly tried to tell the girls to leave him alone thankfully and the group continued on their… merry way. The hallway finally ended at a set of double doors which led into a lobby area with even more ponies. Even more sets of awestruck eyes.

Fucking great… Storm thought. Even without his helmet on, these ponies seemed to see through him as if the glowing purple ‘I’m a freak’ ‘x’ was still over his head.

More whispering, a bit of pointing, and a whole lot more glares than he cared for shot his way. After a brief chat with a stallion at a reception booth, Twilight was cleared for access to something called ‘Floor Zero’ and the group was let through deeper into the deck. More halls, more Celestia-awful stares, but eventually they made it to what looked like a dead end with a single rectangular window at eye level. On the other side of the window, a small room with a matching windowed door on the other end sat, but the biggest sign of the room’s purpose was a literal sign. The words ‘Decontamination Chamber’ were plastered on a yellow and red sign right below the window.

“Hold your breaths.” Twilight offered while levitating a keycard from her coat pocket and raising it to a scanner on the wall. With that, the rest piled into the cramped room as the door slid shut behind and a flashing red light above swept over everypony. Storm turned at the sound of the metallic thunk and began slightly fidgeting, changing his stance and trying to hide his nervousness - which he managed to mostly succeed with.

Mostly.

Rainbow Dash - standing right next to him - was able to see the stallion’s discomfort but there wasn’t much she could do to offer him solace with her lack of speaking now that the decontamination gas filled the chamber. The mare couldn’t quite place it but for some reason it wasn’t easy seeing him this… tense. She was no psychological mayor by any standards, but the apprehension in his body language was hard to miss now.

Regardless of feelings or fears, the gas cleansed any daytime radiation from the gang’s bodies without prejudice before shutting off at the hiss of dying air in the valve’s lock. The red light shut off followed by the opening of the doors, allowing them to proceed. Even with his clear desire to get the fuck out of that cramped room, Storm didn’t sprint or gallop out of it. He calmed strode behind the others, making sure to not alert them to his true opinion of everything so far.

On the other side of the decontamination chamber was a room more fitting of the title ‘chamber’ due to its massive size. The ceiling looked as far away from the floor as Storm felt - it must have been larger than a two story building’s roof and had a vast array of the ovalur white orbs illuminating everything below. Over two dozen ponies milled about at various stations - all of which sported the cloned lab coat - as they focused on their own respective tasks at hoof.

As they walked, Storm took side glances at some of the projects the research staff were focused on. A strange blue potion that eerily reminded the stallion of the blue substance Plexer’s emminated. A folding stock which relied on the same tech as the ATS helmet plates. Some kind of hospital bed which resembled a multi-tool with how many contraptions it had at the side. This was all he had time to observe before the group’s walk ended at last - which was at the biggest ‘station’ of them all.

In the middle of said station was another example of extreme contrast to the sleek white interior in the form of an ancient looking pedestal with an elegant-looking crossbow weapon suspended in some type of levitation spell. Immediately upon seeing the weapon, Rainbow’s magenta eyes widened. It was definitely the same weapon despite it’s golden shine being reduced to one of an ugly bronze now - as if it was offline somehow.

“Thats…” She began only to be excitedly cut off by Twilight Sparkle, who raised a hoof and gestured to the weapon - or rather the literal mountain of notes on the wall behind it.

“The Harmony Enforcer!” The lavender unicorn beamed. “The whole reason for our operation and our one way ticket back!”

“H-how did you touch it?” Rainbow asked, stunned if not anxious about being next to the same object that had displaced her originally.

“We didn’t - for the longest time after you disappeared.” Twilight explained, pulling the thing closer to the group. “But we couldn’t take the thought of you being hurt or worse…” She continued with her tone dropping to a saddened one momentarily. “So I touched it in hopes that it would lead me to you, but it didn’t. I was able to pick it up without any problems and take it back to the library for study. When it was in my possession, I began having these… dreams - visions really. Most would happen the few times I fell asleep but some happened in broad daylight. I saw these… beings - who were shapeless but also whole at once. It was like my mind wasn’t able to comprehend their true form so it tried to make something out of nothing…”

Shapeless beings? Visions? Wait… Storm thought only to feel a sudden and splitting headache as the stallion’s vision was filled by a blinding white light that devoured everything. The others, the stations, the ship - it all vanished and was replaced with a different world.

Everything was white. Again. Those shapeless… things were gathered around the same table which Storm had been on in the last time he had this… vision. But now, the stallion was standing on all fours a couple paces behind the beings who paid him no mind. In fact, they weren’t paying him any attention from the beginning and he was never on that table but rather the crossbow-like weapon was.

Despite the change in positioning, the being’s conversation was the exact same as it had been previously. “Is it ready?” One of them asked.

“Soon…” Another replied as both of them locked their nonexistent gazes on the weapon.

“We don’t have much time or many options. If it is not ready by-”

“It will be ready. Tell the others and prepare yourself for the transition…” With that, the figure raised a strange appendage into the air, which caused Storm’s head to go into overdrive. He felt like his brain was going to burst as a series of blistering headaches assaulted him before the white light once again engulfed him completely.

Then it was gone.

The beings were gone. The station was back. The stares were back - everypony from Planning to Twilight to Rainbow were staring directly at him. Great…

“Equestria to Storm - you there?” Rainbow asked. Her tone was torn as if she was trying to decide between playfully sarcasm or serious concern.

Something faintly trickled the stallion’s muzzle, causing him to raise a hoof and wipe it, only to catch a streak of red right underneath his nostrils. Blood.

“You saw them.” Twilight suddenly stated. She wasn’t worried or excited, but just neutral as if it was a simple fact.

The red flag in Storm’s head had burst into flames and was replaced by a nuclear warning siren. He knew careful was the name of the game now.

“Who?” He asked, trying his best to play dumb - or at least neutrally so.

“The shapeless beings.” The mare answered. “This isn’t the first time either.”

How the fuck does she know all this?! Storm thought. Well, fuck - playing dumb won’t get me far. Here goes nothing…

“Yeah…” He confirmed carefully. “What do they want?”

The lavender unicorn had a puzzled look flash on her face for a brief moment. “How many visions have you seen?” She finally asked.

“Two. One a few days ago and one just now.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it?” Storm repeated, slightly agitated. “I’m supposed to have those things fuck with my head more often?”

“No, no, no.” Twilight assured with a shake of her head. “But I thought it would show the Marked One more than just a couple visions by now.”

“Oh yeah - that’s another thing…” Storm began. “Why the fuck are you and your crew calling me that?”

Twilight thought for a moment and instead of answering, she gestured to a unicorn stallion in a similar coat, who grabbed something off of the wall behind the group. This stallion levitated what appeared to be a stone tablet - from a small collection of many - to the middle of the group as the magical grip on the object was passed from his own to Twilight’s.

This tablet had carvings of multiple twisted equine-shaped figures surrounding two other figures in the center. Storm’s heart dropped the second he recognized the two centered figures. The furthest one had a relatively short mane which was divided by lines - signaling color changes and it’s style matched that of the blue pegasus next to him. But that figure didn’t compare to the real shocker to him. In the exact center of the tablet was a larger figure with rough outlines of Storm’s own suit - his own visor.

Fuck.

That wasn’t all either. Apparently the stallion’s stone counterpart was also wielding what he thought was his Sweeper upon first glance but instead was the crossbow-like weapon in the same room.

Double fuck.

“Well, up until now we didn’t know your name so the research team had to call you something.” Twilight explained retracting and replacing the tablet when she was done. “The name just kinda stuck even if it has a little too much of a martyr-y feel to it if I do say so myself”

“No kidding.” He replied, clearly not happy about the label.

“Anyway, now that both of you are here…” Twilight exclaimed, switching to excited on a whim and looking from the equally lost Storm and Rainbow. “We can finally finish this!”

“Finish what? The world?” Storm asked.

The unicorn mare nodded. “You two are step four out of five and now we are so close to fixing everything!”

“There's nothing to fix.” Storm replied. “This world is already broken. Let those fuckers have it.”

“Now you're getting it, sport!” The hospital stallion chuckled. “I might be able to get through that thick skull of yours after all!”

“Aren’t you cheery.” Rainbow muttered.

“Oh, not this world!” Twilight affirmed. “Well, actually yes it is this world but it's not at the same time.” Then she chuckled at some seemingly bad joke that the others didn’t get. “During my visions, I got glimpses of how the Enforcer works and I know that it can... ‘bend’ space and time - if given enough power - and move anything through both. It is that ability which took you, Rainbow Dash, and… stored you until now-”

“For twenty-seven years?! Why did it take me from our chance to use the elements on those things?!”

“The elements won’t work.” Twilight admitted gloomily.

Now it was Rainbow’s heart’s turn to sink. The Elements of Harmony - not work? Her expression prompted a further explanation from Twilight.

“Well, they won’t work on their own at least…” The lavender unicorn elaborated. “Take a look.” And with that, Twilight levitated the weapon towards the others, turning it vertically so that they could see the six slots - two of which housed both the Element of Magic and Generosity - and in turn returned the natural golden glow to their respective slice on the weapon’s midsection. “With each Element of Harmony that is restored, a percentage of the Enforcer is as well!”

“Restored?” Storm asked, scanning the strange device.

“When Rainbow disappeared twenty-seven years ago, she was… stored in some place in between space and time for her own safety during the initial outbreak. The Enforcer must have decided it was time because she appeared a few days ago. Now why that is, I have no clue. It didn’t show me anything about that part, but it's probably because of finding you or maybe our research was deemed good enough, nevertheless, things are in motion now thanks to you all!”

A series of clapping could be heard by Storm from the hospital leader’s direction at that, prompting the agitated stallion to roll his eyes, and in turn getting a strange look from Twilight before continuing. “Anyway, during the outbreak, some extremely powerful force shattered the elements and took down every electronic or magical spell in Equestria the day those creatures emerged. We believe this force is some sort of mental influence or signal which is blocking the… link between the elements and the Enforcer.” By this point, Rainbow Dash and Planning Period had stunned and confused looks on their muzzles while Storm seemed to at least able to follow along or his indifference hid any possible hint at his confusion. “It took us ages - literally - to figure out how to restore the elements…” With that, Twilight levitated a glass box with what was presumably the remaining four element shards towards the group. “But we persevered and figured it out! Whatever this mystery force is, it has taken the themes in which our elements embody - Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Loyalty, Laughter, and Magic and twisted or corrupted them - if you will. The only way to restore the elements to be put on the Enforcer and in turn restore a fraction of it is to break the corrupted theme on said element.”

“Like a seal?” Planning asked.

Twilight nodded. “Precisely. We actually gave a name for them - the Seals of Disharmony. My own, the Seal of Magic, was reflected after I gave up hope to see the old world and all my friends again, but when I was able to finally find a light then my element was restored by the Enforcer right before my own eyes! It automatically ‘snapped’ to the weapon and has been the start of our crusade ever since.”

“So what’s with the other one then?” Storm asked, motioning to the Element of Generosity.

“We were actually hoping to get that information from you.” Twilight admitted, before nodding to the same coated stallion from before, who hastily grabbed a small tablet - an electronic one - before pressing some buttons out of Storm’s view. Suddenly, the circular table in the middle of the chamber burst to life with a bright blue glow, revealing it was a digital map of what seemed to be all of Equestria. “Rewind to last night, please.” Twilight asked the stallion, and he did just that.

This ‘map’ zoomed into Ponyville - as shown by the blocky title above the outline - and was still for a moment as a clock counted down at a pace of ten times faster than normal until a sudden burst of multi-color light filled a small portion of the town’s dark blue outline.

“That burst of energy happens whenever friendship or harmony based magic is detected - I modeled it after my own element and am very pleased with the outcome by the way…” Twilight boasted with a hoof to her chest before continuing. “This was detected late last night where somepony or something managed to break the Seal of Generosity. We arrived there as soon as possible, but by the time we got there, only a fraction of the community’s bones were standing and everypony was dead. Whatever did it was gone.”

“Yeah, we know.” Storm confirmed. “We were there and nearly died thanks to a prissy psychopath and mountain of Damned.”

“Damned?” Twilight asked with a slight tilt to her head.

“The creatures.” Storm related. “The area I lived in - and I thought most of the wasteland - calls them. You guys don’t get out much, do you?” He asked, looking at the nearly perfect chamber in all of it’s apparent safety.

Twilight sheepishly scratched the back of her neck before clearing her throat and continuing. “That ‘prissy psychopath’ you mentioned was Rarity. And since her element is restored, I take it you found a way to turn around her corrupted generosity?” The mare asked hopefully.

Both Planning and Rainbow’s eyes went towards Storm, who averted both of their gazes and instead looked beside Twilight while answering. He had no idea how she would take this but there was no point in avoiding it. Better just bite the bullet.

“I shot her…” He stated indifferently while watching the leader mockingly fire a toy gun before blowing the nonexistent smoke from its barrel out.

“...what?” Twilight asked, most likely out of instinct rather than a conscious question.

“She gave us no choice.” Storm added. “She was too far gone and it was either her or Dash so…”

“He ended it, that's got to count for something.” Planning tried to assist.

“Okay… just… wow.” Twilight tried to form a coherent sentence while processing this painful truth. “Well… at least we know the uh - alternate will still restore the elements if it needs to come to that…”

Nopony said anything for a couple minutes and the only sound was the coated stallion turning the map off and putting up the tablet. Planning Period raised her hoof like a school filly, but Twilight didn’t seem to take any oddity to it.

“So…” She began slowly as if unsure how to ask the question. “All we have to do is stop these seals and that's it? This thing fixes everything for us?”

“Well, no - not exactly.” Twilight replied before swifty correcting herself. “If we can harness the same power it took to transport Rainbow, then we can ride it back to before these Damned emerged and get to the root of the problem before it even starts!”

It was a contest over who held a more gleaming and determined look of hope in their eyes between Rainbow and Planning now. The lab coat stallion in the corner had a faint smile at the energetic statement from his would-be leader.

“Wow, she can really sell something.” The hospital stallion commented from beside the indifferent Storm. His silence was all it took for the ex-leader to continue. “You know she’s right. Those visions you’ve been having aren’t just caused by me for the sake of fucking with you - I like doing that personally - but anywho that ain’t the point.”

“I’ve got much more evidence and research if you aren’t entirely convinced.” Twilight continued, addressing all of them, but it was clear only one was still skeptical. “But we’ve located another one and need to get on that as soon as the ship repairs are complete so I don’t have time right now.” She turned to Storm then. “Please, just come with us for this one run and see the magic work for itself. You’ll have no doubts, Marked O- I mean, Storm.”

The addressed stallion was now fighting a war within a war inside of his head. Working airships? A whole civilized society? Time travel? What the fuc- His thoughts were swiftly severed upon a tap against his shoulder.

The hospital leader was holding an extremely faded calendar - which was likely decades outdated - and mockingly skimming through it before slamming it shut and speaking. “Looks like you are free, sport! Got nothin better to do except get yourself killed for these pretty cunts, huh?”

Storm exhaled through his nostrils while giving the ex-leader a look which would haunt many normal ponies dreams before looking to Twilight and the anticipating others. By now, the entire chamber had eyes on him but he tried not to think about it while answering.

“Alright, fine. Let’s do this...”

Whether it was the eruption of cheering from the room or that Celestia-awful mock clapping of the leader, Storm’s heart was in his stomach once more as he uneasily looked around at the celebration.

“Wow. You must really be desperate to escape yourself.” The leader commented. “You know this doesn’t change anything, right? I’ll still be here, we all will, and you’ll still be stuck in this. Oh well, better off with the devil you know, huh?”

Storm raised an eyebrow while turning to face his ex-adversary. Normally he wouldn’t have engaged with all these others around but something he said struck him. Plus everyone else wasn’t focused on him at the moment.

“You caught that, eh? Yeah, I said ‘we’ - that’s right, Stormy. I’m not even the worst one so buckle up!” The purple stallion continued with a cackle.

“Storm, you okay?” Rainbow asked, seemingly appearing out of thin air.

The addressed stallion’s attention was momentarily dragged to the prismatic mare only to have his gaze returned to-

Nothing.

The hospital’s leader was gone. Again.

“Y-yeah. I’m fine. Just not a fan of loud noises.” Storm replied, earning a strange look which clearly expressed how little she believed that answer.

Twilight made her way over to the duo with Planning in tow. The lavender unicorn held three small rectangles in her magic - all of which had serial bars and codes on them - which were passed out to each pony.

“Keycards.” She explained, revealing her own by opening her coat slightly. “These will get you into the armory, engine room, and most importantly, your own quarters on the crew deck.”

“Our own rooms?” Planning Period asked. “How big is this ship?” This earned a small chuckle from Twilight.

“Honestly, it's not much bigger than a cruiser class, but it used to be a warship so the rooms aren’t separate.”

“It’s barrack-style quarters.” Storm elaborated for the would-be princess, earning a slightly surprised reaction alluding to him being correct. “Bunk beds and cramped ass spaces.”

“You certainly know these vessels.” Twilight commented. “Did you used to work on these before?”

“No.”

The look Twilight gave him was a plea to continue but he wouldn’t. “O-okay then. Um, let’s get down to the engine room and see how the repairs are coming along.”

The engine room could be heard long before seen by the group. Rhythmic hissing of pistons, stressed from what was most likely running off of old or scavenged parts, but croaking themselves along as if they believed in this cause. Metallic bangs and clanks resounded throughout the cramped and industrialized hallway the group was now moving through but the exact origin of the sounds weren’t visible for the time being. A couple turns and an elevator ride down finally marked the short journey’s end as the three mares and stallion found themselves in what was without a doubt the biggest area of the ship.

In the center of the massive room - which made the research chamber look like a baby brother in comparison - was a titanic wheel that had glass vats containing each brightly glowing color of the rainbow. The wheel turned slowly, enough for Storm to make out each color and confirm that they were in fact all the basic colors on the visible spectrum. Two still ‘cuffs’ were connected to either side of this wheel which led to a network of huge brass pipes that branched off into the walls of the ship - and leading to the turbines as Storm already knew. Black and bronze catwalks accompanied each and every pipe for maintenance, creating a spiraling network of elevated floors all working in tandem thanks to lifts on various points in the room.

If the sound wasn’t enough to drive a pony mad, the smell was another story. A concoction of oil, lubricants, and whatever was in those vats swept through the room, eliminating any pleasant thoughts of a previous meal or future one to those in it. Storm noticed that a few of the ponies on this deck were wearing similar apparel to the ones on the tram and retained the same stoick expressions, allowing him to infer that they weren’t the lighthearted or easy going type. Scattered throughout the mess of blue collars were a couple lab coats, even less security personnel, and a sliver of oddballs - most likely family members - that milled about, assisted, or supervised the work being done to keep the metallic heart of the vessel beating.

“There she is.” Twilight nearly shouted to point out, both verbally and literally with a hoof, and in turn breaking Storm out of his examination of the place.

On the first set of catwalks above the ground floor was a small Earth pony mare who was paying them no mind - not that she could with the chorus of industrialization ringing throughout the room. The mare had an extremely light beige coat, with the tan side winning over the brown, a medium length snow white mane which was done up in a bun or weave-like style at the top of her head - which was concealed by a bronze welding mask. She was taking a welding tool to a missing piece of the railing she appeared to be installing before the sparks finally dissipated and her job appeared to be on hold when a hoof went up to her Tethertech.

Twilight had asked the mare about to come down through a voice channel, prompting the mentioned mare to snap her head down to the small crowd below. Upon seeing the group gathered underneath her, the beige mare’s legs began to buckle slightly, which Storm noticed at his instinctual examination of newcomers. This mare took a step forward seemingly without realizing that the railing she had set aside to be installed was on the catwalk floor, as it rolled out from underneath her and sent her tumbling over the side down into the group below. Rainbow nearly tackled Twilight aside to dodge the incoming pony-missile, Planning leapt to the side as well, and the mare above let out a faint scream directed at the pain to come from the decently large drop, but her screams fell short upon realizing that she had landed on something less rough than the ground - or at least to her knowledge.

Looking up and through the welding mask’s slit, she saw that the thing - or rather pony - who broke her fall was the only stallion of the group. He had managed to grab her in a half carry, half embrace which probably looked really embarrassing and awkward to the many lookers from the side and closer catwalks. Most of them just shook their heads or sighed upon seeing her potentially dangerous slip up as they resumed their own respective tasks. A few of them actually laughed at it, one of which mimicked the mare’s slip and earned a few chuckles from those around him.

Quickly, Storm put the mare - who was significantly smaller than himself even by comparison to Rainbow Dash’s own build - down on her hooves which she got to after some brief trouble. The two shared brief looks with only one of them being able to read the other’s face due to the mask. It was then that Storm realized she seemed to be trembling in front of him. Twilight, Rainbow, and Planning returned to the circle as the purple unicorn cleared her throat.

“You’ve got to be more careful, P.” She said, sounding like an emotional mother lightly scolding a foal. “Those materials are valuable and we don’t have any other engineers to take over should you get injured.”

“R-right!” The mare - ‘P’ - whose voice sounded as young as she looked, stammered while removing the mask, revealing her vibrant blue eyes that were nearly hidden behind small rectangular rimmed glasses “I-it won’t happen again, ma’am - I swear!”

“I just don’t want you to get hurt. We already have enough in the medical bay. Did you get Pipe B sealed up?” Twilight asked. P nodded swiftly, earning a thankful sigh from the unicorn. “Good job. Now it’s safe to shock out to our next destination.”

The term ‘shock’ prompted a discussion about how exactly the ship could do whatever that was between Twilight and Planning - a topic that Storm already had explained to him decades prior - so he drowned it out and instead continued his examination of this ‘P’ character. She was a couple steps away from the group and averting gazes with every single one of them, even catching his eye once and swifty turning away. He had never seen such submissiveness or nervousness from one of the planet’s only remaining social creatures so this struck him as odd. Though he couldn’t place why he did this over continuing, Storm decided to avert his gaze from her as well to not intimidate her and judging by his ‘resting bitch face’ as Talos once so gracefully put it, she would appreciate that.

Suddenly, a stallion wearing a blue work shirt and carrying a tablet came up to the group before addressing P and telling her that the vending machine in the mess hall was busted, so off the shy engineer went. As she walked away, the stallion looked to Twilight.

“We really need a new engineer, princess.” He said, practically yelling as if not caring if the other mare heard him or not. “It’s only a matter of time before that clutse injures more than herself. One false step and she could ruin this whole thing.”

Twilight sighed. “P is the best and only option we’ve got after her father. I know she isn’t the most… graceful but she means well - as I am sure your concerns do too.”

This brief interaction let Storm know that this probably wasn’t the first time this mare had been treated this way by her superiors. He couldn’t place it, but looking at the collared stallion in front of him was infuriating.

“So what makes you more capable?” He asked the stallion.

The stallion looked to Twilight then back to Storm before replying. “And you are?” He asked, half out of confusion and half out of anger to being disrespected by a sudden stranger.

“Sick of your shit.” Storm replied passively, earning a surprised look from the faces around - including a few nearby workers.

“Come on, Storm, not-” Rainbow began, turning the mentioned pegasus’ attention away from the stallion.

She was cut off when the stallion put his hoof on Storm’s shoulder as if to get his attention only to have his face quickly slammed into the ground and a blade placed against his neck. Storm had him pinned in a second after the hoof came into contact with him, prompting Twilight to try and break up the confusing scuffle and end the scene that was beginning for the entire engine room. The other stallion wasn’t furious or looking to throw a punch, but he did mouth the words “Paranoid freak” before walking off to wherever he came from.

With a shout, Twilight told the group that she wanted to show them to their barracks before she began leading the way to the engine room’s exit. Along the way, Twilight nudged Rainbow Dash on the side gently before opening a private communications channel with her.

“Is he okay?” The coated unicorn asked low enough to not be overheard by the room’s ambience but loud enough for the earpiece to pick up.

Rainbow sighed and hesitated before replying. “He’s uh… working through some things at the moment.”

“What sort of things?”

“The worst kind. Let’s just say he doesn’t really like others - even before this.”

Twilight nodded. “I think we can get him to come around.” She said hopefully. “It's the least we can do now that we finally have his help.”

Rainbow was silent for a moment. “I tried, Twi. Trust me, it's better to leave it be for now. I’ve been there.” This earned a confused look from the unicorn who nearly bumped into the wall beside the room’s exit in her mental absence.

“Alright, but can you please keep an eye on him - for both his own and my crew’s sake?”

“You can count on it.”

Another tram ride, station docking, and awkward silence between the group later led them to the crew deck - which was where the inhabitants of the ship had their own personal barracks and held the title for second biggest deck on the ship according to Twilight; Now it wouldn’t be obvious due to the cramped hallways flanked by doors every couple of steps similar to the medical deck’s main part.

For Storm, this deck was more or the less the same as the others. Claustrophobic spaces? Check. Occasional and creepy-as-fuck staring? Check. It was all routine until a new element caught his eye.

To his left, the line of repeating doors was suddenly halted in favor of a long window with open blinds, allowing any outlookers insight as to the room’s contents. The floor was a bright green with little scratches of darker shades in it, almost resembling blades of lush grass decades ago. The walls were in slightly worse shape with chipped blue and patches of white fuzz - a sky and clouds. A few custom-made lanterns hung overhead - all of which were vaguely carved into the shape of a smiling sun - with a soft glow to match. Various toys, coloring papers, and even a few electronics were scattered on the floor and few shelving units on the room’s outskirts. Most of this was lost to the stallion who was focused on the room’s center - or rather what was in it’s center.

A row of about two dozen or so cribs were neatly organized and tended to by three mares wearing coats. Most of the foals were sleeping peacefully while one was being fed a bottle of milk, another was being cradled in a mare’s chest, and so on.

“Aww…” Planning coed from beside him at the sight, prompting the rest of the group to stop for a moment.

“Oh, I see you’ve found the nursery.” Twilight commented turning to Storm. “See, we aren’t just some group of mad crusaders. We wouldn’t bring foals along to something like that after all.” She said that with a chuckle like it was some sort of funny joke but to him it wasn’t.

“No, but you brought them into something worse.” Storm replied, not taking his eyes off of the window where he locked gazes with the closest crib-bound one.

It was a colt with the only indication being it’s lack of lengthy eyelashes. The second the colt saw Storm, he started to toss and turn gently, shaking his blanket wrap off part way and attempting to sit up where he reached his forehooves out as if asking to be picked up.

Storm's eyes widened in pure horror when he realized who exactly the colt was.

It was Raine.

No, no, no… Was the only thing his brain could repeat as the word was hammered into his skull over and over again.

At first he thought the eye color was just a coincidence but the rest of the colt’s body made him sure it was Raine. But it wasn’t the exact resemblance that shook him to his core…

It was the bullet wound.

Wound was a light term when most of its head was missing on the far right side, just next to the eye which was hidden when the colt had the blanket wrapped around itself. Even despite it’s mortal wound, the foal kept reaching out and appeared to be giggling in his direction.

Everything else was beginning to be muffled around Storm and replaced with a painful ringing. The girl’s voices, the faint hum of the fluorescent lights above, even his own breathing were all drowned out by the ringing to the point where the stallion had to grab at his head with how colossal the pain had become.

He might have fallen down slightly, but didn’t notice. Somepony from his side grabbed him in a flash to steady his position and were trying to say something to him but even his surroundings began to blur in addition. The ringing hit it’s highest pitch at that point and was starting to become something of a dull roar when suddenly it stopped.

Then everything did.

The roaring ringing, the blurred vision, even Raine was gone and replaced by a totally different foal which was a filly still wrapped in her blanket. Now that the blurring was gone, he was able to finally meet Rainbow’s concerned magenta eyes and was able to hear her voice clearly now.

“Storm! Storm! Can you hear me?!”

The trickle of a thick viscous substance landed on the stallion’s lips, forcing him to wipe up what he already knew was blood with a hoof. “Yeah…”

By this point, Planning and Twilight were just equally concerned bystanders watching the whole thing unfold. Storm tried to ignore their stares as he had been doing all day or so it seemed like.

“What did you see?” Twilight finally blurted out. She might not have meant for it, but her question lacked any empathy or real concern and was instead like a kid eager to hear if they could spend the night at a friend’s house.

“Nothing.” Storm replied, getting his fourth hoof back on the ground to stabilize himself, allowing Dash to let go. “Just a major headache and nose bleed.” His eyes had moved back into the nursery as if to confirm what he saw while responding.

Twilight looked to Rainbow and then Planning as subtly as possible, asking for answers with her eyes. Planning knew something was up but didn’t know exactly what but Rainbow’s returned gaze seemed to hold more. “R-right. Back to it then.”

A few more moments of walking through mirroring hallways and flights of stairs later led the group to what was the bottom level of the crew quarters. By now, Storm had noticed that each doorway had its own dry erase board with the names of the inhabitants - which appeared to be two per room as shown by the sectioned horizontal bar in between - but this deck only had a couple rooms with filled out boards while a majority of them were blank. Finally, the four of them came upon a door where the white board only had one name which was ‘P.’

“We like to preserve as much space as possible for future newcomers meaning each room is set up like a dorm for two inhabitants.” Twilight informed. “So I’d like to ask that you three do the same as well. This is P’s room,” she pointed towards the plaque. “but her case is a bit… different. She doesn’t do well with new friends and is extremely shy so could you choose the next empty room instead?” Twilight asked, looking at Storm who nodded as if there was nothing to it.

“I could bunk with her.” Planning Period offered. “She seemed nice and I think we’d get along.”

Twilight smiled. “Thank you. Oh, and please be patient with her, she’s… a bit clumsy at times.”

Rainbow tried her best not to snicker upon remembering the catwalk earlier while Planning wrote her name on the board and stepped inside the room. The lavender unicorn turned to the remaining two pegasi as she gestured to the blank-slated room across the way.

“I guess that leaves you two then.” She said before looking exclusively at Storm. “But I should warn you about Rainbow’s snoring.” This earned an amused smile from the speaker but not the subject.

“Great.” Storm replied monotonically while writing his name on the board before handing the marker to Dash so she could do the same.

With that, Twilight opened the door and stepped inside with them in tow. Storm had gotten a brief glimpse at the room when Planning opened her own, but now he got to see it in full swing. At the far wall of the dorm-sized room was a set of bunk beds which were dug into the wall, sporting sunken mattresses, thin sheets and a single pillow per bed. An industrial ladder sat at the bed’s right side for access to the top bunk as well. By the pillows were cutouts where a single alarm clock was stationed with room for more personal items should the bed’s user have them.

With a light huff, Rainbow Dash plopped herself down on the top bunk and sighed at the feeling of being on a real mattress again. “It’s no cloud, but it’ll do.” She said while resting her forehooves behind her head.

To the room’s left was another door with a sign that read ‘bathroom’ and though it’s contents were closed off at the moment, most could infer as to what they were. On the right was a custom-made and to date calendar with an older looking clock shadowing it. Underneath all of this was a large trash can which was fitted into a cutout similar to the headboards on the beds. Storm then turned to the wall where the front door was to find that an electronic board of sorts was placed above the door. It had moving parts on the screen which read a tram schedule, what the mess hall was serving, and a few other things which he didn’t have time to read at the moment. Looking down allowed him to be met with the first thing in this place to peak his interest in a positive way - a workbench.

This bench was much nicer than his own as it was made of newer parts, shined to a chromatic perfection, and had brand new - even custom - tools to tinker with. Three adjustable lamps sat overhead on the backboard, which illuminated the rest of the back where a pinboard for blueprints, a tool rack, a screw and small components nest, and a couple empty shelves were nestled. As for the actual bench part, it was mostly a flat surface but it had two metal arms to hold up a project which were tucked into cut outs in the board, making the bench completely flat at the moment. Underneath the whole spread of an engineer’s dream was a single rolling stool with padded cushion seating.

“Do you like it?” Twilight asked from the side, noticing Storm’s trance stare at the workbench.

“Where did you get all this?” He asked robotically as if that question hadn’t even registered entirely.

“Here and there. Not all of the rooms have one this fancy but I reserved this one just for you!”

Storm began to drown out the apparent ‘Marked One’ praise and moved on to the next of the room’s contents, which happened to be a few slabs of solid yellow steel welded together to form an ‘X’ shape. Small hooks and straps hung at the end of each point - all of which were adjustable. A suit rack. Once again, it was fancier and new than his own back at the lighthouse. Capping off the tour of the room was a set of double drawers on the other side of the rack where two locks were built in and matched keys sat atop.

Despite how practical and nice the room was, something wasn’t sitting right with the stallion. Besides the fact that he hadn’t checked for any listening devices hidden, the casual allowance of him being fully armed and suited up on the same deck where ponies slept and a nursery was located didn’t add up.

“Why are you okay with me being armed in the crew section of the ship?” Storm finally asked, turning to Twilight, who looked as if she didn’t understand the question.

“We trust you and know you’ll do the right thing. Besides, we wouldn’t want to mess with your gear and get in the way.” She replied.

Okay, sure. We’ll go with that for now…

Twilight clapped her hooves together once as if to break the silent ice. “Okay, well then, I’ll let you both get settled in. We leave for Fillydelphia in an hour - and there is a high possibility we run into another seal to break! I’ll show you to your groups and we can get one step closer to salvation!”

“An hour?” Rainbow asked, sounding more like a whine. “I’m ready to kick some flank now!”

Twilight chuckled. “I see you haven’t changed much either, Rainbow Dash. And hopefully this time we can... help the seal bearer but we’ll just have to see how it goes. I’ll call you both up here when it’s time.”

Both pegasi nodded before Rainbow laid back down on the bed getting ready for a quick and well deserved nap. Twilight had her head out the door before she sudden spun around and faced Storm. “Oh! I almost forgot. I’ve got something that might help you with your… headaches.” She said, quickly substituting the last part as to not disturb Rainbow.

Storm raised an eyebrow but after checking to see if Rainbow had caught on to the true meaning behind the conversation, he followed out of the door. Along the way through the hallway back, the duo caught a glimpse of Planning and P’s room where the door was open and the grey unicorn was busy organizing a few things much like her organized name suggested. Once they were clear of both rooms, Twilight spoke up.

“I know you're not just having headaches,” She blurted out matter-of-factly. “They’re hallucinations instead if not in addition.”

“How do you know that?” Storm asked, still focused on their destination.

Twilight was quiet for a moment. “My… brother had the same thing happen to him. He was the one who started what we now call the ‘Runners’ and went on many runs himself to get us supplies and new recruits. Shining was… never the same after those. Every time he got back we could see it…”

“See what exactly?”

“He was… different. Not himself anymore. He looked tired, stressed, defeated even. Both his wife - my sister in law - and I saw it clearer than anypony. He kept falling asleep in the mess hall before he started avoiding our table all together and sitting by himself. Anytime somepony accidentally or purposely snuck up on him, he would almost knock their teeth out then and there like some sort of instinct.”

“Yeah, sounds familiar.” Storm grunted, trying his hardest to push back the warnings of his friends which were playing on repeat in his head now.

You need some time off, man - you’ve been spending too much out there…

You need a break, hon…

Killing yourself isn’t going to get us anywhere…

“It was like parts of him started to break off every day,” Twilight continued, severing the voices in his head. “And we knew he couldn’t take it for much longer. For Celestia’s sake, we couldn’t take it much longer. So we got him help. His wife, Cadence, had been working on a spell that let her look into a pony’s life - or more specifically their past. An entire lifetime could be shown to her in just a few seconds in our own time.”

Watch my life go by? Fuck that. Storm thought. He winced at the mere thought of anypony new knowing more than his name.

“She used this to find out why he had changed and it horrified her, but it was necessary. Together, we were able to create a… wall - of sorts for his mind to push back or more accurately block out those painful memories for as long as that wall held. When Shining was ready, we would drop parts of the wall to let him face those memories but this way it wasn’t all piled on top of his psyche and he could manage them.”

“Did it work?”

Again, the unicorn was silent as if something was holding her back. “We don’t know.” She finally replied. “Shining… passed before we were able to actually get results.” The last part seemed like taking a knife to her own tongue while spitting it out.

“I’m sorry.” Storm replied. It sounded dull, as if he didn’t mean it, but that was just how his tone was now - even when he tried to avoid it.

Twilight sniffled and he assumed her eyes were watery despite being behind the mare so he couldn’t confirm. “I-it’s fine. Just been a while since I’ve brought it up. Anyway, I uh… think we can do the same for you-”

“Why?” Storm had subconsciously if not rather harshly cut her off.

“Because you are a friend.”

Seriously?

“Okay, look,” Storm began, stopping in his tracks and prompting Twilight to turn around as well. “I might eventually buy this time travel and superweapon deal, but you can stop pretending like I mean anything more to you but a false prophet.” Twilight looked hurt at this and had an expression which displayed an internal conflict between rebuttling and tearing him a new one or listening.

“W-what? No, why would you even think like that?!” She asked, deciding to go with a more careful and controlled approach.

“Nothing in this world is free - especially help. How stupid do you think I am?”

“What is your problem? I’m trying to be nice but I can’t if you think everything we do is to cause harm! Don’t you want any friends?” Twilight asked before Storm’s facial features froze - hardened even as he was trying to hide something.

“This is a road you do not want to go down with me right now...”

Twilight sighed. “That is exactly why we need to help you. And we do care, but we can’t do much good if you don’t let us help! Not just because we need our ‘prophet’ at one hundred percent, but because we want our friend to be at the same!” The look on the stallion’s face clearly displayed that he wasn’t buying it, but thankfully she wasn’t in the mood to debate it any further. “Just… follow me - please. We can revisit this later...”

By now, the duo had made it to the tram station where an uncomfortable silent ride and equally quiet trip back to the research deck ensued. The staring returned once the research staff were able to see Storm once again, but this time he met each one with a warning look - a product of the recent buildups in his mind - that managed to ward off most others but a few were either too stupid or infatuated to get the message. This trip was also different from the last in another way - the route. Instead of heading to the deck’s heart, which was the chamber, the duo were going down a winding path of more elegant looking hallways with paintings, a faded red carpet, and even a few pieces of crystal pottery here and there. A sign hung overhead of the only door at the end of the hall which read ‘trauma ward.’

Great, I’m a real headcase now…

Twilight knocked on the door a few times before a female voice told her to come in. The door opened, revealing a room more akin to the hospital section of this multi-layered deck minus the red floor. As for the contents of said room, they resembled more of a therapist’s office complete with the shrink’s chair and desk combo, an adjustable seat for the patient to sit up or lay down and vent, but that was where the similarities ended. The rest of the room looked like some high school ballroom reject with vibrant crystal ornaments and picture frames - one of which had a slender pink alicorn and a well built white unicorn stallion. This picture looked old - really old as in the old world.

Currently, both the shrink and patient chairs were occupied by their respective users with that same pink alicorn sitting in the shrink chair and some yellow mare in the other. The alicorn’s eyes were closed tightly in concentration while her horn glowed a stream of magic into the other pony’s head. This other mare appeared to not be in distress or pain of any kind and actually had a rather pleasant expression on her face each time the magic beam ‘pulsed’ into her head like some sort of scalp massage. A few short moments later, and the beam suddenly was retracted into the unicorn's horn before both of the girl’s eyes were opened.

“It works, it really works!” The yellow mare beamed excitedly, not even noticing the two newcomers in the room. “I can’t hear Steel anymore! Thank you so much, Princess!” She then jumped and embraced the significantly taller alicorn.

“It’s the least I can do!” The alicorn replied. “Love won’t wither away on my watch! Tell me if any of the unpleasantness comes back surrounding your late husband and I’ll handle it.” She promised while letting go of the mare.

This was when the two noticed the presence of Twilight and a stallion who was nearly as tall as the alicorn herself. The purple unicorn had a smile plastered on her face while the stallion looked… hollow - indifferent to the whole thing as if neutrality was his personality. The alicorn smiled to greet both of them, only one of which returned it.

“So you do know there is a door at the end of the research chamber, huh?” The alicorn commented playfully while looking in Twilight’s direction. “I swear, you only talk to us in the mess hall nowadays.”

A sheepish grin and light blush dawned on the once purple unicorn’s face as she replied, “Very funny, Cadence. Things have just been… chaotic lately, but hey - on the bright side, we finally found him!” A cheerful hoof extended towards Storm, nearly making him jump.

The alicorn, Cadence’s, pupils widened slightly upon hearing this as she looked from the uncomfortable stallion then back to Twilight. Just a few short seconds of looking him over told her everything. He was battered, beaten, and clearly not in a ‘singalong’ mood.

“You’re the Marked One?” Cadence asked, as if she meant the question rather than using it as some sarcastic joke.

“Really wish you all would stop calling me that.” Storm deadpanned.

“It’s him, I’m sure of it this time!” Twilight exclaimed, while grabbing Storm by the shoulders only to move a hoof down towards his helmet activation button before the plates assembled around his head. It took the stallion all he had not to swipe the enthusiastic mare off of him so he waited patiently as the helmet assembled to give the alicorn a good look at his visor.

“Great, we’ve all confirmed my helmet shape. Can you stop touching my shit now?” Storm asked sarcastically before deactivating the helmet. The shine in Cadence’s eyes upon seeing his visor unnerved him, but that was becoming a recurring theme around here.

More ‘tsking’ to Storm’s right rang out, prompting him to turn and be met none other than the late hospital leader, who looked like he was holding in a laugh.

Oh for fucks sake…

“Now is that any way to talk to a lady, Stormy? I knew your table manners were a little rough but this? You’re starting to act like I do - er, did!” There was that awful cackle.

“Um… are you okay?” Cadence asked, breaking Storm’s gaze away from the other stallion.

“No, not really.” He admitted, “I’m this close to taking a swing at something that I’m not even sure exists at this point.”

“Well then, come get some, tough guy!” The leader dared playfully.

“What are you seeing right now?” Twilight asked from his other side.

“Go on,” The purple stallion continued. “Tell em all about me, sport.”

“... an old… friend.” Storm said, putting a rather unnatural emphasis on the ‘friend’ part. “Can you shut him up? Just tell me what I have to do in return.”

Cadence looked confused before she replied. “Do? You don’t have to do anything, but I can help you get rid of these halluc-”

“Bullshit.” Storm interrupted. “I don’t like fine print, just tell me what you want in return.”

The confusion on the alicorn’s face was met with a tang of hurt at the sudden snapping of the newcomer. Twilight met her gaze, trying to give some sort of nonverbal answer without inciting anything. Then an idea seemed to present itself on the lavender unicorn’s face.

“Okay, you got us…” She began, trying her best to sound serious. “In exchange for Cadence’s help, all you have to do is accompany us on the next seal. Then we’re even!”

“You could have just said that earlier.” Storm replied, his patience thin for whatever these two were pulling. “I’ll do it, but first I need to know exactly what you are going to do in there.” He continued, looking at Cadence, and motioning to his head with a hoof.

“It’s simple really, I’m going to search for the source of your hallucinations and put up a magic spell to keep them at bay. Then when you feel ready, I can… open parts of it to let some of it through so you can make peace with whatever it is and move on without the wall.”

“It’s not going to be pretty.” He warned, still looking a bit uncomfortable at the whole thing.

“Excuse me?”

“My head.” The stallion elaborated. “Just don’t dig too deep or you’ll see what I mean.”

Cadence let out a faint sound like a chuckle. “You sound like my husband did when we first performed this. I swear, I’ll just find the source and leave - nothing more.”

Storm seemed to hesitate when the pink alicorn offered a hoof towards the patient chair - not because of her, but rather because of the purple and black stallion who was in the shrink’s seat. He sunk into the cushions, put his forehooves up behind his head, and let out an exaggerated sigh of contempt.

Finally, Storm took the short walk to his respective chair, removed the Sweeper from his back and eased his battered body into the angelic cushion. Though he could barely feel said material, it sure as hell beat being on his hooves, holding up his frame and a metal suit, that was for sure. He closed his eyes momentarily as if out of instinct to either the soreness or solace and when they opened upon realizing he had involuntarily let his guard down around two strangers, the hospital leader was gone.

Cadence took a seat opposite from him in the shrink’s chair. Her previous expressions had been that of joy or confusion at times but she looked serious now. This couldn’t be good.

“One more thing…” She began, looking into the tired purple eyes. “This spell isn’t a way to destroy or avoid your trauma. It merely puts it on hold until you can funnel it out on your own terms and overcome it. I have no idea what would happen if you tried to keep the wall up forever, but my limited knowledge in psychological studies says it would be rather unpleasant.”

“Got it.”

The alicorn clapped her hooves together like a coach attempting to break a team meeting as her beaming smile returned. “Wonderful, I’m ready when you are. Just close your eyes.”

Storm exhaled then nodded. It wasn’t fair how easily his body could do just that on it’s own, but now that he was being asked to do it, his eyelids were reluctant to shut. Nevertheless, he managed to seal them just as a faint sound began to emanate in front of him - which was likely Cadence’s horn. A slight tickling sensation hit his forehead as the beam dug itself into his head - a process that was rather painless surprisingly. Now that this ‘beam’ was in his head, it felt like an annoying itch but it was better than the alternative.

Twilight Sparkle watched in wonder at the process before her. Sure, she had seen it probably three dozen times, but it didn’t get any less interesting. Both Cadence and the stallion’s bodies were still, their eyes clamped shut, and a single beam of magic connected their heads. This beam pulsed calmly as it snaked to it’s destination, looking like a show of dancing Hearth’s Warming lights on a string.

Her Tethertech beeped, prompting the mare to open it’s holographic screen and check to see the notification, which was more information on this next seal. Twilight began to quickly skim through the material more as a way to pass the time, knowing full well she would memorize it later anyw-

Cadence let out a pained gasp, breaking Twilight away from the screen and forcing her to close it. The pink alicorn’s cheeks were a river of tears, which escaped her closed eyes and trickled into her lap, but she never stopped the spell or opened her eyes. The pained noises began to sound like she was on the verge of sobbing now, making Twilight want to shake her out of whatever discomfort she was currently experiencing but she couldn’t.

A few moments which felt like years to the unicorn passed until the magic beam was retracted before Storm and Cadence’s eyes shot open. Cadence sniffled, levitated a tissue to her muzzle and wiped away the fresh tears and traces of snot.

“Did it work? Are you both alright?!” Twilight asked.

Cadence couldn’t speak so she nodded instead after a moment of despondency. Then the alicorn turned to Storm.

“I’m sorry…” She whispered, her upset tone clear.

“How deep did you go?” Storm asked as if her sincerity meant nothing.

“Just a year or so.”

“... Well, I don’t see or hear anything. Maybe it did work… thanks…” The last word felt strange - alien even as it rolled off the stallion’s tongue.

“Storm, go get some rest. You’re going to need it for what comes next.” Twilight advised, keeping her gaze locked with her sister-in-law’s. After yet another hesitation, he left the room and headed for the tram station.

“What did y-” Twilight began only to be cut off by a choked voice.

“Everything…” Cadence interrupted, holding back more tears. “I’ve never seen anything… like him.” This earned a puzzled look from Twilight. “I didn’t have to look for the bad, Twilight. It was everywhere. I had a harder time looking for positive memories. For every one I found, I had to shift through twenty horrible ones first.” The alicorn’s voice sounded broken as if she was reliving everything.

“Worse than Shining?” Twilight asked, shuttering to remember how the outside world had changed her brother.

“Worse than Shiny.” Cadence confirmed. “You don’t understand, Twilight, he has so much… anger. So much hatred and… sadness in him. I don’t know if that wall will help much if he can’t face it. The wall will make it worse - way worse - if he doesn’t.”

“What? I thought it was safe.” Twilight asked.

“It is! But he hasn’t come to terms with anything. Not just in the past year, but his entire life! That is a boiling pot waiting to explode!”

“Then we’ll help him through it. All of it. That’s what friends do.” Twilight replied rather confidently after a moment of unsurity.

“I… I don’t know if that's possible…”

Both mares were silent for a moment. Twilight absently kicked at the metal floor while lost in thought and Cadence cleaned herself with yet another tissue.

“He’s our only hope.” Twilight started up again, rather spontaneously. “Our only hope to fix everything. If we are his only hope then so be it.”

Author's Notes:

Chapter 16 is finally here! I want to apologize for the delay in this but I do have good reason. First of all, School has recently started up for me and with it being my senior year and all, I’d like to put it as my top priority so this story has to take the backburner for now. With that being said, I do still intend to at least attempt my one chapter per month goal, which is getting increasingly harder with the length of the more recent chapters. Hell, this one is over 18,000 words! But that is about it. Be patient with me and the reward will be worth it.

As for this chapter itself, I want to make one thing very clear. No character is able to look into my mind or read the script to know everything, meaning every single one of them is technically an unreliable narrator. This is most clearly shown in the differences between Twilight and Rarity’s explanations of the future, which neither of them could be right for all y'all know. Once again, this chapter is full of subtle foreshadowing if any of you can spot it then let me know about that or your predictions for the future below!

Even with all of my life going on, the responses I get, showing people care about this story is one of the main things keeping me going, so thank you all.

Chapter 17 - "Sympathy"

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“Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it.”
- J.K. Rowling

The world was a blur.

The feminine voice on the intercom overhead, the faint screeching of the distant tram breaks, the subtle buzzing of a horn’s glow as said horn’s owner was levitating a scalding cup of coffee to their lips - all of those sounds seemed to mesh together now. It was impossible to pick one out from the other, but the mentally recovering stallion still tried.

He had no idea why, but at the same time, he did. The beep of the intercom could easily mask the boney, fleshy hoovesteps of something just around the corner. The hum of magic could have been used to grasp a sniper rifle - one that was fixed to his own head - rather than a simple and harmless cup of coffee.

Storm couldn’t place it. He had hated the sounds of the outside world - with the sole exception being his usually filtered breathing - but now that those sounds were gone and replaced by what a few might call ‘normal,’ he almost wished for them to return.

At least he was used to the old noises of the world.

He couldn’t win. The stallion knew that all too well, but he didn’t sulk in the tragic truth. He was a realist. He took things how they were, how they came, and moved on to whatever reared its head next. No matter how good or ugly. Nevertheless, he couldn’t shake the feeling.

It felt wrong.

The voices, the visions, the headaches - they were all gone.

But it still felt wrong.

The world was too quiet now. Too still. Too normal.

That wasn’t all either. The anger, the sorrow, the hatred - whatever else remained in his mind was fuzzy. Blurry, more like it. The feeling each emotion gave off still remained, but the exact reason for each respective emotion felt like it was being chipped away. Like a scratching against his brain that was somehow euphoric and agonizing all at once.

It felt wrong. So wrong.

He tried to think of something - anything - to try and fix it. The hospital group, his friends, Hell, the stallion’s mind went just about everywhere except for that place to try and get a response from his emotions.

Nothing. They were still absent.

And he didn’t feel anything. No hatred of the hospital group or it’s leader. No regret or guilt for his friend’s fates. Not even the creeping thoughts regarding a certain cyan pegasus’ arrival could evoke anything from him.

What the fuck did she do to my head?! Storm thought. Even his own inner voice didn’t sound angry. Just distressed if not curious at most.

Even with the knowledge that this ‘wall’ was up in his mind, the stallion was completely expecting the hospital leader to turn up any moment and blab on about how he could never escape from them or something normal to him. Subconsciously, the stallion looked around every once in a while for his ex-nemesis or a familiar bloody colt, but they never came. Everything in front of him was real. The squeaky clean white hallway, the medical equipment beeping softly to his right and left in the rooms, the conversations of others around him were all very much real.

So why did it feel wrong then?

The mare who had taken this treatment before him had said something about the ‘bad’ being gone with somepony he presumed was her husband. But she said that the memories themselves were gone. Storm’s, on the other hoof, were not gone. So why the different outcomes for two different ponies despite the same spell being used?

He didn’t want to think. It was confusing to think at the moment.

Just keep walking… the mentally deteriorating pegasus told himself. Get to the room and figure it out from there…

The electronic lock beeped upon one of its keycards being entered into the respective slot, opening the corresponding door to the small room. The armored stallion stepped inside only to be greeted with the same sight as earlier. Rainbow Dash was fast asleep on the top bunk of the two, snoring softly with a hoof over her eyes, to not be disturbed in case the lights were to be turned on - which they were. She grunted in her sleep and stirred slightly, but fell back to the embrace of slumber quickly as her last name suggested.

Normally, Storm would have been slightly agitated at the fact that he couldn’t mess with his equipment due to a sleeping inhabitant a few steps from his workbench, but he wasn’t. Instead, he decided to find some way to pass the time but first thing was first.

The stallion rubbed a hoof along his neck where the thick fabric choked at his collar. A piece of steel plating was practically digging into him after being messed up during the last encounter outside. Storm knew he couldn’t live inside the damn thing forever and needed to take it off, which was something he wouldn’t dare do on the first day - if at all - at any foreign place, but his head apparently removed the fear aspect of his mind too.

A pressurized hiss of air, a few strap unbucklings, and sliding of armor fabric later, the suit was completely off of his body and hanging on the rack adjacent to the workbench. Storm stretched his forehooves out, hoping to remove some of the soreness coursing through his battered body. He felt a brief sense of relief when parts harmlessly popped and settled along his muscles, but the relief was soon replaced by aches.

An interested, if not mocking whistle came from behind and slightly to the right of him, causing Storm to turn around and be met with Rainbow’s tired magenta eyes and a smug grin.

“Putting on a show are we now, Mr. Biceps.” She chuckled, confirming the mocking part of the whistle prior.

Storm ignored her and unfolded his right wing, reaching half-span, and stretching out each feather before storing the feathery appendage at his side once more.

“That's it?” Rainbow asked, raising a brow in serious puzzlement. “No eye roll, no witty reply or telling me to fuck off?” She asked, making her voice deeper in an attempt to sound like the target of her antics for the last part. Her only response was a slight shrug from the stallion. “Did… did something happen?” Rainbow paused, taking a more careful approach to the question.

“No.”

Rainbow’s confused expression now held a knowing look to it as if she was nonverbally calling bullshit. “Really? Where were you the past twenty minutes then?”

Storm sighed. “I was checking the place out. Not exactly a fan of cramped quarters.”

“I hear you there.” Dash agreed, hopping off of the top bunk and landing rather gracefully on all fours.

The stallion turned around to examine the workbench beside him in more detail, only to be met with a surprised gasp.

“Woah! What in Celestia’s name happened?!” Rainbow asked, her voice cracking slightly at the shock of the apparent situation.

Storm froze. His eyes widened, but thankfully, the freaking out mare couldn’t see that from behind him. He had completely forgotten about… those. Whether it was the recent ‘fucking’ with his mind or just how deep the memory was buried, he didn’t know.

“What?” He asked, trying to sound indifferent or unaware to the situation.

“What?” Rainbow repeated before stammering a response. “Y-you’ve got cuts all along your back and all you can say is ‘what’ to that?!”

Just as the mare had claimed, a string of uneven cuts and scars littered the stallion’s back - right in between his wings and nearly reaching the base of his neck. These scars were an off color grey, making themselves stand out to his rather dull coat. The pattern was random, but they were decently deep. Whatever had made them had intended for them to hurt.

“Oh, those…” Storm replied, trailing off before picking up as quickly as he could formulate a response. “Damned attack a few years back. They caught me without the suit on.”

“Really? I would have believed that but something about you - of all ponies - not being prepared after writing a whole book about them is off.” The mare retorted. She wasn’t angry, but rather concerned to the point where her tone was questioning if not stern in addition.

Fuck. She’s got me there…

“Okay, fine. They’re not from the Damned.”

Rainbow said nothing as if waiting for him to continue, but Storm never did and instead rolled back around to face the bench.

“Well, what are they from then?”

Even though she was facing his back, the mare could see his body lock up for a split second. It was as if his blood turned to ice then and there but was quickly melted under an unseen heat source.

With a sigh, the stallion wheeled the chair back to face her. His seemingly devoid purple eyes were locked on the floor rather than her own this time. His mouth opened, but nothing came out at first.

“How about we discuss something useful instead?” He finally asked, looking up to face her.

Rainbow didn’t know whether to feel concerned or insulted now after being blown off by like that. She had tried to talk to him so many times only to be met with the same brick wall. But for some reason, she kept slamming herself into it, hoping to one day crack it. Knowing that was to no avail at the moment, she decided to roll with it for now.

“Alright. Whatcha got?”

Storm rolled around to the bench again, but went past it this time and reached for a familiar bag next to Rainbow’s discarded suit. The stallion rifled through it for a moment until he pulled out the machine pistol with his tethered appendage. He then levitated a nearby folding chair to the bench’s side - which Dash plopped herself down on.

“If you’re going to be using this thing then you need to understand it.” Storm replied, removing the clip and racking the slide back to check the chamber.

“Understand it? It’s a gun. You point and you pull the trigger. What more to it is that?”

“A lot more actually,” He replied, lacking his usual short fuse with this type of attitude. “You can fire it. We’ve already established that. But what happens when it jams because it’s filled with so much mud and grime?”

“Uh… I clean it?” Dash replied, clearly unsure of her own answer.

“Clean it?” The look on Storm’s face resembled that of a questioning father who had just caught his daughter sneaking out and was waiting to hear her fabricated story, which annoyed the mare “In the middle of fighting? With bullets, bone-scythes, and other shit going on? You’re going to just sit down, throw down a picnic blanket spread, and-”

“Okay!” Rainbow exclaimed, throwing her hooves up in the air in frustration and being on the opposite end of the teasing stick. “I get it! Jeez!”

“Right. All equipment must be maintained at a safe place before and after going out - always.”

“Safe? Did you just call this place safe?” Rainbow asked, before switching to a more playful tone. “It’s starting to grow on you, huh?”

“Not the point.” The stallion replied, brushing off the question as quickly as possible. “Let’s actually get started. I’ll show you how to clean this one and you can practice on the next…”

Half an hour had gone by, resulting in both pegasi’s gear being brought up to functioning standards before the weapons and suits alike were placed on racks to their respective owners. Both suits were shined and clear of any blood. The firearms were cleaned - both inside and out - and tuned up where a worn spring or loose connection was discovered by the would-be engineer of the two. And last, but certainly not least, the blades were wiped and sharpened accordingly.

Even with the deed being done, the workbench still was in use by Storm, who was muzzle deep in a little arts and crafts project of his own. The stallion had discovered a dark blue leather bound journal - which was barely bigger than his pocket sketchbook - in the bottom drawer of the bench. Seeing no initials on the journal, and taking Twilight’s ‘what's mine is yours policy,’ he was in the process of carefully tearing out his smaller sketchbook and Damned catalog to be taped into the new, stronger, larger journal. But it wasn’t the size of said journal that interested him, but rather the internal slot it had for loose papers, writing utensils, and anything he could fit into the slot; way more convenient than a duct taped pencil holder that was for sure.

On the other end of the room, Rainbow Dash was lost in her own world - one also made of pages - as well. The mare was leaned back in the folding chair with a hindleg crossed and slouched backwards for maximum comfort. In her hooves sat a Daring Do book, which she already must have read at least a hundred times prior. Nevertheless, nopony could argue about enjoying a story about some light hearted action especially when the real and very violent deal was within a walk outside the front door.

Only two sounds made themselves known in the small quarters: the first was the soft and occasional swiping of a page being turned, torn, or taped. The other was much more prominent as it was a shuffled playlist playing from the stallion’s earpiece, which had just so happened to pick a slower and more methodical song for the room’s ambience. Rainbow tapped her good wing softly in rhythm with the beat of said song despite - clearly recognizing it well - despite not being the one who selected it in the first place.

Beep!

Suddenly, a brief but annoying chirp emitted from the closed doorway, causing the stallion to turn on a swivel and nearly jump up, while the mare just looked up from her book. To the right of the door, about at eye level, was a small grey box with small holes and two colored buttons - a red and a blue. Storm and Rainbow shared brief glances before the stallion got up from his chair and arrived at the box. Now, he could see that the blue button served as both a ‘call’ and ‘accept’ option while the red button was labeled ‘decline’ and ‘end call’ respectively. Storm pressed the blue button, only to be assaulted by the static-laced voice of Twilight Sparkle.

“Hello? Storm, Rainbow?” She asked.

“Yeah, whats up?” Storm replied.

“Oh, good.” The mare sighed slightly. “Glad that thing somehow still works. Need to get ‘P’ on that later. Anyway, we tracked the signal to Fillydelphia. We’ll be landing in over an hour, so you might want to get something in you before then.”

“Thank Celestia!” Rainbow joined in, tossing her book to the bench before joining at the stallion’s side. “I could eat a barn right about now - that's for sure.”

Twilight chuckled - a sound that made Storm cringe with how much it added to the dysfunctional intercom speaker. “Glad to hear it. Head to the tram station and take the grand staircase. It will lead you straight into the mess hall. I’ll be waiting by the entrance.”

“Got it.”

“See ya in a bit, Twi.”

With that decided, Storm levitated his keycard to open the door. After both Rainbow and himself were through, he swiped to shut it before storing the item behind his ear and in his mane; out of sight from everyone else. Rainbow made her way to Planning Period’s door where she wrapped a hoof on it until the grey unicorn stuck her head out. Dash explained their new destination, invited her along, and soon the three were right behind Storm as they walked.

Planning’s eyes suddenly widened slightly. While continuing on the journey, she leaned over to Rainbow before whispering: “Do you see the scars on his back?”

Rainbow responded with a silent look that clearly read ‘not now’ but apparently neither mare was discreet enough because Storm’s wings folded over his back entirely not a moment after Planning’s question.

A short walk later and the trio had arrived at the crew deck’s tram station, where an open and desaturated staircase was placed. It fit Twilight’s description of grand if shape was the only factor as the color was dull grey and bronze, but the branching paths still matched a typical staircase of the same class.

“Wow…” Planning thought aloud, “This place reminds me of that fancy city I heard about from Miss Rarity…”

Rainbow’s eyebrow rose. “Canterlot?” She asked, meanwhile the group began to ascend the staircase. “Are you kidding? This place doesn’t even compare!”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Because Canterlot is a hole in the ground.” Storm interjected.

Rainbow scoffed playfully. “Jeez, I know a lot of the ponies there were snobby, but isn’t that a little extreme, dude?”

“No, I mean literally.”

“Oh, right…” Rainbow replied, remembering the brief story about the royal city’s fate.

That reminder smacked the conversation in the face momentarily as the three made it up the stairs before it resumed a few steps past. Now the trio found themselves in a two lane hallway - one for entering and one for exiting - which forced them to walk side by side as a relatively large line stood before them.

“What was it like?” Planning finally asked, breaking the short-lived silence, and looking from the other mare to the stallion.

“Don’t look at me,” Storm replied calmly, scanning the crowd. “Never been there before it was blown to Hell.” The grey unicorn turned to Rainbow.

“Me? Uhhh…” Dash replied, trying to find a way to describe it. “It looked nice… I guess. At least Rarity thought so. The ponies there can’t take a joke or prank, so there's that!” The blue pegasus snickered to herself remembering a few of her own hijinks in the mentioned city.

“Is that it? I heard it was the most extravagant place in all of Equestria before… ya know…” Planning added. “It would have been nice to visit it back then…”

Just like the line of ponies in front of the group, the conversation died down as they arrived at the double sliding doors to what was appropriately labeled as the ‘Mess Hall.’ Upon opening the doors, Storm was greeted to what most would have considered to be a miracle, but for him, it was a nightmare.

Ponies.

Ponies everywhere.

More than the ship’s topside deck. More than the tram station. The medical deck, the science deck, even the crew quarters. In what looked like an oversized high school cafeteria, a sea of ponies - in addition to a few other civilized creatures - milled about. Some were in an even longer, more single-file line which led into the kitchen. Others were already seated, chatting and munching away in groups of rounded tables.

Besides the sheer amount of ponies in the room, the stallion did notice one other prominent detail: not a single pony had on a uniform of any kind. No suits, no coats, not even rags. It was impossible to distinguish by occupation as everyone was in deep comradery with one another. The stoick, tired faces and serious attitudes of the tram station and its respective destinations were completely absent.

Though he hadn’t realized it until now, Storm had stopped dead in his tracks, and only noticed so when a certain cyan pegasus nudged him from the side. He also didn’t notice that his heart was going twice it’s normal rate and that in addition, he was staring into the room as if looking for something.

“Over here!” A familiar female voice called out to the trio’s right.

Standing by a decorative pillar with built in trash bins, was the lavender unicorn, Twilight Sparkle. She was lacking her usual labcoat and was cheerfully waving a forehoof in their direction.

With a less than subtle shove from Rainbow Dash, Storm led the trio towards Twilight. Once they arrived, Twilight levitated small cards to each pony. Planning held hers in her magic, Rainbow, in between two feathers of her good wing, and Storm looked over his twice - as if searching for something. When he either came up empty or found whatever he was looking for, the card was held by his tethered appendage at his side.

“Those are ration cards.” Twilight explained. “They’ll be good for two meals each day - one in the morning and one in the evening. Our system will scan them when you pass through the line so that nopony can abuse them, get seconds, and make those… in more need of them go hungry.” With the last part, the unicorn glanced in the direction of a family eating together at one of the tables. Then her attention returned to those in front. “Right, uh - my table is over there…” She pointed to a round table in the center-ish of the room where a pink alicorn, a yellow pegasus, and a few others were sitting. “We’ve got plenty of spare seats, but feel free to sit wherever!”

“Awesome! Let’s get some grub now!” Rainbow declared before taking off to the end of the line - which was significantly shorter now - with the others, minus Twilight, in tow.

The line went by fairly swifty - a sign that the last of the ship’s crew were in it - so it wasn’t long before Rainbow was standing before a young mare with a laptop-like device.

“Card please.” The mare asked, in what sounded like a light Canterlot voice.

“Gotcha.” With that, Dash passed her card to the mare, who swiped in underneath a thin object attached to the laptop. An electronic chime came from the device before her card was returned.

Rainbow was about to move into the buffet-style row of food when she noticed that Storm - who was second to her in line - had just politely refused getting any food and told the card mare he was just checking the place out. Dash let out a huff of air before returning to the line next to the stallion. In one swift motion, she swiped his ration card and gave it to the card mare.

“Here.” She offered, a little more forcefully than she probably should have. “He will have something to eat.” With more emphasis on the ‘will’ part while offering a glare at Storm - who didn’t seem mad; Just slightly agitated.

“Um… o-okay.” The card mare replied after a moment of hesitation before swiping the other card and returning it to Rainbow.

As the two moved along towards the food racks, Dash handed Storm his card back. “Am I going to have to follow you around everyday so that you’ll eat?” She asked seriously.

“You don’t need to worry about me.”

Rainbow scoffed. “Yeah, right back at ya. I guess we’re both going to have to breathe down each other’s necks then, huh?” With that, Dash levitated a tray before lightly slamming it into his chest, earning an eye roll.

“I don’t prefer food that I can’t see prepared.”

“It’s safe, Storm! There are kids eating this stuff too! You think they would poison it knowing that?” When Rainbow got no response, she let out an audible groan before continuing. “I swear, I’ll shove that spoon down your throat if I have to.” Whether or not Dash had meant for it to sound like a more playful threat or not was unknown to the stallion, who was now focused on the contents of the glass-lidded slots before him.

Inside the glass buffet-like counters were food which Storm hadn’t seen for decades. Fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, a whole bin of hay - presumidly for hay fries of hayburgers, and much more. At the further counters were also various meats, likely from small critters previously hunted in the wasteland.

That was one of the many deprived changes to Equestrian ‘society’ - if it could even still be labeled as that - was the practice of carnivorism. Equines weren’t biologically built for eating meat, but for most, it sure as hell beat starvation. Storm had seen worse takes on the new diet such as grilled flesh of a dead partner or straggling survivor that was caught with their weapon down.

“Are you just gonna stare at it?” The cyan pegasus asked from his side. “C’mon dude, dig in!”

And so she did just that. Using her Tethertech, Rainbow grabbed a tray from a nearby stack and began piling on hay - for both fries and the inside of her burger - then buns, an apple, and some daffodils. When the mare got to the meat section, she paused and stared in disgust briefly before mentally shrugging it off and moving on.

Storm on the other hoof wasn’t so eager to ‘dig in’ as his female counterpart had called it. But now that his card had been scanned, he felt obligated to use his portion so that somepony else could abuse the system and make some other family go hungry. Even if the possibility seemed small, the cynical thought never got past his head.

He must have looked over the counters two or three times before finally deciding on what would be the hardest to… alter. He levitated some lettuce, carrot slices, tomato slices, then he was done with the newly crafted salad. Just as Planning Period reached the buffet, the stallion was gone and off to find a place to sit.

Not knowing anypony else besides Dash and Twilight, he decided to sit with them, but didn’t interrupt the two mare’s apparently long overdue catching up. Storm did, however, listen to the conversation. He had found that one could learn more from listening rather than speaking a long time ago. Now, he didn’t detect anything of malicious intent from the conversation - more on Twilight’s part than anything - but he still decided to listen nonetheless. It helped him get his mind off of… others things, all the while getting to know a bit more about each pony.

As he listened, it occurred to the grey pegasus of just how… innocent Rainbow really was. Both she and Twilight reminisced on old memories - happy ones - while catching up on less than happy developments like the fate of someone they knew known as Spike or the purple unicorn’s late brother, Shining. Storm found it strange how carefree she was. There was almost always a smile on her face now, her slightly scratchy laugh overpowered the other dull conversations around their table, and so on.

In a way, her innocence reminded him of Raine and Snow. Clearly, Dash was nowhere near as young or helpless as a foal, but she had the spunky spirit of one that was so excited after learning how to walk. Storm wasn’t sure if he admired or was afraid of this ‘spunk’ and ambition of her character. Something like this was both a blessing and a curse - depending on the side of things she would be on. Those were two traits that were taken from him, which served to make him more cautious - or dangerous as others would put it - but at the same time he suffered from having those traits removed. At least, socially he did. Instead of joining in on the current topic, which was some sort of magic-assisted sporting event held on the ship, Storm sat and picked at his salad. Every lift of the fork or bite made his heart ‘jump’ before the realization that the current bite was safe, allowing him to lower the leaping organ.

Eventually, he had finished the salad long after everyone else had finished their respective meals. Storm had long since stopped eavesdropping on the conversation next to him - as it was deemed safe for now - and started to scan the room around him. The mess hall was on the bigger side of the decks as he guessed it was meant to accommodate every single crew member at once or at least in shifts. The shape of the room was mainly rectangular, with the ceiling being the only exception. Right above where the kitchen line’s entrance, loomed a part of the ceiling that was slanted upwards. This slant gave the big, blocky lettering of ‘MESS HALL’ above a three-dimensional appearance. His search moved on from the ceiling to the ground level, where segmented support pillars - the same doubled functioning ones with trash cans - reached for the ceiling. The bottom of said pillars housed four trash bins each, but the mid-section had something else in it. Or rather on it.

Small engravings of words littered the colossal supports in a seemingly random pattern. Some were up high, like a grown pony’s height, while others barely reached above the stallion’s own fetlocks. With his proximity to these pillars, he was able to make out exactly what was written on these engravings…

Names.

A questioning expression must have been stuck on his face, because the next thing he knew, Twilight Sparkle had addressed him. “They’re… memorials for those we’ve lost along the way…” She elaborated without even having to be asked.

“Graves.” Storm thought aloud. “Just without the bodies.”

Twilight nodded. “We don’t keep the bodies. Not anymore…”

“Well, that's an ominous and vague statement.”

“No! What I mean is we burn them to prevent what is left from being turned…”

“Smart…” He commented but trailed off, realizing that the really low writings must have been made by fillies and colts. Children that had lost their parents…

The table was quiet for a moment, until Rainbow, who sensed the blanket of dread, decided to excuse herself to return both her own and Storm’s trays. Twilight waited until the cyan pegasus was out of earshot to continue.

“We keep the names in here because a lot of ponies like to think that our loved ones are still with us, somehow. I have never seen anything - either scientific or magical - to prove that, but the thought is what allows many of them to get to sleep at night and get up the next day.” When she finished the thought, Storm had begun to subconsciously scan through the mess hall’s inhabitants or rather their expressions and actions.

They all seemed to be at least content, a few were genuinely happy, and only a slim picking of frowns filled the crowds. In his search, he even saw that young beige mare from the engine room rubbing one of the higher names on a far way pillar. A knot began to tighten in the stallion’s chest. He couldn’t explain it, but for some reason, he felt included to get up and make his way to her.

“I’ll be back…” Was all he said to Twilight and Rainbow - who had just returned to the table - before getting up and leaving.

Dash’s magenta eyes held a slightly concerned expression as she watched the stallion walk away. She sighed and was about to stand up when a purple hoof stopped her. Rainbow looked to Twilight quizzically, only to receive a: “He’ll be fine.”

In the time he had gotten halfway across the crowded mess hall, dodging tables and such, Storm had noticed that the mare had gone back to a nearly empty table with herself being the only inhabitant. Once he got within fifteen steps or so, he confirmed that the mare was in fact the one everypony called ‘P.’ Her mane was still done up it that bun, albeit a bit more messy now. Her blue eyes were glued to some notebook - which took the priority of her barely touched tray.

It took Storm a moment to realize he had been watching her - no, examining her. He often found himself doing this very same thing to anypony he met in the wasteland; Examining them for traces of malice, bloodlust, basically all of the terrible shit that stained the land, but he was doing the same for this seemingly innocent mare - one who put even Planning’s shyness and awkwardness to shame tenfold. Storm could tell a whole lot about anyone from their body language, way of speaking, or the look in their eyes on occasion. He felt no traces of any of that in this mare.

Whatever she was reading must have been really interesting or at least important. The beige mare was holding her chin up by a forehoof, giving her the appearance of a bored high school student who was lost in a mountain of unfinished homework. She exalted in a stressed manner before turning the page. He guessed that the page alone wasn’t what stressed her after seeing the subtle gesture at the ‘pillar tombs.’

“Hey-” He began to say only to be cut off by a flurry of pages and a feminine scream.

“EEP!” The mare shrieked, scattering a few loose pages and flipping the notebook - which happened to be more of a binder - over. She stared in his direction, clearly terrified at the massive stallion’s sudden entrance.

Both Storm and P looked around to see that the sudden outburst had earned them an unwanted audience - something both of them resented. A few of the onlookers noticed who caused the scene. Some sighed, others shook their heads, and a couple cursed out the mare before returning back to their own conversations.

Okay… Storm thought, drawing out the word in his head. Let’s try this again…

“Shit, my bad.” He started again. “Here let me help.” Then he began tethering the loose pages into a neat pile before trying to sort them for her.

The mare didn’t respond for a moment. Her small chest was pounding as if she was just seconds from death and the adrenaline had worn off. But eventually, she swallowed and choked out a shaky response.

“O-oh, thanks.”

“No problem.” Storm’s eyes didn’t meet her own as he was focused on the sorting act. When the deed was done, he placed the stack in front of the beige mare. “You mind?” He asked dryly, motioning to the seat across from her.

Her eyes widened for a second, and she was silent as if processing the question before emitting a shaky response. “Y-you don’t have to sit with me - if you don’t w-want to…”

Storm’s gaze hardened in question, making the mare try to sink behind the binder cover slightly. “What?” He asked, clearly not understanding the purpose of that statement.

“I-I mean you don’t have to sit here because you feel b-bad…”

“No, it’s fine.” Storm replied, finally finishing with the papers and handing them over. “You looked… lost. And I wanted to help.” The stallion couldn’t even believe the words coming out of his own mouth, but they were his.

“T-thanks…” P said, her uneasy expression still fixed on him. After a moment, the mare was able to break free of her trace and place the pages back in her binder. The table was silent, only the others around it gave the room any ambience save for the sound of pages being slid into their respective slots.

In that time, Storm slid into the seat adjacent to her.

“Name’s Storm.” Then he remembered the gesture Twilight Sparkle had reminded him of back in Los Pegasus, so he extended a forehoof slowly towards the mare. She flinched slightly, but once she realized the hoof meant no harm, she carefully took it in her own.

“P-p-p-p-Persephone.” She stammered in response.

Huh, ironic… He thought as this reclusive mare shared the same name as a definition involving being well liked by all despite what he had seen so far from her ‘crewmates.’

“So, uh… what are you looking at?” He asked.

It took Persephone a minute to process the question before she blinked twice and responded. “O-oh, that…” She fumbled with the binder before sliding it to his side of the table. “These are just a collection of some notes for engineering work…”

Storm had subconsciously started to slowly tune her out while he was examining the notes for himself. A couple blueprints of ship decks, schematics of individual items such as buffet counters, weapon racks, suit repairs, ammunition types, and much more. For each blueprint, there were about five pages of hoof-written notes with certain areas highlighted, others scribbled out and so on. The stallion only had time to skim through the huge binder before his attention was redirected to the mare’s voice.

“Where did you get all of this?” He asked, suddenly seeing the beige mare’s face drop.

She swallowed. “M-my dad. He… he made this binder for me to take over on the ship repairs when he couldn’t... do it anymore...”

Storm immedient knew what she was referring to. For fucks sake, can’t we go ten minutes without death or suffering? He thought bitterly. “You don’t have to… continue with that - I mean.”

Persephone nodded and then sniffled. “N-now I only have these notes a-and I can’t even understand half of it! Do you know w-what it’s like to have to ask others for help on everything you do - even when it should be your job alone? Everypony here thinks I’m just some burden, but I just want to help out!” Something in her changed. Like a dam broke inside the mare, allowing her true colors to flow freely.

“There’s got to be someone on this ship who could have helped you with those, right?”

“I-I don’t know. Nopony else offered to help and those I asked just shooed me away.”

Sons of bitches… Storm thought. Whether it was just time itself or the new mood, his familiar cynical and angry side was finally showing itself.

“I can.” The stallion said. “I’ll help.”

“R-really?” Persephone asked, sounding as if she suspected this was some cruel joke.

“Sure. My grandfather was an engineer in the guard. I picked up a few things from him and a lot more from books over the years.” With that, the grey pegasus began snapping pictures of each page within the binder using his earpiece. “I’ll look over these with you when I get back. And if you ever have a question about any of this stuff, then just ask.”

“T-thank you…” She practically whispered. Storm could see a faint smile on the mare’s face now.

“No problem-” Storm stopped suddenly.

In the back of the binder was a page which caught his attention almost instantly. It was an ATS suit schematic as confirmed by the sleek bold title and gutted suit diagram - which took up a majority of the page - but there was one very noticeable difference to the suit itself: The helmet. More specifically the visor.

His visor…

The purple color - or any color besides the seafoam green of the background and white outline of the suit and title - was absent, but Storm knew without a doubt that this was his suit. The segmented ‘x’ shaped followed by the two extra slits in between each side was unmistakable. He then scanned the rest of the schematics to notice that, for the most part, this suit mirrored his own. The only differences were the changes that he had made over the years, but this was the same exact layout that his grandfather had-

F. B.

The stallion was broken out of his examination of the schematic when his search led him to the very bottom of the page, where initials were written in permanent ink in very familiar penmanship.

His brow must have furrowed or his expression changed in some way because the skittish mare sitting across from him flinched ever so slightly before speaking up.

“W-what?” She barely got out, not liking the expression on his face.

Storm didn’t hear her. He turned the page to find another schematic of the same exact suit but this one was less polished and had multiple sketches drawn either on or next to the outline. A hoof-mounted retractable blade, a shoulder-mounted stunning device, low powered, self-recharging thrusters, it was all there. That and more. Even the signature from the previous page also ended this one. He then flipped to the backside, only to discover a scrap of paper that was stuck to the page with an adhesive material.

There was a brief note followed by some numbers.

Sergeant,

Things have been… crazy lately. I never thought life outside the guard could ever get any better, but it did! My wife and I just had a foal - a beautiful filly - who looks like she’ll be just as tough as her daddy one of these days. Just hope she doesn’t follow my drinking habits. Anyway, Rye reminded me about a stash that I had during my time on the Solstice, and it occurred to me that I never cleaned it out. There are just a couple of papers, medals, and experimental stuff that those headstrong bastards in HQ never bothered to hear me out about in the stash. I gave up all my clearance and am too old to sit through the security process for entering, so would you mind picking up my stuff and mailing it to my address? The safe is protected by magic, but the code will disable it.

The code is the date of my baby girl’s birthday - 10/14/73

Thanks, again.

- Ex-Lieutenant Beryl.

“Y-you found that note.” Persephone said, making it both sound like a comment and a question at the same time. “Twilight Sparkle actually found these along with the safe when she began work on the ship, but we can’t figure out the code.”

“I know it.” Was all he replied dryly.

“W-wait… how?”

“The note’s from my grandfather. So are the suit sketches. He served on this ship during the Griffon war before everything.”

“O-oh…”

“Do you mind if I take these? The ones from my grandfather - I mean.” He asked. “There are a couple of mods on here that might come in handy later…”

Persephone nodded and slid the four pages over to the stallion. He quickly folded them into fourths with his tethered appendage. Storm nodded in thanks before getting up from his seat, forgetting about his salad, and headed to one of the trash pillars furthest away from the table.

Once he arrived, the stallion did a one-over by checking to see if Persephone was watching him. Thankfully she wasn’t and was back to being buried in her studies. With the coast clear, Storm unfolded the papers, found the note stuck to the back of the fourth page, and separated the two. Then he crumpled the note up and threw it in the trash.

Whether it was out of instinct or paranoia, he checked in Persephone’s direction only to look eyes with Rainbow Dash - who was a few tables down with Twilight and the others. She had a quizzical expression plastered on her face as if she saw something but not all of it. Using her head, the mare motioned for him to head over.

And so he did just that. Storm sat down next to Planning and Cadence - who had joined sometime in his absence, which was across from Dash, who was next to Twilight and a yellow pegasus stallion. The other four were engaged in a conversation, giving the two some temporary privacy.

“What was that about?” Rainbow asked, lowering her voice to not attract the attention of the others.

“This.” Storm replied, sliding the papers of his suit and weapon schematics over to Dash. “That Persephone over there is apparently the last real engineer on this ship, so she has all of the blueprints to just about everything.”

“Persephone? The one everypony calls P?” Rainbow asked while looking over the schematics.

“Yeah, though I doubt she ever preferred that nickname.”

“Why’s that?”

“Just a hunch.”

“Okay… uh - I thought you’ve never been here before, so how did you get these?” Dash asked, changing the subject.

“I haven’t, but my grandfather has. My suit is a combined effort of both our work, but I guess he was planning on making one even before the world went to shit.”

“So… what did you do then? Interrogate that shy mare until she told you everything?” The question almost sounded like a joke, but the stallion didn’t find it humorous at all.

“No. I accidentally… scared her and helped pick up some scattered papers. I saw what she was working on and decided to help.”

Rainbow just stared at him. Puzzled. “Why?”

Storm’s expression displayed slight confusion. “Why not? You think I want us to die in my sleep when this thing gets grounded because nopony knows how to keep an engine maintained?”

Dash nodded, then gave the papers back. “Good point… I guess.”

Suddenly, Twilight Sparkle turned away from the four way conversation, and was now facing the new arrival. “How’d it go?”

“It went.” Was all he said before sitting down.

“Everything okay?” Twilight asked with a furrowed brow. “Was the food not good or something? We grow it ourselves in the Hydroponics Deck, so there shouldn’t be any lack of quality or chance or pois-”

“Yeah, I got it.” Storm interjected, halting the mare’s self-worrying rant in it’s tracks. “The food is… fine. It’s something else.” By now, both Twilight and Rainbow’s attentions were solely on him. Luckily, nopony else’s attention was. “Apparently, my grandfather left some sort of stash with personal belongings and such on this ship. In a safe protected by magic.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Yes, I know exactly what you are talking about. We still haven’t been able to crack it. Whatever spell is on the damn thing is extraordinary. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I have the code.” Storm announced. “For the safe. I don’t know about you, but I’m curious to see what he left.”

Both Twilight, then Dash agreed. “Let’s go find out! We’re headed to the armory next anyway, so go get geared up and meet me there!” The purple unicorn excitedly announced, getting up and motioning for the other two to follow.

At the quarters, two pegasi stepped off and made their way to the shared barracks within. A keycard swipe later, and the duo were putting on their respective suits.

Storm already slid his own suit on - a practice that he had mastered years ago - and was checking his shotgun before slinging it over his back. Then the grey pegasus grabbed his Sweeper, unfolded the slab-like barrel to check the weapon, before retracting the slab-plates and doing the same. He quickly unsheathed the hoof-blade and resheathed it.

Meanwhile, Rainbow had just finished with the pesky midsection straps of her suit. It annoyed her to no end that equipping a suit was one of the few things she could be bested in - speedwise. But this annoyance was more at herself than her would-be competitor. And to top it all off, she wasn’t even done. The wing holes on the back were deflated as the mare was in the process of fitting her feathery appendages through said holes and into the grey cloth. One went through fine, but the injured one wouldn’t move more than an inch before brushing up against the steel rim of the hole and sending a shockwave of pain through her body. The injury had evolved from numbness to straightforward pain after a couple of days. Dash winced while softly hissing through her teeth at the feeling.

The stallion a few steps away noticed the noise in the nearly silent room. He was in the process of loading a machine pistol when he heard it. The mare wasn’t facing him, but he could tell by her body language that it wasn’t a picnic to try and put her suit back on. He set down the weapon before closing the short distance and gently putting a hoof on the metallic ring, making her jump.

Rainbow whipped her head around as if to scold him for either scaring the shit out of her or touching her without warning - or maybe both, but she said nothing and instead accepted the assistance. He kept the suit steady and helped guide her wing through while she pushed until the bandaged limb was folded into the fabric covering. When the deed was done, Storm levitated the machine pistol and machine gun to Dash, which she stored on her back as well.

A heavy weight hung in the room’s silence, as if both of them wanted to say something but neither could. After a few moments, it was Storm who broke the silence.

“You sure you don’t want to sit this one out?” He asked.

“No, no, I’m fine…” Rainbow replied.

“Dash-”

“I said I’m fine!”

The stallion put his wings up slightly, in a half mock surrender to the conversation which said ‘okay’ in a nonverbal way. “Alright. But stay by my side. I don’t trust putting either of our lives in any of these asshole’s hooves.”

“You mean the ones like that Trail Hunter? Please,” Rainbow laughed. “He’s all bark and no bite.”

“That’s what worries me. Those like him are dangerous to everyone else around them.”

“Oh yeah? I’ll show him danger if he ever trie-” Rainbow continued, only to be suddenly cut off.

“That's got to stop.” Storm interrupted. He didn’t sound annoyed or ever angry.

Rainbow’s expression held a mixture of confusion and annoyance on the other hoof. “What’s got to stop?”

“You, thinking you can handle anything and anyone.”

Dash’s mouth was open for a brief moment of being stunned at his words before the expression changed, as if she was about to tear him a new one for doubting her awesomeness.

But before she could protest, Storm swifty continued. “You aren’t invincible. Especially out there. Thinking that way gets you killed. So stop it.”

The cyan pegasus had just about enough of her ‘second father’ and his unwanted advice by this point. “Do you get off at being a jerk to everypony?” She snarked with a lowered brow.

“No,” He replied calmly. “But I don’t exactly ‘get off’ at watching everypony around me torn to shreds either. I’d rather you be alive and be mad than be dead and not able to think at all.”

Rainbow’s head hurt. She had been trying to figure this guy out for almost three days now. No matter what she brought up or observed from afar, she couldn’t make any sense of him. One minute, he was blaming her as if she caused his friends to die. Then the next, he was ready to put a bullet in a stranger’s head just to save her. The mare didn’t know how much longer she could take this strange world and it’s even stranger inhabitants, but she had to hold her head up high regardless of the hidden strain.

“Right...” She responded, seeming to trail off briefly while trying to come back from her conscious thoughts to the land of the living. “And… you’re right. I’m… I’m not invincible. This isn’t as easy as I thought…” That part came out strained, as it was something she didn’t like to admit. “But it does me no good to lay down and cry about it. I don’t plan on backing down anytime soon. So, don’t ever count me out!” She added with a spurt of confidence.

Storm eyed her for a moment - not giving off any thoughts with his indifferent expression - before nodding in response. “Okay…” He too, trailed off as if there was more to say, but instead all that came out was: “Just… be careful out there. What you saw back in Ponyville isn’t normal. I’d argue that the ‘normal’ is worse and soon you’ll find out why.”

“I will.” Rainbow replied. Then with a renewed smirk, she added. “You ever have anything happy or funny to say?”

“Nah, I’m just the jerk who only says what is necessary.”

Rainbow couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not. The tone was… well, dry as typical ‘Storm fashion’ but the contents of his response could be taken either way. She didn’t know whether to laugh or just remain silent, so she chose the latter as the two exited - and locked their barracks.

As much as Equestria’s fastest and most brave pegasus would hate to admit it, she wasn’t looking forward to what her stallion companion was dreading in the coming hour. It was like getting a shot when she was a filly. The anticipation was the real killer while the actual shot only took a few seconds then she was back on her hooves - or up in the air with her wings rather - being her usual spunky self.

Another ten minutes and getting suited up later, Storm found himself - along with Rainbow, Twilight, and Planning Period - in the neighboring deck, known as the Armory Deck. This deck was on the more grimey side of things as faint stains of mud, water, or even blood littered the floor due to the traffic of ponies heading to what Storm considered to be the most important place in any base.

The entrance to the armory was the same as all of the other decks: a long hallway with branching paths and doors to places such as a shooting range, security checkout, an ammo forge, and the main armory itself. That is where the group was currently standing; waiting as a suited pony was giving some kind of briefing on how the ATS suits worked to a crowd of about five or six. Storm couldn’t see the actual pony inside said suit as the helmet was up and the voice was muffled slightly. He could, however, tell that she was female and had a similar, if not rougher voice than the cyan pegasus standing beside him.

The suited pony’s presentation ended. The others walked off and she began to store some equipment and weapons, which had also been a part of the demonstration, while her helmet was still up. Twilight led the remaining trio over to her workspace before addressing the suited pony, who turned around and deactivated her helmet.

With the helmet gone, Storm could now see the mare in her entirety. She had a bright yellow coat, yellowish-orange mane that was slicked back to form a flame-like shape, and her eyes matched the same ember shade as her mane. A dual set of scars ran across her nearly middle-aged muzzle in addition. Her expression was an indifferent one which might have rivaled Storm’s own on a good day.

“Ma’am.” The yellow mare addressed Twilight in return.

Then the lavender unicorn turned to the three behind herself. With a giggle, she looked directly at Rainbow - whose eyes had widened both in excitement and possibly fangirl horror - before speaking. “Now I know one of you already knows who this is, but I’d like you all to meet the Runner Captain, Spitfire!”

The yellow mare, Spitfire, gave a brief nod in their direction to her name being called. Her indifferent smile softened slightly upon seeing the rainbow-maned pegasus in the middle. Twilight pointed to each pony as she introduced them, like an elementary teacher introducing a group of shy soon-to-be friends to one another.

Once introductions were finished, Planning Period finally spoke up. Her rushed tone sounded as if she had been holding in a question for a while. “What exactly is a Runner?”

“Glad you asked-” Twilight replied, straightening her glasses, only to be cut off by Spitfire.

“We are the bravest of the brave, the most loyal of loyal, and the backbone of this whole operation!” She boasted in what Rainbow knew as ‘typical Spitfire’ fashion. When Planning’s confused expression was the only answer in the silent circle, the yellow mare elaborated further, in an albeit more dull tone. “Being a Runner is exactly what it sounds like. We go outside the safety of this ship to look for supplies, survivors, but most importantly, the seals. It’s not easy work, but it is necessary for our survival-”

“-And success!” Twilight interjected, receiving a brief glare from the Runner Captain.

“Anywho,” Spitfire continued, pointing a fore hoof at a nearby rack of weapons and suits. “We make runs for whatever or whoever needs them. And now, the Research Staff has located another seal, correct?” She turned to Twilight, who nodded excitedly.

“Any idea what we are facing this time?” Storm asked, budding into the two mare’s conversation.

“Sadly, no…” Twilight replied with a hung head. “The tracker can’t determine which Element of Harmony the seal has corrupted.”

Great. Going in blind it is then...

“My seal - Magic, is broken. The seal of Generosity is also broken. And Rainbow’s doesn’t appear to be a threat or even making itself known at the moment, so we know it is either Honesty, Laughter, or Kindness. Only time will tell.”

“What do we know about it then?” Storm asked, not sharing the mare’s optimism at all.

“Wait until the rest get here. I’ll explain it then.” Spitfire answered for the would-be princess.

“Rest?”

“Princess Twilight didn’t tell you? You’ll be joined by some of my own Runner groups to make this along faster and without casualty… hopefully.” Spitfire explained.

Fucking great. More egotistical jerks.

As if on cue, the electronically locked doors to this portion of the armory slide open, revealing a little less than a dozen mares and stallions with Trail Hunter being amongst them. Almost all of them had short cut manes, stern looks in their eyes, and even a few scars on some. They were all decently built. Even the mares looked like they could put up a fight given the chance.

Hunter had his typical smug look plastered on his muzzle until he locked eyes with Storm’s electric purple ones. Then his expression changed to one of half confusion and half irritation.

“The fuck is this asshole doing here?” He asked aloud.

Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me… Storm mentally replied.

Spitfire inhaled deeply as if holding back irritation. “Get in formation, Hunter.” she demanded in a very serious and commanding tone.

“W-”

“GET IN FORMATION!” She roared, startling Planning and Twilight.

The shamed stallion grumbled to his spot alongside a single crew-cut mare while the other newcomers joined in groups of four. They stood behind Storm, Rainbow, Planning, and Twilight - which was something that made Storm uncomfortable as he didn’t like having his back turned to strangers - before Spitfire addressed all of them.

“Good timing, everypony.” She began, levitating a clipboard to her face with an earpiece. “Now, I know some of group D is missing after the last… expedition.” Her muzzle was pointed in the direction of a sulking Hunter and the other mare. “So, we have found two newbies to take their place for this mission. You two, go join group D.” Spitfire pointed a hoof at Storm and then Rainbow, who both walked over to complete the quad. “Now, everypony has their groups. Here is what you have all been waiting for: the assignment…”

With Twilight’s help, a holographic screen lit up the previously barron back wall of the deck. This screen was a top down view of the city of Fillydelphia, more specifically a map to show the routes and main attractions. This map was almost a mirror image of the seal tracker that Storm had seen in the research chamber as it shared the same color scheme with a pulsing dot representing the signal. The map feed was sped up considerably, revealing that the signal never stayed in one place for more than a couple of hours - at most. It frequently jumped from the shopping districts - located in the center - to the harbor by the sea, then to the residential sector, and again to the industrial area as if it were a hyperactive animal trying to decide on which owner to play with.

“As you can all see, this signal tends to ‘jump’ quite often as opposed to the others we have encountered so far. There is no pattern or constants in it’s path, meaning there is no surefire way to track it down…” The Runner Captain continued. “However, thanks to the combined efforts of Princess Twilight and yours truly, we have a plan to corner it instead. We’ll split up into the four-pony groups which you are already in at the moment. Group C takes the residential, Group D takes the shopping centers, and Group E takes the harbor. This way we can narrow down escape options for whoever - or whatever is emitting the signal and funnel them into our custody. Keep your comms channels open, each other safe, and don’t be a hero. Nothing good ever comes from that... “ Then the mare turned back to a desk with multiple gadgets and weapons on it. “All of you will have signal-tracking technology installed on your ATS suit’s before hoof in addition. Stop by the Kiosk Chamber on your way out the door and don’t let it smack you in the flank. Clear?”

The crew cut ponies and Hunter all nodded plainly, Rainbow Dash energetically, and then most of the gathered crowd was off to do what their commander had asked. Twilight waved Rainbow Dash over to reconnect with Spitfire, which Storm noticed and decided not to impede on. It wasn’t his business, so he’d leave it be.

The grey pegasus turned to follow the others to this ‘Kiosk Chamber’ only to be stopped by a rather firm grip of a hoof on his shoulder. His head swung around and his hoof was milliseconds from swinging at a much faster rate in addition until he noticed the same ego-dramatic stallion from the tram station.

“Storm, was it?” Trail Hunter asked, his tone not eliciting a care in the world. Then he would have continued without waiting for a reply, but Storm stopped that.

“Remove that hoof.” He said coldly, looking the other stallion straight in the eye, despite said stallion being half a head shorter than himself.

Hunter chuckled and did what was asked - no demanded from the other. “I know you’re new here and don’t quite get how things work just yet, so I’ll forgive and forget… all that jazz. Anywho, just wanted to make sure everything is clear before we get out there. Got to know who is in charge to avoid trouble after all.” The stallion sounded like a bully of an older brother with his manner of speaking.

Storm eyed him for a moment. Hunter returned the glare. Both were engaged in what would be considered a more primitive display of male dominance for something along the likes of a mate or territory. Trail raised an eyebrow slightly before picking up where he left off. “I don’t think we are ever gonna be best buds or go out for a drink together. Ya know, shoot the breeze, check out the ladies. That sort of thing… are we?” The question was clearly rhetorical as shown by his mockingly, slightly higher pitched tone. When Storm didn’t reply and only glared on, Hunter let out a fake sigh before picking up again. “Welp. Guess not. Just stay in line and you’ll be fine out there.” Trail went to give a ‘buddy pat’ on the other stallion’s shoulder only to notice his stance slightly change to a combat-ready one - something only ponies like the two would notice. So instead, Hunter shrugged it off and turned to walk away towards the kiosks.

Normally, Storm would have kept his cool when dealing with others egos - hell, he lived with a griffon sporting one and was currently chaperoning a mare with one to rival - but this was more than a matter of pride. This was a matter of survival. He hated the way ponies like Hunter thought. How they acted. How they spoke. Not because they were annoying, at least not solely. But more because they were dangerous. Arguably more dangerous than the very things their race was supposed to be banding together to survive against. Ego’s meant pride. Pride meant poor choices, and poor choices meant death.

For them, for him, for Dash.

For anyone involved.

“You want to keep flaunting your dick around, then fine.” Storm calmly spoke to Hunter’s back, causing the stallion’s ears to point his direction. Whether it was the crude challenge or slight growl that was always present in the grey pegasus’ tone, Trail Hunter turned around to meet it. “Just don’t expect any sympathy when someone or something cuts it clean off.”

Hunter frowned. One eye twitched. His face had a slight shade of red, likely formed by the blow to his pride and addition of his anger. He began to slowly approach Storm, who stood his ground, not moving an inch but mentally preparing for a well deserved smackdown.

“Enough!” A familiar, assertive female voice demanded. Spitfire now stood in the small space in between both stallions. She held one hoof towards the approaching one’s chest before roughly shoving him back. “To the kiosks! Both of you!”

Trail growled before turning and heading to the mentioned destination. Storm watched him leave. No grin of pride or satisfaction on his own muzzle. Just indifference. As always. From slightly below his height, he heard a brief sigh.

“I see you’ve met Trail Hunter then.” Spitfire commented, joining the stallion in watching the would-be fiend leave. “Mind yourself around him. He’s the definition of hothead. And that’s coming from somepony who has the name, appearance, and personality of one.”

“Got it.” Storm replied, barely registering the question. Scenarios of possible outcomes surrounding Hunter’s ‘personality’ and ending in the demise of the few he cared about filled Storm’s head.

Spitfire, satisfied with the brief talk, left him alone and returned to Twilight at the demonstration table. Rainbow had finished catching up with Spitfire and was at Storm's side once more. The mare had a small smile on her face at meeting up with her idol until she noticed Storm's look in the direction of the chamber.

"Hey," She said, following his gaze. "Making friends I see.” The comment was sarcastically playful, but the sarcasm wasn’t directed at him, but rather the retreating stallion.

“No comment.” Storm huffed before joining the now-gathering line to the Kiosk Chamber.

Just as the title had entailed, the Kiosk Chamber was filled with Royal Guard and recolored purple ATS suits for the security force on the ship. The dozen or so crewcut ponies inside were getting into the faded yellow suits and grabbing a small chip-like device - which Storm assumed was the signal tracker - off of a desk. He tethered two chips over, passed one to Dash, then led the two out of the door, where a couple crew cut stallions were leaning against the wall and chatting away loudly.

Storm noticed Twilight waving the duo over, causing him to subconsciously stop and allow Dash to get ahead of him. By the time Storm was moving again, Rainbow was past the stallions, who also noticed her position. One of them whistled, causing a few snickers and follow-up whistles.

Rainbow flinched then rolled her eyes while walking past. “Colts…” She muttered under her breath. As the mare walked away, she was obvious to the sneaking glance the stallions stole at her flank, before a sudden and blinding flash of white dominated their visions. The stallions swore and winced, rubbing their eyes desperately. When their vision returned - albeit with slight splotches - they were met with the cold glare of Storm’s piercing eyes.

Most understood the unspoken warning. A few growled, even fewer swore, and one mouthed something, which Storm didn’t care to keep in his sight for much longer. The grey pegasus turned around upon hearing Rainbow’s slightly distant and very impatient “You coming?” at the armory’s exit.

The two arrived at the lavender unicorn’s side, which was at the opening to a smaller room at the entrance of the deck labeled ‘storage.’ Twilight stepped aside to allow the duo inside. Rainbow stood at the side of the room while Storm approached the object of attention - a small stone safe located at the bottom of a nearly picked clean shelf. A padlock with three sections was held in place at the front.

WARNING: MAGICAL INFLUENCE DETECTED!

His Tethertech displayed a tiny, purple holograph before he mentally closed the box. Now that his earpiece mentioned it, a faint hum of magic was emitting from the safe as well.

“Go ahead.” Twilight said from the back of the room. “It won’t bite. It is just impossible to break the lock or move that safe. That’s all.”

With that in mind, the stallion leaned down slightly to enter in his mother’s birthdate. As soon as the digits had been entered, the faint hum faded, and the lock unlatched. Behind him, Rainbow stood with her head turned slightly to see over his broad back and shoulders. Twilight, on the other hoof, was practically leaning excitedly over his shoulder in anticipation.

Meanwhile, the stallion swung open the door, turned on his earpiece flashlight, and began scanning the safe’s contents.

“Well - what is it?” The curious unicorn poked from behind.

Storm ignored her. Not purposely, but subconsciously due to the fact that he was deep in the various pages and photographs stored in the safe. What he found wasn’t too impressive. Paperwork for joining the guard, promotional plaques and medals, a guide to newcomers, and so on. He shifted through these until reaching the very back of the safe where a vanilla folder was wedged into a crack.

This folder had no label, but was clearly housing something inside. Grabbing the folder, Storm spread it open to reveal even more blueprints. This time, they were weapon modifications. Just like their suit-attachment counterparts, these blueprints had sketched additions on the side along with footnotes explaining each modification. There must have been over two dozen of these schematics.

Bullhound rifle, Stinger SMG, Cerberus shotgun- Storm read off mentally until a particular page caught his attention.

This schematic showed a hoof-held nail gun known as an ART - Airship Repair Tool - which was also the same base for Storm’s own primary. That was when he realized it…

This was a Sweeper.

Not his own, but definitely one. This version had a more rectangular and compact frame, which had two Tethertech-link grips, which struck the stallion as odd because most firearms only had one grip and trigger location, but this one had two. This Sweeper also had a more compact slab-barrel, which looked like it’s parts could fold out or ‘extend’ to his Sweeper’s own full length.

So that’s where you gave me the idea, huh? The grey pegasus thought, remembering his grandfather’s assistance - or now influence - in creating his current primary weapon.

“Are you gonna share with the class?” Rainbow lightheartedly asked from behind.

“Right. Uh, it’s more schematics.” Storm finally answered, snapping out of it. “Weapons this time.”

“Well, that explains why they are in the armory.” Twilight commented, taking a look at a few of the designs. “This was the work of your grandfather?”

Storm nodded. “He served practically his whole life before my mother was born.”

“I would have loved to meet him! Look at these designs. They are practically military-grade! I wonder why the guard never took advantage of these?” The quizzical unicorn wondered aloud.

“Something about the guard and him towards the end of his career.” Storm replied hesitantly. “Maybe he didn’t like the new management or knew something we didn't. Either way, he was smart not to let these get into the wrong hooves.”

Twilight was quiet for a moment as she shifted through the rest of the designs. Each one made her eyes go slightly wide, a smile appear, or an audible praise to the inner workings. Storm had enough of the apparent praise around the ninth schematic or so and looked at Rainbow, who mouthed the word ‘egghead’ in response.

Eventually, the mare was done with show and tell, so she placed the blueprints into their respective folder and levitated it to the owner. “I know it’s a lot to ask of you - ya know joining us out there and all - but do you think making some of these weapons for our Runners wouldn’t be too hard?” She asked hopefully.

Great. Making my grandfather’s work for a bunch of assholes? No problem there. Storm thought before replying with his version of a filter. “We’ll see. Let’s get this trip over with first - assuming we survive.”

“Gee, there’s that enthusiasm we love so much.” Rainbow poked.

“The way I see it, you’ve got to expect the worst and prepare for the worst. The best went out the door twenty-some years ago.”

“I’ll be back.” Twilight assured. “It has to. We will make sure the best does come back.”

Storm huffed. “You might be able to pull it off - crazy as it sounds, but you still can’t bring everyone back.”

Twilight looked confused. “W-well, yeah, I know that death is perm-”

“I wasn’t talking about those we lost. I’m talking about the ones who are still here. You can’t cram a whole ship of hardened survivors into this peaceful past.” He interjected.

“Oh, right.” Then she smiled. “Not to worry. Cadence and I have a plan for that as well. We would use various clinics and rehabilitation centers - in towns like Ponyville or big cities like Fillydelphia - to help everyone adjust to their new lives.”

“What about the ones that are too far gone?”

“I never say anypony is too far gone. With enough positive influence and encouragement, anyone can be brought back.”

“You and I clearly have seen different sides of the world.”

Twilight chuckled. “If you want to be a glass half empty, then you bet I’m half full. Just trust me that it will work out.”

“Trust you?” Storm scoffed, the slight growl in his voice coming out. “You put a sign that says ‘Damned resort’ on my front door, spout some half-baked bullshit about time travel, and want me to go on some bounty hunting field trip, and now I’m supposed to trust you? Just like that?”

“W-well I-” Twilight stammered, put back by the sudden - yet somehow calm - hostility. “I just expected you to understand, you know being the mar-”

“I’m not one to hit a mare, but I swear to whatever bastard God is overhead, you better stop calling me that.” His tone was very threatening despite never having to raise his voice. “I’m not this Marked One, some prophet or anyone special. Period. I’m a tired, pissed off guy in a suit of armor and nothing more. Capiche?”

Twilight’s expression looked like she was torn between engaging in this soon-to-be shouting fest or between retreating out of fear. She never got to decide as Rainbow stepped in between the two.

“Okay! Enough! Save it for the monsters, you two!”

Without a word more, the mentioned stallion stored the folder in his suit inventory and removed himself from the room, leaving Twilight and Rainbow alone. The cyan pegasus sighed. “Sorry, Twi. He means well - I know it. He’s just an asshole sometimes”

“I don’t blame him.” Twilight replied, closing the safe. “I mean, look at this from his - or anypony who is new to this place’s - perspective. We are asking a lot and I can tell there is something bearing its weight on his shoulders already.”

Rainbow looked to the now empty doorway. “I know, it’s just…” she paused, as if not sure how to put the next part into words. “I just wish we could help him in some way. I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for him.”

“We’ll find something. I promise.” Then the lavender unicorn snickered after the serious response. “I can’t believe you actually admitted how much you needed him to get here.”

Dash blushed out of embarrassment before rubbing the back of her neck. ‘Heh, yeah… just don’t go around telling everypony I need some stallion to protect me. Then I won’t be laughing.”

Both mares shared a brief chuckle at that. Apparently, it was a strange sight as a small group passing by the room’s open entrance stopped and glanced inside with confused looks on their muzzles. Then they moved on.

“Oh! Almost forgot!” Twilight suddenly added. “Planning Period was also given a job. She will be in the Communications Tower and is assigned to your Runner Group D as a controlmare. She’ll be monitoring your group’s progress and helping anyway she can from here.”

“Great, now we’ve got three eggheads on the team.”

“Hey!” Twilight shot back upon realizing she counted as one.

Everyone went their own ways after that. Twilight and Planning retreated to the Communications Deck at the very back - and top - of the Solstice, while Storm and Rainbow joined their group on the surface deck. Hostilities were tense between a certain duo of stallions, who were less than happy about being paired together.

The ship was now setting down at the edge of Fillydelphia - on the harbor and leading into the industrial sector. The ramp slammed down, ponies activated helmets, loaded weapons, and trotted off single file all the while their captain was finishing shouting some inspirational speech that Storm ignored for now his mind was in survival mode.

As he stared at the broken city, the faint rays of the cloud-blocked sun combined with the raindrops and low setting fog, gave off an almost angelic visual to the whole scene, but the stallion knew what was waiting inside the literal death maze was anything but angelic. There was no doubt in his mind that something was already watching them and waiting by this point. There was no doubt that it would strike.

Now the only question was what would strike?

Things had started to get weird. The… attitude of the Damned. Their massive march on one small town that could have been torn to shreds decades ago. Storm knew they were intelligent - to a point - but now it was like they were moving as one. A few seemed to follow the brute of flesh - which the stallion had promptly labeled as ‘the Commander’ in his new jornal - so that thing was a possibility. Some kind of leader perhaps? It was the second biggest variant he had ever seen, with it being the biggest if sea-bound Damned didn’t count.

The other two Runner groups split off to their respective assignments and were headed to the last known location of the signal, leaving Group D to form their own plan.

“Alright, everypony.” Trail Hunter addressed from his position at the front of the four equine team. “We’re taking the shopping centers in the middle of the city. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to make it back in time for dessert, so let’s get this over with quick. Let’s locate the fastest route and get this shit over with.”

Nopony could read each other’s expressions as their ATS helmets covered everything but a faint outline of their pupils, but the reluctance of two of the group to follow - those two being Storm and Rainbow - the tension was clear. The blue armored stallion put a hoof to his earpiece.

“Planning, It’s Storm.” He said.

A few seconds of connection static later and the mentioned mare’s voice came through. “I read you, Storm. I’ve got visuals from everyone’s suits.”

“Great. Find us all available routes to the city’s shopping district. Us satellite from the most recent, cloudless day.”

“Got it. Be back in a flash.” The mare hung up, presumably to do just that.

Storm could feel the look of burning hatred directed his way from Hunter despite not being able to see his face.

“Okay, I found a few routes to the shopping center - which is called ‘the Hub’ by the way.” Planning returned, images of three routes popping up in everypony’s respective HUDs. “Most of them are blocked off by fallen debris, but there are three main options unless you prefer going underground. The first is through a couple of back alleys and service streets. It is kind of a maze, but it’s hard to be seen in it. The second is through the city’s grand library, which is connected to a community center. It’s a straight shot to the Hub, but I can’t offer any assistance once you are inside. The roof of both buildings are completely intact. And the last way is through the main road. It is wide open, most likely debris and chariot-filled, so probably not easy to traverse.”

“Thanks. We’ll go from there and be in touch.” Storm then hung up the call before turning to the others. “Those alleys are our best options. Lots of cover and secondary escape routes if things get hairy.”

“That’ll take forever.” Hunter spat. “She said it’s like a maze down there and I’m not great with puzzles or mazes or whatever.”

“Imagine that.” Rainbow muttered from the side, causing Hunter to spin around. He was about to say something to the spunky-witted pegasus before an even larger pegasus made a motion, clearly stating anything further would not end well.

Hunter bit his tongue for the moment before responding, shaking his growing annoying off. “We’re taking the library. It’s a clean, straight shot and isn’t a confusing waste of time for the possibility of safety.”

“We need to stay outdoors. Planning can’t see what is coming after this storm passes if we don’t.” Storm replied.

“I’ve been doing this for eight years, man. And I don’t need no mare behind a computer screen to survive.” Hunter retorted. “We’re taking the library and that’s final.”

That’s it...

“You want a lesson in leadership?” Storm asked, his tone showing his visible breaking point with this arrogant stallion. “You don’t risk the lives of three others just to get home in time to sit around with your dick in one hoof and bottle in the other. If you want to get this over with faster, then there’s the ramp.” He pointed to the docked airship behind the group.

The other mare - a crew cut pony named Snare Trap - snickered at her would-be superior getting it straight up the metaphorical ass. The sound would have been easier to hide if it wasn’t electronically filtered and enhanced through her helmet, so Hunter clearly heard it. “I already like the new guy, Hunt. Maybe you should take a few lessons from him.”

Trail snorted. “I don’t need a survival guide from any old man.” Then he began walking.

“Dude, where are you going?!” Rainbow Dash called out to the slowly retreating stallion.

“The library. To get this bullshit over with. If you want to waste time with ‘Mr. Right’ over there, then feel free, but I’ll have you charged with desertion and fired!” Hunter replied over his shoulder.

Snare laughed before roughly smacking a hoof on Dash’s shoulder. “He’s not serious. We don’t even have a desertion penalty system. Besides, this whole thing is recorded on our suits. Just show Princess Twilight what happened and the captain will have her way with him.”

Storm sighed. “No, we have to go with him.”

“What?” Both Rainbow and Snare asked in unison.

“He won’t make it on his own. He may be an asshole, but it's my job to keep everyone alive - asshole or not.”

Snare let go of Rainbow and sauntered over to Storm, who hadn’t noticed her while looking at the rooftops for any sign of well, anything.

“You don’t give up on others do you, stud?” She asked, causing him to look down in her direction. The mare was dangerously close, but Storm’s mind was on more important things. “How about you show me some of that relentless ‘stamina’ when this is all over?” She purred, tracing a ring on his helmet’s chinplate.

Storm could sense the eye roll from the other mare watching this whole thing unfold. He gently grabbed the hoof touching him and set it down on the ground. “How about we focus on keeping our heads attached to our necks.”

She giggled. “Alright. I’ll check back later.” Then she trotted to catch up with Hunter - the only sign of said stallion ahead being the glowing ring on his back and flashlight beam of his rifle.

Rainbow and Storm shared a brief wordless-look from behind their helmets, ending with the stallion making a trigger pull motion towards his head with one of his wings. Rainbow snickered, then the duo joined up with the rest of the group.

The brief moment of lightheartedness was short-lived as the returning dread of where exactly he was set upon Storm. He was back out here. Back into the place where decisions had to be lightning quick and death was even quicker. He knew that against all odds, he had to be faster than the very thing that lurked around every corner.

And he would be.

As they walked, Storm kept glancing from window to window, roof to roof, and alley to alley, where he swore a set of bright blue orbs were right before they were swiftly yanked out of sight.

The stallion’s muscles tensed.

His teeth strained as they grinded against one another.

His gaze sharpened.

His Sweeper was telekinetically gripped tighter in anticipation. The weapon’s flashlight beam danced off of raindrop-soaked structures and pierced the darker spots in the foggy city.

A couple of debris shards fell from the roof directly to his right, prompting the grey pegasus to aim directly up only to find…

Nothing.

As if the fog obscuring his vision wasn’t enough, the stallion also had to squint to see through the slits of his visor. Even with the limited visibility, he wouldn’t dare lower the helmet out here.

“Ughh!” Rainbow groaned to his left, sounding mildly like a frustrated robot with the helmet filter. “This is impossible! I can’t see my own hooves in front of me!”

“Shh!” Storm hissed. He hadn’t meant for it to come out as harsh, but his verbal and mental filter were off now that ‘survival mode’ had taken over his mind. “Something has our trail.”

The armored mare didn’t argue or even retort. “Know what it is?” She whispered back, shining her weapon’s beam in addition.

“No… But it’s more than one. That’s all I know.”

“Great…”

Suddenly, a strained gurgling sound came from behind, prompting both pegasi to swing around with weapons raised high. Storm could feel his eyes straining with how quick and hard he analyzed the immediate area, but these features were both drowned out by his heart ravaging against his chest. To their left, a chipped flowerpot was flung off of a window, indicating that something had just escaped the duo’s line of sight.

A couple scratchy ‘chirps’ and cackles resounded from all around now. They almost sounded like a demonic version of laughter - if these things were even capable of humor. Rainbow swung her light around frantically while Storm remained calm. He continued to whip his head in the general direction of the cackling, but more scuffling of clawed hooves and knocked over items told him that these things were on the move again.

Clever bastards... He thought upon realizing what they were dealing with.

“Hunters.” The grey pegasus whispered to his companion. “At least five. Maybe more.”

“Big deal,” Rainbow replied, still scanning the opposite side. “We dealt with like twenty back in Ponyville! This is n-”

“On our terms.” Storm corrected. “They have the advantage. The rain muffles their quieter sounds and the fog hides them. In case you were wondering, these fuckers have near perfect vision.”

“Of course they do…” Rainbow groaned. The mare was starting to miss when a villain could be defeated with something as simple as a buck to the face or her friend’s rainbow power.

Storm and Rainbow had regrouped with Hunter and Snare a few seconds later by the entrance to the city library. They found that the other half of their rag-tag squad was also doing the same thing now by sweeping the rooftops and windows.

“Hear that?” Hunter asked, sounding serious for the first time. “That’s them. Sounds like just one though.”

“It’s multiple. Count the paces in between each set of scraping.” Storm corrected. “It’s five or so. They aren’t going to attack until they have a clean shot and full advanta-”

“Which is why the library is an awesome choice.” Hunter interrupted, patting himself on the back.

“Sure, if you prefer getting torn to shreds by something you can’t even see in tight spaces where you can’t fight.”

“Put away the ruler you two!” Rainbow demanded, swiftly ending the debate.

Storm placed himself on one side of the grand double doors while Rainbow positioned herself on the opposite door. He locked eyes with the mare through the visor’s slits and nodded. Then in almost perfect unison, the duo flung open the doors and swept each corner of the entrance before leading the rest inside.

The library was pitch black. The electricity had burnt out years ago and the candles had long since been taken by any survivors passing through, leaving only the helmet glow and weapon flashlights of the group to light the way. An endless sea of perfectly aligned bookshelves - or at least the ones which were still standing - surrounded a half-circle of a desk where a librarian would have sat.

“Anyone want to tell ghost stories?” Snare asked cheerfully.

“Yeah, I’ll go first,” Hunter replied, clearly agitated. “Once upon a time, there was this butch bitch who shut the fuck up. The end.”

“Oh, flattery! I like i-”

By this point, Storm had drowned out the conversation between his other two ‘companions’ in favor of retreating into his own thoughts. This is who I might die beside? He found himself thinking bitterly.

His thoughts were short-lived as checking behind each bookshelf row was now on the top of the priority chart. He took the right side while Hunter - who was still in a half-assed argument with Snare - checked the left. Rainbow took up the rear.

A couple seconds that felt like years passed, and the exit, or rather entrance to the linked community center was now in sight. Only a couple more steps and-

CRASH!

A shower of splinters and support beams fell alongside a few shelves, which landed directly in the exit. Storm swung his flashlight upwards just in time to catch the spiked tail of the guessed variant escaping through a shattered window on the second story.

“Shit…” He muttered, before switching into an authoritative demand. “Form a circle!”

The two mares did just that, but the other stallion remained unphased, albeit pissed off.

“When did you start giving me orders?” He asked, almost oblivious to the choir of demonic sounds around them.

“Since you don’t have a fucking plan!”

“Oh, yeah, and standing around like live bait is so mu-” Hunter never finished his sentence before something unseen knocked him clear across the room and into a pile of bookshelves.

“Fuck!” Storm swore before unloading into the direction in which his would-be rival was assaulted from. His Sweeper’s rivets connected as a pained yelp overpowered the other noises and the outline of a bony body started to ‘flash’ in front of the stallion.

The Hunter’s form seemed to phase in and out, like a glitching television screen before the camouflage fully gave out and the reason why was revealed. One rivet had pierced the creature’s horn, disabling it’s magical abilities. But the lucky shot was not what had Storm’s attention.

It was the creature itself. It was… different.

Normally, only the extended jaws, sharpened fetlocks, and tails of a Hunter were made of that strange bone-like biomatter, but this was not the case. The creature’s entire face seemed to have a cluster of sharpened bone matter, resembling a spider’s web on cocaine. Most of the pointed ends were facing straight ahead, while a few of the ‘bone nest’ faced the sides. A couple were long enough to impale a small foal or petite mare, but now these spikes were coated in suit fabric and a bit of blood.

Trail’s blood.

Speaking of which, a series of groans and curses from a fallen bookshelf, let the group know their headstrong companion was still in the land of the living. Snare had run over to help him, while Storm and Rainbow unloaded on the now approaching monster.

His rivets and her bullets only served to bounce off the bone matter all the while deafening everything in the room. It was then that he saw it...

Storm noticed one major problem with this ‘new’ Hunter…

It had no blue spots!

No Plexers meant no way to kill it!

But all Damned had those little blue fuckers, so where were these ones? The eyes of the creature’s host were covered in that bony mess of spiked webbing so, those couldn’t be it...

Shit, shit, shit! He mentally swore as the creature charged the duo. Thinking fast, Storm moved his weapon down to the creature’s unarmored forehooves, where he fired rivets into the joints of the hooves, sending the creature tumbling to the floor.

But he knew it wasn’t finished.

“Down!” He ordered, prompting both himself and Rainbow to duck just before the Hunter’s tail swung upward like a lightning bolt and fired not one - but three bone projectiles over their heads. The projectiles rocked a bookshelf nearby when they connected, showing a clear increase in their velocity.

Storm made quick work of the downed beast’s tail by severing it with his hoof-blade, causing a spurt of blood and blue liquids. The creature thrashed, but the stallion wasn’t done yet.

He stamped a hoof down on its hindleg. The snapping of the bone would have made anypony cringe if they could hear it over the sound of gunfire coming from Rainbow - who was attacking two newcomers from the windows above. Then Storm moved to the other leg, disabling the creature finally.

Regardless of its physical disability, the Hunter still attempted to swipe at the stallion pinning it with it’s bony face and severed tail. It wailed, causing the other two in front of Rainbow to change gears and quickly knocked the mare out of the way with one tail swipe before they too charged Storm.

Both creatures had the same biological ‘upgrades’ as their would-be doomed brother, which Storm could see clearly now that he was next on their hit list. Out of the corner of his eye, the grey pegasus surveyed the dire situation at sound-barrier-breaking-speed. Snare was attempting to pry a bookshelf off of the bruised Hunter, Rainbow was barely to her hooves after a blow to the head, and he now had two, no wait - three! No four, no fi- They just kept coming!

Nearly a dozen were in the windows above, barging through the front doors, or coming out of the shadows deeper within the shelved deathtrap. The situation was looking hopeless, but Storm knew only one thing about it.

It was the same thing that kept him alive to this point and would keep him so until his last blood-choked breath.

It was all he knew.

It was all he would ever know.

He knew he had to fight…

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes:

I'm back!

This story isn't going away anytime soon, so no worries! Just like my last note said, life, school, and searching for college and a job are getting in the way of writing. In all fairness, they should because those are real priorities and this is more of a passion project. With that being said, I still plan to try and add a new chapter every month and now that we are getting into the juicy bits of the plot (with more answers to come, I promise) things are rolling smoothly. Just be patient with the plot and enjoy the ride!

I don't usually like to do this because it annoys the Hell out of me, but now that I'm on the other side of things, here we go: I'd like to ask that any of you still invested in this fic if you could share it with your friends. The views on it are kind of plateauing at the moment and I'd like to share this with as many people as possible to get feedback so I can improve myself as a writer and improve the story for all of you. I understand if there is nobody to ask or if you hate bothering people about this kind of stuff, but if you still want a way to help me out tremendously, then these always help for feedback:

Telling me what your favorite chapter is and why.
Telling me who your favorite character is and why.
Telling me one thing you really like and one thing you really dislike about the fic as a whole.
Or even telling me your predictions for future events.

And one more thing. (Yes, I know this is long winded.) Chapter 18 is going to be very different, but also very similar for those who have been here since the beginning in that the dreadful and suspenseful tone of the first three chapters will be back and (hopefully) be better than ever. Until next time, and I can't thank each and everyone of you enough for giving me the opportunity to create something like this!

Chapter 18 - "Catalyst"

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Storm Surge threw the disabled creature in front of his form as the other two Hunters slammed into him. Despite the blow being lessened, the impact sent everyone flying - ending with the previously disabled Hunter being impaled on the spiked head of its brother. The stallion, however, was more fortunate and landed on his back with only the wind partially knocked out of him. His weapon was also flung a few hooves away, with it’s flashlight pointing directly at the Hunters.

While attempting to shove air back into his lungs from the downed position, Storm saw that the two stuck Hunters were screeching and hollering in anger as the intact creature of the duo began to violently tear it’s disabled brethren off, taking chunks of decayed flesh and bone fragments with it. A few more sickening seconds later, the shredded creature stopped thrashing and went completely still.

Pop! Squelch!

The carcass on the ground started to twitch slightly in the area of it’s head and neck until faint and tiny blue glows eliminated from what were once slit holes in the creature’s neck. Now they were gaping wounds to allow the Plexers to escape their destroyed flesh fortress. Three insect abominations in total - all of which were now headed straight for Storm.

The other Hunter managed to scramble to it’s clawed hooves before raising it’s head towards the shattered windows at the top walls of the dark library - only illuminated by a collection of visors, glowing eyes and flashlight beams - and making a distorted ‘groaning’ sound towards the ceiling.

What sounded like a dozen similar groans rang out from various points in the dark room to answer the initial call. Then the standing Hunter joined it’s significantly smaller companions in charging at the stallion, who was still laying on his back. The charging Hunter sped past the skittering Plexers and leapt for Storm with it’s spiked face pointing downward.

The creature didn't expect for it’s would-be prey to raise his hindlegs - as if a father was playing ‘the airplane’ game with a foal - and catch it’s midsection in midair. The second Storm felt the rotted flesh hit his hooves, he activated his thrusters to launch the Hunter over his head and into a bookshelf.

Crash!

A downpour of heavy rotting wood and dust-laced hardcover books came down on the monstrous being. One large section of the wooden shelf crushed the creature’s neck entirely, making a brief and disgusting crunching noise as the bone and Plexers within the neck were reduced into the floor.

With lightning speed, Storm tethered his weapon back in front of his sightline in order to aim at the original set of approaching Plexers. A tilt of his Sweeper later and he had all three of the advancing insects in his sight - one for each barrel. Then he pulled the trigger. Rivets flew and the Plexers exploded into a mess of blue substances and tiny limbs as their skittering died out along with their lifeforce.

Not a second later, a whoosh of air sped past his neck just before a bone-like projectile bounced off of his helmet’s steel plating. Storm whipped his head in the direction of the last Hunter in the trio that had charged him, to find that it’s ‘tail’ with being dragged down to it’s back section to retrieve another fragment for it’s next projectile shot.

Just as the tail snapped back at attention and at the direction of the Hunter’s living prey, it found nothing. The bone-encrusted mess of a skull swayed slightly while the creature’s head scanned the room for their soon-to-be prey. The monster paid no mind to the commotion in which it’s brethren and the stallion’s companions were causing nearby. It only had one goal in mind. Only one thing to find.

And it found him.

Or rather, he found it.

The Hunter had just enough time to raise its tail to defend itself before the suited stallion appeared from behind an adjacent bookshelf to take a swing at its neck. The blade managed to slice it’s tail clean off, but missed the neck thanks to the intrusion of the now severed spiked tendril.

Storm hadn’t been expecting the creature’s new equally agile reflexes and had expected the swing to be enough, giving the Hunter a chance to strike back. It leapt onto the stallion, knocking him on his back and pinning him to the rotten wood below. His head slammed into the floor and the small trickle of liquid in his mouth told the pegasus that he had likely bitten his tongue during the impact. Storm’s head was spinning and the copper-like taste in his mouth was the only thing that brought him back to the moment just in the nick of time.

The beast shrieked and slammed its head down where the blue and grey helmet was, only to have him jerk away at the last possible second, forcing the Hunter to slam into the wood, sending a small outburst of splinters everywhere. The impact seemingly had no effect on the Hunter as it was back up and ready for another strike. It’s head came crashing do-

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A torrent of gunshots rang through Storm’s ears as he watched bullets tear the Hunter’s head from its neck. The bony skull plopped to the ground next to his own head while the rest of the shots presumidly killed the Plexers residing in the open hole.

Using all the strength in his aching muscles, the stallion flung the decapitated corpse off of his chest in time to see Rainbow Dash standing a few steps away. Her flashlight was aimed in his direction before she removed to it so as to not blind him. The armored mare rushed over and offered a hoof to help him get back on his own.

“Thanks,” Storm quickled coughed out, reluctantly swallowing his own blood in the process. “We need to get to the others!” He added, using his flashlight to spot their mentioned companions. Snare was swapping between using her tethered submachine gun on a charging beast while using her hooves in an attempt to lift the bookshelf that had fallen on Trail Hunter.

“Uh…” Rainbow began nervously, snapping her own flashlight towards two more Hunters that were climbing in through the ceiling windows. “That might be a problem!”

“Oh shit! Flank around to the others, I’ll watch your back!”

Before Rainbow could argue with the order, both Hunters noticed the two pegasi and raised their tails before cloaking. Dash steadied her weapon’s grip and retreated behind a row of shelves - which separated the two creature's last known locations and herself for a hopefully safer journey.

Storm fired in the spot where he had seen the Hunter’s turn invisible, only to see his rivets pass through thin air, meaning they had moved. While a string of curses spat through his head, the stallion stood his ground and swayed his weapon’s beam back and forth in hopes to catch any sign of movement.

But nothing happened. No scrape of sharpened hooves on wood. No growls or moans as the creatures communicated. Nothing.

Then he heard Dash scream.

Fuck!

Rainbow felt excruciating pain as she was slammed from her side and into the row of shelves on her right. The blue pegasus’ small form combined with the suit were just the right combination to send her into the shelf, but not break anything - both on her body and on the object - knocking it over and sprawling the mare out on the other side.

There were multiple holes of varying sizes in her midsection, however, the suit’s thick fabric managed to keep the depth at a minimum. This small relief didn’t mean much to Dash as she clutched her side with a good wing while attempting to stand. The mare didn’t get very far until something forcibly slammed her helmet face down into the wood, sending a riving pain up her spine and down the back of her neck. She attempted to kick the attacker with her hooves, but the creature’s strength had her pinned face down into the floor.

Rainbow’s head hurt, which clouded her attempt to tether the now lost machine gun for her aid. Her thoughts of the weapon were suddenly interrupted by the new development of a fleshy appendage blocking her visor’s view. She finally realized that the Hunter was wrapping its tail around her helmet in an attempt to take it off a little too late.

One of her hooves was pinned underneath her chest, but the other was at the side of her restrained head. Using the free hoof, Dash attempted to pry the tendril off only to feel immeasurable pain as a bone fragment was fired into her forehoof, sending it down to the ground. She whimpered in pain before thrashing her head backwards as a last ditch to try and throw the creature’s tail wrapping job off.

But it was to no avail. The tail tightened and the grinding of metallic joints being pried from their sockets filled the interior of the helmet before it was yanked completely off of the mare’s head. Rainbow’s vision was temporarily hindered as she adjusted from the blue-green glow of her now missing visor to the very real and very dark surroundings.

Now that her head was momentarily free, Rainbow quickly did her best to look behind herself to see the hollow holes in the Hunter’s head and the glowing slits in its neck. The creature then brought it’s spiked tail to its neck and decapitated itself. The blow glowing started to ‘climb’ as the Plexers inside wiggled from their homes and began to escape their host.

They never made it very far before Rainbow felt the creature’s weight being thrown off of her. Through her darkness adjusted eyes, she caught the sight of Storm slamming himself into the decapitated body, knocking both himself and the corpse to the ground. The Hunter landed on its side, causing the side of the hollowed out neck to cave in and crush two of the Plexers within. Rainbow only had a second to see the remaining Plexer’s blue glow before it too vanished underneath the armored hoof the stallion.

Storm was seeing red. Whether it was stained blood on his visor or just rage, he didn’t register or care. He heard nothing but the molested dying screams of Ivory and Nourish echo in his head. The stallion raised his upper half and a hoof before retracting his blade back into it’s sheath and letting his hoof strike the thing’s neck.

Crunch!

Again.

Crack!

Blood spurted, tendons snapped.

Snap!

His hoof screamed in agony upon being forced to pummel another body over and over, but he didn’t seem to feel it or care.

Storm didn’t even notice that the neck was gone - as were the Plexers, which were reduced to blue stains - and that he was driving his hoof into the now splintering wooden floor repeatedly until some unseen force from behind grabbed at his shoulders.

His muscles tensed and his heart skyrocketed in his chest as the stallion swung around while activating the blade in the process. He was nearly done swinging it at the possible assailant’s head before he noticed who it was…

Rainbow Dash.

Not the glowing, hungry writhing eyes of a Damned - or in this case, the hollow bone maze of a skull - but concerned and very real magenta ones now that her helmet was down.

Storm felt his heart slowly settle, his lip quivered but only for a second, and his muscles contracted before attempting to loosen their grip around his form. He looked down at the mangled mass of crimson and aqua before returning to her stare. Then he eased upwards onto all fours.

Rainbow looked like she wanted to say something but didn’t dare to. It was like she could sense the wild, animalistic stare on his face behind the helmet. Instead, she was silent as Storm passed by her, tethered her helmet and threw it to her.

“Put it back on.” He ordered coldly, sounding much like he did after the revelation of his friend’s fates. “We’re not done…”

Rainbow placed her helmet back on her head. Thankfully, the joints were only yanked loose and no permanent damage had been done because the helmet whirred and snapped into place telekinetically.

With that, vaulted over the downed shelf and onto the other side with the now helmeted mare in tow. The duo raced through the remainder of the row only to arrive at their companion’s side in time to see a gruesome sight.

Snare was on the ground, propping herself up with one forehoof while clutching the other one - that was filled with bone fragments - as she unloaded her sidearm into a retreating Hunter. Blood was pooling out from her chest, a forehoof, and a hindleg.

Trail Hunter was still pinned underneath the bookshelf, barking up a string of curses and shouting while firing almost aimlessly at the nearest monster. He nearly shot at Storm and Rainbow in his haste, but noticed them in time. “Where the fuck were you two?! He demanded hysterically. “Get this thing off of me!”

Rainbow and Storm rushed over - one on each side of the stuck stallion - and put their hooves underneath the titanic bookshelf in an attempt to pry it off of him. From the other side of the room, more moans and ‘cawing’ rang out.

“Shit!” Storm swore before turning to Rainbow. “Help her keep them back! I’ve got this!”

Rainbow didn’t even think as she released her end of the shelf rather than setting it down, eliciting a strained grunt from Storm, who took the full force of the heavy shelf as he and Trail worked in tandem to free the latter. Dash’s attention was stolen by the decloaking monster on top of the librarian’s desk that Snare didn’t see.

“Get down!” Rainbow warned just in time for Snare to duck and miss having her neck sliced off by the projectiles that flew over her head.

Snare whipped her head around and fired at the Hunter with Rainbow. They both hit the creature, but none of the shots landed into its neck nest, allowing it to escape behind a nearby row of shelves.

Meanwhile, Storm had just finished giving everything he had to get the unnecessarily weighted appliance off of his pain-in-the-ass partner. Trail dragged himself out the second his lower half was free just before Storm was forced to release his hold on the shelf. The wooden object came crashing down when Trail was out of harm’s way. Now with their backs against the wall, the four steadied their weapons and aimed outward, scanning the room for movement of their cloaked fiends.

“Planning! We need backup, send one of-” Storm started to say into the comms, only to receive static in response - a sign that both the comms and the suit cameras were out.

Great. Plan B it is… He thought bitterly before informing his team. “Aim for the neck! They’re stored in the neck!”

“What?!” Trail asked, grabbing his own rifle. “How in Tartarus do they see?”

“Through holes in the neck. Now shut it and focus!”

Nearby, a pen-holder was knocked over - signaling a cloaked Hunter had just accidentally brushed by it while honing in on it’s prey - along with other subtle indicators as the four suited ponies formed a half circle against the fallen shelf. A pile of discarded and yellowed papers suddenly sprung up before gliding to the ground to the group’s right.

“They’re fucking with us!” Trail growled, desperately trying to hide his fear.

Rainbow Dash felt her breath hilt in her throat. The mare felt trapped both inside the visually restrictive helmet in addition to literally being trapped by invisible monsters. Every demonic ‘cackle’ that rang out made her feel as if they were laughing at the group’s lack of visibility. They were purposely drawing this out for some reason. Fun perhaps?

The pegasus mare didn’t have long to contemplate before one of the beasts suddenly dropped its cloaking spell. This Hunter was within spitting distance from the group as it stood in one of the open rows facing them. It raised it’s tail and hollered. By now, Storm and Snare were firing at it from beside Dash’s head. The firing from Snare’s unsilenced weapon defeaned Rainbow - and the rest of the group - for they were not able to notice another sneaking Hunter until it decloaked and struck Snare directly across the chest, hitting the mare directly on her control console.

Snare’s chestplate sparked and screeched a horrible metallic cry while the now yellow segmented ring flickered before fading away entirely. The Hunter then grabbed the mare’s helmet with its tail before firing bone fragments into the visor, shattering the glass and causing Snare to let out a blood curdling scream.

The decoy Hunter had decloaked once more, but Rainbow or Storm were paying it no attention. Instead, the two were focused on the creature that had invaded their personal spaces with full intent to kill one of their friends. While it held Snare against the shelf, the Hunter used it’s head to bash into Rainbow - who had charged it with rifle butt poised to strike - thus knocking her into a heap on the ground. Dash managed to lift her head in the Hunter’s direction just in time to see Storm engaged in hoof-to-claw combat with the disgusting thing.

When he got close enough, the Hunter attempted to use the same attack on Storm, only to have him move his head out of the way and return the attempt with a hoof to the creature’s neck. The armored stallion shoved it against the bookshelf and held it with his right forehoof before activating his left forehoof’s blade and slicing through the bastard’s neck.

Upon seeing the Hunter’s demise, Rainbow shot up to a standing position with rifle in tethered grip. She scanned the once more seemingly empty room while her stallion companion checked on Snare.

Storm had to prop Snare up on her back after killing her attacker. The mare had just dropped to the ground limply, making him fear the worst. But after a moment, her hooves came up to her helmet. A quick inspection of the mare’s bone-filled and blood caked visor made Storm able to see the truth without a doubt. Snare’s left eye and the space right in between her eyes were filled with the bone-fragments. Her one good and visible eye was leaking tears.

“We need to get outta here!” Trail said, stating the obvious from his place to the group’s left. “The doors we came in through. We can make it!” Rainbow joined his side as the two unloaded at another decloaked Hunter.

“Can you walk?” Storm asked the wounded mare, trying to help her up. Snare tried to stand only to squeak in pain at her impaled leg. Or maybe it was the new eye injury. Or both.

“N-no…” She croaked, seemingly trying to fight the ability to stay conscious due to blood loss and physical trauma.

“There’s at least two dozen more! We can’t take them all on!” Trail Hunter informed, turning to see the new situation. Storm couldn’t see more than his eyes behind the suit but he could feel the selfish expression on his face. “... Leave her.”

“What?!” Rainbow asked from Trail’s side. “Are you fucking serious?!”

“It’s survival of the fittest, sweetheart. And right now, she isn’t fit to be walking but the rest of us are! Now, are you two coming or not?” Another creature decloaked when it was inches away from the group, but Trail and Rainbow quickly took care of it, causing the decapitated monster to slide into a nearby shelf. “Clocks ticking guys!”

Storm swore before lowering himself down and sliding Snare onto his back. The mare weighed practically nothing compared to him, but the combination of an armored suit on his form and another pony on his back made his weight unbalanced and movement awkward. The whole time he did so, the stallion gave a death glare to Trail from behind his visor.

“We’re all getting out of here.” Storm said, tossing his shotgun to Rainbow. “Dash, Keep us covered from behind. Hunter, take the-” A chorus of roars rang out through the library.

“I’m not here to attend my own funeral.” Hunter spat before sprinting towards the exit down the furthest row to the left.

“Hunter!” Storm called after the retreating stallion. When his call was left ignored, he muttered under his breath. “Son of a bitch…”

Another chorus of groans and chittering filled the room upon the stallion’s break for the exit. Gunshots filled the row ahead alongside screaming - of both pony and monster alike.

“We’ll take the opposite end.” Storm ordered. “I’ll go first, just watch my back.” Dash nodded and the two sprinted down the row.

Along the way, Storm could hear the scrapping of sharpened hooves on the wood, prompting him to dodge into another row of shelves where one had collapsed or rotted away prior. Rainbow followed suite. Suddenly, a sharpened piece of bone was flying towards him from the front.

Storm deflected the incoming projectile with his Sweeper before using the same weapon to unload at head height until he hit the cloaked creature’s horn. Just like before, the Hunter started to ‘glitch’ as the spell faded away and revealed itself. The beast had just enough time to let out a roar before it’s neck was also filled with rivets.

With the threat nullified, the trio continued the mad sprint for salvation until they had exited the row and arrived dead center in the library -at the rounded librarians desk - where Storm turned on his heel to the left and where the now wide open exit was. Off to his right, the stallion heard a hiss and decloaking sound.

“Dash! Right!” He shouted, alerting the mentioned mare of the creature.

A shotgun to the neck took care of the soon-to-be firing Hunter before it got the shot off. Then the two were sprinting for the surprisingly empty doorway. There was no grunting or growling. Only dust particles falling from the-

That was when Storm realized it. While running, he snapped a glance upwards only to see four Hunters digging their bones into the support beams of the rotten roof.

Shit! They're gonna bring the whole place down! He thought while picking up speed. His muscles aced and his hoof felt like it was on fire.

Nearby, Rainbow Dash struggled to ‘limp sprint’ her way alongside her companions. The tiny fragments in her hoof made the mare cringe in pain with each step but due to her small form, she was able to suppress the stinging sensation. At least for now.

The three barreled out of the doorway a second before the ceiling came down, sending splinters, debris, and dust everywhere. So much so that the mist around the buildings’ front was pushed aside in the blast. But that wasn’t all. While running, Storm turned his head to see that the collapse of the roof was also causing the entire front frame of the building to come down in addition.

Motherfucker! He mentally cursed before remembering the nearly ceiling-high windows at the top.

It was a long shot, but it was better than nothing. The stallion slightly lessened his pace, keeping up with both Rainbow and where he estimated those now falling windows to be when the place went splat. Upon reaching what he hoped was the distance, he quickly and suddenly dove into Dash, sending the two to the floor. As the building closed in its final inches, he swung Snare around to shove her underneath himself along with Dash.

Then the building fell.

The previous outburst of debris was a slight drizzle compared to what exploded around the trio now. A snapped off piece of wooden support beam smacked Storm directly in the helmet, sending him to the ground and on top of the shattered building’s frontal frame. The stallion’s vision spun until he spotted the bone-encrusted head of Hunter looming over him.

In a flash, he was up and sending a bladed hoof towards… a severed head.

No ‘living’ Hunter. No merciless beast waiting to devour him. Just a prior trophy of one of his squad’s kills.

The head rolled a few paces away before settling in a crack of wood. It was at that moment, Storm realized how hard his heart was assaulting his chest. His steel control console didn’t help the feeling of catching up on his long overdue breath. He coughed while getting to his hooves and standing over the wreckage.

“Holy Shit! Anyone still alive?” Hunter’s mildly irritating voice rang out through the dust and fog of the streets. Then his silhouette came into view as he ran towards the aftermath of lumber and steel.

Rainbow and Snare were still on the ground with Dash on her side and Snare on her stomach. They had a perfect view of Trail Hunter as he tripped over the buildings’ frame and ended up head first into a discarded beam. Storm also saw the malarkey and would have taken great joy in the sight if it weren’t for other matters.

Ignoring Trail, Storm made his way over to the girls, who looked clearly as shaken and exhausted as he felt. The stallion leant a hoof to assist Rainbow in getting up before looking down at Snare then back to Hunter - who was pulling his head off of the ground.

“Take her back to the ship.” Storm huffed, sounding nearly out of breath. “Dash and I got this.”

“What? Are you kidding me?” Trail snapped. “Why the fuck do I get babysitting duty? I’m in charge he-”

“Oh yeah? How well did that work out for us?” Storm challenged.

Trail lowered his helmet, allowing the others to see his sweat-caked and fuming expression. “Listen pal, I don’t know who the FUCK you think you are, but I’m not bending over because some newbie wants me to! I’m on top because I earned this position! I’ve tried to be nice since you are new to order around here, but I’m done with that! If I want you tried for disobeying then I will have you tried and shot!”

“Why wait?” Storm replied, standing his ground and eyeing the stallion, before gesturing to Hunter’s sidearm. “C’mon, point that thing at me right now. See how well that goes for you.”

Hunter snorted. “You got a deathwish, old man?!”

“No, I just hate seeing incompetent, egotystical assholes who think they are everything and more. Rank doesn’t matter. It’s survival!” The faint growl in the stallion’s voice had fully revealed itself. “Everyone matters - not just you!. You have their backs and they have yours!”

“Holy shit, does Princess have a fucking second brother?! This ‘magical friendship’ motto of yours is good for nothing but getting everyone killed. I made it out of there because I knew when to run when shit hit the fan! Meanwhile, you and the dyke over there decided to play the hero role for what?” Hunter pointed at the unconscious and broken Snare in Rainbow’s grasp. “She’s dead already! Hell, I’d rather die than live without an eye in this world!”

That can be arranged…

“What the actual fuck is wrong with you?!” The Element of Loyalty suddenly snapped at Trail upon deactivating her own helmet. “How is somepony trained by the captain of the Wonderbolts this much of a loser?! She stood by your side to make sure those things didn’t get you and this is how you repay her?!”

Hunter chuckled before turning his attention to the prismatic pegasus. “I’m the loser? Me? Really? My kind means more to the world than some pretty piece of fuck meat! The only reason you are out here holding a gun is because Daddy Douchebag over there is too much of a sweetheart to sell your flank to the nearest town’s breeding racks!”

Rainbow gently let go of Snare and stood up aggressively. A determined fire roared in her magenta eyes as she approached the misogynistic stallion. Her progress was only stopped by a large hoof that stuck out to catch her chestpiece.

“Don’t.” Storm said, his voice calmer with her but still clearly seething with hatred.

“I’m gonna kill him.” Rainbow growled, trying to shove his hoof away.

“Not yet. Somepony has to get her back to the ship.”

Trail Hunter was smiling widely now. He watched in exaggerated amusement while snickering to himself. “I honestly can’t tell if you two are trying to pass for father and daughter or a dysfunctional couple. Still, it’s funny either way.” Both ponies glared at him - Rainbow’s anger flustered face clearly visible while Storm’s helmet hidden expression most likely mirrored her own - until a soft croak came from Snare. All three looked down to confirm that the poor girl was still hanging on.

Hunter sighed. “Fine, I’ll take her back. I think a well deserved day off with a couple cold ones will do nicely afterwards.” The stallion hoisted Snare onto his back then took one last look at the two pegasi. “See you two later! Or maybe not… Anywho, good luck out there, Storm Scrooge and Rainbow Dyke.” Then he slowly disappeared back in the general direction of the ship, which couldn’t even be seen in the thick haze surrounding the city.

Storm and Rainbow turned away to continue on their objective, when the mare stopped suddenly. Her breath hilted upon realizing the stabbing pain in her forehoof that had returned after the adrenaline was depleted from her body.

“Well that was something.” Rainbow commented, gritting her teeth and handing the stallion his shotgun back. “I thought you two would never put down the ruler.”

Storm sighed - a sound that was made more audible by the helmet filter - while accepting the weapon before storing it on his back. “Please, I can only take so many dick jokes.”

“Don’t worry, one just left.” Rainbow snickered at her own clever comment, but swore she heard something else in the mix. It was faint, but the mare definitely heard it. A faint, almost inaudible chuckle coming from the side. She stopped. Then turned to her companion, who was busy scanning what few buildings were visible. “Did you just laugh? Like at a joke?”

“No. Stay focused.” Storm replied in his usual monotonic way, albeit a little too quickly. Rainbow just stared at him knowingly. He seemed to notice it, because the next thing he said was; “All that noise is bound to draw more in.”

“See that alley? Let’s get over there.” He said while sneaking a side glance at her injured hoof.

The duo arrived in a turn-in alley where a couple rusted dumpster bins blocked off access to the deeper parts of it’s path. Confused as to why they were at a dead end, Dash looked to the taller one of the two only to have him grab an overturned chair from between the bins. The chair looked like it was somepony’s old smoke break chair - at a time when smoke breaks were a regular thing that is. Storm motioned for the mare to sit, so she did. Meanwhile, he sat on his haunches while still managing to be a little over head height and level with her despite being seated significantly lower.

Even in the dense fog of the surroundings, Dash could see his purple tethered appendage reach into some pouch on his suit where a small diry-pillow colored medical bag was housed. She could only tell this from the not so faded red cross in its center. The stallion pulled out a pair of tweezers before grabbing her hoof - an action that made her flinch before extending it out - then he activated his earpiece’s flashlight to see the injury.

“Hold still.” He ordered calmly, studying the wound for the least painful way to proceed. “This is going to hurt.”

“GreAT!” Rainbow went to reply, switching to a higher pitch when the sooner-than-expected pain began shooting through her hoof.

One by one, each shard was pulled out. Thankfully, none of the bones had shattered to form splinters in her appendage, so only whole chunks were lodged inside. When it was done, Storm continued to hold her hoof up and shine his light on the small tears in the fabric - which were now slowly self-sewing back together.

“How does it do that?” Dash asked with legitimate curiosity.

“The same way the Tethertechs and helmets operate.” Storm replied, keeping her hoof steady. “Small, self-sustaining telekinesis spells are cast on all tether-based technology. They work off of either preset paths on the console or the user’s mind through brain waves and thought.”

“So, your saying that you made my suit fix itself by thinking about it?”

“Yes and no. The spell is set to repair the suit’s cloth - which is one of the presets, but I had to direct where exactly I wanted the repairs mentally.”

“Wait, then can’t somepony just make the suit break by thinking about it then? Like while in a fight?”

“Theoretically, yes. But they would need to have access to each equipment’s code. Every suit console and Tethertech has their own. I have access to yours, because it used to be one of my old ones so I was able to command it.”

“Cool.”

“Depending on which end you are at, yeah.” He let go of her hoof. “Put your helmet back up. It’s never a good move to take it off.”

The magical self-sewing process finished shortly after. Storm and the now helmeted Rainbow got up and exited the alley, but not after one of them quickly checked the exit’s corners. The duo could only move forward now. Down what Storm saw was a way too cramped for comfort sideroad which would lead to the Hub according to Planning’s instructions.

To the pegasi’s left was a large grocery store with boarded up windows and nearly empty shelves from what little they could see through the board’s cracks inside. Further down was a small, official looking building with twin dumpsters blocking it’s entrance. This building read ‘Town Hall’ in chipped black letters. To the right, was the library and community center combo that their group had just escaped from - well, the standing portion of it that is.

Upon exiting the street, Storm and Rainbow were greeted with their destination at last. The Hub. Just like a certain guide unicorn had mentioned, the place fit it’s description minus the decay and grime. Four main streets and four side streets all met in the middle to form the hexagonal-shaped Hub. Large outcoves separated these street entrances and exits from one another, while displaying various stores in a segmented strip mall fashion.

Most of the streets and alleys were barricaded off by sandbags, debris from destroying buildings, or even old chariots. Only three were open. The first was the one which the equine duo had come through. The second lead to a huge set of almost gothic looking buildings. And the third - which was by the far the most prominent - was the main street leading to the West. This path did have its share of makeshift barricades, but every single one was in pieces or shoved roughly against the walls of nearby businesses. Pieces of steel, cloth, and bone littered the street which only added to the unsettling feeling in the hazy city. Even though the entire city was in disarray, this one street in particular looked like a hurricane had rolled through with only said street in mind as a target.

“Woah… Looks like they were trying to keep something out over there.” Rainbow hypothesized.

“Or in.” Storm replied, earning an unseen quizzical look from behind the mare’s helmet.

“What? How can you tell?”

“The barricades are knocked over facing west. Something or a whole lot of things trampled them to leave.”

“I thought this all started in the west? Wouldn’t those sandbags and stuff be knocked down towards us if those things were invading Fillydelphia from the west?”

“Maybe the city’s residents decided to run. They are on the edge of the Equestrian Sea afterall. Not a lot of places to go, but they could have changed paths to either north or south after fleeing the city.”

Storm lessened his pace to check his surroundings more in depth. First, he decided to skim through each store title - the ones that were still standing that is. Snazzy Tazzy’s Clothing Store, Angel’s Pasta and Exotic Cuisine, Another office building - a tag agency or housing permit building most likely, a home defense surplus store, and a whole bunch of shopping centers or sit-in restaurants dotted the plots of land surrounding the hexagon. Almost all of the stores had products missing from the front windows - assuming the windows were still standing in some - while others had boarded up or chained off entrances. One building was completely caved in, which was either a product of weathered decay or a battle. Probably both.

“So much for window shopping.” Rainbow commented as she made her way through the middle of the hub - which resembled a miniature park with empty fountains and once decorative fencing.

The stallion said nothing. He was focused on a store labeled Buckshot’s Home Defense Surplus, which had a subheading that read ALL-TERRAIN-SYSTEMS GEAR IN STOCK underneath. Storm turned the Rainbow. “Wait here a second. Something I need to grab.” Then he disappeared into the building.

A few minutes later, and the suited pegasus emerged with a couple of strange parts and circuits which Rainbow had no intention or hope of understanding. He stored them in the suit’s inventory before both his and Dash’s earpieces crackled to life.

“...STATIC... St-m? Rainb- Can a-ypony hear me?” Planning’s voice came through, getting less choppy towards the end. “Hello?!”

“We’re here.” Storm replied. “What happened back there?”

“Oh, thank Celestia.” Planning sighed in relief. “We lost connection for a bit. Twilight thinks the disharmony signal might have something to do with it.”

“Is Twi there now? What about Spitfire?” Rainbow budded in. “Cuz, I need to pick a bone with them about one of Spit’s guys.”

“No, Twilight returned to the science deck. Something about recording the reassembly of the next element for you two to see when the signal is found and the seal is destroyed. And Spitfire is helping set up a makeshift infirmary at the ship’s ramp. But I can relay whatever you need me to tell her.”

“No thanks. This one’s all mine when we get back.” Dash snickered, imagining the chewing out Trail Hunter would receive from her Wonderbolt idol and princess friend.

“Okay…” Planning cleared her throat. “Both of your suit cams are back online as well. I see you’ve made it to the Hub, but Snare’s cam isn’t responding! Wait! Where are Hunter and Snare?!”

“They’re heading back.” Storm interjected. “Snare is badly injured and Hunter is ticking time bomb that I plan to be ten miles away from when he goes off.”

From Planning’s end of the comms, a digital alert rang out nearby. “Oh… So it’s just you two now, huh?”

“Yeah, and?” Rainbow asked.

“N-nothing!” Planning replied swiftly. “Just doing a headcount here. Anyway, the signal is back. It’s somewhere at the Sunset Pier Apartments to the East.”

“Group C should be there by now. Have they found it?” Storm asked.

“That’s the thing…” Planning trailed off momentarily. “I can’t reach them! After the interference faded away, I got a hold of Group E and you two, but I can’t get to them at all!”

“Fuck. Okay, We’ll head that way.”

“Affirmative. Can you try to contact them along the way? I can’t reach them no matter what I try.”

“No problem, Plans.” Rainbow confirmed.

With the destination decided, the call ended.

Storm snorted softly. “Plans?” He asked.

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Do you give everypony a nickname just for the Hell of it?”

“Sometimes.” Rainbow shot back playfully before a devious idea hit her. “Why, you want one?”

“N-” Storm started to reply, only to be cut off.

“Let’s see…” Rainbow continued, rubbing her helmet’s temple as if exaggeratingly thinking. “Mr. Paranoid is accurate but a little mean...”

Somepony shoot me…

“Mr. Right isn’t bad, but it would get old fast. Hmm… I’m thinking too outside the box here, aren’t I?”

Oh, for fuck’s sake not-

“I’ve got it! Rarity gave me this one.”

Fuck!

“Stormy! Plain and simple.” The blue pegasus said triumphantly at her new title for the irritated stallion.

Storm sighed. “I already told you about that nickname. I don’t like being called that.”

“Why?” She asked, clearing tired of the drawn out game of beating around the bush.

“That’s for me to know.”

Rainbow shrugged. “Alright. Until you tell me why you hate it so much, I won’t stop calling you it.”

“You aren’t serious.”

“Oh, I am, Stormy.” The mare snickered.

“This is going to get old rea-”

The conversation could go no further when Storm’s eyes made contact with a figure in the second story window of the gothic-like buildings in the distance. He couldn’t make out much other than the equine shape, but that was all he needed.

“What’s wrong? Can’t think of a good comeback, Stormy?”

“Shut up.” Was all he replied quietly and harshly, forcing the mare’s ears to subconsciously lower. Upon realizing what he sounded like to her, Storm elaborated. “There’s someone in the window up ahead. Let’s get off the streets.”

Rainbow’s ears perked up again as she snapped her head towards the structures but she failed to locate this illusive someone. “Uh… Okay.” The two of them snuck into a nearby alley to avoid the stranger’s gaze while they made a plan.

“Shit. There aren’t any buildings in between us and there. We’re gonna have to cross that open ground.” Storm thought aloud after a careful peeking examination of the place with his camera.

“Am I the only one getting Daring Do trab vibes from this?” Rainbow muttered, beginning to feel uneasy at the prospect of standing as targets in a misty, raining, city where the only sounds was the wind and distant growling of waves.

“You really like that book, huh.” Storm commented ducking back into the alley.

“Series.” Rainbow correctly, turning sheepish upon realizing how much like a certain purple egghead she just sounded. “And yeah, It’s the definition of awesome. They remind me of what we are doing right now. Ya know, minus all the death and stuff…” She trailed off a bit melancholy towards the end.

“Yeah, well it’s a good lesson. Not all stories end on a happy note.”

“... You should give it a try sometime.”

“Daring Do? I’m not a fan of fiction.”

“Why?! It’s like the only acceptable thing to read while not being considered an egghead.”

“It’s fake. Why would I want to fill my head with something that is useless and doesn’t pertain to my survival - or in this case, our survival.”

“Dude, you're crazy. That's the whole point of books like Daring Do. To escape from the chaos in life. Spend enough time with your muzzle in one of those books and everything else just fades away until the last page ends. Wow, I really sound like Twi now.”

“We all have our ways to escape. Mine is just more practical.”

“You mean antisocial?”

“There are multiple ways to view it.”

“Yeah. Whole lot of ways to look at hiding in a dark room by yourself while building an arsenal to rival the old Royal Guard.”

“Hey, you’ve got your peace and I’ve got mine. Can we stay focused?” The stallion grunted, becoming frustrated with how easily he got swept up into conversation with the mare while out here. “Well, whoever is up there isn’t a sniper. They had plenty of time to pop one of us so they would have done it by now. Guess we’re going to cross over and hope for the best.”

“Alright. Let’s get this over with!” Rainbow announced confidently and began to trot forward before she was blocked.

“If we get into trouble that we can’t handle, then duck for cover and run for the ship. No matter what you see or hear. Got it?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes from behind the visor. “Yes, dad.” Then she walked past him grumbling about having two fathers now or something along those lines.

Meanwhile, back in Fillydelphia’s harbor, the Solstice remained docked with the Equestrian Sea at it’s back. Two wounded ponies limped up to the ship’s ramp - one of which was resting on the other’s back.

The previously assigned runner group - Group E - was standing guard outside the makeshift infirmary and restock center after completing their search of the city’s harbor and beach. When the two silhouettes in the fog grew closer, the ship’s huge spotlight was shown down upon them.

“Gah!” A slightly prebuscant male voice rang out. “It’s me! Shut that shit off!”

The light did reveal an armored Trail Hunter with the wounded Snare Trap on his back. Snare was completely still, giving the medics on the ground the worst thoughts. The spotlight was lowered, leaving the small industrial lights to pierce the fog’s blanket in the area.

A mare and stallion wearing white coats sprinted towards the approaching duo. They took the unconscious mare off of the grateful stallion’s back and rushed her to a stretcher. The orders of a doctor were drowned out by Trail, who went over to the small ‘break corner’ of the camp before popping open a cooler and grabbing a bottle of cider. The stallion began drowning in the bitter, yet refreshing alcohol until a mare’s voice to his left nearly made him choke.

“What happened?” Spitfire demanded, not caring for the sputerting stallion in front of her.

When Trail could use his lungs effectively once more, he groaned before replying. “Shit happened.”

“I’m gonna need a little bit more than that.” The yellow pegasus was trying to hold back visible irritation.

Hunter signed in annoyance before throwing the half-full bottle towards a barrel and missing by a mile, shattering the glass everywhere. “Shit hit the fan. We had two choices to get to the Hub. The only open side street or the library. I wanted to use the street because it was safer and you guys could monitor us in case we needed backup, but that other jackass overrode me and made us take the library.”

Spitfire raised an eyebrow. “That Storm Surge?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Great on princess’ part - letting a senial old man into our forces.”

The mare frowned once more. “Senial? He’s like not even forty yet. He’s practically my age.”

Hunter’s features froze for a second upon realizing he had subconsciously insulted his superior. “Right… you look great by the way.”

“Uh huh.” Spitfire replied, clearly not buying the asskissing. “Continue.”

“Right. So, we got jumped by some of those fuckers and were fighting for our lives. Storm and his fillyfriend wanted to get out so we all started making a run for it. Snare was attacked, so I stopped to help her. I got slammed into a bookshelf by one of the creatures and was able to see those two bunk-buddies escaping out the front door without me and Snare.”

“How did you get away?”

“Snare pulled me out of the shelf and we fought our way out. She got shot in her eye by one of the fucks on our way to the door.”

“I see.” Spitfire sighed. “I’ll report this to Princess Twilight after receiving their half of the story.”

Hunter froze. “Their side? Excuse me, ma’am, but I don’t think that is necessary.”

“And why is that?” Spitfire asked, her trademark questioning brow and tone returning.

“... Because uh- they probably won’t return. It’s just the two of them out there after all. Those two are probably dead meat by now. But if they do make it back, I want to request that one of them be banned from the program.”

“Why not both? If you claim they both abandoned you two, then why only one?”

“Well, uh - because it was really only his idea to leave us behind.”

“His? Storm’s idea, you mean? Still, in any case I would have to kick them both out but something about your story doesn’t sit well with me. I’ve known Rainbow Dash from far before any of this. She never missed a show as a filly and I got to meet her a few times in pony. I know she isn’t a deserter and embodies the Element of Loyalty for a reason. So, you can imagine why I sense bullshit when some anger-prone prick comes to me and tells me that she isn’t all that I’ve come to know.”

“Well, you see I-”

Spitfire just glared at him before interrupting. “Get out of my sight, Hunter.”

“Wa-”

“I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY SIGHT!” She roared.

The stallion did just that. He wasn’t afraid of the mare, but wanted to stay on her good side. Well, for now…

Just you wait, bitch. Trail thought resentfully. When I’m on top of the Runner’s Division, let’s see who orders who around. Thoughts of erotic blackmailing involving the barely middle aged commander filled the depraved stallion’s head while he walked away.

“You're all the same…” He muttered bitterly before popping open another bottle. The stallion took a swig, nearly coughed and decided to smash the nearly full bottle on the ground. “Only difference is, you can’t control me. Not anymore…”

Just outside of the Hub, the pegasi duo found themselves standing at the foot of titan-like gothic buildings. There were five buildings in total - four of which mirrored their brethren save for the weathered damage in randomized spots - while the middle building was the smallest of the bunch and resembled an office rather than an apartment complex. A once golden arch rested over the entrance to this office building and was joined by spike-like triangles resembling a child’s drawing of a sun. Or at least half of a sun. Underneath the clipart-like logo, the words SUNSET PIER APARTMENTS hung despite their neon lights being burnt out decades prior. The interior of the office-like building was, however, completely caved in by the roof and pieces of the taller surrounding structures as well. Not every structure was standing completely upright as some were crooked, another had nearly half of it’s east side missing, and one appeared to be shorter than the rest despite being the same exact model.

It wasn’t until Rainbow got a better view of the uneven geography’s cause that she was able to process what she was seeing. The entire pier was sectioned off by rough cuts in the landscape - some of which were lower to the ocean than others. “Woah…” She commented, gracefully hopping onto a nearby destroyed chariot to get a better look of the distance.

“Yeah, that about sums it up.” Storm said, joining her visual scan of the debris-littered coastline. “Erosion hasn’t been kind to this part of the city.”

“No kidding. I’ve never seen waves that aggressive.”

“Well, that's what happens when you literally fire the sun at the ground. It’s a domino effect mixed with a hoofull of dice throws. We might still be miles away from Los Pegasus or Canterlot, but we still can’t escape the aftermath.”

“... It’s like this isn’t even Equestria anymore. I feel like I’ve seen some of these places in like postcards or while seeing a Wonderbolt show, but now it just feels like…”

“Like nature rerolled the dice and said ‘fuck you’ to all of us?”

Rainbow nodded, letting out a sound which was a mix between a light chuckle and scoff. “Yeah.”

Storm exhaled through his nostrils while looking at the barely standing apartment block before them. “Well, we aren’t getting any younger and neither are those buildings. Let’s find C and the element signal and get out of here.”

“Didn’t Plans want us to call them?”

“Right. Hold on a second.” The stallion lifted a hoof to his Tethertech before a small holographic box appeared. A few button presses later, and he was dialing the present number for group C’s ATS links.

STATIC

“Anything?”

“No.” Storm switched to the next preset code on the list.

STATIC

Then another.

STATIC

“Oh fuck me…” He muttered while tuning to the final one.

STATIC

“Are the strength of those things really that crappy?” Rainbow asked.

“No,” Storm replied, momentarily forgetting the open and crackling channel. “Something is interfering with our comms just like it is on Twilight’s signal.”

“Great, so these things can use radios now? What’s next? Singing?”

“I’ve never seen a Damned use a radio, but I don’t doubt they are smart enough to figure one out. Just keep your eyes open and ears peel-”

“... STATIC …H-hello?” A dry, wheezing male voice asked. This stallion on the other end sounded as if he had been traveling through the Saddle Arabian desert for a week straight without any water. The strain on his voice only added to the desperation when he began to plead with someone on the other end, “N-no, no, no…”

Storm and Rainbow shared concerned glances from behind their visors at the mystery stallion’s frantic begging - which had now turned into full blown sobbing with a few words choked in between.

“Who is this?” Storm finally asked, causing the other stallions pleading to die suddenly. His cries and sniffling ceased completely, leaving only the faint pitter patter of the rain’s assault on the duo’s roof to be heard.

A metallic clanging spilled out from the earpiece as something heavy was knocked over on the comm’s other side. What sounded like scraping followed shortly after and was joined with deep, pained breathing that had a slight growl to it.

“NO! Leave me alone!” The stallion returned, sounding more panicked and frantic than before. The other two could hear him panting through the call while he ran away from some unseen force. “I-I didn’t want this! We didn’t want this!”

In the process of listening to the haunting call, Storm pulled up a holographic screen to the side and began fiddling with some code on it that Rainbow had no intention - or hope - of understanding. A few moments later and the grey pegasus had a digital map of Sunset Pier Apartments pulled up alongside the call’s screen. Much like the rest of his suit’s displays, this screen was various shades of purple, but it had one difference. A single yellow dot.

Located on the second floor of the only straight standing apartment complex, this moving yellow dot dashed through the corridors like a miniature sun escaping the horizon for when the moon returned in the night. Suddenly, the dot started to glitch. It became hazy before breaking into pieces and jumping around only to be returned to its original spot as a whole dot.

“Shit. Signal’s fading.” Storm muttered, checking the code part again.

“Signal? As in the signal?” Rainbow asked.

“No, I’m tracking whoever this is from their ATS link upstream. Only Twilight’s device can track that signal.” A couple lines of code later, and the yellow dot was more solid again. It was still retreating deeper into the building and rounding corners as a seemingly random pattern like no thought other than escape was running through its mind.

“Are you from Group C?” Storm asked the stallion on the other end. The dot suddenly stopped at the end of a hallway.

“N-NO! PLEASE! G-GO AWAY! I DIDN'T MEAN I-IT!” He balled, sobbing in full force. The scraping grew louder. So did the breathing. Storm even swore he heard a whisper of something dripping. “SHE WOULDN’T LET ME SEE YOU! I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING! PLEASE STOP!”

The grinding of a shotgun being pumped dominated the call. The stallion’s sobbing was joined by coughing as he choked on his own snot or tears, but the sound died out entirely just before-

BANG!

An explosion of gunpowder and terrible squelching overpowered the static of the call - which lessened just in time for the pegasus duo to hear a heavy object thump to the floor. Storm’s holographic screens were all repressed into one smaller screen that displayed only a single message:

/// ERROR /// SIGNAL LOST /// CALLER CODE HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED OR IS UNAVAILABLE /// PLEASE CONTACT SUPPORT

“H-holy shit!” Rainbow fumbled for her words. “Did he just… did he…”

“Yeah.” Storm replied, answering the mare’s unfinished question for her. “Something is seriously fucking wrong here.”

Rainbow was still in brief shock at what she had just witnessed. Sure, she had heard of ponies taking their own lives before but it was very rare back in the old Equestria. However, the cyan pegasus had never actually heard anypony do it right before her own ears. She was able to feel the trembling in his sobs, feel the shakiness of the weapon. She was able to hear the last choke of breath before this mystery stallion’s head was very likely reduced to a crimson stem.

“What do we do?” Dash finally asked, desperately hiding the need to move on from her thoughts.

“Well, we aren’t running in there without a plan. That’s all I know...” The stallion trailed off upon realizing the self-given hint in his own sentence.

Storm was silent for a moment while weighting the duo’s options in his head. Once a finished idea was finally hatched, the stallion raised a hoof to his earpiece. A few seconds of connecting later, and he had a call established.

“Planning, it’s Storm.”

“I read you, Storm.” The grey unicorn on the other end replied. “Is everything okay?”

“I think we found C, or at least one member of it. Heard him on the comms.”

“Oh finally! What is they’re pro-”

“He’s dead.”

“W-what?”

“He called us for some reason and started shouting at something on the other end.”

“Did one of those things get to him?”

“I don’t know. He tried to reason with whatever it was. Then he shot himself. For all we know, that suicide was staged, someone else could have pulled the trigger on him. There might be survivors in that part of the city and something tells me they aren’t a fan of trespassers.”

“I-I don’t know, Storm.” Planning replied before the digital beeps of notifications came from her end of the call. “I don’t really see anypony claiming this city as they’re own.”

“Yeah, well you prepare for the bad and then deal with the worst. We’ll know what we’re dealing with in a few minutes.”

“...*STATIC*... B-be carefu-l in th-er- *STATIC*” The call started to fade into static before it was cut out completely, leaving the two armored ponies to themselves in front of the apartments once more.

Planning Period was forced to cut the call off before the ear splitting crackling permanently injured her ears. She leaned back in the surprisingly comfortable office chair while rubbing at her strained eyes. While the mare was grateful for not being placed out in the field with the others - one time was enough for her as is - she still wasn’t used to sitting at a desk literally all day while shifting through decade old newspapers, TetherTech recordings, and satellite maps of the city below. Back in Ponyville, she at least had breaks, but the grey unicorn still preferred the company of actual friends over a deranged boss. Nothing was actually holding Planning back from a break, but she feared what could happen to her friends below if she left the station for even a second.

With a sigh and a sip of her second coffee, the mare wiped her lips and leaned forward once more. She levitated a newspaper article dated from a week before what her older peers had called the outbreak day. Various articles were scattered throughout such as “Comic Book Store Owner Out of Job After Electrical Fire,” and “Hundreds in Outrage After Forced Removal from Their Homes.” Planning cocked her head to the side subconsciously. Princess Twilight had given her a literal mountain of information on the city from both before the outbreak day and after but wasn’t able to assist in explaining or give any highlights after she was whisked away upon some lab-coated stallion whispering in her ear.

She wished that there was somepony to help her. Storm already told them that he had no knowledge of the city and she really didn’t want to bother him while out there. There were others in the Communications Tower of the ship with Planning - over twenty of them to be exact - but they were all busy in their own workspaces whether that be on an active call or shifting through information, so she didn’t want to be a nuisance. So, instead she kept reading. Kept researching. This went on for about ten more minutes when Planning’s discarded TetherTech on the desk beeped. A call was incoming.

A call from her sister. Her dead sister.

When she read the name, the unicorn’s eyes started to water uncontrollably. She began shaking her head and whispering “no” to herself over and over again. With a shaky hoof, Planning grabbed the device and threw it across the room, startling a few nearby communications officers in the process. They looked at her before returning to their own more important tasks in their respective workspaces. Planning began to silently sob into her hooves as the sudden memories of her failure to help her sister seek out justice replayed in her mind.

Over and over. She couldn’t stop. They wouldn’t stop. Planning didn’t even see the tower’s interior anymore. All she saw was their shared apartment back in Ponyville. Everything was the same. The unmade bed, the chipped walls, even the unwashed dishes from the night prior - all little details that Planning had remembered from the night before her sister was never seen again.

And there she was.

The slightly older unicorn mare was nearly a twin to Planning with the only exceptions being her short-styled mane and orange eyes. She was also lacking glasses unlike her younger sister. The mare was standing in the open doorway to their shared apartment, but the outside where the streets of Ponyville should have been was just a white fuzz mixed with blue static-like particles.

“H-h-hightlight?” Planning sputtered in sorrowful disbelief.

The mare - Highlight - smiled softly. She slowly approached Planning before wrapping her hooves around the frozen unicorn. Planning began to shake slightly and buried her head in the crook of her sister’s neck.

“Shh… It’s okay, Dotty.” Highlight cooed into her ear.

Planning sniffed before weakly chuckling. “Dotty… I haven’t heard that stupid nickname in so long…” The mare couldn’t explain it, but the world around her began to shift once more. Instead of returning back to the tower interior, small splotches of black haze appeared here and there. But she didn’t notice or care. Only one thing mattered now… “I missed you…”

“I know,” Highlight let go of the embrace to pull back and look her tearfilled twin in the eyes while holding onto her shoulders. “I miss you too. But it’s okay. I’m here now and you won’t have to worry about leaving me this time.”

“Y-you think I-I left you?” Planning asked, swallowing and shaking her head frantically. “No, no, I didn’t! I-”

“You wouldn’t come with me.” The interruption was sudden, but not really backed by any emotion or hostility. “You were too scared to seek the truth but you found it, right?”

“I-”

“You found it, right?” The question was more forceful this time.

Planning gulped and then nodded. “Y-yes. We did it… We ended what she did.”

“We?” Highlight asked, her tone raising to a mocking playful one. “You mean Storm? He killed Rarity. Not you. You just begged him not to end your life too. That is all you ever did. Beg and hide.”

“H-how do you know about Storm? What do you mean, sis - I didn’t know what she would-”

“Ignorance was always your weak point. You sought information about the old world because you are too scared to face this one. Well, not anymore.” Highlight let go of the embrace and turned away from her stunned sister. Then she walked to the hazy white - now turned black - and blue doorway before looking over her shoulder at Planning. “I want to help you, Dotty. I want to let you see it.”

“See what?”

“The truth.”

“W-what? I already helped expose Rarity’s actions! I know the truth.”

“Not about that. I’m talking about yourself and your role. About that you - have no idea. You have been playing it your whole life but didn’t realize it until now.” The mare held out a hoof. “I want to show you it. You can finally see it. All the pain, all our struggling can end.”

Planning couldn’t explain it, but she felt extremely compelled to agree and found herself advancing towards the door before she even realized her legs were moving. She couldn’t tear her eyes from the look Highlight was giving her. It was the same look that she gave her when the two were about to raise hell in the community but knew it was wrong and so right at the same time.

“I-I can’t.” Planning finally said, managing to stop her zombie-like advancement towards the doorway. “My friends - they need me. I need to get back!”

Highlight sighed. “That is where you’re wrong, Dotty. They are just like you. They haven’t been exposed to the truth and won’t be until they are finally not blind. I’ll take them to see it too, but I want you to witness it first. Then you can see them again. I promise.”

“O-okay.” Planning let go of her mental restraint, causing her hooves to begin moving again. She caught up to her twin in what felt like hours and seconds at the same time. She took one last look at Highlight’s innocent smile.

Then they moved into the haze.

Twilight Sparkle ran a hoof through her unkempt mane, nearly knocking her glasses off in the process. The enclosed elevator to the comms tower was unbearable for a mare like her who was always sweating and busy or urging to be somewhere. In this case it was both. The lavender unicorn had just returned from preparing the research staff with recording devices to show the three newcomers the eventual assembling of the next element.

The mare had a pinkish-purple holographic screen open from her Tethertech, which had a list of everypony from Runner Groups C through E. Every name on Group E was still highlighted in a bright purple. Group D had three names in green as well - Trail Hunter, Storm Surge, and Rainbow Dash - while Snare Trap’s name was in yellow. Group D made her frown and defeatedly sigh upon seeing that every single name was a dull black-grey. Twilight contemplated going through the choppy video feeds from the few times each Runner’s camera was working, but she knew the ride would only last a few moments longer.

Eventually, the elevator doors slid open and allowed her exit into a short hallway with a few side rooms but one main set of double doors. A label on top of these double doors read Communications Control. Finally at her destination, Twilight used her magic to push aside one of the doors in time to see chaos.

Every single one of the communications officers were crowded at relative distance from something or someone that Twilight couldn’t see from her vantage point at the room’s entrance. With a raised brow and growing knot in her stomach, the unicorn quickly trotted up to the right side of the crowd. What she saw shook her to the very core.

A security guard in full ATS gear slowly approached a teary-eyed Planning Period. The guard was a mare of more than average build. She had her helmet down, revealing her lime crew-cut mane and hard but concerned brown eyes to the world. The mare calmly tried to coax the grey unicorn out of putting down the pistol which she had pressed against her chin.

Twilight’s eyes widened. Her attention was now solely on the mare’s suicide attempt. In all her years of struggle and strife, Twilight had never seen anything like this. There wasn’t any sign of extreme depression present in the grey unicorn before - in fact, she was tied with Rainbow Dash for optimism upon the trio’s arrival - so this was unbelievable.

Planning seemed… disoriented - out of it even. Her eyes were glazed over behind the tears. Her lips were quivering as she seemingly was in conversation with… nobody. “I-I can’t… My friends - they need me. I need to get back!” Then she was beginning to slowly lower the gun.

Twilight wanted to leap forward and snatch it from her. Maybe use her magic to sneak up behind and knock the pistol from Planning’s grasp, but the tethered digit on the trigger let the unicorn know that would likely cause more harm than good.

Planning stopped lowering the gun when it was at her throat. Then she immediately raised it back to her chin, pressing it deep within the fur and skin. “O-Okay…” Was the last thing she said before…

BANG!

Crimson bits exploded. Ponies screamed. Planning’s body thudded onto the cold steel floor. Her corpse had a hole in the chin and in her temple. Her eyes were really dead now. Not just glazed. But the thing that really caught Twilight’s stare was the frozen smile on the deceased mare’s muzzle. It looked like an expression of pure bittersweet happiness. Like she had been lost but found something.

Twilight didn’t have long to stare or contemplate the horrific scene before the sound of two dozen notifications going off at the monitors around the room. Some of the struck officers managed to pry their eyes away from the gore and return to their respective stations to answer their calls. Even Planning’s monitor beeped, forcing Twilight to shudderingly step over her corpse and accept a call from the ship’s armory.

“Comms Tower, do you read me?!” A young stallion's voice asked, his tone shaky. “Somepony please pick up!”

“This is Twilight Sparkle. I read you, armory.”

“S-something is wrong down here, Princess!” Screams could be heard faintly in the background of the stallion’s side of the call. “Reaver just set off a grenade on his suit and killed two others! He didn’t even say anything to them! He just kept begging something we couldn’t see, not to approach him!”

In the background of the tower, Twilight heard similar reports of suicides and murder-suicides from the stations all around her as this stallion was telling his account. “Shit! Okay, listen to me carefully; I want everypony disarmed on that deck and moved away from anything harmful! Any weapons, equipment or sharp pieces of machinery - anything like that!”

“Understood, Ma’am!” The stallion hung up to do presumably just that.

Upon ending the call, Twilight turned her head to survey the rest of the chaos-coated room where other comms officers were giving similar orders. All the mare knew was that she had to get to the source of this - and fast!

Storm Surge and Rainbow Dash stood before the most geographically sound apartment complex of the quint. The one that lay on the very edge of where the ground became uneven and soon to be claimed by the ravaging sea below. The mist surrounding the city started to clear up ever so slightly, allowing the afternoon sun to pierce the grey downcast and faintly illuminate silhouettes of what each room held through the windows.

What caught Storm’s attention, however, wasn’t the sneak peak into the lower floored rooms but rather the strung up and rotting corpse that was nailed to a pillar behind the receptionist desk. Judging from it’s build, the corpse had been a stallion - who had also been a police officer by the hint of his torn uniform. He had a white, almost purple tinted coat and torn short cut orange mane and moustache. This stallion’s eyes had been removed or rather dug out from their sockets while his forehooves were forced up and behind his head where a large assortment of medical instruments and industrial grade rivets kept him in place.

But what caught Storm’s eye the most was what was scratched into the wall above the ex officers’ head - and in between his hooves - which was a single word:

BLIND

“What the fuck…” He muttered, scanning the corpse’s would-be resting spot for more clues with his flashlight.

“Uh, what?” Rainbow asked. “Why are you staring at that desk?”

Storm stared at her from the side. “The desk? Really? You don’t see the corpse hanging from the pillar behind it?”

“What are you talking about? I don’t see a body!”

“Your kidding right? It’s pretty fucking hard to miss this.”

“Why would I joke about this? All I see is the word ‘blind’ and some oversized nails back there-”

Rainbow continued on her rant but Storm blocked it out upon hearing a faint whispering coming from the corpse’s direction. He started to approach the hanging body, prompting the mare to call his name, but he didn’t listen. On his way over, the grey pegasus seemingly forgot to do his typical side-to-side sweep of the first floor’s hallways as he was in some sort of trace for the remains on the receptionist pillar. He looked up at the rotting corpse - which surprisingly didn’t smell of anything. On the intact part of the corpse’s uniform, a badge and nameplate remained which read ‘Officer Hard Case.’

“Storm?” He heard in a distorted tone from behind, but the stallion couldn’t pry himself from the body.

Sure enough, these whispers were coming from it but at the same time, they weren’t. The stallion’s lips weren’t moving and he was dead as a doornail, but two voices continued to faintly play in Storm’s ears like a song that one would consider a guilty pleasure that they would be embarrassed about when their friends caught wind of what said song was.

Suddenly, the corpse’s empty eye sockets, mouth, and every other visible orifice flashed white just as the voices became amplified and more clear. Storm took a step back as if expecting the thing to go off like a warhead but it didn’t. A single flash of white light and then the hollowed, rotting sockets returned to normal.

Then he heard a voice from behind. It was clear as day and definitely not the slightly scratchy voice of his companion. The stallion swung around with his weapon raised to see three newcomers; a light blue earth pony stallion with a dark blue mane, a blush red unicorn stallion in a full doctor’s getup, and the now very much alive gruff, short officer unicorn stallion that had been previously hanging above him. All of them were completely ignoring his armed presence as well.

The blue stallion was wearing a very expensive looking overcoat and fedora which shadowed his lidded, almost tired look to his eyes. “I don’t want excuses, Doctor” He said wearily. “I want answers. Why is half of my town’s residential sector being used to house the mentally ill?”

“They aren’t mentally ill, mister mayor.” The doctor explained, kicking the stone below lightly and lowering his head. “We aren’t really sure what is wrong with them, but we do know one thing-”

“They’re fucking crazy. That’s what we know.” The officer - Officer Hard Case interjected harshly.

“Then they should be in a certified asylum. Not my living space for residents and tourists.” The mayor continued.

“I-I understand, sir, but we can’t!”

The major raised an eyebrow. “You can’t? What is your name?”

“Uh, it’s Saving Grace, sir. Doctor Saving Grace.” The doctor replied shakily.

“Well, ‘uh Saving Grace,’ remember who holds your paycheck at the end of each month before choosing your words. Carefully - I might add.”

“Understood, sir,” Grace said, “But I don’t think relocation is possible. I’ve already tried to get small shipments of patients transferred to Ponyville’s clinic, Los Pegasus, and even Manehattan, but they claim to have their psyche wards full! Some of them are having to fill up other buildings like we are!”

“Then why haven’t we heard about it on the news?” Hard Case budded in once more, scratching at his thick moustache.

“No one wants to admit that the cases keep rising daily now.” Grace explained, levitating a clipboard where both stallions could view its contents. “We can’t keep this suppressed from the public forever. Once the media finds out, it will be like a domino effect everywhere. We must treat our patients before then!” He added with a faint spark of determination.

“I’ll agree with the last part.” Hard Case scoffed. “I swear, if I have to restrain one more lunatic screaming about wanting to see some divine truth or whatever, I’m going to lose it.”

“They can’t help it, officer.” the doctor scolded. “This isn’t their doing! Like I tried to say before - something is making them react this violently and sporadically. We just can’t pinpoint the exact cause of what you call insanity.” He spat at the last word like it was the most crude of titles.

“They can’t help it?” The officer stallion repeated in a mock tone before roughly shoving down the collar of his uniform to reveal a set of healing bite marks. “Does this fucking look like I care if they can help it or not?! They need to be locked up for good!”

“Enough, you two.” The major warned, straightening up his hat. “Doctor Grace, I want a proper diagnosis and a solution for every single patient here - all one hundred ninety-seven of them - and I want it soon. If we can’t help them overcome whatever this is, then we will have to resort to more… uncouth measures to keep them away from the public’s prying eyes until more can be done. Officer Case, I want you to supervise the doctor’s progress and report to me on a nightly basis…” The mentioned officer looked upset as if he was a primary school colt who had just been assigned extra homework. “Is that clear?”

Both stallions nodded. Then they were gone. Vanished into thin air. Storm found himself staring at the empty entrance before he realized that Rainbow was shaking him - an act that nearly made him swing at the poor mare.

“Storm! Storm! Answer me dammit!”

“W-what?!” He stammered, blinking a few times and failing to rub at his helmet-covered throbbing temple.

“Dude, what the hay was that?! You just started staring at the wall and kept muttering to yourself!”

“No, I was checking-” The stallion stopped mid sentence upon realizing that the crucified corpse of Hard Case was gone. Only the etched word remained on the pillar. “What the fuck…” He trailed off.

“You mind explaining what that was all about?!” Rainbow sounded on the verge of hysteria.

“I-I don’t know. They were here and then they…” Storm trailed off once more, checking the spot where he swore three stallions were just standing.

“Who? You’re not making any sense!”

Storm didn’t elaborate. He just kept switching between examining the empty pillar and equally empty space the trio of stallions had just occupied - or so he thought. His breath came out a bit shaky once the pegasus realized he had apparently been holding it until now.

“We need to go back.” Rainbow said, suddenly breaking him out of the detective trance.

The stallion shook his head. “No, I’m fine. Let’s find whatever is causing that signal, kill it and leave.” He began to head in the direction of a nearby door with an icon of a stairwell on it when the armored mare’s hoof caught his chest.

“Nuh-un. We aren’t going anywhere but back to the ship!”

Storm looked down, attempting to look straight into her eyes from behind the visor. “We? What’s that supposed to mean? You aren’t finishing this alone. Where I go, you go. And where you go, I go. That’s how this works.”

“Then we both head back. I can’t just sit by and let you become a basket case!”

“I said I’ll manage. Fuck, I lived a hallucinated lie for a year straight. This shouldn’t be much different.”

“It’s scary how calm you are about this. Are you sure?”

Storm pondered the question mentally for a second. Truth be told, he was terrified that he was seeing shit again. That Cadence mare should have fixed him, so why the hell was he seeing this stuff? It didn’t matter, well it did, but not right now. Right now all that mattered was making sure both he and Dash made it back. Preferably in one piece that is.

“Yeah… I’m sure.”

Her silent stare from behind the helmet made the cyan pegasus’ questioning clear of that statement, but the two turned away nevertheless. Instead, she sighed and removed the hoof blocking his path. “Okay. Just… Just Pinkie promise you’ll tell me when something comes up like that.”

“And I’m supposed to know what that is?”

“Oh, right.” Rainbow replied, smacking her helmet at momentarily forgetting that the stallion had no idea about her friend circle’s custom. “Nevermind, but just promise me.”

“Alright.” He then moved to the side of the stairwell entrance before swiftly pushing the door aside and checking the corners. Rainbow stayed outside to watch the duo’s back. “Ah shit…”

“What?” Rainbow called over her shoulder, turning away from the main lobby to peak inside of the doorway where her companion was exiting.

“Stairwells out. It's literally a pile of rubble."

"Crap. What about that?" The mare pointed a hoof at a nearby entrance to a duo of empty elevator shafts."

"Nope. That's not going to happen."

"Lemme guess, you're afraid of elevators too?"

Storm didn't respond. He just eyed the two openings. Both were lacking the elevator boxes but on the right one had a visible cable - signaling that the elevator was likely in the basement. As for the left one, it was on an upper floor.

"Yep. That's a yes." She groaned and most likely rolled her eyes behind the helmet's coverage while making her way to the right elevator shaft. "C'mon, Stormy. We don't have any other options. Look, I see a ladder on the other side." Before he could protest, the armored mare had a running start at the open shaft.

"Dash!" He shouted, moving to stop her but it was no use. The cyan pegasus disappeared into the abyss before a loud clanging sound resounded through the shaft.

"I'm okay!" She huffed, sounding like the wind had been knocked out of her. "The rung hit my stomach, but I'm fine!"

Storm was now standing on the empty shaft's ledge. His TetherTech light illuminated the surprisingly large area and gave his companion a clear path to climb up to the second floor's equally absent doors. When she was up, Rainbow peaked down from the second floor. "Your turn, big guy!"

Oh, for fucks sake… The stallion thought while he backed up to gain a running start. Normally, he would have tried another stairwell, but the only other one was also leaking debris - a sign it had been reduced to a similar fate as the last - so this was his only option. Storm tethered his weapon to the suit and mentally prepared himself for the inevitable jump over what looked like a bottomless pit.

Then he charged.

Before the nature of the death defying stunt registered in his brain fully, Storm was in the air and soaring towards the rusted ladder across the shaft. He slammed into it full force, grabbing two different rungs in his haste while the rest of his body reset upon the shock of being slammed into metal.

Then he heard it.

CREAK! SNAP!

He was already scrambling for a different set of rungs but didn't realize that a whole portion of the weathered ladder was coming down. He cursed and heard Rainbow scream his name.

Then a sensation of being feather-light hit for a moment before his build and armor began to pull him down deeper into the abyss. Along the way down, he turned his head to shine a light which revealed the bottom of the shaft’s wall was torn out and flooded - one of the parts that had been taken by the ocean.

Luckily, the aquatic environment broke his fall, but that was about all the positive it did. Storm’s ears popped slightly at the sudden change of audio inside the helmet and his limbs became heavier underneath the water. He sank back first, splaying his forehooves out in hope of grabbing onto some form of leverage in the murky depths. The grey pegasus barely noticed the ‘O2’ icon and second counter appearing on the top right of his helmet’s HUD in the process of fighting for purchase. Eventually, his hoof caught on something that felt like a support beam or rebar. The force of a single limb against the downward current made his hoof scream in agony before the other hoof grabbed hold and balanced out the weight.

Storm could hardly see through the almost ink-like water surrounding him. From his brief view above, he knew the wall behind him was blown out and led deep into the ravaging waters of the Equestrian Ocean. So with that in mind, he began searching the other three walls with his forehoof only to find nothing.

Shit! He mentally cursed while checking to see that his oxygen tank had less than seventy seconds remaining.

Next, the stallion swapped tactics to use his hindlegs in hope of finding a place of sanctuary below. A few moments of prodding later and he felt a gap - a relatively large one at that. Though he couldn’t see where it led, he did know the current wasn’t leading into that area so it was an option. Like a monkey in a tree, Storm swung himself into this little gap - barely missing his helmet on the ceiling of the entrance in the process.

His transition into the new space, however, was not as forgiving as the previous fall. Not even a few seconds after entering the gap, the physical sensation of being externally waterlogged was stripped away, and he hit something hard. The stallion got to his hooves slowly - almost robotically while he let his joints catch up with his nerves. He craned his neck after slamming into the concrete floor which was revealed by his flashlight.

A call notification popped up on his screen suddenly. He answered. “Storm?! Are you okay?!” Rainbow called out desperately.

“Yeah… yeah. I’ll survive.” He coughed. While talking with the mare, he continued to survey his surroundings. The color palette was almost entirely absent with dull grey walls and concrete floors. Black smears dotted some of the walls - whether they were old blood or oil or anything else could not be determined from his distance. Storm turned around to view the hole he had just fallen through. The steady stream of water leaked through and into an artificial channel created by the uneven ground of the falling building, which in turn led into a smaller hole that filtered the small stream out into the ocean.

“Oh thank Celestia…” She muttered before speaking up. “Where are you?”

“The basement. This place hasn’t entirely fallen off the map yet at least.” He huffed, pulling the Sweeper to his front.

“Okay. Hold on, I’ll find a way down to you-”

“No. Stay put. There’s a lot of debris sticking out on the way down. I got lucky not to be impaled by any of that shit. I’ll make my way up to you.”

“Whatever happened to the ‘wherever you go, I go’ thing?” Rainbow retorted, sounding upset about either being told to stay like an obedient dog or about the apparent hypocrisy. Perhaps both.

“What do you mean? I am going where you are right now. That fits into the ‘wherever you go, I go.’ Just keep your head down and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Oh, so sit in a corner and tell everything to fuck off?”

“Exactly.”

“Aghh! It doesn’t work if you agree with it!”

“If you say so-” A metal clank resounded throughout the basement, making the stallion snap to attention. “We can debate this later. I don’t think I’m alone down here…”

“... STATIC… Buck. Okay, just be careful -STATIC...”

“... STATIC… You too.”

Then the call ended. Storm closed the pop-up and put his attention solely on his surroundings. He had to fulfill his end and find a way back up to the second floor before that fearless pegasus dived down to join him instead. He decided to start from the beginning. The elevator shafts. Surprisingly, there were two separate shafts for each elevator. The one he had just fallen through was flooded and leaking out into a nasty couple story drop until it reached the ocean below.

But the other shaft was a different story. Due to their sectioned nature, the other elevator entrance was not flooded at all. In fact, it even housed the elevator box as shown by the shut doors and absence of leaking water. Storm put a hoof on the ‘open’ button, knowing exactly what he would receive but tried it anyway. Nothing.

Yep. Powers out. God, I love twenty year old technology. He thought bitterly, slamming the button plate as softly as an enraged stallion could while maintaining a low auditory profile. But then an idea hit him. Looking back to the wall with the elevator button, Storm noticed a small intact electrical box just a few steps away from the elevator doors. Hmph. That’ll work.

Rainbow Dash hated waiting. She hated it for two reasons. The first being that it was BORING as all Hell. The second, because it made her feel like she was a filly again being told to wait by the shopping cart while her mother went off to another aisle. The cyan pegasus slumped back against the hallway hall. She grunted in discomfort at having the chestplate slightly dig into her body from the crouched position.

“Stupid thing...” Rainbow muttered, shifting to her side slightly to find a more comfortable position. A couple minutes went by with nothing but the sound of her filtered breathing, the creak of the infrastructure, and the distant crashing of waves. “Argh! This is boring!”

Instead of sitting around doing nothing, the mare decided to remove the magazine from her rifle before spinning it around with her hoof in an attempt to keep it balanced. When that got old in roughly ten seconds, she put the magazine back inside of her weapon. In addition to this, the still fever made her antsy about the constricting helmet. A push of a button later, Rainbow put both hooves up to her head and pulled it off before placing it beside her form.

“NOOO! PLEASE YOU HAVE TO LET ME SEE HIM!” A female voice shrieked from down the hall.

Rainbow dropped her helmet while recoiling upon hearing a mare’s scream from down the hall. She quickly fumbled with her weapon trying to grab it and turn the safety off when a door was flung off of it’s hinges. This now grounded door came from the same direction as the scream. Rainbow eyed the spot uneasily with her flashlight for what felt like a millennia as she fully expected to see some hideous creature rounding the corner.

The cyan pegasus peeked into the small apartment room - which looked like it had been converted into a makeshift hospital room by the white bedsheets and portable medical equipment at the bedside - but all of this was lost to Rainbow, who was uneasily staring at two ponies within the room.

One was a bright yellow pegasus mare with a frazzled purple mane and tearstained eyes. The other was a blush red unicorn stallion wearing a doctor’s getup. The mare was sitting - or rather twitching - on her bed while the doctor was kneeling down below the mare, grabbing her shoulders and calmly whispering. “Please, calm down, Miss Frost.” He attempted to soothe, but the mare only shook her head while squeezing her eyes shut.

“No, no, no! You don’t understand! I need to see him!” Frost opened her bloodshot and bagged eyes before looking into the doctor’s own. She was becoming hysteric. “I can’t say no to my little colt! Please let me go!”

“Miss Frost, I…” The doctor paused, not sure how to break some sort of news to the hysteric mare. “I am sorry to inform you, but your son passed away seven years ago in an accident on a field trip at Cloudsdale’s Weather Factory.”

Rainbow watched silently, fully expecting the already on the verge yellow pegasus to lose it as all mothers would upon being told the heartbreaking news, but she didn’t. Instead, she nodded frantically. “I know, I know, but he came back to me! Last week, Spectrum Bolt came back to me! He wants to show me something!”

“Something?” The doctor asked, clicking a pen and levitating a clipboard to his chest. “What did your son say it was exactly?”

“He said we could be together again! That his daddy and him were waiting for me!”

“Waiting for what?”

“I need to see him! I need to go!” The mare repeated suddenly as if she was reset on some sort of loop. “He’s waiting for me in the West! The West! He said that we would all see it there!”

The doctor scribbled something onto his clipboard. “The West is a general direction, Miss Frost. Did he say any specific landmark in the West?”

“Yes! Yes! Bolty said that it was the place where harmony would begin and all conflict would end!” Suddenly, Frost looked to the doorway and Rainbow swore it was right at her. Then she smiled. “It’s time!”

“What time is-” The doctor asked, looking to clock on the opposite wall from his patient, but was interrupted by a fork being jammed into his throat. While attempting to cough up blood and pry the mare off of him, the doctor was sent to the floor where he gurgled violently as the mare stood over him.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” She repeated. “I can’t fail Bolty again! I need to see him! I need to see it!” Then with the fork in her hoof, the mare charged towards Rainbow.

“Stay back!” Rainbow demanded, raising her weapon but Frost refused to acknowledge her presence. Dash unloaded into the mare’s legs, but the bullets passed through. Then Frost ran through her. Rainbow spun on her heels but could not find the mare. “What the-”

The armored pegasus finally started to lower her machine gun when another scream filled the halls. Then another. And another. A chorus of screams - even a few joyous shouts rang out through the hall. After each scream, the door of the respective scream was flung from its hinges as well. The pattern of scream and then door continued as they would go one at a time, then two until they started traveling in a row towards the mare.

Rainbow ducked out of the doorway to avoid being slammed into by the mass of wood. Thinking on only instinct, she spun around into the now open doorway to reveal that nothing except a dusty apartment building was waiting for her. The screams and banging continued in the background until the amount of doors on the second floor had reached zero.

Dash’s heart was ravaging her chest. The heat inside the suit was unbearable as shown by her sweat. Rainbow seriously did not like this. She hated this whole thing. The apocalypse, her friend’s fates, even herself for not being able to be there when it all went down. She would never show it, but just watching the ghost of the once vibrant world was starting to wear her down and she didn’t know what to do. Not on her own.

Suddenly, her earpiece beeped to life, breaking her out of the retching thoughts. “Rainbow?! It’s Twilight. Call you hear me?!” The unexpected call and beeping made the mare flinch.

“Twi? Whats up?”

“We are! In a few seconds!”

“Wha-”

“Listen to me!” Twilight sounded out of breath. Her tone was shaky and laced with fear. “I ordered an emergency takeoff for the Solstice. Something is causing our crew to go crazy and harm themselves! We need to get out of it’s range until the signal’s source is destroyed and the seal is broken! We’ll swoop by to pick you and Storm up after the seal is broken!”

“O-okay! Calm down, Twi-”

“Dash! You don’t understand! I had suspicions but now I know for sure about who or what is behind the signal! It’s Applejack! It all makes sense now! She had to leave the farm to bring her uncle and aunt back to it! Fillydelphia went on quarantine before she could return to us! I should have seen it sooner!”

“You’re not making any sense, Twilight. How do you know it's AJ?”

“Because! Each seal is formed from the corrupted element it represents! Applejack was Honesty; everypony that is dying seems to be dealing with their own kinds of tragic truth or guilt!”

“Shit…”

“I need you to tell Storm this as well! I can’t reach his comms or access his camera.”

“Oh no…” Rainbow muttered upon a sudden realization, but Twilight still clearly heard her.

“What?”

“Uh… We are kinda split up-”

“WHAT?!”

“Heh…” Rainbow chuckled nervously. “Yeah, we tried to climb an elevator shaft and the ladder broke when it was his turn. He's down in the basement.”

“For Celestia’s sake…” The sound of a hoof slapping a face could be heard from the other side. “Okay, just… just try and reach him before Applejack does. My map still shows she, er it - whatever she may be - is still inside the building with you two.”

Rainbow shuddered. The thought of a psychotic Applejack or even a monstrous one was a terrible image that kept replaying over and over again in her head. “Got it. Thanks, Twi...” Then the call ended.

Once the image was beaten away from her mind, the mare pulled up another call with her basement-trapped friend this time. Just like Twilight’s attempt prior, she only received static. “C’mon, c’mon!” Rainbow muttered, trying to tune the knob on her earpiece as if it would somehow magically make it connect. It didn’t. All she received was static.

Dash leaned over the entrance to the elevator shaft and stared down it for a moment. Please, be okay… She thought before a shotgun blast resounded from down the shaft.

Rainbow’s eyes widened in horror…

Storm enjoyed engineering - especially electrical. It was one of the few instances where time slowed down and allowed him to problem solve a problem that could actually be solved. No mental strain of thinking where his family’s next meal was going to come from. No purple unicorn blabbing on about him being a prophet or saving the world. Nope. Just simple wiring ‘A’ to ‘B’ and moving on to the next logical problem. The stallion would have enjoyed it much more if a voice in the back of his head wasn’t reminding him of a moral obligation on the second floor who could be attacked any second he spent down here.

So he picked up the pace. Storm already had cables from his suit connected to the electrical box - which he had decided to jump starting after checking to see if the intact elevator’s cable still held, and sure enough the metal box was suspended on the second floor high above his reach. A few sparkes later, and a chirp resounded throughout the room. The grey pegasus looked over his right shoulder to see that the two triangular buttons labeled “Up” and “Down” were now glowing a faint beige.

Bingo. He thought, the slightest of joy filling his head after another successful engineering job. Storm began to walk over to the button when a sudden chuckled materialized to his right. Storm swung around with shotgun in tethered grip and a determined gaze on his flashlight beam’s illumination of…

nothing.

Just another room with shelves, boxes, and empty fuel canisters. He swept the room with the beam, strafying to an adjacent open room to find more decay and dust-covered debris. Storm’s breath had been severed in his throat as he listened for the slightest fall of hoovesteps or pattern of blood dripping. It wasn’t easy with the roaring water outside, but he kept his ears perked up in preparation.

“My, haven’t you grown…” A gruff male voice commented from behind.

Storm spun on his hooves and fired a round of buckshot into the wall. Into nothing. Small shards of stone scattered and a black spread of holes were the only things in the direction of the voice. Storm couldn’t hold his breath any longer. His lungs were begging for air, so he allowed it. A single bead of sweat rolled down his helmeted face, nearly catching him in the eye. He had to let his clenched teeth relax after they began to strain his jaw.

“Now is that any way to treat your old man?” The voice reappeared, from behind him yet again.

Storm froze. His eyes widened. He had thought the voice was a bit familiar but he hadn’t heard it in so long that…

“C’mon. We talked about this, Windstorm.” It continued, turning from faintly sly to serious. “You will face me when I’m talking to you.”

As if on instinct, Storm found his hooves doing just that. Before he was able to stop himself, the grey pegasus was faced with another grey pegasus. This one was half a head shorter than him, but had a similar muscular build of a military stallion. His dark blue mane was also significantly shorter than Storm's own. He had a long scar running across his frowning muzzle as well.

“Ah, ah, ah,” The stallion scolded, using a wing to point at Storm’s helmet. “Eye contact too, Windstorm.”

BANG!

Another shot fired. The shell exploded through the stallion’s chest, sending viscera and gore everywhere as he dropped dead on the spot. Storm realized his breath was shaking along with his legs while attempting to force himself to move forward and examine the kill. Surely enough, the stallion was dead. Much of the spread had pierced his now pulped heart.

“Where was that all those years ago?” Storm nearly tripped over himself turning around yet again to find the stallion - who was unharmed - standing a few steps away and blocking his route to the elevator button. “I would have never guessed you had so much of me in yo-”

“We’re not the same.” Storm growled, still keeping the weapon trained in his direction.

“Wow. Interruptions too? Damn, boy,” The stallion chuckled, shaking his head in mock disapproval. “My absence really has made your manners rusty, huh?”

Storm didn’t respond.

The stallion scoffed then he suddenly slammed a hoof down on the concrete, making it echo in the tight basement, and causing Storm to flinch. The stallion smirked. “It still works.”

“What the fuck do you want, Iron Sight?”

The stallion’s lips formed a mockingly surprised ‘O’ in response. “Woah, I never thought I’d hear you talk to me like that. Guess some things do change. Others not so much.”

“That supposed to mean something to me?”

The stallion started slowly circling Storm, but didn’t remove himself from the path of the elevator shafts entirely. “And another thing…” He paused, putting a hoof in the air as if he was about to give an important speech. “I don’t recall ever allowing you to call me by my real name. I recall ‘sir’ being the title of respect a father deserves.”

It was Storm’s turn to scoff. “Deserve? Yeah, you got that in the end alright.”

The stallion - Iron Sight - put his wings up in false surrender. “Damn, boy. Look at you. Where was the stumbling, stuttering mess of a colt that could barely point that thing at me all those years ago?”

“You tell me.”

“I know he’s still in there.” Iron ran a hoof across the black holes in the wall, creating a faint scraping sound. “Just buried beneath this tough guy act.”

“You don’t know shit. You’re just some fucked up part of my head and nothing more!”

Iron laughed. Not chuckled faintly, but laughed. “Oh, that’s good! I’m almost convinced that you are this ‘badass’ of sorts! You know, I may have been a drunk piece of shit at times but at least I was true to my word.”

“Yeah, knowing a bloody nose was all I would get each night was real fucking comforting.” Storm’s tone was enraged, but controlled at the same time.

“Well, at least I was straightforward. At least I wasn’t a hypocrite. You act like the good guy and help everypony but for what? Out of the kindness of your heart? Bullshit. You do it to escape me. To escape Delilah-”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Storm let loose another round into the spot where Iron had been standing. This time the shot went straight through his father, who looked down at his chest in an unimpressed fashion. “Don’t ever say her name around me!”

“Excuse me, boy.” Iron turned serious. “I thought I was allowed to talk about my wife without anyone's permission. Guess I need my schizophrenic bastard’s approval first.”

Storm’s legs felt heavy. His eyes were straining at either sweat or tears within - which of the two he did not know. His head hurt at how long and concentrated he had been tethering his shotgun, forcing him to lower it reluctantly.

Iron made somewhat of a sincere sad face. “I don’t mean any of it, Windstorm. You know deep down I always loved you. That you were the best thing to ever-” The stallion’s sentences were broken into snickering before he composed himself. “I’m sorry. I can’t! I can’t even keep up a comedic face long enough to make the joke. Anywho, I came here to offer you something.”

“Offer me? Since when do you give out anything besides a beating?”

“Since now. Circumstances have changed. I saw something incredible after you pulled the trigger. Hell, I’ve been staring at it for nearly two decades since. I want to offer you a chance at redemption.”

“What the Hell do I need that for?”

Iron laughed again. “Oh, come on. I knew you weren’t very bright, but this is just unbearable. Fine, I’ll explain it to you. Those raiders who took out Forge and Blossom? Salvus? Anypony who even looked at your precious little lighthouse? All those lives you took out of paranoia. Oh! And let's not forget my personal favorite! Remember when you slaughtered that whole hospital after they left you broken and bleeding surrounded by your friends? I saw the whole thing! Front row seat even! I was honestly shocked when you shot every single broodmare too. But you don’t remember any of that do you? Or is that just the excuse you keep telling ‘prismatic precious’ up there?” Iron pointed to the ceiling. “Speaking of which, how is that going? Think she figured out what a degenerate piece of shit you’ve become? The things I did in the war don’t even compare to what I’ve watched you do.”

“Leave Dash out of this. You want to start shit, take it up with me.”

“Yep. You really haven’t changed at all. First taking mommy’s licks for her and now for some random mare that you met two days ago. You are really hopeless, you know that? Just a few days ago, she came in, wrecked your paradise and now you vow to protect her at any cost despite blaming her? Hypocritical!” He sang the last word in a sing-song tone.

“I wasn’t thinking straight when I said those things! I know it’s not her fault!”

“You’re right! It's not her fault! It’s yours! Your obsession with helping one mother to atone for what you did to your mother and me led to that. You got your friends killed and you can’t stand to accept it. You can’t eat more than a bite, you can’t sleep most nights, and you push away anypony that makes eye contact with you. And you know why that is? Because you know whose fault it is, but you can’t face it. Just like you can’t face me.”

“I have no regrets over you! I’d shoot you ten more times if I got the chance!”

“Really? Even though you have nightmares about it every single night? Even though it forced your mother to take the blame for my murder and flee forever? You ended my life, ruined hers, and still ended up fucking your own up - all on your own! I don’t know if there is a more obvious definition of a ‘screw up’ in the dictionary than you!” Then Iron composed himself, exhaling through his nostrils. “But this isn’t about that. I am offering you this to fix everything you’ve done. All you have to do is follow me and see it.”

“See what?”

“Unity. A place with no struggle. No conflict. No monsters.”

“Yeah, a little less cryptic bullshit would be nice!”

“Well, you only expected a punch in the mouth each day from me, so now I’m trying to change.”

“Well… where is it?”

Iron pointed at the elevator shaft behind him. The elevator shaft that no longer housed a dark metal interior but rather a hazy white and blue fuzz. “Through there. Let’s go up, you and me. We’ll catch up and have that father-son bonding time you always wanted. C’mon, we both have to take the elevator anyway.”

“If I follow, will you leave me the fuck alone?”

Iron put a hoof over his heart. “I swear to Celestia, er what is left of her.” Then he stepped into the elevator box - which had come down after he pressed the button with surprising speed.

Storm noticed that his hooves were once more involuntarily moving towards him again. He hated the idea of being in a small box with this… hallucination? Vision? Whatever the fuck it was, he just had to cooperate until it ended. And he went away. Forever. With a single foreleg, the armored stallion lifted it to step down into the elevator box when-

“STORM!” A familiar mare’s voice shrieked from across the room. The mentioned stallion stopped his progress and turned to see Rainbow Dash sprinting towards him full speed with her gun aimed at him. Or so he thought. “MOVE!”

Storm turned his head only to come to a few realizations. One, he wasn’t about to step into an elevator shaft - which was on the opposite side of the room. Two, Rainbow was sprinting from the elevator towards him. Three, he was directly face to face with a fleshy pit of three dozen blue squirming insects. It wasn’t until his brain registered that a full body creature was containing this ‘face-pit’ that he noticed the two forehoove blades hanging down under its ‘chin.’

Then it swung.

The stallion had just enough time to fall on his back before the blades swept across where he had just been standing. Even through the suit’s thick fabric, he could feel the disturbed wind as the bone scythes passed by. Storm fired his shotgun out of reflex, but missed by a mile in his haste.

A volley of machine gun fire ranged out from the downed pegasus’ side, turning the creature’s attention off of him. As the mass of flesh and bone-like head turned away, Storm got a clearer view of it. The ‘head’ was made up of a single pony that once had orange fur and a trio of apples for a cutie mark. Where this pony’s head should have been was a large and deep pit of muscle and flesh where the Plexer pit was located inside. Upon noticing the gunfire, the creature ‘folded’ a few flaps of armored flesh to protect the blue creatures. As for the rest of its body, the monster had a snake-like appearance with its main body being a mess of bone, flesh, and muscle - all of which were coiled to make the thing fit in the basement. Four limbs made up of more bodies and the sprouting blue tentacles made up the creature’s arms and legs. As far as Storm could tell, the two blades of the face corpse were the only method of attack. But he knew it had more.

They always did.

Rainbow Dash tried firing through these flaps, only to have her shots get stuck in the bone or bounce off, so she ceased the attack altogether. The beast made some sort of skittering sound before it folded it’s limbs in as small as possible and leapt out of a missing chunk of the basement ground - which led to the open ocean and pierside.

“Storm!” She called, running up to the stallion who was slowly getting to his hooves. “What the fuck was that?!”

The stallion shook his head in an attempt to lessen his newly formed headache. “It’s a new type. I’ve never seen one like that before.”

“No! Not that thing! Why were you holding a shotgun to your head!”

“I… I didn’t know I was. I thought…”

“What?”

“... nothing. We need to kill whatever that thing is.”

“It’s Applejack.”

“Who?”

“One of the Element Bearers… I mean, ex-bearer.” Rainbow’s tone and ears drooped at the correction. “What did she make you see?”

Storm didn’t reply.

“Storm? What did she make you see?”

“Don’t worry about it. How do we kill it?”

Rainbow sighed, clearly fed up with his secrecy but knew now wasn’t the time. “AJ represented the Element of Honesty. Twilight thinks that she makes us see some sort of… tragedy. And it kills us.”

“Let me guess, face up to whatever this tragedy is and we break this supposed seal?”

“Exactly. At least that is what Twi told me a few minutes ago before she left…”

“What do you mean left?”

“She had to take the ship and get out of range of whatever AJ is doing to us.”

Storm grunted. “Typical. We get roped into some holy mission and now we are left for dead.”

“They didn’t have a choice! Her crew was dying because of this!”

A splash of blue liquid landed in between the two pegasi, killing the argument out of the gate. The duo looked up in time to see the monstrosity hanging from a hole in the ceiling. It’s four dozen blue orbs locked with their visors.

Then it lunged.

Storm had a fraction of a second to shove Rainbow away before his head was encased in the now open flesh flaps. His vision went black, then glowing blue as he stared into death over a dozen times. He might have heard Dash scream, but it was muffled. Storm activated his hoof blade and dug it into the creature’s face, but it didn’t phase the thing. Instead, it’s blue insects started to shine extremely bright.

Then Storm’s vision went completely blue.

The weight of being trapped in a fleshy maw was instantly lifted off of the stallion. The nearly pitch black and blue glowing tomb was gone. But something worse had replaced it. The blue glow wore off, allowing Storm to see that his surroundings were very different. He was no longer in the two decade old ruins of an apartment complex’s basement with his fate-decided partner and a massive monster.

He was home.

But at the same time he wasn’t. The place was definitely his foalhood home, but only the interior matched it to a deadly degree. The windows were covered with the same white and blue haze as the elevator shaft before. Storm was standing in the front entrance, where a colt’s saddlebag hung on a large nail next to a lunchbox. His lunchbox.

The stallion turned around to see that his front door was absent from the picture. Only a blank wall with no access to the outside haze in sight - not that he wanted to traverse that field again after where it left him last time. From his position, Storm could see the small living room which sported a worn couch and armchair which reeked of booze and other unpleasant scents. A small circular table had a taped TV remote and was littered with bottles. On the couch, Iron Sight lay sprawled out with a dirty blanket covering his twitchy body. He was muttering something to himself while in his sleeping state as well.

Storm froze momentarily, almost forgetting he was a full grown stallion in a suit of armor and armed to the teeth. When the realization returned, he quietly loaded the remaining three shells into his shotgun and cocked it, wincing as the sound exploded throughout the room.

“Careful,” Iron’s voice warned despite his body remaining asleep. The voice in question sounded like it was coming from Storm’s own head rather than a physical body. “You know what happens when you wake, daddy.”

Storm grit his teeth and began approaching his sleeping father. He pointed the shotgun down as if expecting Iron to jump up at him like a Damned feigning death to trick its prey. Iron snorted and twitched, making Storm move back out of reflex but he never woke up much to the latter’s relief.

“Ooh! That was close!” The disembodied voice continued to playfully taunt. “I promised you unity, so here it is. We can all be one happy family again, Windstorm.”

Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering in the next room perked Storm’s ears up in alarm. He raised the shotgun and began slowly approaching the hallway which ran alongside the living room. A quick check down the hall’s left revealed the closed doors of the bedrooms and bathroom. To the right, a small slice of the kitchen could be seen, but the source of the sound could not be identified.

With what felt like thundering steps, the grey pegasus made his way slowly and methodically into the kitchen. What he saw made him nearly drop the gun. Or rather who he saw. Facing away from the entrance was a small beige pegasus mare. Her medium length blonde mane was unkempt - a clear sign of stress filled sleepless nights. The mare was scrambling to clean up the mess of an accidentally shattered coffee mug. Her movements were clumsy and rushed as if she wanted to get the job done before someone found out. She looked over her shoulder at the hallway - and right at Storm - but seemingly didn’t notice him before she returned back to scooping the pieces up and tossing them into the trash can.

Storm couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t move. He just stared. When his shaking limbs finally acknowledged his brain, the stallion quickly turned to sprint down the hallway. But he couldn’t. Because standing in his way was a small grey pegasus colt. The colt had an onyx mane with blue stripes and purple eyes. His eyes.

The colt looked surprised, then the widest smile formed on his face upon noticing the mare at the table. He then ran through Storm on his way to embrace the mare’s foreleg. The mare gave a small smile and embraced him tightly, lowering herself to reach his height.

“Mommy! You’re home!” The colt exclaimed in a volume that made Storm cringe again.

“Shh!” The mare whispered softly, looking towards the hallway again. When no real threat approached, she continued. “I promised I would always return, Stormy.”

Just hearing that nickname stabbed Storm in the chest. He couldn’t bring himself to leave now. He could only watch.

“Are you staying for good now?” His younger self whispered hopefully.

Delilah frowned slightly. Then she shook her head. “No… I can’t quit just yet… I’m sorry…”

“But you say that every time! Is selling flowers really that hard?!” The younger Storm had slight traces of tears in his eyes at the retold promise.

“It's… complicated, sweetie.” Delilah sighed. “I can’t quit. My boss won’t let me until the whole store is sold out. But when I sell every single flower, I promise we will get as far away from here as possible.”

“Far away from dad?”

“Far away from dad.” She confirmed, shivering slightly. “We’ll live in Canterlot in a mansion and have hot chocolate every single night. But I have to get us enough for this mansion first, dear.”

“I know.” The colt said as he was pulled closer into his mother’s chest. The strain in his voice showed the pain of being left alone. Again. And again. Until her next return.

“Hey, cheer up.” Delilah said, sounding as if she didn’t believe herself. “Grandma and grandpa are taking you to the farm for all of Hearth’s Warming Break. That’s ten days away from here!” The colt smiled while looking up at her. “Now, go get ready for school, Stormy. I might have time to walk you down ther-”

“What’s this?” Iron’s slurred voice asked from behind the grown Storm, causing Delilah, the younger one, and Storm to spin around and face the hallway. The colt Storm instantly hid behind his mother’s legs, peeking out from a slit in between.

“Nothing, dear.” Delilah replied cautiously. “Please just go back to bed-”

“I know… what I-” Iron burped. “-heard. You’re tryna take my colt from me!”

“N-no, my parents just want to see him for the holidays. Then we’ll both be back to celebrate Hearth’s Warming!”

“Celestia,” Iron muttered, nearly falling over. “Only two things that mouth is good for and only one pleases me. The other is just bullshit.” He took a stumbling step closer. The adult Storm felt his mental grip on his weapon tighten.

“Iron, please go back to bed.” Delilah placed a foreleg in front of the young Storm.

With the real Storm’s position close enough to Iron, he activated the hoof blade and swung it - half expecting it to go through the apparition but it made the drunken abuser fade away into a mist of blue-white particles. Turning around, the grey pegasus also noticed that his mother and his younger self were gone. As was the kitchen.

Storm was back in the home’s entrance. Back at his saddle bag and lunchbox hook. But this time the front door was in its proper place. The second Storm noticed the new addition, he heard his father’s distorted voice from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

“What you saw is what was, Windstorm.” Iron said, his voice turning serious. Not drunk, mocking, or playful. Dead serious sincerity. “I had to remind you of what it was like. I was a piece of shit because I couldn’t stand taking care of somepony I didn’t plan on bringing a foal into this world when I couldn’t even take care of myself after the war. You know how it changes things. It changes you. It kills you from the inside out and whatever remains isn’t much. It isn’t you. It wasn’t me…”

“That doesn’t change shit!” Storm replied, yelling out with no clue if his ‘father’ could even hear him. “Trauma gives you no right to treat mom like that! It gave you no right to treat me like that! You got what you deserve and that's it!”

“Even after all this time you still don’t understand, boy. I was terrible because I was weak. We all are. We can’t process the worst of life and it turns us. Molds us into something awful that must be stopped. You stopped me, but became what I was in turn. Sure, it took nearly two decades but you made it. The cycle continues and it never stops on its own. It never will, Windstorm.” Then the front door opened, revealing the white and blue haze except, Storm could see the silhouette of a mare and stallion in the haze. “Unless we stop it…”

“You can drop the act!” Storm pumped his shotgun. “Stop hiding behind Iron’s face and just come at me!”

“I am not wearing anything’s face. This is just what you perceive my form as.” Iron replied indifferently. “You relate my presence to a fear of the unknown and hostility, so I appear as your father.”

“You don’t exactly look friendly with the bodies being piled up.” Storm didn’t like where any of this was going but he finally had a chance to get some answers from whatever this thing was.

“I am not the Honesty Vessel in which you are referring to. It is merely giving me a chance to communicate uninterrupted with you, Windstorm Surge.” ‘Iron’ lifted a foreleg towards the living room behind him, causing the scene to phase into a view of the apartment’s basement where a hysteric and worried helmetless Rainbow Dash was trying to shake Storm’s still body awake. The quad-limbed Damned was also missing. “This is where you really are.”

“Am I dead?” Storm asked, sounding more curious and not at all worried about his mortality.

“No,” Iron removed his hoof, causing the scene to return to his living room once more. “You are temporarily in my collective consciousness. I must discuss something urgent with you.”

“How about you tell me what you are first? I know you’re not a pony.”

“That is correct. I am not of equine descendance. Additionally, I have no name. Only a title given to me. I am known as Custodithought.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t exactly help much.” Storm’s tethered appendage was growing itchy on the shotgun’s trigger.

“In your language of ancient equine, before Equestrian, it translates to ‘Warden of Thought’”

“I’m guessing you didn’t set all of this up for a trip down memory lane and a fucking history lesson?”

Iron nodded. He never blinked or removed his eyes from Storm during the subtle gesture of confirmation. “You really do live up to your reputation, Windstorm. I want to discuss the journey of breaking my seals. I only allowed you to find Honesty so that I may reach you like this.”

“Your seals?” Storm tensed up. “This is all you? The Damned, the Plexers, the apocalypse - it’s all you?!”

“Once again, your reputation precedes you in terms of perception.” Iron replied, looking ever so slightly taken aback by the latter’s ability to catch on so soon. “I must compliment your kind’s proximity to the title of my multiplexer beings. You were only one prefix away from the original term. However, I do not understand the labeling of the temporary vessels as ‘The Damned.’”

“What is there not to understand? Are you saying those things aren’t the bastard children of you and whatever the ugliest thing in Tartarus is?!”

“The vessel’s appearance is only decayed and corrupted because of their biological makeup. Their bodies are not resistant to time and its effects. They will corrode and fade given enough time despite my multiplexer’s enhancements.”

“Enhancements?” Storm spat. “Carving out eyes and turning wings into scythes is an enhancement to you?”

“For their purpose, then I would answer in the affirmative. Once the soul leaves the vessel, then it becomes clay for molding. A blank canvas for creation. Whatever analogy suits you. The spirit, the soul - the many names your kind has for it - is the important part of life. The flesh is only a temporary vessel which I use as collateral in return for giving the souls unity with one another.”

“Humor me then. What do you want?” Storm found himself only looking into his ‘father’s’ cold unflinching eyes because looking anywhere else made him uneasy.

“You are here because you have my respect.” Iron replied, forcing Storm to give a weird look in response to hearing his father’s voice utter those words. “You have been given countless opportunities to fall into depravity, but you persist. You do not force yourself upon the female sex, you selflessly joined a group to unite the Element of Loyalty with her friends, and you tried to fix things with your father despite his mental state being unsalvagable. The list goes on.”

“Hold on a minute.” The stallion deadpanned, lowering the shotgun slightly. “You just said I would become a monster like you, er - Iron Sight no matter what. Now you’re saying I am redeemable?”

“No,” Iron sighed. “All of morality fall eventually - no matter their strength. You are no exception, but you are going to outlast most around you. I can see it. For that you have both my respect and my regret. Why regret, you ask? Because of your resilience, you must suffer.”

“I suffer because of what you did to the world! Fuck, we all do!”

“The world’s suffering is a necessary pain towards unity. And I did not bring about the end. Your kind did that. I tried to bring the beginning of unity. I tried to make it unexpected and swift, but you all persist despite the fact that I have been offering the only possible solution. The first step is the hardest for mortals. Naturally, you will resist. That is why you are here.”

“Want to explain this unity bullshit to me? I’m getting awfully sick of the vague game here.”

“Guilt defines you, Windstorm Surge.” Just looking at Iron was starting to make Storm’s splitting headache return. “From your foalhood to the present, it makes up who you are and what you will become. You carry burdens for others because you cannot face your own. I am giving you the chance to forget all of the burdens unjustly cast upon you. You can return to your family and the rest of us as one. No struggling. No conflict. No war, hunger, rape, depravity, or even death. All you have to do is make the initial sacrifice.”

Storm thought for a moment. Everything this ‘Warden of Thought’ was saying came from things he hadn’t told anypony for nearly thirty years - all of which were dead so spreading the information was close to impossible. This thing had to have a backseat to his mothers or father’s memories. Hell, it probably had access to his own. Still, so many things didn’t add up. “A perfect world, huh?”

Iron nodded. His indifferent eyes never blinked or left Storm’s own during the motion. “A unified existence. Not with flesh and blood but with mind and soul.”

“I’m finding it hard to push past you wanting to help us after seeing what the world is now. A landscape of both living and dead monsters doesn’t sell this paradise of yours!”

“It is the nature of morality. Everything fades in the end. Flesh, principal, even minds. All good things come to an end, but they shouldn’t. That is why I was created. I am the catalyst for unity. I offered a solution. Cut out the decay of flesh and individualism before it became corrupt and jaded. Instead, I would serve as the starting point for all with no end point.”

“Yeah, because being a flesh suit for your bugs is an eternity everycreature wants.”

“It wasn’t always that way, Windstorm Surge. My design was… flawed.” Iron held off as if the last word hurt it to say. Suddenly, the living room behind Storm’s apparent father was replaced with a dark room where a ring of a dozen creatures - of all races were summoning some unseen force with magic. Amongst them was a dark black unicorn with a silver and blue mane which was flashing between those colors and a black-red swap. “During my creation, the corruption of mortality overtook one of the creators. This creator’s input was vital in my birth but the corruption of his umbrum mind was also woven into my design. It made my multiplexers horrific in appearance and their connection methods violent, but it must be done in the end. Regardless of flaws, I was able to complete my goal.” Behind Iron, the living room changed to an overview of Equestria as shown by the royal city of Canterlot in the background.

“What?” Storm wondered aloud, slightly lowering his weapon.

“I brought all the equine races together for the founding of your kind’s greatest achievement - Equestria. It was the beginning of unity. The beginning of harmony.”

“Bullshit. The tribe elders of each race came together on Hearth’s Warming Eve. Everyone knows that!”

“That is what your kind has repurposed the holiday’s origin as. It is understandable being that respected equine symbols are used to bring harmony instead of something like me.” A dark forest where earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn elders were sitting in a ring with their respective tribes behind them formed in place of the other vision. Storm could make out small blue glows coming from the back of the elder’s necks. “Equestria was supposed to be the starting point for a unified existence, but there were those who favored the prospect of free will over total peace. I was locked away with the early stages of the elements of my own devising by a group which called themselves the Pillars.”

“Pillars?”

Iron didn’t respond. He just stared coldly for a moment then changed the subject. “I will not be sealed away much longer. I will return and unite every living soul on the planet to save you from your destructive selves. But my progress has been hindered by the Element of Magic’s personal quest.”

“The seals.” Storm muttered, raising his weapon again at the stallion’s vague threat. Or promise.

“Affirmative. Though, I do not agree with the title ‘Seals of ‘Disharmony,’ they are not of my naming. Those have been placed to ensure that no creature misuses the Pillar’s weapon.”

The Harmony Enforcer… Storm thought.

“Correct again.” Iron replied, making Storm almost jump at his apparent mind-reading ability. “The mission’s ability to stand for so long is admirable but it is misplaced to a fault. The Element of Magic doesn’t realize what she is doing. She is blinded by the false vanity of free will. I cannot reach her or the Element of Loyalty like I can with you. The Elements of Harmony were created based on the Pillar’s values and that makes them immune to my influence until their vessels have been extinguished and their soul free from the responsibility of bearing.”

“You want me to talk her out of reversing two decades of shit?” Storm asked. “Even I’m not convinced!”

“I understand.” Iron replied calmly. “You are not ready. The stress of the situation requires time to process. In time, you will understand why unity is necessary. We are linked now - united now. I will guide you towards a symbiotic future. Without it, war, conflict, and suffering remains. You will all repeat your mistakes until the day comes that your own flesh and blood will be your downfall.”

“It doesn’t take me long to recognize a monster.” Storm replied coldly. “I’m killing this Honesty Vessel thing and getting Dash - and the others - out of this nightmare!”

Iron was silent once more. Storm could sense the disappointment his father always had plastered on his face. “Then I must help you both see.” The living room changed back into the basement scene where Rainbow suddenly is jumped by the huge Damned.

“Dash!” Storm subconsciously yelled as if she could hear him. Then he turned to the uncaring Iron. “Call off your attack dog! I’m the one you want!”

“It’s like you didn’t process a single word I just said.” Iron sighed. “Look away if you cannot bear to watch the Element of Loyalty being free and moving on to a better state of existence.”

The grey pegasus couldn’t look away. He watched as the creature clipped Rainbow in the side with one of it’s bone-like claws and knocked her to the ground. Using the same claw, it pinned the mare who struggled to tether the equally pinned gun. Her helmet turned towards Storm’s own conscious body.

“Storm!” She called while dodging being engulfed by the thing’s fleshy maw.

Another snap. It missed by a hair.

The mentioned stallion looked to Iron before desperately adding, “Fine! I’ll talk to Twilight!”

Iron was unphased. “Excellanet.”

Rainbow dodged another bite in the background. “Storm! I know you can hear me!”

“Call it off of her!” Storm growled, angered at the creature’s continuous attack despite his compliance.

“It makes no difference. She will be freed sooner or later. You can join her after relaying my message to the Element of Mag-”

BANG!

An explosion of buckshot filled Iron’s face, causing the surprisingly solid stallion to be knocked back into the wall. Even with half his face gone, the unmoving cold eyes remained locked on Storm as he started to get to his hooves.

BANG!

Another shot. This time to the stomach, which sent Iron back to the ground. He showed no signs of pain but was incapacitated at the very least. Storm stomped a hoof on the battered ‘stallion’s’ chest, forcing him to remain down.

“As long as I’m breathing then so will she!” He roared at the figure of his father against the wall and floor with his organs hanging out. “You think I’m struggling for myself?! I already accepted what I am a long time ago! And another thing, I am united with my family! I know that now! AND NOTHING IS GONNA FUCK WITH THAT AGAIN!” A final blast reduced Iron’s head to pulp.

The words never again, never again, never again, replayed on a perfect loop inside Storm’s mind as he attempted to catch his breath while staring at the mutilated corpse.

Then the world around Storm started to twist itself. The ground started to shake, debris began falling from the ceiling, and a blue glow dominated his vision for a moment before it came back. Storm’s head hurt like Hell. He could feel twin trickles of blood down his nostrils and maybe even out his ears. But he was back in the real world.

Sitting in front of the now dead and Plexerless abomination, which his shotgun was halfway caught inside its ‘mouth.’ Storm quickly pried his weapon from the corpse’s flesh flaps and stored it on his back. Then he heard a groan.

“T-took you long enough.” Rainbow weakly chuckled, clearly trying to hide both the physical pain on her battered body and damaged suit. The mare was on the floor, lying on her side while a small trickle of blood ran from her left foreleg. She seemed to notice Storm’s glare at the leg. “I think it’s just sprained but it hurts like Tarterus.”

Storm looked back to the dead creature and destroyed basement as if non verbally asking what happened. Rainbow noticed this and attempted to sit up. “Whatever you did, it worked.”

The stallion said nothing before approaching the helmetless cyan pegasus and helping her up. What Rainbow thought would be more of a military style assisted carry turned surprisingly into a hug. An awkward one aided by the bulky suit plates and consoles.

“Mph!” She softly winced at the tight embrace. “Still sore, big guy.”

Storm retracted immediately before refusing to meet her gaze even behind his helmet. “Sorry…”

An uncomfortable silence filled the small basement at the unexpected act of affection before the grey pegasus cleared his throat - a sound that reverberated thanks to his filter. “What happened while I was out?”

“It grabbed you and filled it’s mouth with some bright light. I thought you were dead for sure!” Her tone and ears dropped at the words. “But AJ let you go and you just sat there muttering to nopony while I drove her away! She jumped me and I thought it was over when you grabbed her and started yelling about family while shooting at her over and over again. You didn’t miss a single shot too!”

Storm, however, didn’t share her misplaced excitement at the battle. He just stared at the deceased abomination but couldn’t get Iron’s - or the Warden’s - cold stare out of his head. He knew he was deep in the shit, but just how deep had been realized now.

“Hey, Equestria to Stormy,” Rainbow said, waving a hoof in front of his face to gain his attention. “What about you?”

“Huh?”

“What did you see?”

Before he could respond, both pegasi’s earpieces chirped to life with no static whatsoever, revealing Twilight Sparkle’s frantic voice. “Can you both hear me?! Come in!”

Storm helped Rainbow by supporting her left foreleg to help her walk. “We hear you Twilight. We need to talk-”

“Listen!” Twilight interrupted harshly. “You need to get out of there NOW!” Once the words left the earpiece, a rumble from above caused dust and small pebbles of debris to fall into the basement floor. It was almost identical to the one Storm had just experienced.

Then they heard the roars. The screams. All of which were above. Some were close and others were distant. The roaring barely overpowered the groan of the building as it started to come down under the weight of the horde above. Suddenly, the elevator which Storm had fixed - and Rainbow had rode down in - was sent to the bottom of the shaft, revealing a flood of Damned crawling through in its wake as shown by the army of blue orbs in the darkness.

“Shit!” Storm swore before grabbing his Sweeper and opening fire on the first few flooding out of the shaft. Luckily, the pile up of bodies forced the creatures to shove their fallen out of the way to get into the basement, but both ponies knew they had nowhere near enough resources to take on what they had seen in Ponyville first.

Rainbow was firing too. She had run out of machine gun ammunition and was down to the pistol, but she also sprayed at the nearest bone and flesh beast. Storm looked around the room desperately while scanning for a way out. By now, the two had been backed up to the wall where the AJ Damned had momentarily fled through a hole in the pier's foundation.

A hole that led to the ocean.

“Dash,” Storm yelled over the roaring and gunfire. “I have a plan! But you’re not going to like it!”

The mentioned mare looked over her shoulder while Storm took charge in holding the horde off. “Oh, for Celestia’s sake! You’ve got to be kidding! I can’t even swim like this!”

“I know! I’ll carry you and use the suit thrusters to keep us from hitting the rocks! Your helmet will prevent you from drowning since it’s pressurized!” The horde had closed in on over half of the basement now and were rapidly gaining ground.

Rainbow had run out of ammo completely and Storm had been on his last rivet canister for a while now. The mare took one last look into the hungry eyes of the creatures. “Okay! Buck it!”

Then the two turned tail and leapt from the hole, timing it out so they were falling at the same time. Luckily, they cleared the rocky landscape by a longshot and there were no rocks in the particular spot they were falling into. Storm still had Rainbow by the foreleg but was now holding her to keep the two intertwined for the coming splash.

The last thing the stallion saw before the murky ocean took his visor’s vision was the horde standing on the pier’s edge - some of which were falling into it either on accident or purpose - and all the while, his focus was on a specific pony standing on top of the ledge.

Delilah Diamond.

His deceased mother just coldly watched with the monsters piling down around her as Storm plunged into the depths...

Author's Notes:

I don't even know where to begin. The feedback on the story so far has been EXTREMELY helpful! I want to specifically thank Mix-Up, Goldminer23, and and EverfreePony for this feedback. You all have either brought up inconstancies and problems with the story that I feel are on the right track to being fixed as this chapter (as well as half of 19 is written) currently. I have taken most of my free time these past two months to really sit down and map out a more concrete plot and have finally stepped out of my fear shell to give you all some real information on the plot in this chapter - both through clear dialogue and subtle hints hidden around Fillydelphia while Storm and Rainbow continue to explore the city. And sadly, the full story of Fillydelphia is also in a future arc so it won't be fully explored here. However, there is enough subtle clues to get a general idea of what went on. But on the bright side, you get to see more of the city's story and trust me it has a good one. Anyway, I just wanted to bring up a few things that I have attempted to improve to see how many you all caught while reading this chapter alone:

Rainbow has been given more equal 'screen time' (page time?) with Storm. Her interactions with him, other characters, creatures, and the world around serve to both inform her and the readers of the new world. She is more fittingly curious about interesting stuff such as the ATS suits and gear but keeps the more egghead stuff on the side.

Storm has begun to show some more of his buried personality around Rainbow. A couple of his mannerisms and opinions other than "Fuck this" and "Fuck that" are revealed here. This is a sign that he is trusting her more after what they have been through and will continue to go through. I plan to go even further on this during downtime on the ship but in a way that fits him with help of a certain cyan pegasus. Additionally, his avoided past is also briefly explored and he is forced to start facing himself in order to keep himself alive for what remains of his 'family.'

More evolved Damned have come out to play! Their intelligence and ferocity have also been brought up to the forefront. Evolved Hunters made from Fillydelphia's all unicorn police force show this. They took tactics learned from their chapter 2 and 15 encounters with Storm to 'enhance' themselves.

Trail Hunter got a brief moment leading into why he is such a dick, which will be explored more when Storm and Rainbow have smaller fish to fry than what they are currently doing.

The main 'villain' is also finally introduced here. I hate the word 'villain' for the Warden but to Storm and Co. it is just that. An opposing antagonist with differing motives. There is SO much more to this character but it refused to reveal more than Storm needed to know because all it wants is his compliance at the moment.

The actual plot information is being conveyed in two ways now. 1, through dialogue between characters. This is the most open way with direct information. And 2, through environmental clues that slowly build upon what the dialogue is doing by giving you all a much larger than before spoonful so that you can attempt to solve the mystery before the characters do. Unfortunately, I am not able to show much more and all of the enhancements to the story such as improved character archetypes, survivors from FiM, and more locations but they will come. Let's just say a familiar face (or a few) will appear in chapter 19.

Until next time!

Chapter 19 - "Far Away"

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The afternoon rays of fading sunlight bounced off a motionless blue suit of equine armor. It lay face first on the water-kissed coast only slightly sunken into the sand. Besides the faint rising of the armor’s chest, the only other sign of motion on it was a flashing half full ring of purple lights, which were on the armor’s half-buried chestplate. Suddenly, a larger wave from the ocean’s tide came in and swept over the armor, rudely waking it’s inhabitant in an instant.

Storm Surge jolted awake only to groan in pain while his senses crawled back into his body. His returning vision swam, making all of the sharp rectangular fracture warning notifications on his helmet’s heads-up-display appear as red blurs. He could not discern which fractures were related to his own physical state or to the suit itself. Meanwhile his sense of feeling, touch, and taste all had their own nasty surprises to spring on the wounded stallion. Storm attempted to stand up, only to instantly fall back down with how sore and unresponsive his limbs felt; especially his back right hindleg. It felt sprained.

With another attempt, the grey pegasus managed to flop onto his back with a painful grunt. His injuries - a copper taste leaking down from his nostrils to his mouth, a stinging hind leg, and the worst headache than all of his hangovers combined - made it hard to think. But he didn’t have to for long when instinct started to slowly take over. His eyes went wide and he sprung up to a sitting position.

“Dash!” He called out before his wounds caught up with his sudden action, causing the stallion to curse and grip his abdomen, where a piece of what looked like steel or rock was wedged inside. He got no response so he tried again. And again. And again, louder each time. His throat was drier than a desert and yelling out the name of his companion didn’t help.

Storm wrapped both hooves around the piece of shrapnel stuck in his abdomen. With a deep intake of breath, he gripped the object tight and slowly yanked outwards. He did his best to muffle the cries of pain, which now sounded like grunts, but it wouldn’t matter anyway. He had already probably alerted everything within a three mile radius while verbally searching for Rainbow.

The stallion checked his suit’s clock to see that it was nearly time.

4:49… Come on! He mentally cursed the inanimate object lodged in his body.

The shrapnel piece finally gave way, allowing Storm to toss it aside and clutch his small wound. He looked down at his chestplate’s segmented ring and noticed the half of the bars were black rather than their usual glowing purple.

“Injuries aren’t critical… yet...” He muttered in a relieved manner before grabbing a bandage from a pouch on the suit’s inventory.

In a few seconds time, the bandage was secure around his waist and had effectively stopped the slow trail of blood. Storm sighed and checked the clock again. Only a minute had passed. Seven more to go…

The grey pegasus attempted to bring up his Tethertech’s holographic screen to call Rainbow Dash, but all he received was a still image with a single warning message.

Electrical fracture detected. Multiple non-tether functions are offline. Please contact support at ATS Help and Hardware.

Storm groaned in a mixture of pain and frustration while finally pushing himself up out of his sitting position and onto all four limbs. A couple sharp intakes of breath and swears later, the stallion was properly upright. But for how long he had no clue. His hindleg was actively trying to detach itself from his body to spare the pain and his crude bandage work wouldn’t last forever. He had to find more medical supplies. He had to find his weapons. But most importantly, he had to find Dash.

Luckily, as his mind started to piece itself back together with the fading headache, Storm devised a quick plan to complete the first of those three tasks. It would be night in… nine minutes! Meaning, he would need a way to defend himself very, very soon. He activated and then retracted his hoof-blade to check if it still worked, which it did. According to his HUD as well, the tethered helmet assembly system, main console and even his suit camera still worked. His thrusters, filtration system, and flash module were all different stories however.

Then there were his weapons. Besides the blade, Storm had no idea where his shotgun or Sweeper rifle had ended up after the fall into the close watery grave. He only had one hope of finding his lost gear now - his Tethertech. All weapons built before the fall of the world had Tether-links on their grips which acted like magnets or sorts that automatically ‘snap’ a tethered appendage towards them in the event the weapon’s user needs to grab and fire in a pinch. Since the tool worked with the user’s mind, the links acted like a priority option but weren't forced in case they were trying to grab something else. Nevertheless, Storm activated his tethered appendage again but thought about the link, making the purple digits jump towards the thick forest in front of him before resting back at his side when the link was deemed too far away.

There was something about the forest before him that made the pegasus anxious. It was often said that literally everything to ever exist made him feel that way, but this time felt especially justified. The brush was too thick; the spaces in between the leaves were too dark. No sounds came out of the forest either. No birds, no rustling of said leaves, nothing but the oceanic tide at his back made any noise. Additionally, the sun had now resolved to peak over the horizon and would be completely gone in a matter of seconds.

Storm’s purple-overlayed night vision flickered on within his visor in sync with the setting sun. A small crack down the middle right visor plate bugged the stallion as it slightly drew his attention away from what mattered until his vision would become accustomed to the minor fracture. He was also surprised that the NV worked even after being submerged, but his extensive upgrading to the internals must have finally paid off. Regardless, he pushed onward by entering the forest at a small opening between the trees.

Along the way, he began to hear muffled sounds from all around the brush as if something or multiple somethings were trying to keep quiet but miserably failing. Storm whipped his head and bladed hoof around at any semblance of a disturbance, but he couldn’t find anything. When he did spot a source of the noise, it was revealed to be a small critter like a squirrel or bunny fleeing into their respective hiding places for the night.

After about five or so minutes of stumbling through the forest and yelling out Rainbow’s name wherever he felt bold enough to do so later, the stallion finally found what his earpiece was trying to connect with. In a small clearing of the forest, a wooden canine-like creature was slowly creeping along with Storm’s slab-barreled Sweeper rifle in its jaws. The creature nearly blended in with its surroundings but the lighter branches and glowing green eyes gave it’s position away. It suddenly dropped the weapon and raised its head before letting out a few yipping sounds. This was when it fully occured to Storm what the creature was.

A timberwolf.

He had only read about the creature in old books about the wildlife of Equestria, so he knew the potential danger these things had possessed to the ponies of the old world. But now, they were little dogs in a bigger dog’s world. This was apparent in the timberwolf’s compressed, slim stomach. Each motion it made appeared forced as if it hurt to breath even. It looked like the creature hadn’t eaten in days or even weeks. As he looked onward, Storm noticed a slight shuffle in the wolf’s movements as well - a sign of fatigue and possible illness - while it sniffed his weapon.

Storm held his breath and activated his blade silently.

The wooden wolves started licking their wooden lips, revealing discolored yellow tongues that resembled the yellow-green hue of chunky puke. Then all three timberwolves bent down and began to aggressively lick at the Sweeper. Storm raised a brow before zooming in on the trio with his visor. With the help of his purple night vision, he was able to see darker discolorations on his weapon that each creature was lapping away at.

Dried blood.

They were licking up whatever dried crimson splotches were left on his weapon that had survived the fall in Fillydelphia. It must have been the closest thing to sustenance that these carnivores had received in forever because some of them started to let out blissful moans and heavy breathing as they all took their fill.

Storm found himself shaking his head subconsciously. Of course these beasts were starving. The bigger beasts - The Damned - had taken everything not just from ponies, but from all forms of life. Both civilized and wild. Upsetting the natural order affected everything - predator and prey alike. If the war-torn stallion was still capable of empathy, he would have felt sorry for the creatures. Instead he only felt anger for what the Damned had done. For what this ‘Warden’ had done. All he knew was that he would need his weapon back to make sure the beasts didn’t take away the one thing he had left.

Storm started to creep forward when his hindleg reminded him why taking on three desperate animals would be a bad idea. He disappeared back into the brush as the gears in his mind turned at a hundred miles an hour with each possible solution to his current predicament.

His thoughts of how to approach the situation were interrupted when one of the Timberwolves was unexpectedly launched into the air and then slammed into the mud face first. It whimpered upon hitting the ground, but quickly turned the pitiful sound into one of a starving, rabid beast defending it’s meal. The other two wolves were looking around urgently for the source of the attack - as did Storm from the shadows - but neither canine nor stallion could find it.

Then another blow landed, this time on the second Timberwolf. Storm watched as it’s head was suddenly forced down into the muck. The creature attempted to get up but was stuck with double the force of the initial blow, which effectively knocked it unconscious. Meanwhile, the first Timber wolf had gotten to its claws and began to snarl into the darkness before suddenly yelping in surprise and falling to the ground.

It took Storm a moment to figure out what had just happened, but when he saw the tiny tranquilizer dart sticking out of the snoozing beast’s neck, then he understood. Someone was there. He couldn’t see them but he knew it was a living attacker. Damned had no need for little ordinance like tranq darts or knocking their foes out. The third and final Timberwolf decided to take a shot in the dark - literally - and leap out with it’s jaws snapping. It landed on something as a deep, feminine grunt of pain and surprise rang out through the forest. Then the Timberwolf recoiled as something rough collided with its fangs, making a horrible scraping sound, before it was also sent into the muck and struck unconscious.

Through his helmet’s night vision, Storm was able to barely make out a small dropping trail of blood coming from… nothing. Or at least nothing he could see. Then it appeared. An equine-like figure standing over the downed wolves seemed to flash into existence like a Hunter being forced to decloak. But this ‘flashing’ was so static-like and rough. It was calm and elegant as if it was meant to happen or at least not a violent transition from invisible to visible. Despite the cloak being gone, the equine shape was all the stallion could make out. The figure was wearing a full set of brown animal pelts with a raised hood on top of that. But he did get a look at it’s weapon. Tethered in a neon green appendage at its owner’s side, a steel double edged staff weapon was present. It had one spiked end - like a spear - stuck in the mud. The other end had a smaller tube with holes that stuck out towards the top of the main tube’s hollowed out end. It was a blowgun - most likely where the dart was fired from.

Storm’s attention was ripped from the figure and moved to what it was also gazing at. His now crimson-free Sweeper. The cloaked figure made its way over to Storm’s discarded Sweeper. Then it stored it’s own spear on a slot in the coat. Storm felt his blood start to boil as the stranger picked his weapon and examined it. It may as well be the last thing that would keep him alive and assist in finding Dash. And he wasn’t going to let that be taken away from him.

Not again. Never again.

But the stallion wasn’t stupid. He knew attacking this figure now was hopeless. Even without it’s disappearing ability, he was still battered, beaten, and with the exception of his blade - defenseless. He eyed the lethal-looking spear weapon that had another end that looked more like a flute or some type of blowgun. Storm also knew that this figure - who had just easily taken down three creatures in seconds - wasn’t one he wanted to tangle with at the moment. He had to be smart and-

The screaming started.

From varying distances all around the forest and further, the howls, roars, and cries signaled that the hunt had begun for the real beasts of the world. If Storm’s suit clock was still working he would have known that it was now five o'clock exactly. The hooded equine knew this as well because it quickly threw the Sweeper over its shoulder and onto its back, tethered its spear, and plucked something off of the downed wolf’s body before it began to slowly retreat back into the brush.

Storm was already in the process of putting his quickly fabricated plan into play. He activated his camera device and sent it after the figure at a distance where it would not be discovered. He dedicated a small window on his heads-up-display to view the camera’s feed while tracking the figure himself from an even further distance.

Another minute or two later of the most tense game of cat-and-mouse later, the figure finally stopped in front of a massive tree. Storm was a few trees behind, and was going more anxious by the second as he knew those abominations would be out any second now. Thankfully, his camera let him see clear as a purple day in his pursuit.

Now in front of the massive tree, the figure stopped and looked to all sides as if checking how clear its surroundings were. Then it began to walk towards the tree.

And went through it.

The hooded figure just disappeared into the bark like it was never there in the first place. The tree, however, remained like nothing had happened.

“What the fuck?!” Storm muttered. He winced at the sudden verbal slip up and quickly scanned his surroundings in case anything heard his whisper.

“W-what… th-e… f-u-uck…” The raspy voice of a closer-than-comfort Mimic repeated as the monster searched for the source of it’s newest sound in it’s vocational library. The tendril and cloth covered Damned was wrapped around a trunk roughly three trees in front of the stallion as it scanned with those haunting blue ‘eyes.’

Oh, you’ve got to be shitting me! Storm mentally swore, still hidden from the searching Mimic’s sight. He knew the thing - or one of it’s brethren - would find him eventually, so it was time to roll the dice and hope he didn’t get struck the second he snuck through that false door. A couple stuttering, paining wheezes of the Mimic later, and the stallion decided it was a better fate than what he had out here. Now all he had to do was get the damn thing to look away from his path.

Luckily he had an idea.

Using his camera device, Storm tethered it over to the Mimic’s location before turning on the emergency flashlight on it’s side. The creature stopped mumbling and growled at the floating object. But it didn’t attack.

If what that Warden-thing had said was true, it was actually behind every single one of the creatures. It knew Storm was trying to pull something. The Mimic started to let out a wheezing chuckle while looking around and completely ignoring the floating camera.

The stallion then used the device to snap a picture of the Mimic with the flash on, making the monster shriek and swing at it. The swing missed, so the creature unsheathed its dark blue and fleshy tendrils to assist in the effort to take the annoying device down. While it was focused on that, Storm rushed out from behind his hiding place and leapt onto the Mimic with his blade drawn.

He didn’t allow the blue eyes enough time to spin around before swiftly slicing through the creatures in their place. Half of his own body started lighting up with pain like an inferno but he made sure it was dead without turning around. If it couldn’t identify him, then it couldn’t turn that fucking horde around to find him. Hopefully.

Storm disregarded the corpse, checked his surroundings quickly to hear some closer rustling - a sign that the others had known something was up the second their mumbling friend went dark - and then moved to a different set of trees as stealthily as possible.

The stallion made one more quick scan of the treeline then he ran - or more accurately limped - as quietly as he could for the large oak. He slowed down upon arriving at the base and stuck at hoof through slowly, hitting something solid. His hoof, however, did go through the bark. It had just struck something solid inside.

With a string of mental curses, Storm reached his head into the fake bark...

-and bumped into a decorated door.

Thankfully, it was a slow bump at most, which meant nothing was alerted - both inside and out - and that it wouldn’t do any visible damage on his helmet. Storm examined the door to find that it had a horseshoe knob and a few strange glowing symbols on it, but other than that, it was just a door. He then quickly shifted his attention to the contents of the building from the window. Through the window, he managed to make out a large, candle-lit room within the tree. With only limited visibility, he was able to see a shelf with a bunch of potions and books. There was no sign of his weapon or the secretive figure, meaning Storm would have to get closer to retrieve the object of his desire.

The stallion had no time for this. He needed to get his Sweeper back and find Rainbow Dash. Every second he had been trailing this figure made another imagined scenario of her being drowned at the bottom of the sea or gutted on the shore while unconscious filled his head. But he knew this carefulness was necessary otherwise he would meet one of these feared fates a lot sooner than his female counterpart.

Storm’s hindleg was killing him, but from what little he could tell, his build was bigger than the hooded figure. This meant that he could overpower it if push came to shove - and he knew it would. But this also meant that the pegasus had to act fast before his strength was completely sapped from his stricken body. With a shard of a plan in mind, the stallion made his way towards the hidden door.

A Few Minutes Earlier...

Rainbow Dash’s eyes wearily fluttered open. The first thing she felt was a gentle motion underneath, which rocked her stinging body back and forth. The cyan pegasus looked down to see that she was partially submerged in a river and the only thing keeping her afloat was the thick branch of a tree that had fallen over the running body of water. Her left foreleg was wedged in between said branch before the mare yanked it out.

She let out a faint gasp when the combined weight of her suit and still slumbering sore body nearly submerged the rest of her body. Once Rainbow grabbed onto the tree trunk again, she found a steady pace to push herself to the shore. There, she plopped her aching body down onto the sand and stared up at the setting sun.

Using her forehooves, Dash grabbed her helmet and roughly detached it before throwing the visual obstruction next to her on the shore.

Celestia, I hate those things… She thought as the dying light was finally able to kiss her sweat-caked coat.

Rainbow’s mind was in a haze. The mission to break one of Twilight’s seals easily came back, but processing the fact that she had just gunned down a giant twisted version of AJ choked her brain in its place. This was wrong. So fucking wrong. Rainbow was supposed to be with her friends! All of them! They were supposed to be going on crazy adventures! Safe Adventures! Well, maybe not safe, but this hellish wasteland was nothing like the action packed dreams of kicking bad guy flank that the mare had envisioned some many nights prior.

Though she had managed to put on her usual brave, fearless face of determination, Rainbow was scared shitless. She had been for the past two days, but the rollercoaster of emotions of seeing half her friends die or turn - or both - managed to distract her at the very least. Now? Now was different.

Now was wrong.

Now was the time that Rainbow hated the most. When everything was quiet and she was alone. It was one thing she would never openly admit to anypony but being alone was her worst fear. It took every ounce of her amazing ego to detour her friends and strangers that she was not afraid when first moving out of her parents’ place, but at least that was doable.

This was not.

She was hurt. Confused. And alone. Again. The armored suit sure as Hell didn’t help her shove away these bubbled-to-the-surface emotions. In fact, it made her feel worse. Like she was slower, more of a target and vulnerable. That she had to rely on an oversized rusted coat to not get her throat torn open or head ripped off.

And then there was Storm.

Dash wasn’t even sure what to think of him anymore. A new friend? An unwarranted mentor? A pain in the ass who actually cared? Well, yes to all of the above. But that was just scratching the surface. Rainbow hated going deep on these things. She was the type of mare to take things on a surface level and deal with them as they were. Thinking made things complicated, so she went with her gut. Always. Sure, it got her called compulsive or brash by outsiders, but never by her friends or herself. Regardless of whether or not she wanted it, the gears in Rainbow’s waterlogged mind had already begun to turn and there was no stopping them.

She couldn’t decide what he was. For every positive thought that came to mind, another negative or brutally honest one did. If he hadn’t come along, she would have suffocated in that damned city in the beginning. Then how they actually met, which ended up with Dash getting tased five times over and tied to the couch for a panic attack. Her mind wasn’t in a healthy spot then. It got like that at times ever since the incident…

No! Snap out of it! Rainbow mentally scolded herself, slapping her face with a mud-covered hoof by accident. She quickly wiped the sludge off and sighed. This was no time to bring back… those memories. Listen to Storm! Stay focused and-

“Wait! Storm!” Dash blurted out her thoughts while shooting up simultaneously. She winced in pain at her injured hindleg and sore body, but managed to stay upright.

Additionally, in her swift standing, the midsection of the mare’s suit - where the least amount of steel plating and mostly fabric was - finally snapped in half due to a rip prior. Rainbow glanced over her shoulder at the doomed armor and groaned. She got to work tearing the lost cause of a suit off and tossing it aside, leaving the mare with only her gun and earpiece.

Back to the important task, Rainbow turned on the earpiece’s flashlight and scanned the coastline in search of her companion. He was nowhere to be found. So she tried calling him instead but only received a few sparks from the Tethertech.

“Awesome. Fucking Awesome.” She muttered, absently kicking up some sand and muck. “How in Equestria am I going to find hi-”

The screaming started.

In an instant, her cyan ears drooped down and she felt her muscles tense at once. Rainbow knew what that sound meant. But now there was no ‘walking encyclopedia’ for those monsters to help her survive this time.

She was alone.

Rainbow fumbled with her machine gun’s safety nervously. Thankfully, the weapon survived the fall and dip in the ocean without any problems. Unfortunately, however, she only had one magazine and the machete - which she kept strapped on her good hind leg with its respective sheath.

Dash didn’t know what to do. She needed to get out of there, but go where? As far she knew, she was at the edge of the Everfree. There was no telling what types of terrible hellspawn were created here. Would the coast be safer? Could these fuckers swim if it came down to that?

She didn’t know. Rainbow only stood with her bruised back to the ocean and the weapon's flashlight pointed forward. Rustling came from the bushes seemingly from all around. Moans, groans, and occasional shrieks of one of those things finding something to gore continued to ring out from varying distances.

Then she saw it.

A light.

Not a glowing blue or a Damned’s ‘eyes’ or her own lights, but an actual fucking light.

The first thought to pop into her mind was Storm. It had to be him, right? Nopony else could possibly or willingly be out here this late besides the only other living thing to get washed up here too. Right?

Dash was about to find out.

In turn, she raised her own beam in the direction of the light and prayed it was the crankly stallion and not some new monster that learned what a flashlight was. Eventually, her thoughts were answered when the bushes nearest to her moved and out stepped…

A pink and white unicorn mare.

The unicorn’s teal eyes flashed a look of surprise upon spotting Rainbow, but it was quickly replaced by fear when she noticed the weapon. Her desaturated, sweat caked pink - more on the white side - mane was tossed over to one side, which gave Rainbow a clear view of her charging up horn. The blue aura sparked in place and was clearly ready to use if need be.

“W-who are you?!” She half asked, half demanded. Her tone attempted to be strong, but the fear still bled through it’s cracks.

Rainbow shared a look of surprise on her own face. She didn’t expect to see another regular pony out here, let alone somepony who was unarmed. The fact that her brain was still processing the whole turn of events didn’t allow her to register the threatening horn. “Uh… I’m Rainbow Dash…” She finally responded.

“Are you one of the mayor’s scavengers?” The pink mare huffed out, clutching her chest and making it obvious she had been on the run for a while. “What happened to the town?! Those things are crawling all over it! Please tell me you’ve seen Wind!”

“W-what? Slow down!” Rainbow replied, taking a step forward only to have the unicorn take one back.

“Please! Just stay back! Have you seen my dau-”

A roar pierced the same brush that the unicorn had come from. Both mares whipped their heads in it’s direction just in time to see a winged monstrosity spring from the forest and onto the coast. It’s sharpened, bone-like hooves dug into the sand and it's never still piercing blue orbs swayed back and forth between the girls. Between the soon-to-be fresh converts.

Rainbow Dash immediately started shooting without taking the time to aim at the thing, ending in her nearly hitting the innocent mare, but the pink unicorn ducked out of the way the second the gunshots started to echo. The Slicer, however, wasn’t so detoured. The creature raised it’s two bone-encrusted wings to protect its face from the torrent of gunfire.

“Get behind me!” Rainbow ordered the pink mare, who scrambled to her hooves to do just that.

Suddenly, the Slicer was joined by four other Damned that emerged from the same brush. Dash recognized the decloaking, spiked tail Hunters, but the other two types she had never seen before. One resembled a Timberwolf while the other looked like a few Timberwolves and a Manticore had been fused into one pile of rotten flesh.

“H-how many shots do you have?” The unicorn meekly asked from behind her protector.

Rainbow grit her teeth and eyed the snarling creatures. “Not enough…”

The Slicer took to the air with a shriek, the Hunter cloaked itself once more, while the Timberwolf and Manticore creatures slowly approached on foot. Rainbow took the opportunity to shoot at the closest threat - the winged beast - and managed to take out both of it’s ‘eyes’ in a spray of bullets. The Slicer slammed into the ground and kicked sand up around everyone.

“Is there a plan B?” Rainbow asked over her shoulder while still focused on locating the Hunter.

“Yes! Just keep them back for a bit longer!”

It was then that Rainbow could see the faint glow of the unicorn’s horn peeking around from behind her own back and shining on the weapon she was holding. Dash decided not to break the mare’s concentration of whatever she was doing and instead would focus on keeping their heads attached to their necks for the time being.

A bone-fragment was suddenly headed straight for the prismatic pegasus. Rainbow had just enough time to get her weapon raised, which blocked the incoming fragments as they slammed into the side of her rifle. Now that she knew the Hunters location, Dash pulled the trigger-

The gun didn’t go off. It just made some sputtering clicking noise, causing Rainbow to look down and see that the broken up bone shards had broken the weapon by inserting themselves into the magazine well and the chamber. The cyan pegasus let out an annoyed huff to mask her growing fear and discarded the machine gun in the sand. Then she tethered the machete to her muzzle.

“We don’t have all night!” Rainbow announced with the blade gripped in between her teeth.

“Almost!” The pink unicorn replied. “There! Done!”

Rainbow’s focus on the monsters in front of her was interrupted when a blue glow crept around from behind her body and in the corner of her vision.

WARP!

Then the two mares were engulfed in a flash of blue light and were gone, leaving the three remaining Damned to howl in the anger of their failure.

Storm slowly put a hoof against the would-be surface of the tree only to have it pass through as if nothing was there. He then stuck his head through to confirm for a third time. Now at the door’s base, he began to peek through the glass and look for any sign of the figure, but found none.

With his heart ravaging against his chest, Storm gently cracked open the door and poked his head inside. When he did not find any sign of his target, he fully stepped inside before gently closing the door behind him. Now he had a better view of the buildings contents in their entirety. From the looks of things, the building he was in wasn’t actually divided up. It was one whole room with a couch in a small cutout in the wall. In the room’s center, a large cauldron sat - small pink bubbles danced up and over it’s lip before evaporating into thin air - which was also the source of the bubbling sound he heard earlier. On the wall opposite the bed, an entire bookshelf-like cutout held multiple hard covered books, flasks, beakers, and other brewing instruments. But the most unsettling part of the interior was the multiple dreamcatchers and symbols dangling from a huge stone candle-lit chandelier.

Storm pushed past the bubbling cauldron, which reeked of death, and did his best to ignore the voodoo-esk home while approaching a winding set of stairs in a cramped stairwell. Then he began to hear the soft patter of hoofsteps above his head - a sign that the figure was on the floor above. His care of said figure’s location ended upon noticed the object of his desire in front of him.

The Sweeper was absently lying on a wall table next to a couple of crude tools, worn out weapons and a few firearms that looked as if their owner had no idea how to field-strip or clean them out. Storm took one last moment to pause while listening to the activity upstairs before approaching his weapon and picking it up. In his haste, the stallion didn’t realize that a bottle of screws had been sitting next to the slab barrel, which shattered on the floor with the Sweeper’s removal from the table.

CRASH!

Storm cringed and his heart skipped as the hooves upstairs halted completely. He didn’t even have time to inspect the weapon before it was in his tethered grip and aimed at the curving slim staircase. Storm fully expected to hear a set of thundering hoovesteps running down and ready to engage him, but it never came.

Only silence.

What the fu-

WHACK!

A blunt force roughly slammed into the side of his helmet, making the metal collide with his already bruised head and staggering the stallion. He had no time to react before a second swing of the unseen force connected with both of his hind legs and sent him to the floor. Storm swung his armored head up to look for the source of the attack, but found nothing.

Taking a chance, he forced his battered body to roll out of the way of another strike as shown by the audible clanking of metal against the wooden floor where he would have been. Additionally, the pegasus rolled into something that fell down with him. He heard a gruff feminine grunt of surprise, letting him know that he had just taken his attacker down to the floor with him.

Using one hoof to pin the invisible attacker down, Storm raised his Sweeper to where he felt the pinned creature. He pulled the trigger but only received a clicking sound followed by sparks from the weapon. And then he received a sudden swift buck to the helmet. The stallion was knocked onto his back and thought he was seeing stars in his swimming vision.

He activated the hoof-blade and weakly raised the weapon in front of his downed form. His whole left foreleg was roughly stamped into the ground beside his body and effectively pinned a moment later. Then he felt a sharp, unseen point stop at his throat.

Finally, the cloaked figure revealed itself. It was indeed wearing the same forest-themed hood and rags and was holding him hostage with the pointed end of the tethered spear blow-gun combo weapon. Storm couldn’t see the figure’s face or eyes underneath the cloak’s hood in the dimly lit room, but he sensed it was staring back at his equally concealed facial features as well.

“Explain yourself and try anything I advise you don’t! Otherwise I’ll put this through your throat and bury your corpse in a moat!” The figure demanded in a deep, yet oddly rhythmic female voice.

The stallion didn’t respond. Instead, he quickly used his Tethertech to knock the hooded mare’s own earpiece off of her ear, disabling the appendage that held the spear to his own throat. The mare must have been surprised at the sudden cunningness because she was unable to react for a moment, allowing Storm to quickly kick her back into a nearby table.

He forced his battered body to spring up and swing his blade at the assumed mare. The figure was already back on its hooves and was now holding the spear in one of them. It met Storm’s own attack with the staff, making a resounding clanking sound of steel on steel. The two elegantly and roughly clashed back and forth until the hooded mare met the stallion’s blade before swiftly unleashing a follow-up attack to the chin of his helmet.

Her attack’s force sent him staggering back momentarily, but that was all she needed. The mare quickly swept the floor with her spear, knocking Storm completely off balanced and onto the floor once again. Before he had time to react, she jabbed the blunt end into his only-clothed abdomen, causing him to grunt in pain and clutch the even more bruised body part. The mare tossed his telekinetic earpiece to the side and stamped a hoof down on his chest to force the pegasus onto his back.

“Had enough?” She asked while brandishing the pointed end where his visor’s slit could see it. “If you keep this up, I will be forced to go further than just playing rough!”

Storm glared back up at her. His bladed-hoof started to rise weakly, which the hooded figure watched carefully. Then he set it back down against the wooden floor with a pitiful clank. His foreleg was slightly bent at an angle where the bland still extended skyward, but it was no threat to the mare now. The once rapid rising of his adrenaline-filled chest was now slowing noticeably.

“I…” Storm began but his dry throat failed him. The mare cocked her head to one side while he cleared it. “I just wanted my gun back…”

“Are you referring to the device I picked up in the forest? If so then your methods for negotiation are the poorest.”

Storm let out a dry chuckle.

“Never have I seen somepony so sly before the likely chance their hostile and intruding actions cause them to die.”

“Sorry,” Storm composed his brief humorous outburst, which turned into his trademark gruffly serious tone. “You thought this was a negotiation?”

Before the mare could question the cryptic line, Storm’s blade was launched from it’s holster and upwards. It missed the mare’s head by a mile, but she still flinched on instinct regardless. She was about to either tighten her grip or finish the stallion off for his attempted murder once again until she heard it.

Snapping.

The creaking and then crunching of a steel object being pushed to its limit before breaking in two. The hooded mare looked up just in time to see her huge stone, segmented circular chandelier plummeting down directly on top of her position. She attempted to deflect the incoming object with the spear only to have her forehooves and neck caught in one of the segmented cutouts of the chandelier. Thankfully, the candle lit flames had all gone out in the object’s descent.

A few strained grunts of escape effort later, the mare finally lost her balance on her hindlegs and fell to the ground face first. Upon landing, she rolled sideways at the complete mercy of her once decorative ceiling ornament. In her urgency, the hooded figure didn’t stop to carefully shimmey her way out of the circular chandelier, which kept her stuck as the armored stallion slowly stood back up.

Storm picked up his Tethertech and placed it back on his ear before feeling the rush of connection from the device to his brain through his clothed ear. He tethered the Sweeper to his back and looked down at the mare. Then he reached down for her face, causing the mare to thrash her neck from side to side as she feared the worst.

With a rough yank, Storm tore the rags off of his makeshift hood to reveal the wide teal eyes of a zebra mare. He discarded the rags and leaned down dangerously close to her face, so close in fact, that the reflection of his purple visor bounced off her facial features.

“I’ve seen your face,” Storm said in a low growl. “I won’t forget it. Is that understood?”

The striped head nodded after a moment of delay. Storm got up and headed for the door when both his injured hindleg and bruised belly decided to punch his nerves at once, forcing him to stop and catch himself from toppling over. He grit his teeth and swallowed the throbbing pains, which were pouring into his form now that the adrenaline had completely worn off.

“Where are you headed?” The zebra asked from behind. “Those beasts will have you shredded!”

Storm ignored her and took another step, but a weird feeling in his hindleg that could be compared to a boa constrictor instantly tightening on it overtook his need to move. If it wasn’t sprained before it definitely was now. Hell, it could be broken and his desperation was the only thing that had overridden the pain until now.

“You won’t last long! You need a remedy to cure your wounds and make you strong!”

Not wanting to move his whole body, the grey pegasus turned his head in the mare’s direction to find out that she had managed to roll herself around to watch his exit prior. “You’re offering medical supplies?”

She nodded.

“What’s the price?”

“You have already paid. For not killing or defiling me, I will gladly be at your aid.”

“Bullshit. Everyone wants something.”

“Getting me out of this chandelier and then the payment will be clear.”

“Works for me.”

Storm limped over to the downed zebra, wincing with every horrible step he had to take. He gripped the circular stone with a forehoof and a tethered appendage to allow the mare to reposition her head to escape. She set the chandelier against the wall of the hut, picked up her rags and threw them onto the table, and then returned to the stationary stallion.

“My name is Zecora,” She extended a striped foreleg to him. “It is a pleasure to see another being of the living in the flora.”

“Storm.” The suited pegasus replied, not raising his own to accept the gesture of greeting. “And I won’t be here long. Just give me the medicine and I’ll be on my way.”

“What do you mean? Are you not afraid of those beasts made of bone and spleen?”

“I don’t have time to be afraid. There is somepony out there I need to find!”

“I’ll make the remedy stew. Meanwhile, why don’t you tell me about your predicament while I prepare the brew.”

Storm explained the situation with his forced separation from Rainbow to the intently listening mare. His constant pauses for breath or to wince made Zecora get up somewhere in the beginning of the rather brief story. She made her way to the central cauldron and flipped open a book located on a nearby podium. A couple of tossed-in ingredients and herbs later, she finished brewing a light pink substance around the same time as Storm finished recalling the day’s events.

Zecora grabbed two smaller bottles off the massive shelf. The mare dipped both bottles into the pink substance and then returned to Storm’s side. She proceeded to sip on one of the pink bottles while holding the other out to him. “Drink this brew to feel brand new.”

Storm robotically accepted the bottle while watching her. He paid attention to the spots on her striped body where he had bruised to determine that the potion did indeed work. The minor injuries slowly healed themselves up and looked like the skin had never been broken in the first place.

Normally, it would have taken an hour of convincing and three tests to get the stallion to drink anything offered from a stranger, but his screaming body and visual confirmation that the potion was harmless was enough. For now.

Storm deactivated his helmet, causing a few of the plates to spark before they successfully folded into one another and were tethered into his backplate. Zecora finished off her own bottle while examining the grey stallion’s sweat and blood caked face. She looked into his tired and indifferent purple eyes as he stared at the bottle.

The stallion took another hesitant look at the pink liquid before finally putting the glass to his lips and downing the whole thing. At first, he felt nothing but soon a warm, fuzzy, almost tickling sensation started to travel down his throat, into his chest, and then it spread throughout the rest of his body until all the pain was gone. Storm looked down to see his segmented chest plate lights were now back to a full purple ring.

“Holy shit.” He muttered as the blissful feeling and pink glow wore off. The grey pegasus didn’t feel any pains, aches, Hell - even his sprained hindleg was fully functioning. He lightly kicked the ground to test and confirm it was completely healed. Additionally, the stallion’s feeling of fatigue due to two days without sleep had seemingly been replenished, as if he had the best rest of his life.

“The remedy feels heavenly, does it not?” Zecora chuckled.

The stallion didn’t share her excitement over the feeling. He wiped his lips and handed the bottle back to the mare before grunting his gratitude. “Beats a tourniquet.” He sighed and stretched before facing the doorway once again. “Thanks, I’ll be going. And don’t worry about your home. Secrets safe with me.”

“Wait!” Zecora stopped him with a hoof on his shoulder, which was quickly shrugged off. “Allow me to help!”

Storm ran a fore hoof across his forehead and through his sweat-caked mane. “How? Patrolling the woods with two of us might speed things up, but it's just going to increase our chances of getting spotted-”

“I know a spell.” Zecora interrupted. “One that will locate your friend and I can assure you it works quite well.”

Storm’s eyes narrowed. “What do you gain from helping me? We just tried to kill each other a second ago.”

“That was my mistake. I was thinking that my life was the object you wanted to take. Anyway, It has been many moons since I have seen somepony without devious intentions. There aren’t many left in the world and I want to return this sort of kindness to it’s attention. Starting with you if I must.”

Storm let out a grunted scoff. “In my experience, the world takes more as long as you keep feeding it.”

Zecora frowned. “You and everyone else are blinded by grief and rage. With those emotions in the way, you cannot see what is in store on the next page. It is a truth which I rejected for much of my youth, so I do not fault you.”

Storm rolled his eyes and then sighed. “Look, I just got done talking with my dead father who is actually a vessel for a rejected god of some sorts. I don’t feel like hearing any more prophetic bullshit about truth. Just spit it out.”

The zebra mare gave him a weird look before clearing her throat. “What I mean is that, everything living is blinded by what depravity they have seen. It has consumed them and altered them out of fear but we must not falter! We can change and bring about a new age!”

“Okay, I’ve had this same argument with three separate ponies in the past two days, so believe what you want to.” Storm said dismissively, his concern regarding his prismatic friend overriding the argument. “How does this spell work?”

Using her earpiece, Zecora levitated a strange looking flower from a nearby drawer. “We must seek what you aspire. This flower is known as a Heart’s Desire. I will mix it in my cauldron with a few other ingredients after your mind is connected with it.”

“... A flower can read minds?” Storm asked with a skeptical look. “Still not the weirdest thing I’ve heard, but it's up there.”

“Not precisely. It absorbs emotions and thought much like other flowers absorb sunlight and nutrients to survive. The Heart’s Desire takes a small fragment from you to focus on the one thing or pony you desire and will lead you to it if that is what you require.”

“It is.” Storm shook his head at his mental list of all that have been inside his head. First Cadence, then this ‘Warden’ and now a fucking flower. “I’m not just exactly hyped about letting something else screw with my head today.”

Zecora gave an understanding look before leaving the stallion’s side. She began shifting through drawers and shelves until a few more herbs and unidentified ingredients were in her tethered grasp. Then she approached the cauldron and threw everything except the Desire into the pot. When that was done, the zebra mare returned to Storm’s side and dug into the stem of the flower where a pulsing single pink ‘root’ was.

The mare tethered this pink root towards Storm’s forehead, causing the pegasus to flinch involuntarily. When he realized what she was doing, Storm did his best to calm his nerves and stand still as the root was gently placed on his forehead. He felt small fibers attaching to himself like glue. They didn’t dig into his head, but just stick themselves on top of it.

“Now,” She said while turning back to Storm. “Close your eyes. Clear your mind. Only focus on the pony and then their location you will find.”

Storm was reluctant to close his eyes around anypony, but he had no other choice. He was well aware that he had broken rules ‘A’ through ‘Z’ just to find his companion but he didn’t care. He had to do this. With Zecora’s concentrated stare and flower filling his vision, Storm closed his eyes and sank into the visual abyss. Doing just as the shamare had requested, everything else was blocked out and only Rainbow remained.

He saw her determined, yet vibrant magenta eyes that held a light he didn’t know present in any survivor. He saw her unkempt, prismatic mane. He saw her clean, cyan coat - every detail down to her wrapped wing and scar next to the wing’s base from the Mimic. And her smile. That smile which somehow made him both irritated but also at peace. Like somehow everything would pull through regardless of how deep in shit she was.

“You can open your eyes. Wait and watch as I conjure up our prize.” Zecora’s instructions made the image of the cyan pegasus disappear as the black returned.

Storm opened his eyes just in time to see the pink glow in the root become a shimmering beacon of light. Then Zecora removed the flower from his head and returned to the pot where she dropped the Heart’s Desire into the cauldron as well before it began to bubble and turn green. Not a deep, dark green like a toxin but a vibrant neon.

The concoction bubbled more aggressively before turning into one large bubble that popped, leaving a green square floating over the cauldron. This square started to become transparent as a multicolored image started to form inside. Storm raised an eyebrow as he watched the colors turn into a scene. Sure enough, the cyan outline and prismatic mane swirled into Rainbow Dash.

The first thing that Storm noted was her lack of suit. She was walking around bare with only a Tethertech and machete with the removed sheath on her good hind leg. The lack of armor was the least of his concerns the second he realized that she wasn’t on the shore or in the forest, made him filled with relief - however temporary it may be. Instead, Rainbow was at the guarded entrance in a blended town of what many would call western. The buildings were mainly wooden with clear signs of refurbishment by slapping newer and discolored boards or even bent steel in place.

Surrounding the town was a massive wall of wood and sandstone that was put to shame in comparison to Ponyville’s easily. From the magical window’s limited view, Storm was able to make out at least four guards on wood catwalks that hugged the top of the walls - and all of which had weapons ranging from mid to long range engagement distances. Additionally, a green glow lazily peeked over the walls, which was the same effect that could be seen from the interior of Zecora’s own door.

The next noticeable difference was an additional guest walking and talking beside his prismatic friend. She was a pink unicorn mare maybe in her mid thirties and probably just a bit younger than him. The pink mare looked uneasy and jumpy, in a hurry almost. Her head cranned from side to side and building to building until she saw a duo of armed guard stallions standing in front of a fort of sandbags and hay bales near the front gates. She waved them over.

Suddenly, the green magical window started to drip down into the cauldron at a faster rate. It’s contents became more distorted and the image of the two maress walking up to a building next to a set of train tracks started to fade into the warping pictures.

“Whats happening?!” Storm asked, turning to Zecora, who seemed indifferent to the fading picture.

“The spell is wearing off. Something has thrown your concentration aloft.”

“Can you bring the spell back?!”

“That I cannot do.” Zecora calmly replied. “The spell is not something I can continue on cue. And to recast this soon would be less than pleasant for you.”

“Then can you make a potion to teleport me there? I’ll trade anything!”

Zecora shook her head. “Potion magic and unicorn magic are two different things. Unicorn magic reads off of the caster’s mind combined with the magical presence that flows through all creatures, and allows them to do things such as appear in the location desired. Potion magic is more manual and component-based, meaning you have to drop a start and end point for the spell to do what you require.

“Great, so without a drop of that shit in the town, I can’t get there like that?”

“I am sorry.”

“Fuck!” Storm cursed. He slammed a hoof into the nearby table, which caused a few glass bottles to jump momentarily and return to the wooden surface unharmed. The stallion looked up at the sound, which made his gaze meet the shelf full of potions. “Huh… Hey, what about an invisibility potion?”

Zecora’s eyes widened for a second. “I am getting what you are suggesting, but are you sure betting your life on a timed potion is the best thing?”

“Depends,” Storm shrugged. “How long does it last?”

“Five minutes if uninterrupted.”

“So enough to leave this place and the forest undiscovered. I’ll take the shortcut through Ponyville and follow the tracks to Appleloosa. I just have hope nopony recognizes me...”

The conversation continued with Storm forming a plan as he went and Zecora trying to convince him to abandon the suicide run at every problem the plan ran into, but the stallion’s answer of “Then I’ll deal with it” was always the same.

Eventually, the striped mare hung her head while slowly shaking it from side to side. “It appears as if no matter how much I rationally protest the trip’s unpleasantness, there is no overcoming your stubbornness.” She tethered her spear from a nearby rack where a fishing rod was also lazily hanging from. The zebra explained that she only had one potion ready, so she would need about five minutes to brew another.

Storm took the forced downtime to quickly scan over his Sweeper at the wooden table in what felt like the world’s smallest stool to him. It soon became clear to the stallion that he wouldn’t have enough time or parts to repair it here. Same went for his Tethertech’s electronic functions. His frustrated gaze went from the weapon to a nearby window where the pile of discarded weapons sat underneath.

“Hey,” He said, turning Zecora’s head away from the almost finished potion. “What’s with the guns?”

“They are what I scavenged from the bodies of those less fortunate than me. I trade them at towns when purchasing ingredients for a reduced fee. Feel free to take anything useful for our survival they could be most helpful.”

Storm tethered some of the weapons to the table one by one. Most of the weapons were unimpressive household defense grade like pistols or shotguns. Adding to the disappointment, nearly all of them were only worth anything if a buyer decided to smelt them down for parts. They would be useless in actual combat. The stallion was starting to lose hope until he got to the middle of the pile where he found a weapon that stood out to him.

A revolver.

It looked like a Royal Guard military-grade model with what looked like flames or lightning bolt designs engraved into the gun’s main body. Storm tethered the six-piece in front of him and examined it to determine it was in the best shape of everything he had seen so far tonight. Military-grade equipment was supposed to be able to last longer in dry deserts or mucky swamps, so sitting in a dust pile wouldn’t be a challenge for the impressive piece. He pressed the release to open the cylinder of the revolver, which he found a pleasant surprise of five bullets inside. Using a rag stored in his suit, the pegasus quickly ran over the weapon to clear the dust off of it. He then ran it through the barrel, took out each bullet and cleaned each cylinder chamber, and replaced his ammunition and snapped the cylinder shut.

A few seconds later, Zecora came over with the second potion ready in her grip. She gave it to Storm, who had just finished placing the sidearm on the magnetic lock where his nonexistent cutie mark would have been underneath the suit. The zebra pulled her hood up over her head and Storm activated his helmet’s assembly process. He followed Zecora’s example of pouring the spell over his own body as she did her own. He waited for a moment but nothing changed except for a brief purple flash across his vision.

“I don’t think it’s working. I can still see you and myself too.” He stated.

Zecora chuckled in her deep, melodic voice. “It is working I can assure you. Users of the same exact spell can see one another due to it being from the same brew. Also, being able to see your own form is normal too.”

“But nothing else besides you can, right?” His uncertainty was definitely not subtle.

She nodded. “Let’s go. The effects duration will not disappear slow.”

Storm inhaled deeply while putting a hoof against her door. “Alright. Let’s do it.”

He pushed open the door and the two exited into the night...

“Forgot something, Clear Sky?” One of the guards asked in a casual gruff voice. His tone made him sound like someone who had just been pulled back into work in the beginning of his long overdue cigarette break.

“Has a young mare named Wind Sprint passed through here?! Violet coat, purple mane with pink stripes?! Please tell me you have seen her!”

The guard shook his head. “Sorry, ma’am, can’t say I have. What happened?”

“We got separated in Ponyville! The town is gone and those Damned were there instead! I couldn’t teleport! My horn’s magic was on recharge after teleporting back to Ponyville’s outskirts! That’s when they cut me off from Wind!”

Rainbow averted her gaze from the group upon hearing the reminder of the town’s fate. She started to drown out the conversation between Clear and the elder guard as images of dying ponies she once knew flashed through her head.

The younger of the guards noticed her subtle motion of regret. His eyes narrowed and he nudged his elder partner. “Ponyville’s stood for just as long as we have.” He stated in an almost prepubescent western accent. “It has scouts outside the walls, so there is no way those things would have had time to reach the town before defenses could be prepared…”

“We’re on the clock so just say what you mean, rookie.”

The western stallion spat into the sand. “What I mean is there is somethin’ more to this story! And this pretty little thing knows about it!” He pointed an accusing hoof in her direction.

“Of course I do!” Rainbow stood her ground before taking a step forward. “Those were my friends in there! One of my best friends too! I had to watch her get turned into Celestia-knows-what!” Dash’s lip was quivering and she was fighting back tears of both anger and sorrow.

“Woah, woah, let’s all snuff this candle out before it starts a fire.” The older guard said, putting himself in between his partner and the rainbow-maned pegasus. Both ponies had irritated expressions on their faces as they refused to face one another. “Alright, let’s start over. Miss, you were there when the town got overrun?”

Rainbow exhaled sharply. “Duh, that’s what I said. I didn’t see them break through the gate or the wall or whatever. I was inside when it happened.”

“I did see something strange.” Clear Sky added. “When Wind and I got back, we found some of the perimeter scouts. They were already dead, but I don’t think those monsters killed them.”

“How do you know?” The older guard asked.

“They had… nails in them.” Clear paused while trying to think of a way to describe the weapon of the scouts’ demise. “A-at least I think they were nails, but they were huge and looked like them.”

Rainbow froze. Her face settled on a partially blank and partially shocked expression while Clear Sky continued to recall the day’s events to the guards. There was only one weapon that Rainbow knew could produce the nail-like objects the pink mare was describing. And there was only one pony who had that weapon.

“Storm…” She disheartenedly whispered to herself.

A few seconds later, the guards had finished taking Clear’s statement. The older one told the unicorn that he would inform the rest of the townsfolk at tomorrow's announcements so that nopony would make the mistake of ending up there like the mother and daughter duo before. He then pointed a hoof towards what Rainbow Dash knew as the train station and told the girls to visit the sheriff about Wind Sprint.

Clear thanked him before the two guards returned to their respective posts before she was off towards the mentioned destination herself when she noticed that Rainbow wasn’t following. Instead, the cyan mare was sitting on her haunches - while trying to find a relatively comfortable position for her hurt leg - and appeared to be lost in thought. Clear returned to her side and asked if she was coming.

“I can’t…” Rainbow answered weakly upon snapping out of her inner dialogue. “You’re awesome for the rescue back there but I have to go back! I’ve got another friend that is still out there!”

“In the forest? Nopony can survive out there all night! We’re lucky to even be standing!”

Rainbow shook her head and stamped a hoof into the sand. “I know he’s alive! If anypony can send those things back to Tarterus, it's him!”

“I’m sorry about your friend, but you can’t help him now! Appaloosa has a strict exit policy with the gates. The sheriff won’t allow you to leave on hoof or by flying because you could give away the illusionary spell cast on the town's wall! It makes it look like a formation of sandstone rock so the Damned won’t bother us!”

“Then maybe I’ll have to go have a chat with the sheriff.” Rainbow said with determination and a stretch.

Clear, eager to get the search for her daughter back on track, decided to go along with it to allow the conversation to find a resolution. Rainbow and Clear passed over the rusted tracks and stepped onto the newly refurbished station deck. The train station now had a stone carving of a sheriff’s star hanging above where the old apple icon used to be.

“The train station is the sheriff’s office?” Rainbow wondered aloud while the duo approached the building.

“Oh, yes, the station was turned into the sheriff’s office once the town ran out of fuel for the trains and the pulley stallions left to be with family.” Clear replied, gazing up to the star. “The building’s infrastructure was in better shape than the sheriff’s station and it made more sense to have the town’s defense closer to the normal entrance.”

By now, both mares arrived at the station’s front doors, ending their brief conversation. An armed stallion, who was leading against the wall beside the entrance, looked them both up and down until he noticed Rainbow’s machete. “I hope you understand that you ain’t gettin’ past that door with a blade on your side.” He said in an even more southern accent, nodding towards the weapon.

The cyan pegasus rolled her eyes impatiently before quickly ripping the machete sheath from her good hindleg with her tethered appendage. The guard let out a flirtatious chuckle, “Take your time, darlin’. Watchin’ is the one perk of a job where a pretty, armed mares strip for me.”

Rainbow’s face formed into a disgusted scowl as she roughly slammed the sheathed weapon into the guard’s chest. “You’d better not lose that or I’ll strip something else from your body!” she growled, causing him to snicker before stepping aside to allow them passage inside.

The interior of the station was nothing like the exterior or even the town itself. It was clean, real clean. The benches from the place’s days as a train station still remained, but the counter was a different story. It had been transformed into an office-like cubicle with papers scattered about. Behind the desk, a huge wooden cabinet with a glass window displayed a wide variety of rifles, shotguns, and pistols.

Clear had to verbally nudge Rainbow with a “C’mon” to get the two moving and away from observation. The duo of mares walked through the empty isle of seats until Rainbow noticed something out of her vision’s corner. She turned her head to confirm that someone was sitting on the bench closest to the room’s corner.

The someone in question was clearly an equine figure and possibly a mare judging by its build, but that was all Dash could tell due to the apparel of the figure. It was wearing what looked like a salvaged chestpiece of an ATS suit overlapping a bunch of dirty once white rags. On its head was a helmet that resembled the cyan pegasus’ own gifted helmet. The armored figure didn’t say anything or acknowledge her presence beside staring back at Rainbow’s magenta eyes through it’s blue-green visor slit.

“She’s still here for the night.” Clear Sky said in a relieved tone, snapping Rainbow out of her awkward staring contest with the masked stranger. She waved Dash over to the desk, where a familiar female buffalo was sitting. She was a bit smaller than what someone would expect from a buffalo, but her size was definitely different from the last time Rainbow had encountered her.

“Little Strongheart?” Rainbow said upon realizing who it was.

The late thirties buffalo looked up from a blueprint for a water well-looking device once she heard Rainbow’s voice. “Oh, I remember you.” She stated matter of factly while putting the paper down. “You’re one of the ponies that helped settle the stampeding grounds dispute! Rainbow Dash, right?” The mentioned mare nodded with a small smile. Little Strongheart got up from her desk and approached Rainbow before the two engaged in a brief reunion hug. “What can I do for ya?”

“Well, a few things actually.” Rainbow replied, trying to find out how to handle all of this at once. “Clear Sky’s daughter is missing. Have you seen her?”

“Yes.” Strongheart confirmed as she turned to Clear Sky. “She came through my office about two hours ago looking for you. I told her she could wait here but she insisted on telling Gutterball about you.”

“Gutterball?” Rainbow interjected curiously.

“My ex.” Clear replied with a glance to her side at the prismatic pegasus. “Wind Sprint’s father.” Then the pink mare sighed in relief and sucked in a few slightly shaky intakes of breath. “Thank you, sheriff. I’m heading to his place now.”

Clear Sky thanked Rainbow for her help and wished the cyan mare good luck in finding her friend before rushing out the doors, which slammed back and forth a few times in her wake before shutting. Now that the two were alone, Rainbow decided to do some brief catching up before the question eating away at her could be worked up to.

“You’re the sheriff?!” Rainbow’s jaw dropped. Little tipped her hat with a blush of praised confirmation. “That’s awesome and all! But… what happened to your tribe needing you?”

Strongheart frowned for the first time. “There… is no tribe anymore. We didn’t exactly last long out in the wilderness against those things that everypony keeps calling the Damned.”

“What happened?”

“We were out on the annual stampede when the forerunners of the herd stopped. The rest of us bumped into them and had to scramble to get up just to see the first one tear into Harry. I-It’s… eyes leapt from it’s skull and dug into his face! Then Harry started goring the rest of us in the front! I only made it out because Chief Thunderhooves saved me!”

“Oh…” Rainbow absently kicked at the ground back and forth awkwardly without knowing how to console the buffalo.

“But it’s not all terrible… I guess…” Little continued. “A couple of us made it here in time to defend the town in the beginning. We worked together to hold the monsters back while the Appleloosans constructed the wall. It was enchanted once the creatures were dead. You should have seen it! Appleloosans and buffalo working together for real this time! Now we’re tighter than ever! Ruckus works the counter at the gun store, Tremor Quake is an officer in the town’s guard, and nopony even treats us like we nearly destroyed the town all those years ago!”

Rainbow smiled. It was weak, but it was something. She had always been a glass half full type of pony and it helped that Little Strongheart was the same. Er, not a pony but the comparison made sense to the cyan pegasus and that was all that mattered.

“That’s great. Really, but I need to ask your help for something else…”

“Sure! Anything for the pony who was the first to help me!”

“I need to leave the town.”

“Oh, no problem. Just wait until six a.m. sharp and then the guards will-”

“No, I mean now! My friend has to be somewhere in the Everfree and I need to get to him before anything else does!”

“I’m sorry. I can’t let you go.”

“Why not?! I’ll be fast! They won’t find out about the stupid spell!” Rainbow’s urgency came out somewhere between demanding and desperate.

“It’s not just that it’s-”

“What?!”

Little Strongheart pointed down to Rainbow’s clearly injured hindleg. “The Everfree is under a day’s walk from here and you won’t make it on that leg. I can send a search party out in the morning but that’s cutting it close with the increase in crime around-”

“He’ll be fucking dead by then!” Rainbow screamed, making the buffalo jump and the masked pony behind the two stand up attentively. Dash and Little looked over their shoulders at the masked figure, which was keeping the glow of it’s horn - concealed by a horn module on the helmet - magic on the handle of a pistol strapped to its side.

Rainbow quickly returned her attention to the sheriff buffalo. “Why does she have a gun?! I thought everyone had to be searched before coming in here?!”

“They do. She is cleared for hers.” Little confirmed, motioning for the masked figure to sit down, which she did. “She’s my enforcer. Nothing to worry about.”

“Enforcer? You mean body guard?!”

“More like an officer and special operative of the town. A lot of bad shit goes down in the poorer section of this town. Anyway, don’t worry about her.”

Rainbow snuck a quick glance at the motionless, observing pony behind the helmet. “I’ll go myself! I’ll deal with any monster waiting for me outside the gate and keep your secret safe, I swear!”

“Look, I can get you medical supplies but I can’t let you kill yourself out there! I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash, but I’m having her follow you around for the night to make sure you don’t do anything - for your own sake.” Strongheart sighed in defeat, despite winning the short argument. The buffalo waved a hoof in the Enforcer’s direction, prompting the suited mare to get up and approach.

“Fine.” Rainbow grumbled. “I’ll foalsit your lapdog, but I am out of here first thing in the morning!”

“Once again, I am sorry-”

“Whatever. Just tell me where the stupid doctor is.”

Little Strongheart clearly looked upset about turning her friend off this soon into their reunion, but it had to be done. It was her duty to keep everypony and every creature safe. No matter the emotion. “The last building on the right across from the tavern. Give him this so you can get the pain pills and cleaning kit free.” She handed Rainbow a small wooden card with a star etched into it and the word’s ‘Sheriff’s fee pass’ on the side.

Rainbow begrudgingly grunted in response before snatching the card and leaving with the suited mare only known as the Enforcer trailing slowly behind. The guarding stallion outside was still leaned up against the wall. He was twirling Rainbow’s machete in his magic and was clearly bored out of his mind. Once he noticed Dash, a smug, flirty grin donned his face until he realized who was behind the cyan pegasus. He quickly shut his mouth and handed the machete back without making eye contact with either mare.

When the two were far enough away from the sheriff’s station, Rainbow finally let out a burst of laughter at the previous scene. “I’ve never seen anypony go from all bark and no bite so quickly!” She snickered while playfully punching the masked pony in the shoulder. It, or rather the assumed ‘she,’ didn’t react to the punch at all. Rainbow stopped and raised a brow. “Are you… okay? You haven’t said a word yet.”

“My job is making sure you don’t do anything stupid. Nothing more.” The raggedy suited pony replied in a clearly robotic filter that attempted to hide the voice of a mare.

“Gee, talk about a killjoy. I didn’t know Storm had a sister.” Rainbow grumbled.

In traversing through the western town’s streets, Rainbow failed to notice the masked mare freezing up at the mention of Storm’s name. The suited mare quickly composed herself before catching up with the cyan pegasus. Rainbow and her armored stalker found themselves in front of a dark purple store with an apple-heart hybrid as a logo.

“This is the place. I’ll wait here.” The robotic-sounding voice of the mare echoed. She stood next to the door and sat down on her haunches before leaning back against the wooden wall.

Rainbow entered the building, finding herself in a convenient-store environment. In the building's center, circular isles with stuff such as blankets, clothes, metals and scraps, electronic parts, tools, and nonperishable food, littered the interior. At the very back of the place, an ‘L’ shaped row of freezers stood out with their seemingly glowing contents of perishable food and drinks.

“Howdy!” A familiar male voice rang out to Rainbow’s far left, breaking her out of the store’s examination. “Welcome to-”

Rainbow turned her head to meet the equally shocked gaze of a nearly middle aged yellow stetson wearing stallion. “Brae?” She said while approaching the counter.

“Rainbow Dash… you’re alive!” He slowly found his voice and trademark cheer from his time introducing Rainbow and her friends all those years ago, or for Dash, really less than a year ago. “Say, where have ya been? I haven’t seen ya in like twenty years! Ya look great by the way!”

It was really tempting for Rainbow to tell him that technically they met about a year ago for the first time, but she knew that there were more important things at hoof - like looking for a lost mare. So instead of telling the truth, she gave some fabricated story about being on Twilight’s study crusade to unlock the Element’s full potential and reverse time itself. Eventually, the topic changed to that of Applejack’s status when Braeburn asked with a dim hope in his emerald eyes.

Rainbow stopped and her eyes began to subconsciously drift away from the stallion and down to the floor. It felt like she had been bucked in the gut by a pony made from steel. The chaos of everything had made her numb to the truth about where she was. No matter how many old faces she ran into, it was no secret that everything had changed. Everything except her.

“Rainbow?”

The mentioned mare snapped back to attention upon hearing Braeburn call her name only freeze in place. When she finally looked back up, Rainbow had expected to see the country stallion but instead found her eyes locked in a face to face stare with Applejack.

And Applejacks fifty blue ones stared back…

The creature’s fleshy maw opened fully, revealing the rest of the blue insects inside along with a whole host of distorted bone matter to tear her apart. It lunged and Rainbow couldn’t do anything but stare back at what used to be one of her closest friends.

“Rainbow? Hello? Appaloosa to Rainbow Dash?” Braeburn was back. He was waving a foreleg in front of her face and had a concerned expression donning his own.

Rainbow tried to reply as if on instinct, ending in a sputtered “Wha” sound.

“You were zonin’ out there for a moment, partner.” Braeburn studied her carefully before continuing. “Are ya okay?”

No! I’m not okay! I just took a forced nap for thirty fucking years and have watched two of my friends be turned into monsters and then gunned down for my own safety! Was what Rainbow wanted to say, but all she could manage was a shrug with an averted gaze.

Brae’s own expression matched Rainbow’s in an act of understanding sorrow. “I guess that answers my question about my cousin then…”

Rainbow’s eye twitched and she could feel the beginning of water forming in the corners. She choked down a lump in her throat before clearing it. “I’m sorry…” She whispered. It was so faint, but he heard it.

“It’s not your fault Ra-”

SLAM!

A cyan foreleg crashed down on the wooden counter, making Braeburn jump. Rainbow squeezed her eyes shut tight briefly as if it would somehow suck back the tears. When she spoke again, it was a forced whisper. “It should have been me...”

“P-pardon me?” Brae stuttered, while trying to lay a foreleg on her own in an attempt to comfort her. However, Rainbow had already removed her own limb and was facing out the window to escape what she thought was a judgemental gaze at her sappy breakdown.

Braeburn rushed over to the grieving mare’s side and awkwardly patted her on the back in another attempt to console her. Rainbow continued to mutter on about how it was all her fault and that her brashness got everypony into this mess. Eventually, her faint sniffing was snuffed out with a wipe of her foreleg, Dash finally tried to brush the whole thing off like it never happened.

“Uh, Strongheart gave me a pass for free medicine. If it's cool with you, I’m just gonna get it and go...” Rainbow slowly said, holding out the card and still refusing to allow Brae to see her cry-red eyes. “I’m sorry, Brae, you just caught me at a… bad time…”

“No problem, partner…” He cleared his throat. “Pills are behind the counter and the wound cleaning kits are next to the freezers. I’ll get the pills.” The yellow stallion returned to his position behind the store’s counter where he opened a drawer that only had four pill bottles in it. He sighed at the total inventory and grabbed one of the bottles before placing it on the counter just in time to see Rainbow return with the cleaning kit. “Will that be all?”

Rainbow nodded.

“Okay. Let me see that voucher. Gotta store it until next time to make sure nopony duplicates it. You’d be amazed what some of us are able to do with salvaged techno-stuff…” He stopped the one sided small talk when he realized that Rainbow Dash’s mind was still elsewhere. “Anwho, hope you feel better. And if ya ever wanna talk then I’m always here.”

The cyan pegasus exited the store with a bag draped underneath her good wing. Her suited stalker-slash-escort got up with a stretch and went over to Dash’s side before snatching the bag.

“Hey! What gives?!”

The masked mare didn’t reply at first. She confirmed the two predetermined contents were inside the bag and nothing more. Without an apology, she gave the bag back to its owner. “Had to make sure. Can’t get fired from this position with a single slipup.”

“You can cool it, lady! I already said I’ll follow your stupid curfew! Besides, there is nothing in that store to escape a town!”

Neither mares spoke another word after that. For a moment, they stared back at one another as if daring the other to instigate anything more, but said moment passed when Rainbow heard Clear Sky call to her from the side.

The prismatic pegasus turned to see Clear Sky standing next to a dark indigo pegasus stallion with a bowling ball surrounded by stars. His mane was a light shader than his coat and his build was just underneath Storm’s. Not quite Big Macintosh size, but definitely fit enough to be an effective fighter. The stallion had a small frown on his face, but he seemed pretty composed if his identity and relation to Clear was what Rainbow expected.

Rainbow Dash swiftly trotted over to the two with her suited stalker calmly walking behind. Clear Sky gave her best forced smile in light of her family’s situation and gestured to the stallion. “Rainbow Dash, this is Gutterball. Gutterball, Rainbow Dash.”

“Hey,” Rainbow casually said while shaking Gutterball’s hoof. Then she returned her attention to the pink unicorn. “Did you find her?”

Clear Sky’s weak smile was immediately extinguished at the question. She wet her bottom lip and shook her head meekly. Gutterball cleared his throat and spoke up. “Windy wasn’t at my place like she told the sheriff she would be.” He stamped an angry hoof into the sand. “Dammit! Why didn’t she wait for me before heading home!”

Rainbow gave a confused glance to Clear, looking for an elaboration. “There are two residential areas for Appleloosans. The main part of the town, with the sheriff’s station, the Salt Block, Brae’s Hays and Graze convenient store, and so on, divides these two areas. The one to the East is where all the store owners and more fortunate folk live.”

“It’s the decent part of town.” Gutterball added.

“The other one, to the West, is the not-so-nice part of town. It’s where those who just make ends meet and have lower jobs live.”

“It’s a shithole, but it’s where my home is.”

“It doesn’t sound very friendly.” Rainbow observed.

“Exactly,” Gutterball replied. “That’s why we had a rule where Windy and Clear Sky wait for me when we walk to my place. It is in the center of the slums, so lots of alleyways and places to get mugged or molested.”

Rainbow Dash swallowed a lump in her throat at the mere thought of the place after dusk. Then she got an idea. Dash turned to the suited mare, who was standing a few steps away from the trio as if trying to give them so nonexistent privacy. The masked mare was also on a call with someone as shown by the holographic window emitting from her earpiece.

“Hey, mute mare, aren’t you supposed to be looking into stuff like this?”

The mentioned pony shut off the call before looking Rainbow’s way. She walked up to join the group. “I already have. I’ve got a contact in the slums who saw Wind Sprint leave with somepony. He doesn’t want to talk over comms. He’s a paranoid freak about that kind of stuff, so I’m going to visit him now.”

“Then what?”

“Then, well… let’s just say I’ll find this pony and have a long chat with them.” The suited mare looked at Clear Sky and Gutterball now. “Don’t worry, I’ll bring your daughter back. Go home and don’t let this one do anything reckless.” She pointed to Rainbow.

“Hey!” Rainbow snapped, causing Clear Sky to let out a light giggle.

With that, the suited mare was gone, leaving the trio of two pegasi and a unicorn to make their next move. Gutterball cleared his parched throat. “Look, I’m on the night shift at the tavern tonight, so you two are welcome to stay at my place.”

“Again?” Clear asked with concern on the surface of her tone. “This is like the third day you’ve worked both night and day shifts!”

“Yeah, I know.” Gutterball grunted. “Wrangler keeps hiring new waitresses and you know how stallions get around any new girl after a few drinks. I’m practically a fighter instead of a bouncer with our daily fights in there. Maybe I’ll be able to move out of this shit hole after all this overtime.”

Gutterball then proceeded to accompany Rainbow Dash and Clear Sky through the slummy community of shacks and a few actual houses from the days before the apocalypse. As they walked, Rainbow continuously swept her head from side to side at any and every sound. A knocked over empty can in the shadows, a group of friends cackling in a not so sober state, pleasured grunts from a nearby house they passed, and so on.

Eventually the trio arrived at one of the actual houses. The porch was practically rotted and held together by newer boards, which were already getting infected by the old. Gutterball reached into his tavern vest and pulled out a set of keys before unlocking the door, which he had to punch inward first before turning the knob. The stallion opened the door and waved the females inside. He scanned the pitch black street before walking in himself and shutting the door.

Twenty minutes later...

Back in the sheriff’s office, Sheriff Strongheart and the suited pony were in what used to be the storage closet of the train station, which was now the station’s interrogation room. A scrawny, beige stallion with a long pink mane was tied to a steel chair. He had a black eye and multiple bruises on his face.

Sheriff Strongheart stood in the room’s shut doorway with a scowl on her face and tethered appendage on the handle of her revolver as a precaution. The masked mare was directly in front of the stallion and continued the information gathering session by delivering another blow to his already bleeding muzzle.

“I don’t like asking a second time!” She hissed through the helmet’s filter. “The purple mare you were with! Where did you take her!”

The stallion weakly looked up before spitting at the helmet. The mare behind said helmet didn’t flinch or even react to the defiant gesture. She just stared him down ominously through the blue visor. “I can’t say.” The stallion coughed. “There ain’t nothing you can do to me that is worse than what he can.”

“He?” Strongheart asked from behind her companion. “We need more than a gender, Frazzle.”

The stallion, Frazzle, shook his head while looking down at the floor. He began to make sounds that could have been taken for either laughing or crying. Neither mare was sure which was the correct answer. “Just shoot me! I’ve already fucked up just by saying ‘he.’ And I know what waits for me now, so please just do it!”

“If you’re already a dead pony, then why not help us stop this?” Little Strongheart asked.

“No! I’m not dragging anypony else into the shitter with me! I’ve already done too much! Fucking kill me! Please!”

“We can stop it.” The masked mare assured.

“You can stop it?” Frazzle repeated before more of the wheezing, crying-laughing sounds erupted. “Nopony can. He’s been at it nearly since the town started! Why do you think nopony knows what happened to Sheriff Silverstar?! That old bastard got nosy and guess where he is today?”

Neither mares needed an elaboration on that haunting answer to connect the dots for themselves. Strongheart sighed. “But we have to try. The crime and shit in the slums is bad enough but if my suspicions of pony trafficking in my town are true then there will be Tarterus to pay!”

“It’s too late.” Frazzle was now clearly crying. “I guarantee one of his guys has already watched this whole thing! They know I’ve told you his gender and are on their way for me right now! Then he’ll get you two as well! And trust me, your fates are so much worse than mine! At least I get to go quickly!”

The stallion resumed his blubbering with his head hung, which the mares took as an opportunity to step out of the interrogation room and discuss the next move. Sheriff Strongheart shook her head. “This isn’t good. I’ve never heard of anyone feared enough to not want to say the sex of a boss until now. Whoever this is must have their game mastered by now…”

“It doesn’t matter.” The suited pony replied. “I don’t know or care who this ‘he’ is. If what he does to others is true then he’ll be dead by my hoof. I promise, ma’am.”

“I know you will. The ponies we’ve saved over the past year couldn’t have been here today if it wasn’t for you.” Strongheart said, putting a hoof on the other mare’s shoulder. “Now, let’s go put Frazzle in a cell for his own protection until-”

SHERIFF-

A masculine scream rang out from the next room before it was abruptly silenced. Both mares drew their respective sidearms before the armored one kicked in the door to the interrogation room. A pool of blood was forming at the now dead Farzzle's tied up hindlegs. The crimson trail was originating from a small hole in the stallion’s skull. His eyes were permanently frozen in the air, looking past the hole and at the ceiling.

The suited mare immediately raised her pistol and followed the corpse’s eyes to a crack in the station’s wooden ceiling, where a black suppressor was immediately retracted from the crack, allowing the moonlight to once again creep through.

“The roof!” The suited mare shouted, sprinting past the elder buffalo and heading out the front door.

She spun around once outside and aimed her sidearm at the roof waiting for… nobody. Not a thing was up there. Her suit’s night vision would have made it obvious that anypony or any creature was up there, but at the moment the wooden roof was barren.

With a growl, the mare returned inside to the sheriff’s side. After explaining the situation over the process of putting Frazzle in a body bag, the two decided that the search would have to resume tomorrow. Strongheart informed the night guards over her earpiece and sent out a few reserves to catch wind of any suspects, but she knew it was too hot right now to go charging in after what they had just witnessed. A small group wouldn’t scare the murderer away, but chances are, the action would come to them first.

All they had to do was be ready.

After locking up the office for the night, the enforcer waved the buffalo goodnight before heading towards the nicer side of town.

He knows I’m close… The armored mare thought as she walked home to the nice side of town. Soon… soon you’ll understand what it feels like to lose everything…

As she walked in the safety of the lit up Eastern sector, the mare pulled up a photo on her earpiece while the emotions bubbled underneath. The photo was small and dim enough so that no one looking outside their windows or passing by could see who was on it.

The contents of the photo in question were three ponies - all of which were barely above the age of teenagers in it. The first pony to the far left was a violet pegasus colt with a shaggy red and black mane. The middle pony was a white unicorn filly with an aqua blue mane. And finally to the right was another pegasus colt.

A colt with a grey coat, blue and black mane, and electric purple eyes…

Chapter 20 - "Dirt Room"

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“Some things you don’t forgive. Some things you don’t forget. Sometimes the fate you suffer is so much worse than death…” - Timothy Mcilrath

Just past a clearing of the Everfree forest, at the edge of what was once Ponyville, an armored pegasus stallion and a hooded zebra mare crouched behind the skeleton of the Golden Oak Library. Both of the night time trespassers had their side’s pressed up against the rotting trunk of what only one of them knew as a majestical home of days gone past.

Their invisibility potions had long since worn off in the hour long trek from the hut to the town, leaving the duo to stew in their limited options. It was a miracle nothing had run into them on the trip so far, but the less optimistic of the two knew that all miracles expired regardless of their brilliance.

Zecora turned to press her back against the wall before slowly sliding down the trunk onto her haunches. She absently rotated her spear into the damp soil below as if lost in thought. Less than a spitting distance away from her, Storm stood with his side glued to the wall as if it was his only salvation from the outside’s many dangerous variables and variants. The stallion used his camera device to peek around the library’s corner, giving him a limited but magnified view of the world through a thin purple overlay. He couldn’t make out much in the night vision, but the sets of glowing circles patrolling the town was all he needed to see.

Storm lost count of the total amount of Damned crawling over the shattered walls and destroyed buildings of the Ponyville community when he was somewhere in the two dozens and just gave up, deeming the number as “too fucking many” before turning to Zecora.

He signaled with a foreleg, pointing it towards the furthest buildings in the town from the infested center. Zecora nodded in understanding while getting up and gripping her spear. Storm stored his camera plate before pulling the revolver to his front. With a deep breath, he led the evasive charge as the duo proceeded to sprint further away from the town square.

A few dilapidated buildings and too many creeping moon-cast shadows later, Storm and Zecora had made it past Ponyville and were heading down a winding dirt and leaf-caked path with dead trees dotting the landscape. The lack of cover would have made the stallion’s nerves crack like an inmate meeting the end of their sentence at the clutches of an electric chair, but his distance from the town would ensure that nothing caught a glimpse of him and his striped partner fleeing the scene.

Well, nothing behind them at least.

A gust of wind sent the leaves up into the moonlit sky, momentarily blocking Storm’s view of the large farmhouse looming in the distance. More leaves leapt up from the ground and blew past the stallion’s armored form while a few stuck to his chest and helmet before joining their fleeing brethren. Now that they were gone, Storm had a clear view of the approaching abyssal clusters with vein-like streaks of light sizzling inside. As if on cue, the droplets of rain had arrived alongside the wind picking up tenfold. It scooped up the few remaining leaves, herding them into the town.

The stallion shoved an outstretched foreleg in the direction of the rotted barn, silently deciding on the place of the duo’s momentarily salvation from the elements.

Without any argument, Zecora pushed her smaller frame against the wind and towards the farmhouse-barn building with Storm in tow. As the duo got closer, they began to hear the crackling of lightning in the clouds. Storm happened to look up at the building’s roof just in time to see the rusted apple weather vane get obliterated by a bolt of electricity.

Normally, he would have powered through the flare - especially when the closest thing to a friend he had left was alone in a foreign environment - but his new and suit lacking partner wouldn’t live through even an indirect strike of lightning or a stray piece of rubble kicked up by its accompanying winds. So now their only choice was to wait out the weather and hope the hole-ridden building didn’t attract any perfectly placed strikes or curious blue-eyed creatures.

The barn-like front doors slammed against each other, but neither got very far from the other as a long piece of wood had been crammed into the dual handles. The doors thumped outward as the wind pushed them only to slowly settle back against one another thanks to the makeshift lock and then were shoved a quarter open like something was trying to escape on the inside.

The Hell? That wasn’t there before… Storm thought before raising a foreleg to stop Zecora in her tracks. He couldn’t see much of the zebra’s face in her drenched hood, but a quizzical expression was likely plastered on her face. He pointed to the wedged board and she understood soon after.

A silent agreement to investigate was made between the two then. Storm raised his revolver to line the iron sights with his focused glare before approaching the building. Zecora unsheathed her spear weapon and held it readily. Lightning flashed and thunder roared above, nearly making them jump, but the discovery of this new development was much more crucial to their survival than the already identified threat above their heads.

Storm arrived at the door’s left side. Zecora hugged the right. The two orchestrated their breaching plan silently with mere head and hoof motions. With a sharp intake of breath like a swimmer about to start the race of their life, the stallion activated his blade and slashed the plank in half. He backpedaled with his sidearm raised as the doors flung open fully to reveal the barn’s interior to the outside world. At the same time, Zecora jumped around the corner with the spear raised. Storm squinted to survey the large, mostly barren room, to find that nothing had been trying to get out or locked in here for that matter.

The duo slowly entered on their respective sides. Zecora stalked around a set of dried up hay bales while Storm searched around a group of waist-high empty barrels. For a second time, the place was dubbed as clear for the time being. So Storm and Zecora went back to the entrance where each of them grabbed a door handle and pulled back with all their might against the flare’s own strength outside. When the doors were side by side, Storm used his other foreleg to grab a hold of Zecora’s handle while planting his hindlegs into the wooden floor firmly.

“Get something to hold them! I’ve got th-” Storm began until the striped mare swiftly stuck her spear into the handle gaps before he could finish his sentence. “That works too.” He muttered before letting go of the doors, allowing them to resume their loose, albeit reduced thumping.

Zecora was the first to move away from the closed entrance and to the room’s center. She removed her hood and twisted it up before wringing the water out onto the ground. Then she placed the cloth back on her neck before tying it.

“Never have I seen a storm so foul.” She said as the pegasus of the same name arrived at the center. “What is the next move? The longer we wait, the more of those beasts will be on the prowl.”

“You didn’t have to come.” Storm deadpanned. “I don’t know why anypony would leave their shelter without a suit or follow a stranger in the first place.” He said it like a parent mumbling to themselves about their colt or filly’s unwise choice to break a household rule.

“I prefer myself to be at maximum mobility. Extra weight is not good for agility.” She replied, ignoring the not-so-subtle uncouth method of prying. “I understand that your haste is justified, but my help is something that you ratified.”

“I know, I know” Storm sighed, retracting his helmet and using the side of his revolver to brush his sweat-drenched mane out of his eyes. “Sorry. I’ve been told I’m an asshole when urgent situations fall into my hooves. I just want to get there as soon as possible.”

“I understand. Stressful emotions are not an action which I feel the need to reprimand.”

After the quick apology, the barn became silent except for the ravaging flare overhead. Zecora had resigned to sitting on an old apple barrel while her male companion paced the room and looked out the boarded windows occasionally. Wait… boarded windows? Those were destroyed during his and Dash’s escape from Ponyville…

Storm approached one of the windows and attempted to examine it but couldn’t due to the darkness. Not wanting to wait for a flash of lighting, the pegasus reactivated his helmet for the night vision visor and looked again. What he thought would have been nails or pieces of scrap holding the boards back in place was actually shards of white material-

Bone fragments.

Storm felt his teeth grit subconsciously at the discovery. What the fuck does it want with a rotted barn’s windows? They had just practically torn this place apart to get to him and Dash last time they were here so what gives now?

“Is something the matter?” Zecora asked from behind.

Storm didn’t respond. His action wasn’t out of spite, but putting the pieces to the impossible puzzle together in his mind was deemed more important. Additionally, he wasn’t sure if uttering a single word about the newest development wouldn’t suddenly set off some alarm to summon whatever decided to take up a fucking bone nail gun.

Then he saw the next clue.

Blood.

It was faint, but the crimson splotched stains on the wall leading down to the wooden floor were clearly blood. It was arguably the most familiar liquid the stallion had been around with only water becoming a close second. Storm followed the growingly scarce droplets of blood until he was back at the barn’s furthest wall where the trail suddenly disappeared.

SNAP! CRUNCH!

Storm stopped moving his body. Only his eyes swept the room now. His breath froze in his throat alongside the majority of his body. The raging storm outside clouded his sense of judgment for this new sound’s origin.

He listened further, waiting to hear the sounds continue but they never did. The stallion gently pushed his hoof down against the wooden floor harder, trying to replicate and confirm the sound’s origin. Sure enough, the floorboards creaked but they didn’t share the same intense snapping of what he had heard.

“Is everything okay?” Zecora’s voice from the room’s center made him jump out of his skin and almost flash the revolver at her face. Storm finally allowed his lungs to continue their primary function while keeping his weapon steady.

Storm put a feathered tip up to where his lips would be to hush her right as the sound started up again. It returned in a more faint manner this time. He couldn’t identify it’s position as it sounded like it was coming from through the wall, behind, above, underneath - and wait! Underneath-

SNAP! CRACK! SNAP! CRACK! SNAP! CRACK! SNAP! CRACK!

Suddenly, the sound ramped up to full tune in a rapid pattern now. Through his visor, Storm and Zecora locked eyes for a brief moment until the two began to sprint for the barn’s exit. Being the more weighted one of the two, Storm was able to feel the floor become absently loose and sink a little bit as a chorus of breaking boards rang out.

He only had enough reaction time to shove Zecora away, causing the mare to fall back into a gutter section of the barn before the central floor fell through with the pegasus on top of it all. Storm attempted to find his footing to escape, but every single board within reach had seemingly been disconnected from the building’s foundation for the sole purpose of swallowing him whole.

Somepony screamed. Storm wasn’t sure if it was him or Zecora, but the next thing he knew, the zebra with an outstretched foreleg was a distant silhouette growing smaller by the millisecond. Storm’s view of the faint moonlight in the cracks above was taken away in an instant when his helmet slammed into what felt like an uneven rough wall that sent dirt and dust up around him.

Thinking fast, the stallion activated his hoof blade and jabbed it into the dirt wall, which felt like it was going to take his whole foreleg off but it did slow the descent a little. He could no longer feel the wood against his back, but he didn’t feel any ground either-

“UMPH!” Storm crashed onto a solid surface, ripping his blade out of the wall, and sending him tumbling. Jolt after jolt of pain shot through Storm’s body before he finally put the brakes on and landed on his stomach with his limbs splayed out.

He had no time to sit and lick his wounds before the panic set in. Storm forced his throttled limbs to shove his frame up to a standing position. Luckily, he had kept his mind concentrated enough to keep a tethered hold on his pistol throughout the entire fall. He brought the weapon up to his visor to examine it for damage but there was none. Same went for his blade miraculously. Looking back into the hole, no… tunnel, he had come from, Storm attempted to judge how far he was from the surface, but only the twisting path of packed dirt blocked his view.

Then the realization finally forced its way out of his mental barrier to hit him.

His new location. Except it wasn’t even his.

It was theirs.

Their home…

Zecora stared at the seemingly bottomless pit before her in disbelief. She blinked a few times as if expecting the long gone boards and stallion to suddenly materialize back in front of her. Only the crackling of lighting and thunder outside broke her out the hopeless trance.

The striped mare tried to get a decent look at the depth of this hole, but only saw darkness. She had no idea if Storm was even alive or how far down he had gone. All Zecora knew was that she had to try something. Zecora quickly got to work removing her hood and cloak before levitating a sharp piece of debris in front of her to slice halfway done the cloak to make it as long as possible.

She set the now thin, long cloth down on the barn’s floor - the intact part that is - to get a visual representation of its total length. Now fully splayed out, the makeshift rope was almost three-fourths the floor’s length. The zebra balled the rope up, approached the hole and started to feed it down into its depths.

Zecora tied her end of the cloth rope to the sturdiest of the wooden support beams and gave it four rough tugs to ensure it would stay. She was about to call down into the darkness with a shred of hope that he could hear her, when something suddenly slammed into the sealed doors behind her.

THUNK!

Then it came again.

THUNK!

And again - this time there were two sets.

THUNK! THUNK!

Zecora felt her blood stiffen before it started rushing alongside adrenaline. The twin barn doors started to push back inward, which shouldn’t have been possible unless something or someone really strong forced them. A few crackling sounds joined the thudding - a sign the wooden frame around the doors was beginning to splinter.

Something was coming.

It would get in whether she liked it or not. The doors would be broken down unless Zecora could get the drop on whatever was on the other side first.

She didn’t have a choice.

It was strike or be struck down.

Zecora tried to get a look at the culprit through the cracks in the doors as they were momentarily pushed aside only to get slammed back together thanks to her spear-wedging work. Wait, the spear!

Zecora had an idea. Activating her telekinetic appendage, the zebra braced herself beside the doors and waited for the right moment when she guesstimated that the doors would be about to get pushed, then she sprung into action. In a flash, Zecora yanked her spear from the slot, causing the doors to smash inward and hang loosely off their hinges in the wind.

With spear in tethered hand, Zecora leapt into the doorway and swung only to connect with nothing. Nothing was there. Just the wind, rain, and slowly growing distant flashes of lightning. Zecora quickly checked the corners around the doors outside the barn before swiftly retreating back into the building once the threat was deemed to be in her mind or gone.

Now trying to push the creeping feeling in the back of her head, Zecora returned to the rope and knelt down to try and reach further with her voice. She checked over her shoulder twice before finally parting her lips to say something.

A piercing sting slammed into her hindleg.

Zecora shot a glance down at her limb, which now had two sharpened white fragments stuck inside of it. There was no grace period before something blunt and rough smacked the back of her head and knocked the zebra unconscious in an instant.

She fell to the ground right beside the hole as her spear clanged loudly beside her. Behind her downed form, two Hunters uncloaked themselves. One of the two now had a crimson stain on it’s sharpened tail from the sneak attack. Each beast jerked their rotten and crusted bodies to stand over Zecora’s body.

Storm’s vision stopped splitting just in time for the makeshift rope to land at the base of the steep slope which he had just fallen down. He heard something metallic clang from above, which reverberated down into the tunnel. Then a dragging sound replaced it soon after.

He stood stock still with both ears perked up. He forced his breath to hilt in his throat and his heart to stop for as long as possible to heightened his auditory sense. A few headache-inducing seconds later, the stallion’s attentative efforts paid off.

Something was coming.

Wait, not just one.

Two sets of hoovesteps - scraping against the packed dirt and sediment. Storm knew regular hooves didn’t scrape against anything like that. Not even a working class Earth Pony stallion’s fetlocks being dragged on concrete could make such a sound. Most of the Damned had bone-like parts but the nimble and barely audible nature of these told him that these were Hunters.

Storm wrestled his composure to survey his surroundings with lighting speed and hopefully precision to match. He was indeed in a tunnel - a very fucking dark tunnel at that - which his night vision could barely pierce further than a stone’s throw away. Directly at his side was the sloped hole, tunnel, trap - fuck, he didn’t know - whatever it was supposed to be, it led to the surface and the descending Hunters. In front of him was a curved passage with no clear indication of what it led to. A quick glance behind revealed another, less steep slope that fed into a straight passage.

Another development that Storm noticed was that the tunnel he was in had crude beams of wood, steel, and bone matter placed in an arching fashion like support beams to the ancient mine shafts he had seen in history books. Some of the beam placements were slim while others were made of thick blocks of wood or steel - likely from a building. One of the larger beams was wedged into the cave wall facing the shorter sloped path. The stallion ducked behind the beam, balancing himself on his hindlegs and rearing up to place his forelegs against the wall to make himself as vertically slim as possible.

He positioned himself to have a small crack in the beam, like a peep hole, which allowed him to view the two blue glows crawling down the slope before their monstrous owners followed closely behind. He could now confirm the creatures were only a pair of two and that both were Hunters, but his precise estimate wasn’t on the stallion’s mind.

Who was on their back of one of the Hunters stole that attention.

Zecora.

The zebra was dangled over its back like a wet towel slung around a fence post to be taken by the elements. However, to ensure that the mare wouldn’t escape like a towel in the wind, the Hunter’s spike tipped tail was wrapped around her midsection to secure her body against its back. Neither creature grumbled or diverted as they carried their prey down the curved tunnel opposite of Storm’s hiding spot.

On their way, one of the Hunters used it’s unoccupied tail to yank the makeshift rope down to the tunnel floor.

On one hoof, Storm was relieved that his cover and fate hadn’t been shredded in an instant. On the other, he now had no guaranteed way out and also a decision to make on top of it all. They had Zecora. He couldn’t tell if she was dead or unconscious but assuming the worst was his go-to resolve. If she was gone then there would be no point in going after her and get them both killed. He only needed her if things got hairy in Appleloosa but if she was already a corpse then what was the point?

But what if she wasn’t? Sure it was dark in there, but there were no signs of dismemberment to confirm that. Damned didn’t mess around with converting new members. They would hack off any limbs to avoid any last minute attempts of struggle and grow their own new ones before preserving a corpse perfectly. They all turned into bone and blue-whatever-the-fuck flesh subtance beings in the end anyway.

But with that hope came uncertain clarity. Why would the Warden or it’s corpse puppets need anyone alive? It had thousands, if not millions of these things, and a never ending roster of variants to experiment with, so why leave one potential host breathing? The Warden had tried to leave Storm alive to spread its message, but when it didn’t like his answer immediately resolved to trying to remove his head.

What the fuck did it want with one zebra?

Storm had to find out. Not just find out the explanation for the mystery, but he also had to confirm that Zecora was either dead or alive. The stallion glanced over to the cloth rope which had been ignored or missed by the Hunters. His freedom was just a simple dash away. He could be in Appleloosa by morning if he just forgot about all this.

A faint rumbling of pebbles caused Storm to snap his neck towards the tunnel which the creatures had disappeared into. He nearly opened fire on the equine-like silhouette right then and there but when he saw the rusted gold armor and green-blue visor it put half of his alarm bells at ease while setting off the remainder.

It was back.

The same armored figure from Sweet Apple Acres and Ponyville. The one that led him to a box of shells and eventually Planning Period. What the fuck was it doing here?! Cadence’s wall should have made his head a clean slate to avoid this.

Regardless of his reluctance to pull the trigger, Storm kept his revolver trained on the armor. The masked wearer refused to flinch as it just stared at him. As Storm stared at it, his head started to pound even more than from the fall. If he was lucky, it was just a concussion, but in the back of his mind - the same place that spawned this reminder - it likely wasn’t.

The figure finally moved. It turned its head from Storm then promptly disappeared around the passage corner. Before he could contemplate the appearance and disappearance, Storm heard a new noise interrupt the fray.

CLANG! CLINK!

Storm tensed. His ears perked up higher than he thought imaginable before he spun around in the direction of the tunnel he was facing. Two pinpricks of cyan bobbed up and down nearly twice his own height off the ground.

CLANK! CLINK! CLINK!

The dual glows accompanied the noise, which sounded like chains banging against the stone or possibly other metallic links.

With his revolver leading the way, Storm’s head swung like a pendulum as his decision between making a break for the surface and descending into the smaller sloped path behind him to avoid this approaching threat and possible find Zecora weighed in his mind.

Whether his curiosity or consciousness won over his rationality, Storm cursed himself before testing the slope with a hoof. Then he carefully slid down it and took off sprinting past uneven support beams that jutted out like unidentified Damned reaching out to grab him. The word “fuck” was playing over and over again in his head like the lyrics to a catchy song that dug it’s claws inside his mind and refused to be shaken loose by movement alone. As he sprinted, Storm had to constantly dodge supports that seemed to spring from the dark - all of which were of different materials, shapes, and sizes - their inconsistencies made it hard to prepare for which direction he would have to duck under or squeeze beside to avoid making more noise than his hooves currently were.

After what felt like a minute, Storm arrived at a much larger area. This one was hollowed out to be roughly the size of a two story cottage. Strangely enough, there was nothing special in this chamber. It was just an uneven cave with roughly cut walls. Despite not being able to see more than a foreleg in front of his face, Storm prayed that there was another passage or exit somewhere inside.

His ears remained high in the air as he held his breath and listened for whatever had appeared in the last tunnel, but nothing could be heard. Nothing except his own climbing heartbeat.

Another mental push later, the stallion started walking through the chamber. Time once again felt like it was jumping to a random point with every step that echoed across the cave’s hollowed out interior. Storm found himself forgetting to breathe. He had been holding his breath with every step as if it would diminish the sounds of his steps.

CLANG! CLINK! CLANG!

The sound returned. It was distant at least for now.

CLANG! CLINK! CLINK!

He needed to keep moving! As he walked, the pegasus scanned every wall looking for an exit, but all he saw were the rocky cave walls that started to look like monsters thanks to the vague outline given by his visor.

CLANG! CLANG! CLINK!

Storm had finally circled the whole chamber. It was a dead end. He had combed the roughly cut rocky walls only to end up at the chamber’s entrance where he saw the blue glow appear at the bottom of the slope. With seemingly no other immediate option, Storm found one of the few natural boulders in the cave to hide behind.

CLANG! CLINK!

It was here.

CLANG! CLINK!

Whatever it was started moving even closer. A few steps from his boulder.

CLIN-

The sound suddenly stopped with only a faint metallic jingle fading into silence. All the noise in the area ceased with it. Storm could feel the tightness in his chest due to lack of oxygen, but he held his ground in the only way possible right now.

A faint trace of the blue glow swept along the wall that he had squeezed himself in front of with the boulder being the only thing giving him cover. The glow vanished after a casual sweep and didn’t return for a second glance.

Storm contemplated using his camera to peek around the corner, but quickly decided against it. Safety was more important than curiosity. Curiosity killed the crazy. So he did nothing. Just waited.

And waited…

And waited more…

Thirty seconds went by with nothing happening. No more sounds except for his faint now struggling for air breathing. Storm had caved, finally allowing his lungs to do their job, and fully expected to get jumped the second he opened his mouth only to have nothing happen. The helmet was much hotter than it should have been allowed to be even inside the frigid cave.

One minute. A minute and thirty seconds. A minute and forty seconds. Two minutes passed. Nothing else made a sound. The stallion had an absent shaking in his hooves from what he assumed was either standing still for half an hour or just his adrenaline wearing off and being replaced with raw dread.

It came to the point where Storm finally decided to look for a way out within his limited vision. Naturally, he found nothing immediately nearby, meaning he would have to move eventually or rot in here until they found him.

Storm slumped down on his haunches with his back to the boulder. He placed the revolver in his hoof to give his aching head a break from telekinetically holding the thing. Once more, he began to weigh the options in his head.

After a moment of thought, he came to a conclusion. It was a stupid idea, but so was waiting like a wrapped gift basket in this cave. The stallion grit his teeth, put the revolver back in his tethered appendage, placed himself against the wall while standing now…

Then he swung around the corner ready to shoot at whatever was toying with him.

Crouching directly in front of him was a hulking canine-like creature. It’s greyed out skin and even paler bone nearly made it blend in with the cave walls, leaving the cracked distinctive Diamond Dog armor to discern the beast’s form in the darkness. The thing was standing motionless with it’s razor sharp appendages laying on the ground at its side. Storm stared into it’s hollowed out eye sockets, fully expecting to see at least two blue dots staring back at him.

There were none.

The creature didn’t charge at him or sound the alarm. It continued to just stand motionless and stare in his direction. Storm hadn’t noticed this and was too busy darting his eyes from limb to limb in an attempt to locate the behemoth’s weak spots.

They weren’t there.

Storm checked again. Then triple checked just to be sure. The stationary beast had no Plexers whatsoever. It was just a bone and rotten flesh statue facing him.

But that was impossible. He had just heard and seen this fucker stomping around less than a minute ago! Storm wanted answers but he would be the biggest dumbass - or at least bigger than he was - to get any closer to the monster just in case the insects were able to ‘turn off’ their signature glow or some shit. Whether they really knew he was there and were playing a game or if he had actually just found something new related to the creatures, it was a call for documentation. Storm finally decided to snap a picture of the strange behavior with his camera instead in the event he made it out of this nightmare and could find time to analyze whatever this was.

Best case scenario, he got intel and a mere couple of seconds of distraction from his predicament. Worse case scenario - his usual case - the canine thing would spring to life as the glows appear somewhere on or inside and then the whole cave joins the party. It was a gamble, but what in the stallion’s life wasn’t at this point? Swallowing his fear, Storm finally snapped the picture.

Unfortunately, the pegasus’ already preoccupied mind forgot about the camera’s flash - still left on from the Mimic encounter - which caused a brief explosion of light which engulfed the whole chamber. Storm felt a jolt go through his entire body upon realizing what he had just discovered. The flash would have been enough to give him a heart attack, but what the brief light revealed made his heart jump out of his throat.

More of them.

Over four dozen of them. Most likely more. All circling the room and all in the same stationary state without Plexers and looking just like the huge dog beast. They were the rough cut rocky walls which he could barely make out prior! Storm swung around, now able to more clearly make out that he had been crouching inches from three more of those dog things - all of which remained frozen in various positions - standing against the wall like twisted Nightmare Night decorations.

Storm looked like a puppy chasing his tail with how many times he must have rotated himself to aim his weapon at every corner and crevice in the event that he had awoken one of the bastards. He had no idea if Damned slept, but if the Warden’s speech about them just being “recycled soldiers” were true, then they shouldn’t need to sleep! So why the fuck was there a storage closet - er, cave of these huge variants?! Whatever the reason, his flaring heart was thankful they didn’t immediately all spring to life and attack at this moment.

By a miracle, none of the creatures had noticed the flash or the stallions near panicked state. Not a single one of the corpses or their absent insect-like pilots made a move as Storm reluctantly crept his way around the behemoth with his breath held as if it would turn him invisible once more while tiptoeing back out into the tunnel he had come in from.

Breathe, dumbass, breathe!

Storm finally commanded his breathing to return to the usual calm - albeit spaced - rhythm that kept him focused as his practical sense took over his nerves. If those fuckers wanted to huddle in a dark corner and act like stone gargoyles then he would let them. Anything as long as they weren’t between him and wherever this blasted exit was!

The armored stallion headed back up to the sloped tunnel where he checked to make sure no more stragglers had followed the dog thing. When he deemed it clear, Storm climbed up the steep dirt and stone slope to find himself in-

His living room.

Not the living room of the lighthouse that his late family had survived in, but his actual house. His foalhood home.

The surprise managed to beat the fear in his head as Storm looked from side to side expecting to see the cave walls and brooding darkness, but all he saw was the chipped yellow-beige walls of an actual building. Everything else was the same too. The couch with the mismatching cushions, the cracked television, the bottles scattered on the coffee table next to it all.

As his heart rate started to bounce like the needle on a kitchen timer, Storm looked onward to where the other tunnel should have been but instead a short hallway leading to his kitchen was there instead.

This was impossible! How could the Warden know he was here?! It hadn’t seen him since Fillydelphia and just let him live through a room full of hulking stationary monsters! Why wait for this?!

No, no, no, not again! Storm repeated to himself. It’s not real! It's in your head!

He squeezed his eyes shut tight and then reopened them, hoping this vision or hallucination or whatever the hell it was would go away.

C’mon, c’mon dammit!

He tapped a foreleg against his helmet repeatedly like it would snap him back to his senses.

It didn’t.

Option number one was a bust. Now it was time for option two. Storm pulled his legs from the nonexistent molasses underneath to approach the table. He inhaled a breath of the thin, filtered air before wrapping a hoof around one of the empty bottles and-

He felt it.

The bottle was solid. The bottle was real.

The weight of the object, the muffled texture through his suit cloth, even the faint trace of liquid still inside swayed with the motion of removing the bottle from the floor.

The stallion heard the shattering of glass before he even registered that it had left his grasp and he flew through the air to roughly tumble onto his back. Before his pounding head could form a clear picture of his assailant, Storm felt a pair of hooves forcefully clamp down around his throat. Either the sudden jolt of concentrated pain or the adrenaline pouring into his body allowed the pegasus a brief glimpse at who was on top of him.

His father.

Iron Sight had the same expression as always. Misleading indifference. The elder stallion looked as if he was uncaring, unflinching - like all guard members did - but in reality, his demeanor could lash out at any direction that seemed fit for his mind. The stoick expression gradually turned to one that Storm had long since become accustomed to.

Disappointment.

Not the average disappointment many children faced when getting a bad grade or making a poor decision, but a look of genuine pity and disgust. Resentment itself could have been personified with a camera snapshot of Iron’s face as he continued to strangle his grown colt.

Storm had felt the tears begin to build up in the corners of his eyes long before the look became clear to him. Whether they were from the oxygen-lacking pain or his own anger, the stallion wouldn’t have been able to identify with his blurring thoughts.

“What did I tell you about touching those bottles, Windstorm?!” Iron seethed as drool fell from his lisping lips and onto the purple visor. His tone made it clear he was in a half sober state at best. Despite this, his strength seemed unaffected in the slightest.

Storm visually searched for his gun but couldn’t locate the weapon or even summon his tethered appendage with how much pressure his oxygen-starved mind was under right now. He attempted to move his head around to manually locate the revolver, only to receive an even tighter squeeze somehow.

“How many times have we gone over this?! You will look me in the eye when I am speaking to you!” Iron shook his own head. “With my folks that wasn’t even a line that needed saying! I didn’t even get a free explanation of what I was doing wrong, Windstorm! It was just a slap to the muzzle and I took my licks until I understood what was disrespectful!”

Trying his best to ignore the suffocation, Storm finally found his weapon lying barely out of reach. Iron Sight seemed to notice this too, for he removed a hoof from his son’s throat and plucked the sidearm up. Iron waved the revolver around in the air like a toy for a dog to fetch.

“They say the years are supposed to wisen you up.” He slurred. “But here you are going for the same resolution that you did when you were a colt! At least this time, my Delilah isn’t here to suffer the wrath of your mistakes!”

Storm felt something inside of him snap. If he was lucky, it wasn’t the tube in his neck or his spine, but somehow he felt it wasn’t a corporeal part of his being.

“We had everything before you! I had a fucking career, a life, and your mother - no, you took that away from me the day you were born! I tried doing it all, Windstorm! I fucking tried! Balancing work and raising a foal I never wanted cost me my job! I was the first failure in the guard of my family because of the stress you caused! I snapped at my superior and lost it all! Dishonorable discharge and a walk of shame just to come home to what? A failure of a son and even bigger disappointment of a stallion!”

Iron tossed the gun aside, far out of either stallion’s reach as he took a swig of one of the floor bottles. He made a noise that sounded like a mixture of a pained grunt and a hiccup before wiping his muzzle and discarding the bottle.

“And you know what the worst part is?! I couldn’t even find comfort in my own Celestia-damned castle! My wife had left to support another mouth to feed and that mouth wouldn’t shut the fuck up to let me have a minute to myself! It was like a busted alarm clock that you hit every morning but instead of finally shattering, this clock kept coming back to ruin my mornings!” He had tears in his eyes as he pulled Storm’s helmeted head up to face his own unarmored one. “You have no idea how much solace it brings me to know that you got what was coming to you after all these years! I lost everything because of you and now you lose everything as well - but it's not anypony else's fault this time! It's only you to blame for your friends, the mare with the kids, and soon the rainbow-maned dyk-”

Iron was unable to finish his sentence as a blade went through the side of his abdomen. The elder stallion’s grip weakened, allowing Storm to shove Iron’s back against the cavern wall while getting himself up in the process. Iron struggled to get up before his son slammed a hoof into his gut. Then into his jaw. Iron slumped down the wall until Storm held him to it by the throat.

Storm retracted his helmet to reveal his psychotic purple eyes. They were faintly red from the lack of oxygen prior, but their unblinking resolve more than distracted from that. He jammed his hoof blade into Iron’s abdomen while looking his father dead in the eyes.

Iron smiled as blood started to slip from his grinning lips. He looked as if he wanted to speak but couldn’t. Storm started to twist his blade until an explosively painful sensation filled his own lower half. He winced in pain as a jolt of needles filled up his body, causing him to blink. In the fraction of a second it took to close his eyes, Iron sight had vanished along with the apartment room. Now the grey pegasus was lying back-down in the tunnel.

The first thing Storm realized was that his own bladed forehoof was halfway sticking out of his own abdomen where a slim crimson trail had begun to trickle down from. The next thing was that his bladeless limb was pressed against his neck where one of Iron’s hooves had been prior and where his own hoof had been to the latter’s throat after. Though it wasn’t on his mind at the moment, a few scattered stones made up the area of the wood floor - er, stone floor - where the bottles had been.

After catching his breath, the stallion eyed the blade in his wound momentarily, mentally preparing himself for what would come next. He clenched his teeth together and began to slowly pull the steel tip from his flesh. The blade came out with no spurts of blood or any more severe pain than he was already experiencing - which he took as a good sign. Storm then got to his hooves and examined the rate of his blood loss.

The wound was superficial as the blade’s previously submerged length was less than half. Additionally, the lack of sharpening lessened the blow, but the risk of infection was practically guaranteed with how much shit the weapon had been exposed to in the past day alone. Most of the stream itself had already seeped out during whatever trance he had just been in, leaving only a faint trickle of blood in its wake.

If they don’t know I’m here yet, they will soon… Storm grumbled. Shit’s like a neon bread crumb trail... He then slapped his last bandage on the real wound while refusing to acknowledge the mental one prior.

Storm had no idea where to go from here. Zecora was still in their grasp. He was unsure whether or not she was even alive after the detour or even if his intrusion had been made by the Warden and it’s posse, but judging by the lack of roaring and charging hoovesteps, luck might have decided to favor his side for its own amusement later on. Nevertheless, the stallion picked himself up mentally to match his physical state before continuing on down the abyssal passage.

The tunnel was surprisingly short and empty - except for the support structures - with no other side passages. Every now and then, however, a large tendril carrying blue liquid would appear out of the wall, ceiling, or ground like a stray electronic cord. Beyond that, there was one even stranger instance with another Diamond Dog creature which made Storm jump out of skin, suit, and all until he realized the beast was also Plexerless and just standing motionlessly in the only other tunnel passage besides the main one.

The creature stood motionless like a powered down robot with its head and bladed appendages hung low. Storm didn’t dare to get close enough to inspect the thing or snap another picture but he was able to make out the change in color on the canine’s bladed arms. They were covered in a darker substance that could either have been dirt and mud or blood. Probably a mixture of all three if he knew any better.

Storm sidestepped the unresponsive cave-dweller to continue down the main passage for about a minute when a light became visible from a large opening. The light was blue, but it was too solid and stationary to be an approaching threat - the stallion made sure of that long before advancing towards it - so he worked up the resolve to reach what he thought was just the glow of the more recently appearing blue tubes.

What he saw made him immediately slam himself into cover behind one of the supports.

There were thousands of them.

Maybe millions.

He had only caught a glimpse but the literal ocean of blue glows was enough of an answer. Storm’s instincts kicked in before his fear, thankfully, allowing him to detach the camera and levitate it around the support beam and into the biggest cave chamber he had ever seen.

A colossal rectangular strip of the cavern had been hollowed out into one straight line that diverged a mile down the line - which Storm could tell with his camera’s zoom function - resembling an intersection of the Los Pegasus streets. The path he was in right now led to a catwalk-like bridge that served as an overpass for the majority of the chamber. Canterlot’s castle paled in comparison to this chamber in terms of scope - in fact, Storm was sure the princess’ castle could have fit in the fucking ravine dug by these things! Speaking of those things, various Damned of all shapes, classes, and sizes were stumbling, shambling, or crawling across the underground highway of sorts and heading to an unknown destination.

Storm had been turned around so many times in the passages before that he had no idea what cardinal direction he was currently facing, but he could at least tell that over ninety percent of the creatures were all headed in the same direction. Slicers soared on their mangled wings above the rest while the ground class Damned lazily milled about towards their destination. This road was so jam packed that some of the smaller variants were riding on the larger ones! One of the huge brutes that he had seen in Ponyville was carrying a trio of Hunters - that all dangled themselves across its back like a string of limp ragdolls.

If he wasn’t invested in the process of trying not to piss his suit, Storm would have noticed that he would need at least seven full sized sketchbooks just to catalog the amount of variants within his camera’s visible range alone. Every so often, a flash of blue seemed to look up directly at Storm’s peeping device - or so he thought - only to have it return to the ground level of the path in order to avoid collision. The cave echoed every scrap of bone or sickening slap of flesh below and the chittering made from the blue pilots burrowed into Storm’s head like an irritating white noise of a busted ceiling fan.

“Remove your claws before I take you to meet death’s jaws!” It was then that he heard a familiar, rhythmic voice threatening in a trembling manner. The sound originated from at the very end of the overpass, which is where the camera was then pointed, to reveal the two Hunters with a restrained, but conscious and struggling Zecora on one of their backs. Beside the duo and their reluctantly consenting guest, one of the canine creatures - a live one this time - was using its bulky bladed arms to hold pieces of stone and wood in place before firing a bone projectile from its tail to nail the scrap to a support stalk on the opposite end of the overpass.

Storm realized that the two Hunters had been stalled because their behemoth brethren had been working on a part of the tunnel, forcing them to wait before entering the adjacent tunnel on this level. The Hunters ignored the empty threat and struggling zebra while standing completely still as the Diamond Dog secured the final nails into the stone wall. Finally, one of the Hunters used its tail to coil around Zecora’s still swearing neck before tightening its grip.

The stallion waited with baited breath and a clenched jaw for the sickening crunch, but he only heard the zebra’s cries turn into whispers before she was out again. Her return to slumber happened just in time as the Hunters began to move again. They passed the short few steps across the newly assembled supports and disappeared around the corner of the tunnel passage.

Storm knew he was muzzle-deep in the shit now. He had to cross an either newly built or repaired overpass, sneak past a new variant with no cover, and not get spotted by a single pair of bug-like monitors below otherwise it would be all over. Oh, and get a wounded, probably concussed zebra out of a cave system of hive mind monsters.

Even in the heated moment of his mind trying to balance survival and savior mode, Storm still managed to divert a moment to scoff at fate for treating him like a set of rusted pipes that had been neglected for years as they waited to burst under the pressure of it all-

Wait a minute…

Holy shit. That just might work. The stallion eyed the glowing blue tendril-thing sticking out of the wall beside him.

It would be perfect...

Let’s one-up the list of suicidal stupidity... He thought with a faint spark of adrenalized inspiration while eying a blue tube behind him before turning to the canine facing away from his direction.

Zecora’s vision began to return in a haze. The grayscaled world around her faded in and out like a faintly pulsing heartbeat. In her limited sight, the zebra was able to identify that she was still being towed around by that horrible thing and it’s twin. Neither of them were facing her, allowing the striped mare to look around just in time for her groggy vision to return in full.

She was in a thin, dimly lit tunnel - that was only illuminated by blue tendrils poking out of the wall - where every sound seemed to echo as it was carried down the passage much like herself. At first, she was only able to focus on the uneven dragging of the Hunter’s hoovesteps until newer, louder sounds took over.

Screaming.

Scraping.

Squelching.

Those were the made three she could pick out amongst the auditory suffering coming from wherever these things were taking her. The screams sounded to all be feminie but it was hard to tell as a crushing thunking sound followed a combination of squelching liquids and metallic scraping soon overpowered everything before the process started over.

This happened two more times.

“NO! NO! NO! NO!” Someone howled.

The panicked begging was soon followed by blood-curdling screaming. Then the thunking sound. Then the sickening liquidy one. And finally the dragging of something so sharp it made the zebra’s ears flatten in an attempt to shield herself from it’s auditory assault. Her efforts to do so were fruitless inside the sound-carrying passage and the scraping pushed past her ears and into her soul.

The screaming had stopped.

It was replaced with choked sobbing.

The scraping sound returned but it was longer and less forceful this time, like something was causally dragging a piece of chalk along a board. Zecora was close enough now that she could hear as four fleshy thumps resounded throughout the room - which she still couldn’t see from her restrained position.

However, the zebra was able to discern that her escorts had just exited the tunnel as shown by the massive expansion of the ceiling in whatever chamber they had just arrived in. The sobbing was also extremely close now. It was literally a spitting distance away but the source of it was still unknown.

And that shook Zecora to her very core.

The horrific nature of her journey was suddenly interrupted when Zecora felt the creature’s tail start to loosen its grasp on her body. She quickly composed herself in time to manage a steady breathing rate and slammed her eyes shut, giving off the illusion that she was still out cold. Through the smallest crack in her eyelids, she prepared herself as the Hunter shook her off of its back and onto the cold - and viciously sticky - stone ground below.

Zecora had no doubt in her mind that she was laying in blood. No other substance besides sun-baked honey had this texture or thickness. The female sobbing was now right above her, given a few steps behind, allowing Zecora the unpleasant experience of hearing whoever it was start to choke in a muffled manner as if something was being forced down her throat.

The choking turned into gurgling as a liquid was hypothesized to be involved with whatever was going on above the striped equine. Zecora’s muzzle scrunched up as she felt a sudden liquid trail land on her nose and start to slide down onto the stone.

The sobbing had stopped.

Only muffled wheezing replaced it.

A chittering mumble rang out from above as two large, sharp objects were scraped together in the direction of the chittering’s source. That was all Zecora got to hear before the Hunter’s used their tails to each grab a hindleg and hoist her up. She felt something tying her legs together shortly after. Now suspended in the air, and the blood rushing to her head, the zebra struggled to make out what had been going on all this time.

Her adrenaline briefly overpowered the dizziness, allowing her to see the aftermath of it all. The presumed mare or previously living female creature was nowhere in sight now. All that remained was a flat stone cutout caked in a crimson spread with various body parts and bones lying in around the table like the barber shop floor after getting a mane cut. These parts were then grabbed by various hand-like appendages which tossed them in a direction out of the restrained zebra’s sight.

Zecora didn’t register that her eyes had gone wide with panic and shock at the gruesome sight until she realized that her teal ones had locked with a much brighter set of blue eyes. What she stared back at made the mare lose any shred of hope that she would leave this place alive.

Or even in one piece for that matter.

She stared into the squirming lenses of death.

They stared back.

Author's Notes:

I'm not dead yet! Though the transition from graduating high school and moving on to adulthood almost makes me wish I was. Job searching combined with college research priorities caused this chapter to be way later than expected, so for that I apologize. Hopefully the brooding mystery and excitement of this one makes up for it somewhat. Storm and Zecora are one of the first - and most unlucky - survivors to witness goes on behind the Warden's rotten and boney curtain. I took the advice to return these chapters to their 10,000 word limits to make them more bearable and hopefully have important plot information and character development not lost in the bulk of the longer chapters.

But don't worry about Rainbow Dash. She hasn't been forgotten either. In fact, next chapter is dedicated to her reluctance exploration of the new world around her with some high stakes thrown her way. Lets just say nopony is safe in this world regardless of being in a populated town or in a monster-infested tunnel system.

Until next time!

Chapter 21 - "Cadavers"

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The creature was easily twice the size of a full grown stallion. It stood hunched over the stone, gore-splattered table while managing to retain it’s daunting size nevertheless. Both of its arms were splayed over said stone where a majority of the gore and guts were. These appendages resembled massive rectangular slabs of bone and steel scraps which were capped off in circular, razor sharp hooks.

As if the more preserved muscular canine build wasn’t enough, the thing had half a dozen other nasty appendages jutting out from it’s backside and flank. Some of these tendril-mounted limbs sported a trifold of spikes - similar to the tails on a Hunter - while others were slimmer and resembled a sewing pin or medical needle. One of the limbs jutted out straight from where this thing’s tail should have been, which ended in a large, desaturated blue hand. Most of the flesh of the fingers were missing, but the appendage's past functions were clear with the carved bone in their place.

Then there was the face.

Dear Celestia, that face.

It resembled more of a mutilated cow skull left out in the desert for centuries instead of a dog or cat skull. The only thing keeping Zecora from making that assumption about the skull was the addition of dangling canine teeth close to the stone ones of Timberwolves. As for the eyes, two blue insects had been snuggled into the eye sockets somewhat calmly until they met the zebra’s petrified stare. They had sprung upwards with their tiny limbs to examine her briefly before retreating back into their respective holes to look back down at the mess on the stone table.

Both Hunters had resorted to standing straight and still as statues beside Zecora. It was like they suspected some surge of adrenaline to fuel her escape and were waiting to pounce. The hope of that happening had been snuffed out no later than half a minute from being turned upside down. Zecora’s blood had almost finished rushing to her head, making her limbs feel as weak as her resolve to take a stand against this thing or at the very least high tail it back the way she came.

The beast pulled back it’s strange appendages, creating the sickening scraping sound Zecora had been forced to endure just a few moments earlier. It used the bulk of the rectangular-shaped parts to scrape chunks of flesh off of the stone and down onto the floor. After the ear piercing scraping, only the faint dropping of blood resounded throughout the chamber.

Despite her upside down position, Zecora could now make out that the liquid remains of whatever or whoever had just been on that table were flowing into a purposely cut channel which led somewhere out of her dwindling line of vision. The zebra’s attention didn’t remain on the trail for long before the creature turned to face her.

Or at least she thought it was her.

Whimpering and a few muffled sobs started to play around her as if on cue. Zecora forced her neck to turn from side to side even though her vision started to stutter behind her like a lagging monitor. Once her framed sight caught up with her, the zebra was able to finally make out the horrendous sight in front of her.

Mares.

Well, not just pony mares, but female species of all kinds of creatures. Living creatures. Some weren’t equine-like such as griffon and a changeling. Most of the females were actual ponies of the three races, a few of which Zecora swore she recognized from her time in Ponyville. Through her edging vision, she was vaguely able to identify a white earth pony with a pink mane, Redheart. Then there was a cream colored earth pony, known as Bon Bon. Then a violet pegasus she didn’t recognize, and some more girls which were hard to make out in the darkness. Everyone else shared Zecora’s all dangling upside down position alongside them being bound by blue tendrils to stone hooks carved out of the mostly hollowed out ceiling.

Zecora was second to the edge of the drying rack-style restraints with only a dirty white and pink mare in front. The dizzying headache and horrific nature of the whole situation might have clouded her judgement but the unmistakable red cross on the mare’s cutie mark let the zebra know it was Ponyville’s former nurse from the days gone by. Zecora looked into the mare’s lidded eyes but she seemed to have been hanging there a while too long to really retain anything.

The scraping stopped.

All the conscious and capable females on the rack ceased their unheard pleas momentarily as all eyes went onto the multi-limbed monstrosity. No creature uttered a syllable or sniffle while the butcher craned its rotten neck along the line. It then took a step away from it’s crimson-caked workstation.

As if on cue, the whimpering and cries for fruitless help resumed at once. The only ones not making a scene were Zecora and the few unconscious females. Zecora was too captivated by the whole ordeal to express her fear verbally but the look on her face summed it up nevertheless.

The creature arrived at the line, extended two massive, hand-tipped appendages and wrapped them around Redheart. Once the earth pony was secure tightly, one of the Hunters snapped its tail to cut the tendril-like restraint that kept her suspended. Redheart fell limp in the larger creature’s grasp, which is when the other girls also started to quiet their struggling. Most of them resided into muffled sobbing while others tried eagerly to catch their breaths as if the danger had passed.

Zecora forced her breathing to steady in compliance with her mind’s focus as the other healer was placed on the stone table. The creature’s hands removed themselves from Redheart’s body, opting to spread her limbs eagle. It was at this moment that Zecora noticed Redheart begin to actually regain her senses as the blood must have begun to return throughout her body. The white pony attempted to roll off the table only to get roughly yanked back and forced down onto it face up. Using it’s hands, the beast gripped all of her limbs down except for her right foreleg.

It then placed the hollow, circular tip of one slab-like blade over her shoulder. The creature raised its other main, cleaving arm high into the air. Redheart screamed. Many of the others did too. Zecora couldn’t. All she could do was watch.

Watch as Redheart’s foreleg was cleaved clean off in an instant.

The force of the cut created a sickening grinding sound as the bladed limb passed through bone and scraped on the stone in its fury. Zecora flinched and bit her tongue accidentally with the sudden noise. Her self-inflicted minor injury paled in comparison to the mare on the table who was in agony, staring with teary eyes at her missing limb.

In a flash, the butcher scraped the foreleg aside like it was a useless piece of packaging on a much more interesting product inside. Then it brought a cuffed appendage down onto Redheart’s stump. It placed the weird part over the nub before spinning the cuff at high speeds, making Redheart holler more. When the appendage was removed, Zecora could see that the stump was now charred black. Additionally, the bleeding had stopped.

Luckily for the poor mare, Redheart had passed out due to the shock of watching her discarded limb being tossed aside. Zecora, however, didn’t have the luxury of turning a blind eye. She watched as the hand-tip limb grabbed the foreleg and threw it into a nearby rusted minecart - that was also filled with various limbs and remains.

The creature got to removing the other foreleg, which managed to force Redheart back into consciousness. She pleaded much like the unseen victim before her, but the cleaver-clawed variant continued by applying the cauterizing appendage to the new stump of flesh.

Once that was done, it moved down to the hindlegs. Now that the shock of the situation was setting in, Zecora was forced to endure the visceral display for what it was.

“NO PLEA-” Redheart started before transitioning into a scream of anguish.

The creature displayed no sense of remorse or care for the living being it was mutaliting. It’s usually squirming eyes were perfectly still and focused on the task at hand. It didn’t let Redheart finish a plea or give the mare any down time in between slices except for when the creature had to reposition it’s restraining limbs - a job that became easier with each one lopped off - to cut the next one in line.

The final limb came off.

Zecora’s ears were assaulted by a horrid symphony of blood curdling screaming and bone-on-stone scraping of the creature cleaning up its workstation. It had tossed each discarded limb into one of the cars on the rusted minecart on the platform’s edge right after removing it.

Redheart was thrashing, most likely in agony rather than an attempt to escape now that her only methods of movement had been stripped entirely. The beast no longer held her down as it turned around to dip a needle-tipped appendage into a cauldron on a blue substance - which was fed by a glowing tube of blue liquid that wrapped around the base of the platform from the walls of the chamber - causing the bone spike to emit a faint glow from the multiple holes in the chunk of the appendage.

The creature returned to the table’s side where it raised the needle tendril over Redheart, whose eyes went wide. She tried to roll or shove herself off of the table but her sapped strength and mutilated appearance made escape impossible. Two more sharpened appendages swung around from the carvers back. These were thicker than the needle, but were also double pronged like a set of pliers for precision.

Suddenly, the monstrosity froze in place as the two Plexers wiggled free of their respective eye sockets. The insects scurried their way down to a hollowed out slot on each of the plier-limbs before the creature resumed animation. It plunged the pliers into Redheart’s belly to open a small hole, which the piloted limbs entered.

Zecora felt like expelling the contents of her last meal now. With no scraping sound to distract her, the zebra got a full auditory raping of a squishing noise coming from Redheart’s insides alongside her screaming. When it found whatever it was looking for, the tendrils started to retract themselves from her stomach with some of her body’s insides. One plier pulled while the other would snip and then the hand appendages would drag a dull blue tendril into her stomach before ‘fusing’ it with the mare’s own organs like a pvc pipeline having a leaky pipe replaced with a new one. In an ironic, yet horrific display, crimson splatters erupted from Redheart’s mouth as her insides were effectively molding clay for this thing.

When this was done, the blue needle joined the fray inside the mare’s abodomine. The two plier ones seemed to guide it through the mess of discarded gore and holes. Light began to shine out of the beehive-like nest pattern on Redheart’s belly. Shortly after, the now empty needle and it’s companions returned out from her insides and back to the side of the creature. The Plexers returned to their original position up top. Now back in full control, it scooped up the mutilated mare and carefully set her in one of the empty cars on the cart.

As far as Zecora could tell, Redheart was still unfortunately alive and semi-conscious despite how hard it was to tell from her reduced struggling into liquid-filled whimpering. The zebra had no idea what had just been done to what used to be a whole living creature, but her answer was coming very soon.

The carving creature locked its eyes on her.

It’s illuminating gaze confirmed the next one in line…

Meanwhile, on the ledge of a stone overpass spanning yards over a massive monster highway, a canine-like creature continued pinning pieces of steel and wood to the ceiling. It held a mix of scraps up with its spiked arms while using bone projectiles from its tail to nail the scrap into a crudely constructed support beam. The diamond dog corpse displayed no signs of discontent - or any emotion for that matter - and no signs of fatigue as it continued the task at hand.

Suddenly, the creature’s rotting ears perked up as the sound of rapidly splattering liquid came from behind it. It snapped its neck around to focus the glowing holes within on the adjacent end of the overpass. The Plexers inside squirmed to get a better look at the source of this mystery noise when they froze in place at the sight before them.

A tube had been broken.

Wrapping around the opposite tunnel’s entrance was a now severed fleshy tendril with blue liquid rushing out of a massive split. The canine swiftly disregarded the remaining scrap by its paws and stomped over to the damage. In it’s hurry, the thing failed to notice a set of clothed hooves gripping onto the floor of the overpass’ ledge. Instead, it began attempting to connect the tubes back together and seal them shut with its tail.

Storm’s heart and brain were having a competition of which part wanted to flee his current dangling position from the side of the overpass. He couldn’t stop glancing down at the literal floor of Damned. It was like he was just waiting until one of them just happened to look up but none did. Their distant glows reflected off his suit with each movement far below, making him jump and nearly lose his grip the first time. Nevertheless, the plan was in motion and there was no stopping it now.

Now that the dog-thing above him was occupied, Storm moved his forehooves along the edge of the stone to stealth his way across. Once he was over halfway, the suited pegasus peeked up over the edge to see the creature was having a field day with the gushing liquid and its crude appendages, which made repairing whatever the fuck the tube was a difficult task. It wouldn’t be turning around without a reason for a while.

Or so he hoped.

Storm hoisted himself back onto the overpass as quietly as possible, all the while keeping direct eye contact with the back-facing beast. He then tiptoed along the few remaining steps before arriving at the entrance to the other tunnel that Zecora had been carried through minutes prior. This continued on for another minute or so until he arrived at a large tunnel exit into an even more colossal chamber.

This new area wasn’t bigger by horizontal standards, but vertically, Storm found it impossible to see the bottom of this deep chamber. Besides the island-like cutout in the center, the place resembled a black hole that suddenly formed in the center of the planet. His tense wonder at the architecture quickly became cut short when a feminine wail of agony rang out from the central platform. With his limited lighting, Storm couldn’t make out much beyond a bulky silhouette slamming something downward on this island platform. Thankfully, the scream did not match the vocals of Zecora.

Maybe he still had a chance.

After a limited survey of the chamber, Storm discerned that there were two paths branching off from his current position - which was the highest possible area in this chamber. The first curved hard to the left before spiraling down like the ridges on a drill bit. As far as the stallion could tell, this path stopped at the island but also led all the way down into whatever abyss awaited below. The other path led him straight above the island with whatever-the-hell was causing those cries below.

Rule of hoof, screaming equals correct path… He sarcastically mulled.

Storm crept across the straight path without a moment longer to debate with himself. He made sure to stay dead in the center to not arouse any suspicion from whatever was now directly underneath. He then took in a deep breath and deactivated his helmet. With his proximity to the island, it would be suicide to let even his visor glow on it’s lowest setting be visible at all.

The stallion peeked over the edge just in time to see a white earth pony mare having her last hindleg chopped off by a… dog or cat creature. If either mentioned animal were decayed, had a fucking Royal Guard-grade multi-tool knife on their backs and were twice his size, that is. This thing finished carving the poor mare up before using a needle-like appendage to start messing with her insides.

Storm immediately got to work scribbling notes in his head, which would be the equivalent of an overflowing high school student’s binder at this point held together by spit and tape. He dubbed the thing as a “Carver,” noted the needle limbs, the restricting hand ones, and the others too despite only seeing the purpose of half the appendages as the Carver went to work on the tortured pony. But most importantly, he noted that the creature only had two Plexers that typically resided in its skull, safe for their brief transition into the needle limb for precision.

Then there was Zecora, dangling upside down with a line of others. Storm watched her forced calm demeanor turn to one of pure terror as her eyes widened. She didn’t notice him peeking down from directly above the platform as something else had demanded her attention.

Storm followed the zebra’s stare to the Carver - which was now looking directly at her. He noticed the stiffness of this creature’s Plexers. They weren't the typical angry squirming, surveying everything at once kind but instead were calculated in their glare. Precise even.

The Hunters mobilized from their statue-like stances. They began undoing Zecora’s biological restraints, allowing her to drop to the blood-stained ground. Zecora attempted to scramble upright until a swift stomp on her back forced her back into restrained submission. The demonic duo assisted one another once more in getting the zebra to the stone workbench before tossing her on. The Carver restrained her in a face-up position with two of its hand appendages while raising a cleaving arm and the needle tail as if threatening her. Despite all things, she still continued to thrash violently to no avail.

The Carver showed no sign of pleasure, resentment, or any emotion whatsoever through its rotten skull as it raised the cleaver-arm higher into the air. It stared down on Zecora with the calculated glare of a professional surgeon instead of a butcher.

It’s arm began to come down.

A gunshot overpowered the zebra’s screams right before the bone-cleaver slammed into the stone beside her foreleg. The hollowed portion of the icepick-like tip landed where the blade’s original target was, leaving her foreleg unharmed and only the stone dented.

The Carver snapped its neck upward to reveal a hole of blue gunk and bone fragments where one of the Plexers had been. The creature locked it’s one remaining eye with the purple-visored assailant above for a split second before it too was gone to another piece of lead. It dropped into a slumped position beside the table with it’s stiff grasp around Zecora holding even in death.

That split second look at Storm’s suit was all the Hunters needed to spring into action. Both creatures fired their tails at him immediately, but the stallion had already anticipated their ranged methods and rolled back into the center of his elevated platform right before the projectiles soared past his helmet.

Zecora watched as the two creatures let out growls of frustration before one of them swiftly cloaked to completely vanish from her sight. The other Hunter used its pointed tail to slice its own throat open violently, allowing the three insects inside to scurry out.

Storm had no choice now. He had already stuck a neon sign on his position with that attack and wasn’t going to lose anypony this far. The stallion leapt down onto the platform in time to see the trio of Plexers were now scaling the Carver’s body and heading in Zecora’s direction.

Suddenly, they diverted into the Carver’s limp maw, ignoring the zebra entirely. Inside the still beast’s mouth, a faint glow started to resonate. Storm realized what they were doing and raised his pistol towards the thing’s neck to-

A rough smack to the helmet made the stallion’s telekinetic grip flinch the second he pulled the trigger, causing the bullet to miss by a mile. Before he could react, Storm felt something wrap around his throat multiple times before the Hunter’s multi pronged tail glared at him through his visor. The prongs started to expand, allowing the center bone fragment clearance as it was about to be fired point blank to his face. With all his might, Storm struggled to pry the tangled appendage off of his face, but was only rewarded by feeling weightless momentarily as he was then flung roughly onto the ground, effectively almost knocking the wind out of his lungs. A firm hoof stamped on his bladed arm shortly after, pinning it as well.

As he lay struggling against the thing’s grasp, Storm’s oxygen deprived vision made the world fade in and out. With each clear burst in the blurring, the restraining Hunter reloading it’s bone quill seemed to split into more before reverbering into its original position. The beast finished in a matter of seconds, pulling a piece of it’s ribbed bones into the tail slot to be primed and ready for another shot.

In the light of staring down his potential demise, an idea became clear to the stallion in that instant. He stopped groping at the coils around his neck and instead used his unarmed foreleg to lunge for the midsection of tail in between the coils and the tip - which fired immediately after.

His efforts paid off as the projectile went straight through the tail and clanked against the side of his helmet, mere millimeters from his cracked visor. The constricting, crushing sensation on his throat ceased as his lungs were able to pump back life into his being. With it’s ranged attacks gone, the Hunter reared its bone infested face up and charged the still downed stallion, who was shoving himself up to a standing position.

Storm met the nonexistent facial features of this macabre battering ram of a head with his own fixed stare. He felt his muzzle twitch briefly as his jaw involuntarily clenched. Almost anypony unlucky enough to have lasted this long with one of these fuckers would have had the sense to duck a charge, but not Storm.

No, no. He had other plans.

The armored pegasus raised his left hoof and activated his blade, as if daring the Hunter to finish it’s assault-in-progress. Instead of cloaking like he thought it would, Storm was briefly surprised to see the beast charge him head on without any additional maneuvers.

It didn’t matter.

He had his opening.

Storm fired the blade directly at the spot under the thing’s chin and above it’s neck - the only facial part besides the mouth where the bone growth was absent - effectively lodging the blade inside.

The Hunter didn’t seem to notice the pain or care as if the weapon hadn’t pierced it’s pride and joys. The thing just kept coming like it was incapable of doing anything else. It didn’t seem to have the means to anticipate what was going on before Storm telekinetically retracted the blade back at full force, dragging the carcass with it through the air.

In a flash, the stallion spun around and reared back before releasing an Earth-shattering buck into the Hunter’s face and neck. It wasn’t easy to aim a backwards facing attack, but the sheer force of it made up for the diminished accuracy, that much Storm knew by the bone shattering sound and the pain in his own hindlegs. The Hunter went down in a heap and tried to get to it’s hooves before Storm’s own stomped the softer neck into a pulp. The glow inside its neck disappeared right as a choking gasp filled the chamber.

Storm spun around to discover the reanimated Carver - which had its hollowed out eye holes glaring him down - as it held Zecora suspended in the air by the throat. The zebra’s uneven struggle for breath made it clear this thing was allowing her pockets of time to breath before continuing the vice-like grip. It didn’t want to suffocate her, at least not yet.

It wanted him to waste time...

Echoes of rumbling and ear-splitting scraping began to fill the chamber from multiple sides as the realization came to him. Storm knew he had signed his own suicide certificate the second he fired that shot, as what he guessed to be that entire highway of Damned flooding into the chamber any second.

Storm continued his standoff with the Carver while keeping the upper tunnel entrance in the edges of his vision, and despite the unrelenting noise, nothing ever appeared in it.

The stallion tilted his head and chest to look up at the overpass tunnel, but made sure to keep the Carver in his peripherals instead. Tiny shards of stone began lightly pelting him from above, where the ceiling started to push out as if something was being birthed from the rock formation. But it wasn’t just this one spot. All around the chamber ceiling and sides - on the island platform’s level - rocks were pushed aside before canine creatures appeared in their place.

Those from the ceiling immediately landed all around the platform while those in the walls clung to the stone with their talon-like appendages, emitting low pitched roars. Storm turned back to the Carver and raised his pistol at its neck. He could hear and see a few of the demonic diamond dogs closing in around him.

The Carver didn’t budge. Zecora’s restricted breaths ceased as it clamped down without mercy. Daring him to act without reason or thought. Suddenly, an idea came to the stallion. One he wished hadn’t even entered his mental inbox, otherwise he could have accepted his death without it.

The females. They were his and Zecora’s chance, and in a way, they were their own chance. Storm had been calculating a thousand scenarios involving possibilities to save them as well, but this one might just might damn them even more than they already were.

With his pistol still raised, the pegasus snapped his left foreleg up to fire his blade in the mare's direction. The Carver seemed to freeze as if it was processing what he was doing. The blade sliced through the bounding tendrils with ease, allowing the dozen or so remaining females to land on the crimson-caked floor.

Many of them were up and running in various directions the second they realized what had just happened. Thankfully, to every living creature’s sake, the reanimated were momentarily inactive at the sight of this new development. Once the girls realized that their only path down was the spiraling path along the island, they began to sprint that way.

The Diggers finally sprung into action. All seven of them changed targets from Storm to the female escapees. The variants with strictly sharpened appendages seemed to hold back, only using their size and form to try and shepherd the girls between their bodies and the island’s edge. In tandem with them, the blunt-tailed canines got physical by striking their prey unconscious.

The Carver let out a shrill cry as it clamped down on Zecora’s throat even more. He didn’t heed the flailing multi-tool’s warning and charged from the right side of the creature. After dodging a swiping needle appendage, Storm was close enough to see the tears in Zecora’s eyes as her oxygen was finally leaving her. Leaping into the air, the pegasus activated his telekinetically retrieved blade before slamming down on the hand appendage gripping her. In one sickening display of crimson and blue liquids, the tendril was severed and Zecora dropped to the ground. The zebra was finally able to force air back into her lungs as Storm knocked them both away from a cleaving strike where they had just been standing.

Before the creature could react, Storm flashed it at point blank range. The thing shrieked once more, this time in a pitch of either frustration or pain. Possibly both. Storm pulled Zecora to her hooves just as the Carver’s blindness wore off. It slammed a hand appendage onto his helmet, encasing the whole thing like a dragon grabbing a fistfull of tasty gems.

Storm shoved Zecora away just before he felt his own body get yanked off the ground and slammed on its side. The impact was divided between his protected skull and side, causing the stallion to drop his tethered weapon. There was no grace period before he was pinned on his back with a cleaving appendage pressed against the helmet.

The Carver raked it’s blade along his helmet, progressively breaking through the multilayered plating, while Storm was pinned and powerless to await the connection of bone against his flesh. Zecora tried to get up and help but her blood-rushed head and weak limbs wouldn’t let her get far before falling on her face.

Storm tossed and turned his neck as violently as possible given his restrained position, his efforts rewarded by slowing the blade’s progress against his helmet, but it would only buy him time. Noting the resistance of its prey, the Carver let out a guttural growl, like a dog warning a stranger before resorting to snapping. A small shower of glass erupted in Storm’s vision as it scraped its blade across his visor.

The stallion slammed his eyes shut in time to avoid any of the shards embedding themselves, but he had lost all of his night vision in the left side of the visor. Shaking his head to scatter the shards further down the interior of his helmet, Storm noticed the same bladed arm was coming back for round two - back for his right side of the “x” shaped visor.

It never made contact. The Carver’s neck exploded as a gunshot rang out. Bits of bone and blue goop coated the ground as the creature fell limp beside Storm, who quickly yanked its arm from his helmet and shot up to a standing position to see who had just saved him.

A cream colored earth pony with a swirled mane of blue and pink stood a stone’s throw away with his revolver. Through what little he could see, Storm noticed the distraught glare in her eyes as she continued to point the weapon in his direction. Thankfully, the roar of the canine variants snapped her out of whatever trance she was in, prompting the mare to help a lavender pegasus being chased by one of the creatures.

Storm wasted no more time helping Zecora to her hooves, which was a clear improvement over a second ago. The zebra was able to stand, however shakily, on her own. She let out a series of rough coughs before shouting over the commotion.

“Y-you came for me despite your distrusting attitude…” She croaked. “Thank you… there is no method of properly expressing my gratitude-”

“Now isn’t the best time!” Storm interjected as a Digger departed from the escapee herding to focus on their position. The creature planted it’s arm-blades into the ground before propelling itself forward into a charge. “Flank it! Destroy the Plexers!”

Zecora nodded weakly while straightening herself up. She began subtly moving away from the stallion as the canine closed the gap in mere seconds. Storm looked the thing in it’s hollowed sockets as he activated the blade and braced himself. Once it got close enough, Zecora sprinted to the side expecting to sidestep the creature, but was met with a blunt surprise.

The Digger’s hidden tail club bonked the zebra straight in the chest, forcing the air out of her lungs and sending her to the ground. Storm had no time to register the fault in their plan before the brute slammed into him. He was, however, able to get his blade into the thing’s neck to test one Plexer location theory, but it was to no avail. The initial force of the collison alone, sent the stallion’s firmly planted hooves back a few steps. Closer to the platform’s edge.

Storm grit his teeth and strained his muscles in an attempt to match the Digger, but the creature’s momentum and build outclassed his own. He felt his back leg slip over the edge with the other soon to follow. The canine seemed to have no intention of stopping, even if it meant going down with its prey.

Then it hit him.

Using his free foreleg, Storm slammed his hoof down on top of the Digger’s head, forcing its neck deeper onto the blade. Just as his other hindleg slipped off, Storm swung himself on his buried blade like a gym bar to propel himself past the creature. As he collided with the hard stone platform face-down, the pegasus heard a sickening crunching of bones being broken as the Digger hit a few snags on the way down.

His vision was fighting itself after the impact, but the stallion could faintly see that beige-colored mare and a lavender pegasus carrying Zecora to the trio of minecarts. Another Digger spotted the girls and raised its arm to strike, only to get gunned down by the beige mare. Storm had no idea how she had more bullets for his gun, but he didn’t have time to care. She was dropping the Diggers and was on his side or at least he hoped.

“C’mon! Do you want to get left behind?!” A female voice called out, breaking Storm out of his brief analysis. The voice in question belonged to the violet pegasus waving him over to the carts urgently.

She then helped the beige earth pony lift Zecora into the cart with two other girls. Suddenly, the ceiling began to rain down pebbles as the whole chamber began to shake. Storm didn’t wait to discover the cause, instead he proceeded to sprint towards the carts. The stallion checked over them in record time. Three cars total, each one could fit about three ponies - there was a spot left for him in the rear cart with Zecora and the violet pegasus - and the cart was on a track that seemed to bend around the platform’s island in a spiral fashion into the darkness below.

Storm slammed himself into the back of the rear cart, where he began pushing it with all of his might. The rusted wheels screeched, but the cart slowly transitioned from the flat path to the downward slope. The second it started to move on its own, Storm grabbed the lip of the back car and hoisted himself into it. Above them the rumbling continued but no source or monster had yet to reveal itself.

A particularly rough tremor sent him into the car face first just as it began to really pick up speed. Storm managed to get into a standing position in the cramped car in time to assess the situation. The mares in the front car were gripping onto the sides, their chests heaving violently due to either the near death experience or the current ride. The beige earth pony in the middle car propped herself against the side while holding the revolver in her telekinetic grip. Then there was his car. Zecora was weakly clinging on to the side, still clearly suffering from the blunt force trauma. Lastly there was the violent pegasus. Storm could make out her features clearly now that she was practically pressed against his armored muzzle in the confined space. She had a mane style practically copying Twilight Sparkle’s own with pink stripes to match. Her eyes were a cherry color slightly on the pinker side and her cutie mark resembled a rainbow-colored horseshoe wrapped in a blue flame.

“Where are we going?!” She yelled over the screeching wheels.

“Hell if I know!” Storm replied as another tremor made their heads collide briefly. He shook off the impact and attempted to see past the spiraling abyss to no avail. “But somewhere without a falling ceiling is preferable!”

Suddenly, the girls up front began yelling hysterically. Everypony looked at them, noticing one of them frozen in fear while staring upwards. Storm snapped his head in the direction to see a massive chunk of the ceiling headed straight for the first car. The beige mare didn’t seem phased by any of this, but her car-mate did. She reached over the middle car to the front one, grabbing the paralyzed mare just in time for the chunk to separate her flank from the rest of her body.

Nopony had time to register the sudden death as the ceiling chunk had landed inside the first cart, crushing all three mares and nailing the minecart trio to the track, forcing the remaining cars to flip. Storm, Zecora, the violet pegasus, and the beige earth pony went flying both around and over the embedded chunk.

Storm felt a fury of glass shards assault his face as he tumbled across what felt like another stone surface. The stallion didn’t roll far before he felt his side slam into a jagged wall. As his vision recollected itself, he saw the girls making contact with the apparent ledge he was on as well. Zecora and the beige mare hit the opposite wall as him while the pegasus barely landed past the edge. In fact, her unconscious body was starting to slip off!

Ignoring his stab wound and sore limbs, Storm threw himself up to grab her foreleg as her body slipped over the side. The stallion pulled her up and retreated back to the tunnel entrance which they had crash landed next to. Zecora and the other mare had stood up and were waiting for him already. Storm made it past the entrance directly before another ceiling fragment slammed behind them, effectively blocking the way they came off.

A few seconds later, the warzone of tremors in the previous chamber ceased entirely. There was no shaking of the ground or falling chunks of ceiling to be heard or felt. Storm laid down to slide the pegasus off of his back gently. “For Celestia’s sake! Does the whole fucking planet have to try and kill us too-”

A barrel against his visor cut him off.

He froze. Storm remained completely immobile as his eyes did the work for him. He was now staring down the barrel of his own revolver, held by the beige earth pony standing behind it...

Author's Notes:

I want to start this note off by apologizing for the delay between chapters. Between starting a job in my personal life and preparing for my future, I haven't had much time to write. Nevertheless, fear not because this story isn't going anywhere but forward anytime soon. I put some juicy plot elements in this and the next chapter regarding the Damned alongside a reveal that has been building for an eternity up until this point.

Another thing, I know I stated that this chapter would be dedicated to Rainbow Dash in Appleloosa, but I have switched gears with a new outline that serves the bigger picture better. Don't fret, Dash will still get her moment in the spotlight in Appleloosa, plus many more to come.

I'm looking forward to continuing this tale hopefully as much as ya'll continue to enjoy it!

Chapter 22 - "Against the Wall"

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“Where is Lyra?!” The beige mare demanded in a high pitched voice. She had a fierce, yet heartbroken gaze in her teal eyes. Her swirly pink and blue mane was caked with blood, but Storm could still see fresh scars hiding behind the curls.

“Who?” Storm replied. He knew this game after a lifetime of being held - and holding others - at gunpoint. All he had to do was give her what she wanted. Keep her talking and then strike.

The mare’s eye twitched momentarily as if she had just heard a sick joke. She grit her teeth before continuing. “Lyra Heartstrings! What did you do with her?!”

“Lady, I have no idea who the fuck that-” Storm was once again cut off as a striped hoof connected with the side of the mare’s head.

Zecora just got another foreleg up for a follow up strike when the beige mare pistol whipped her to the ground in one strike. Suddenly, the mare felt a thick foreleg wrap around her throat, while a tethered appendage ripped the revolver from her own grasp. Before she could react, the barrel was jammed into the side of her head.

“We don’t have time for this!” Storm growled into her ear, shoving the barrel harder against her skull for added emphasis. He continued to crush her windpipe enough to destroy any further resistance, but held off to let her remain conscious. “Those things up there aren’t done with us! They all know vaguely where we are and want me dead more than anything! That's not even counting whatever fucked up things they need you girls for!”

The mare continued to fruitlessly grip at his foreleg, prompting Storm to mentally prepare himself as he shoved her away to the ground. He kept his sidearm trained on her as she stood up cautiously. “I told you,” He continued while helping Zecora to her hooves as well. “I don’t know a Lyra. Why do you think I had anything to do with it?!”

“B-because,” The beige mare coughed. “Because you were in our town before everything went to Tartarus! I thought you were suspicious, but now I find out that you have my marefriend’s engagement present!”

Storm side-eyed the revolver until he found the initials “L.H.” carved onto the side in between dual engraved wings, confirming part of her accusation.

“He is not to blame for her disappearance, Bon Bon!” Zecora vouched while getting up herself. “I found the weapon in the forest after Ponyville’s demise. I brought it back to my place, so there is no need for waving it in my companion’s face.”

Upon this revelation, the fight in Bon Bon’s glare shattered. “Then have you seen her?!” Zecora shook her head sorrowfully. “T-that’s impossible! Lyra wouldn’t go anywhere without it!”

“She didn’t have a choice.” Storm added. “The Damned probably dragged her off like the rest of Ponyville.”

“Lyra Heartstrings wasn’t bound with the rest of us back there. It is possible she could be deeper in this lair.”

“Then that’s where I’m going.” Bon Bon replied while extending a hoof towards Storm, who pulled the revolver back. “Gimme the gun!”

“Think about this for a fucking second! That Carver was doing something to every creature that was brought in. If Lyra wasn’t back there then she is either still topside or too far gone to save. Unless she is down this path, then we can’t help her.”

“We?” Bon Bon squinted at him. “I don’t need your permission or help! I need my special somepony’s gun back!”

“You’re not the only one trying to find someone. We don’t have a lot of time or resources and I’m not giving up any tools to get there. End of discussion.” Storm began walking past her with the revolver aimed and Zecora in tow.

As the arguing continued, the violet pegasus began to stir. She rubbed her head before looking around sporadically. Getting to her hooves, she had a relieved smile plastered on her face. “We’re alive?! Thank Celestia! Wait - where are we?”

“Still underground.” Storm replied, his eyes and weapon never leaving the beige mare. “We’re getting out of here. If you have somepony down here, you’re welcome to join her.”

“I-I don’t know if my mom is down here or not!” The violet pegasus replied. “We were coming back from Appleloosa when those Damned things attacked us! They took over Ponyville and chased us through the woods!”

Storm stopped in the process of backing into the tunnel. That word. That fucking word. It was the only thing that brought him back. He swore under his breath before sighing and looking towards the pegasus. “What does she look like?”

“Well, her name is Clear Sky. She is in her forties and isn’t a pegasus. My mom is a unicorn. Pink coat and mane with blue stripes-”

“Does she have a sun cutie mark? With a gust of wind on the right side?”

The violet pegasus blinked a few times, stunned with the information. “Yes! That’s her! Have you seen her?!”

“Yeah. She’s in Appleloosa. I saw her looking through a spell for a friend of mine.”

“Really?!” She sighed in relief. “Please take me with you two! I need to see her and dad!”

Storm and Zecora shared silent looks before the stallion of the two nodded. “Fine. Don’t draw any attention and be prepared for anything.”

The pegasus nodded frantically before trotting to the duo’s side. “Thank you! Thank you! Oh, I’m Wind Sprint by the way.” She held out a foreleg for them to shake.

Zecora took her hoof gracefully. “Zecora is my name. Healing our friends and banishing evil is my game.”

Wind then held her foreleg out to Storm, who just looked down at it until she sheepishly lowered the appendage. “Name’s Storm. Now let's get out of here before the others find us.”

The stallion didn’t believe that hopeful statement himself. It didn’t add up. He had just witnessed more Damned than he had ever seen in his lifetime, but the Warden only sends a dozen diamond dogs after them? There was an army on the other side of that chamber!

What are you planning… He thought while leading the group - including the begrudgingly following Bon Bon - through a narrow passage. The good side of his visor was the group’s only source of dim light as they navigated past the sharp corners and jumped at every shadow.

Suddenly, a dim blue glow appeared from around a nearby corner. Storm slammed himself into cover of the wall before raising a foreleg to halt the others. “Something up ahead. Possibly Damned…” He whispered. “Wait here.”

He swung around the corner, only to be met with a larger passage filled with glowing crystals - the closest of which was a cyan blue - like a Plexer. A quick scan of the area later, he waved the girls over once the passage’s immediate portion was deemed clear.

As they walked through the shimmering passage, Storm realized that they weren’t actually in a passageway, but a whole new chamber. The larger crystals jutting out from the ground and ceiling gave the appearance of a walled passage. Shades of indigo, cyan, pearlescent, and many more beautiful hues bounced off the walls, lighting up the cave the further they went. Some of them refused to speak out of fear of alerting whatever could be lurking nearby, while others admired the most colorful sight in a colorless world.

A solid minute of walking later, they came across a fork in the cavern created by the largest of crystals. Storm weighed both paths based upon their destinations, what limited parts he could see that is. The left path had less crystals, dipped down where it rounded the corner into darkness. Additionally, a faint chorus of moaning emanated from this path as well. The right path, on the other hoof, continued on their current level and had a fair amount of crystals to light the way.

Storm started on the right path. Zecora and Wind Sprint followed without question, however, Bon Bon was rooted to the spot at the fork. She stared down into the darker of the paths as a terrible tightening began in her stomach. The beige mare couldn’t understand why she suddenly felt that way, but the barely audible distressed moans might have had something to do with it.

The armor pegasus glanced back over his shoulder to see that Bon Bon wasn’t following. He turned back to face the front when a striped foreleg grabbed his own. “We can’t just leave her down here! How would you be able to sleep a conscious that is clear?”

“I don’t.” Storm replied, shaking her hoof off. “But I won't be able to ever sleep if Dash dies.” He wasn't going to argue any further, resolving to push ahead. Zecora glanced back at the beige mare before swallowing her consciousness to join the other two.

The duo-turned-trio rounded another corner to be faced with a titanic chamber - larger than the Carver’s, but not as big as the highway - in the shape of a rectangular passage. Various crystals and gems continued to light pockets of the area, resembling weak spotlights to reveal the chamber. Not all of the chamber was hollow as pockets of large crystals still dotted the floor and walls like razor sharp sores. Additionally, an elevated position to the group’s right had a makeshift guard rail, tents, and even a shed constructed.

“What is this place?” Wind Sprint asked, finally breaking the unanimous silence.

“It's a mine.” Storm replied, not wasting any time to move forward. “Or it was one. No telling what the Warden uses it for.”

“Warden?” Zecora inquired.

“Later.” Storm brushed her off. His focus was elsewhere, more so than usual. “This place is either a main or the main chamber. There should be a lift around here somewhere.”

“How do you know?” Wind continued.

“I had family that worked in the mines. If there is one thing you can count on, it is that everypony will vent about the lift broke down for the third time at the dinner table-”

The stallion recoiled and steadied his weapon, causing the two mares to flinch backwards as well. Standing directly behind the wall of crystals were not one, not two, but five hunched over Diggers. Wind screamed before Zecora placed herself to stand between the younger mare and the creatures. Everypony expected a shot to ring out in that instant, but it never came.

They looked to Storm, who just kept walking past the canines with the revolver raised. He eyed them from his peripherals before waving the girls over. “Come on!” He whispered harshly. “They’re not active! Let’s not wait around for that to change!”

Zecora examined the Diggers from a distance to confirm this. She couldn’t find a single blue glow or insect creature anywhere on them. Every hulking corpse had their heads hunched forward with their spiked arms dug into the stone to keep them upright, resembling a team or squad paying their respects to a fallen brethren. Zecora was the second to make a move, with Wind Sprint practically trying to melt into her striped coat as the two trotted past the beasts.

More crystal clusters and deactivated creatures later, the trio arrived at the opposite corner of the chamber. Storm immediately found his target in the form of a rusted lift dug into the far left corner next to a pile of minecarts similar to the ones in the last chamber. The stallion rushed over to the lift’s control console. He detached his blade, holding it in his tethered grip before using the tip to unscrew a cutout on the console’s side.

Zecora and Wind Sprint watched from the side, the latter jumping at the sound of the metal panel clanging against the stone floor. He knelt down, shuffled a few things unseen by the girls around inside the console before huffing and swearing under his reverberated breath.

“What’s wrong?” Zecora asked, coming to his side.

Storm sighed with a shake of his head. “The lift’s no good. I thought we could make it out by oiling the gears and jumping the console’s power supply, but that isn’t going to happen.”

“You can fix it though, right?” Wind popped her head up from beside the zebra mare.

“Unless anypony has three sixteen millimeter cables, a spur gear, and a stronger power source than a thruster battery, no I can’t fix it. Guess we’re taking the service route.” The stallion grunted, standing back up at full height, before looking up at a square hatch on the lift’s ceiling. “Typical. The service hatch is locked. Can’t buck it open from here, so we’ll need a key.”

Wind, still hovering slightly above the ground, threw her forelegs up as the rollercoaster of hope going down in her facial features. “A key? Isn’t this place like three decades old? What if it's not here!”

“Then you’re lucky I have three bullets left.” This response earned a pair of widened eyes at the reminded severity of the situation. He began towards the upper level of the chamber at that.

“He's joking, right?” Wind whispered to Zecora, who only shook her head before following the stallion.

In the adjacent corner, a set of wooden ramps and scaffolding led up to the mentioned location. Storm stopped just before the first inclination and tested it with a hoof. When it became clear it wouldn’t crumble under a bulky stallion and even bulkier suit, he fully stepped onto the ramp. The platform creaked and groaned with each step the group took, but now they were on the second story of the chamber.

A makeshift spread of tents alongside a single shack made of metal sheets barely stood. Years of neglect were present in the torn material and rusted metal. A few spots where tents would have been were replaced by wooden framework with crates of pickaxes, lanterns, helmets, and more were strewn about. Zecora broke off from the others, grabbing a pickaxe with her Tethertech. The zebra also examined the mining helmets in hope that the mounted flashlights would still work, but none did.

“Don’t bother.” Storm’s sudden voice from behind made the striped mare jump. He picked up the helmet she was holding, unscrewed the battery pack and tossed the whole thing aside after a second of examination. “The emergency gear is inside the shack. It’s the durable, cave-in scenario type of equipment. With any luck for once, it might still work.”

While turning towards the shack, both stallion and zebra noticed Wind Sprint leaning over the railing staring down at something. Storm and Zecora exchanged silent glances before the former went over to the younger mare’s side. Wind was staring down at the half a dozen Diggers scattered throughout the crystalized maze.

“It’s… so fucking weird.” She finally said aloud upon noticing Storm. “T-they're just like statues! I’ve never been so close to one before without it, you know…”

“Before trying to decapitate you? Yeah, I know.” When she fell silent, Storm quickly tried to change gears by clearing his throat. “I think they’re being stored like tools. Those Diggers aren’t made for combat and I’d be willing to bet my wings they’re used for excavation of these tunnels.”

Both pegasi were silent for a moment before Wind Sprint broke it. “I’m just glad my mom didn’t get caught. I don’t know if I could live through seeing her like that white mare…”

As if on cue, the mental image of the white earth pony getting hacked to her stem and then having fleshy tubes stuck in her stomach replayed in Storm’s head. “I saw the whole thing. The limb dismemberment makes sense, but I still can’t figure out the purpose of those tubes that Carver stuck inside of her.”

“Why don’t they just kill us? What do they need with us alive?!”

“I don’t know. If the Warden is after females, it could be to prevent any survivors from reproducing. Something to break moral, but it's too specific for just that.” Storm swore he heard a familiar male voice whispering his name from the lower level just then. He backed away from the edge. “We can debate this later, we need to get out of here.”

The two pegasi joined Zecora inside the sheet metal shack a few seconds later. Along the wall of the rusted building was a row of standing lockers and a counter with expired food and emergency medical supplies. In the center, a rectangular foldout table with faded tunnel expansion plans, gem haul records, and a few scattered pieces of mining equipment.

“Find anything?” Storm asked, arriving at Zecora’s side.

The zebra shook her head. “Nothing of use. If anything, requiring a key for emergency access is a decision that is rather obtuse.”

“My grandfather said the mining companies used it to prevent workers from leaving early or taking breaks unnoticed. I have no idea who’d want to take a smoke break on top of a moving box of death, but here we are down in this shithole.” Storm eyed the lockers along the furthest wall. “What about those? Are any of them unlocked?”

Zecora shook her head again. Storm’s gaze slid from her newfound pickaxe then back to the lockers. “Let me see that. Got an idea.” With that, the stallion jammed the tool’s tip into the locker door’s crack until the pick was stuck. Then he turned around, reared up and bucked the pick handle with his hindlegs.

The metal door flew off its hinges in an instant before clanging to the floor alongside the split pickaxe. Storm turned back around to rifle through the locker’s contents. Family photo, corroded flashlight batteries, a pack of cigarettes, and a lunchbox were inside. Storm examined the cigarettes, finding a “Scorchers” label next to a logo resembling Princess Celestia’s Cutie Mark. He slid the package open to reveal that half the box still remained before closing it and pocketing them.

“This ones a personal locker.” He said over his shoulder to the girls. “We’re looking for an emergency locker. See anything different?”

The shack went silent for a few moments as everypony examined the wall intently. Finally, Wind Sprint spoke up. “Oh! Over here!” She excitedly pointed at the locker on the far end of the wall with a red rectangular design on the sides labeled “Emergency.”

Storm placed a new pickaxe from Zecora into the door crack and was in the process of turning around when the younger mare tapped his flank. “Wait! Can I try? I’m really good at buckball, so this should be no problem!”

“Don’t hurt yourself.” The stallion stepped aside.

“Wow. Heroic and caring.” Wind giggled while positioning herself to buck the pick handle. “Same goes for you. We wouldn’t want you injured when I express my gratitude after we get out of here.” She finished with a wink.

“Thanks, but I’ll pass.” Storm replied dryly. “I’ve got to take care of a few things and I’m twice your age anyway.”

Wind was about to reply when Zecora cleared her throat to break up the derailed, awkward topic. With a rearing strike, Wind Sprint managed to pry the locker door open over half way. The mare went back in to finish the job with a second buck, causing half the pickaxe to split and fly into the locker, scattering a majority of its contents onto the stone floor.

Only a single object remained vertically propped up against the corners of the locker. The object in question was comprised of a thick slab of metal with dual leather straps alongside it for a foreleg to fit inside. Alongside the straps, a trapezoid-like Tethertech link - identical to the ones on firearms - was placed. At the end of the object was a long rectangular blade with razor sharp teeth. In the middle of the blade were two circular contraptions with belts on them. All in all, the thing looked like the bastard offspring between a sword and a chainsaw.

Storm grabbed the chainsword with his Tethertech, levitating it beside his right foreleg before strapping it on as tightly as possible. Pushing a button on the side, the blade part of the tool folded back alongside his foreleg, fitting his limb’s outline so as to not increase his bulk marginally. The stallion then grabbed a battery pack from the ground and loaded it into the tool.

“What is that?” Wind asked, grabbing his foreleg to examine the chainsword.

“It’s a diamond and stone cutting saw.” Storm replied, yanking his appendage safely away. “Be careful with the teeth. This thing is probably as sharp as the day it came off the production line and that's what I'm counting on. Anyway, let's find that key.”

Everypony got to work in the search. Storm found two separate key rings with a dozen of keys on each, so he handed one to Wind Sprint. Meanwhile, Zecora loaded battery packs into mining helmets. When she was finished, two packs still remained. Storm diverted from the key search to charge his thruster batteries with the unused packs.

“I found it!” Wind exclaimed holding up a small bronze key with the words “Shaft Hatch” on it’s base. “Two for two baby-”

A sudden scream filled the chamber. The source sounded far, but the shape of the chamber carried and even amplified the sound, causing the younger pegasus to jump and let go of the key. Storm only had time to blink once as the key soared through the air and towards a floor vent carved into the stone. His telekinetic appendage was launched for the key just as it clanged against the vent slits before slipping inside.

“No, no, no, Fuck! Goddammit!”

Wind Sprint cringed with every grinding sound the key made as it bumped against stone on it’s way down to wherever it went. Her confident front was immediately crushed upon looking in Storm’s direction. Though she couldn’t see him underneath the helmet, she could imagine the fuming expression underneath.

Storm ripped the rusted grate out of the floor and threw it aside. He grabbed one of the mining helmets to stick its flashlight beam down the winding hole. Through a small crack in the vent’s tunnel, he could see the key continue falling until it was swallowed by the darkness. The stallion stood up, exhaling slowly through his nostrils in a clearly frustrated manner.

Upon seeing his purple hand reach for the revolver, Wind Sprint’s nerves were put on ice. The younger mare immediately rushed behind Zecora, ducking behind her for safety. “I-I am so, so sorry! I didn’t-”

“Save it!” Storm cut her off, keeping the revolver at his side, pointed absently up into the air. “Just get to the lift! If the Warden didn’t know we were in this chamber, it sure as Hell does now!” He began to sprint out the door with the other two in tow.

“What is the plan?” Zecora asked while the trio ran for the lift. “Do you have any idea where the key went? It looked like some sort of airflow vent for a fan.”

“That’s exactly what it is! It goes down and there is only one other path that could be connected!”

Arriving at the lift, Storm immediately checked the Diggers to verify that the brutes were still motionless and Plexerless. He ushered the girls inside the lift, pointing at the solid half-wall railing. “Hide here! I’ll get the key and be back!”

After the mares did just that, Storm galloped past the Diggers and through the gem maze until he arrived at the forked tunnel. He squinted to see in his half-cracked nightvision, rounding the corner with revolver held high. No immediate threats. The stallion continued down a slight declining path to make another sharp right turn.

A faint blue glow was emanating from the turn, but this time an equine-shaped shadow was in the middle. Storm hugged the right wall, mentally and physically preparing himself for whatever was next. He swung around the corner and nearly blew Bon Bon’s head off. In an instant, the pegasus forgot all about the frozen mare in front of him once he noticed everyone else in the chamber.

Rows and rows of female creatures. Living female creatures. They were the source of the now mind-splitting moaning sounds, which were amplified by the chamber’s interior. Ponies, griffons, changelings, diamond dogs, and many more all had been given the same treatment as Redheart. Their limbs were hacked off, bellies swollen and glowing an aqua color, and multiple fleshy tubes carrying the blue liquid snaked around the chamber. These tendrils breached every creature’s stomach at least in one area while the tendrils at the corner of the chamber disappeared into tiny cracks in the walls, feeding the liquid into the females from an unknown source.

Nor Storm or Bon Bon could utter a word as they watched the girls choking out sobs, moans, and wheezes with every pulse of their bloated stomachs. In the process of scanning the seemingly endless rows of suffering, the stallion finally caught a glimpse of something else. Bodies. Dead ones, this time. All of which were piled in the far corner of the chamber - a few he recognized such as the remains of Rarity’s body and the gatekeepers of Ponyville - next to another tunnel.

Key… key… find the fucking key! Storm reminded himself, forcefully prying his stare off the females.

The key had landed in between three of the females, their bellies forming a triangular lamp to illuminate the small object. Storm wasted no time carefully snatching it up with his Tethertech. Then he turned to leave, noticing what Bon was staring at.

“Lyra…”

A mint-colored unicorn mare writhed in place upon the vocalization. Her tear-stained eyes and broken expression fixated on Bon Bon’s own. It appeared as if the unicorn was trying to croak something out, but the twin tubes going down her throat prevented anything more than a blubbering cry come out. Bon Bon’s face was dripping with tears as she repeatedly whispered the word “no” over and over.

Storm also locked gazes with Lyra. Her yellow eyes darted from him then back to Bon Bon. After a few rounds, the stallion noticed a third place that they were staring at. Lyra switched from looking back and forth from pony to pony, in favor of looking into his eyes and then to his side. Storm looked down at his flank where the revolver was holstered.

Then it hit him.

She was looking at the weapon.

He once again locked eyes with Lyra, noticing the tears coming back for another round. Before realizing what he was doing, Storm slipped the revolver into his telekinetic grip and aimed it directly at the blue-green mare’s head.

“No! Don’t!” Bon Bon screamed, placing herself in between the barrel and Lyra. “Y-you can’t kill her! I won’t let you!”

“She wants it...” Storm replied in a tone barely above a whisper. His voice was cold and indifferent, betraying the horrible knot tying in his stomach at seeing somepony so broken. It was a look he had seen so often, but only knew one way to treat it.

“NO!” Bon grabbed one of the glowing tendrils, trying to separate it with her teeth to no avail. “Help me free her! Please!”

Storm was at a loss for thoughts and words equally. The severed limbs on the mare had been cauterized by the Carver to stop the bleeding, but he had no idea what the purpose of the tubes were. Even worse, he had no idea what would happen should they separate Lyra from the tendril network. As a last resort of judgement, the stallion looked back into those pleading eyes, but only the tears remained.

Lowering the revolver, Storm activated his blade as Bon Bon raised one of the tendrils connected to Lyra’s stomach. She placed a hoof on the unicorn’s cheek. “I’m here honey… W-we’re gonna get you out of here! I-I promise!”

It took everything and more for Storm to place the blade against the tendril. Everything in her eyes told him to stop. Everything in his mind told him to fucking stop. But he couldn’t.

Storm cut the tendril.

Blue liquid sprayed everywhere as the tendril thrashed before going limp. Lyra began to make a sound resembling muffled wailing as her throat filled with the stuff. It sprayed from her mouth like a stuttering water fountain alongside pieces of flesh and bone as the tendrils inside her throat were emptied into her stomach. More liquid flowed out from the edges of the tendril placements there too. Lyra was screaming now, but she was alone…

One by one, the other females started experiencing the same thing - minus the severed tendril from Storm’s hoof - causing them to wail in agony as their stomachs expanded. Storm felt his heart racing in tandem with the chaos, forcing him to focus on the whole chamber and drowning out Bon Bon in the process.

“Lyra!” She screamed, propping her broken wife up to help expel the liquid from her insides. Suddenly, a pair of spindly legs hooked onto the edges of Lyra’s lips before thrusting the body of a Plexer outward and onto Bon Bon’s face.

The insect latched itself onto her eye socket, drilling its way inside in seconds right as another Plexer fresh from Lyra’s mouth assaulted the other eye. Meanwhile, the remainder of the females were releasing the blue insects into the room. The instant each Plexer was out, it scurried for the pile of bodies by the far end.

Storm decided it was time to get out of dodge, so he turned to grab Bon Bon if necessary, only to get grappled by what remained of her. Her jaw exploded in a shower of gorey bits, shoving out the old teeth in favor of repurposed ones while the muscle was rearranged to accommodate the extended jaw.

Despite having the jump on him, the forming creature didn’t last long before a single swipe from the stallion’s blade cut through the Plexers, but it also reignited the reminder of his stomach wound. Storm shoved the beige corpse away and sprinted for the exit with the newly formed spawns not far behind.

Once he made it back into the crystal mine’s main chamber, Storm made the horrifying discovery that some of the Plexers had already begun reanimating the Diggers. A steady stream of the insects were crawling down from the mining operations center - most likely crawled up from the air vent - towards the crystal maze blocking his path to the lift.

The stallion managed to rush past the closest docile canines in front of him that had yet to be reactivated, but he wasn’t so lucky ahead as a Digger with a full-face helmet jumped out from the corner of his chosen path to confront him. The creature assumed it’s preemptive bull-charge position before rushing to close the distance between the two.

Storm knew the Plexers were inside its head as a faint blue glow escaped the corners of the Digger’s helmet slits. He raised the revolver and fired directly where its eye would have been, but the bullet only dented the helmet around the slit, refusing to even stagger the beast. Switching to plan b, Storm continued sprinting in the Digger’s direction until it raised both arms to leap at him.

As it left the ground, Storm slid underneath the Digger’s now airborne legs before scrambling to his hooves. He had the chainsword outstretched and revved in the same second which the Digger whipped around to strike. Armored bone met jagged stone in a spray of sparks and shards before the machinery won.

Storm’s chainsword ripped through the bladed arm, causing the Digger to strike with the opposite arm, only to have that one separated momentarily as well. As it was bringing a spiked tail around, Storm put everything he had into splitting the Digger’s helmet open, revealing two Plexers that were quickly reduced to tiny chunks by the chainsword.

Immediately after the brute dropped to the ground, Storm felt the flashing pain in his abdomen return as his adrenalized state waned. For a second, his vision split in two before returning to normal. The wound was beginning to feel “fuzzy” as well, no doubt a bad sign of infection or something else. He picked himself up just as the sound of more Diggers becoming active behind him rang out.

Not now! He screamed at his body’s weakening state, before another vision split and sharp stab in his abdomen as his body’s retort.

Through it all, he could see two, wait - one, now two - and back to one Diggers up ahead once more. This one had no facial armor, so it would be easier. Storm aimed the revolver only to discover his own eyesight would be his worst enemy here. He was starting to sweat and feel nauseous as well, making focusing nearly impossible on top of the vision problem. The Digger was already charging him when a black-white and purple blur suddenly sprung out from the maze’s sides.

Storm’s vision focused enough momentarily to see Wind Sprint and Zecora - both with pickaxes in their hooves or tethered grips respectively - stab each Plexer violently. The brute went limp instantly, tripping over its own corpse just before the girls jumped out of the way.

The stallion felt one of his forelegs give out, bringing him to a full stop. Wind Sprint was giving it her all to pry the weapons from the Digger’s body while Zecora rushed over to Storm’s side. The zebra said something to him, but the delirious pegasus couldn’t make out much. He took out the lift key from his suit pocket and tethered it to Zecora’s grasp. She looked at it before returning back to him.

“Storm! Get up!” Zecora ordered, desperation clear in her voice for the brief moment of clarity in Storm’s ears. “Those beasts are almost upon us!”

The striped mare’s voice was drowned out by multiple voices. Irons, Delilah, Maverick, Ivory, Talos, so many more. All of them whispering different things to Storm, making his head throb alongside the wound. His head hung heavy, allowing him to see the single red bar on his chestplate’s light ring.

Suddenly, a seafoam-colored spectre materialized in front of the stallion’s dwindling vision. It was motionless, standing directly behind Zecora and Wind, who were still trying to get him up. The invented shadow’s build was clearly a stallion’s. It resembled Storm’s own if he had taken steroids for a decade and had a massive shovel held in a hoof. Anything beyond that was unrecognizable as the figure seemed to shift and glitch - though Storm was half sure his vision was causing that.

You displayed the strength to overcome all odds and protect the ones you love… Allow me to return the favor for my freedom...

A deep male voice played in his head as the figure walked up to Storm, extending one of its massive forelegs. He had no idea why, but a scarce sense of trust and faint hope washed over Storm with each gap of distance the forehoof closed. Before he could think about the act, the armored pegasus reached out and grabbed the phantom appendage, which disintegrated along with the figure in an instant.

The mine’s light stands flickered despite no discernible power supply. The lift’s control console came online as red lights flashed. Storm’s suit lights were on the fritz. His nightvision flashed, his HUD was a staticy mess, and his health ring went blank. Even his earpiece started blaring choppy pieces from his music catalog momentarily. Zecora and Wind Sprint looked all around at the electrical phenomenon before the armored stallion won their attention.

Something was different.

Storm Surge was different.

A seafoam-colored aura had begun to form around his suit. The phantom wind snaked around his legs and wings in thicker strands than the rest of his form, moving in circular motions like the teeth on a saw blade.

The stallion stood up straight. His posture made it seem as if the infectious cut in his abdomen hadn’t even been there in the first place. Silently, he stared down the four charging Diggers without flinching. He was calm. Way too calm for anyone in this situation.

“Go!” Storm ordered the girls without looking away from his foes. His voice was coated in confidence as was his battle stance. “I’m right behind you…”

Zecora had to be shaken by Wind before they began sprinting for the lift. Meanwhile, the lead brute drug its clawed arms against the stone, creating sparks along the way before thrusting them upward to meet Storm’s frame. The stallion didn’t flinch. He sidestepped the strike before grabbing the Digger’s arm and ripping it off in a single pull of flesh, bone, and tendons. The beast didn’t have a chance to react before it’s own spiked appendage was smashed into its skull, shattering the helmet and revealing three Plexers.

Now directly in front of the Digger’s face, Storm wung an aura-wrapped foreleg directly into its head, creating a sound equivalent to a volcano erupting. Nothing was left of the creature’s head. It exploded into tiny chunks leaving only a stump of a neck remaining. The other Diggers immediately stopped their charge. All of their Plexers focused intensely on the stallion, but none were doing the normal angry thrashing. They were perfectly still.

Storm paid them no mind as he examined his own hoof in awe. Did… Did I just fucking do that? He thought as the aura returned to that foreleg. Despite the pain being gone from before, the voices of everypony he knew - everyone he cared for - remained spinning in his head.

The stallion looked up, staring the Diggers down through their glowing insects. Staring the Warden down, whatever and wherever it was. Storm’s eyes narrowed, his teeth clenched and his muzzle twitched in a concoction of rage, hatred, loss, and helplessness.

“Not used to us fighting back?!” Storm growled at the being behind the stationary beasts. “It’s about time you get to feel what everyone on this fucked up planet feels!”

Zecora and Wind Sprint made it to the lift. The elder zebra immediately got to work unlocking the service hatch. Both girls watched in shock as their companion raised his wings, which were both shining in that seafoam aura.

Storm launched into the air with a jump that shouldn’t have been possible without the use of his wings before bearing down on the Diggers, all of which had snapped out of their previous state and prepared to meet the assault head on. With a guttural warcry, the stallion slammed himself into the ground between the trio, causing an actual tremor in the chamber as a shockwave of light crushed the Diggers in an instant. Even the stone floor had caved in slightly, prompting the whole chamber to rumble.

Meanwhile, the zebra mare had gotten the hatch open. She ushered the younger girl through before climbing up the ladder herself. The duo were met with the empty vertical space that was the lift shaft - albeit with hollowed out coves around the lift supports where multiple levels connected by service ladders lead up to the top. The top where a small crack of orange light was shining in through…

“Get out of here and make it to Appleloosa!” Zecora ordered Wind. “I’ll stay behind! I’m not having another companion’s death weighing on my mind!”

The violet pegasus did as she was told, reluctantly taking off into the shaft and reaching the top in a few seconds, not that Zecora could see much more than her silhouette against the light. Zecora peeked back down into the hatch in time to see Storm buck a Digger’s head into a wall of crystals, which exploded with the force of the impact alone.

“Storm!” She called out. “We found the way out!”

He ignored her.

“Storm!”

The mentioned stallion refused to acknowledge her screams. He dodged another Digger’s attack before pummeling it’s head into nothing while feral cries and growls escaped his lips with every strike.

Zecora leapt down from the hatch, running up to his side once a clearing in his rain of death had appeared. More Diggers were gathered at the chamber’s entrance and steadily advancing, but this was her best chance. She practically shouted in his ear, but the enraged pegasus remained focused on what he deemed to be his next targets.

With a mixture of fed-up concern, the zebra yanked his foreleg in an attempt to get his attention, but he shrugged it off. The slight movement of his appendage nearly knocked Zecora off balance the second the aura around his hoof made contact with her own.

“There is no reason to slay every single beast! I see that this violence brings you release, but it won’t grant you peace!”

Storm suddenly felt a jolt of agonizing pain from his wound. He looked down to see the seafoam aura beginning to fade rapidly.

Listen to her. You don’t have much longer. I did this for you to escape and protect your kind, not to enact revenge… The voice returned, sounding like a scolding teacher or parent. You must become stronger than the hate...

The pain subsided as the aura returned in full strength upon the voice’s absence. Storm looked from the advancing monsters to the zebra. “Let’s get out of here.”

Zecora almost sighed in relief as the two took off towards the lift, climbing up the ladder into the service chamber. They ascended the other service ladders and were two stories up as the first Digger poked its claws through the lift hatch and tore the thing open to allow its brethren through.

“Can you fly us out of here?!” Zecora asked upon seeing half of the beasts drilling into the stone while the rest climbed up after.

“No! Never learned how to!” Storm shouted back, looking down at the approaching threat. “But I’ve got something better!” Once he reached the top of the third story ladder, Storm kicked the metal ladder down, knocking it clean off the wall and down into two climbing Diggers, taking them down with it. “Keep climbing! I’ll slow them down!”

Zecora was a full floor above the stallion by now, but she couldn’t help checking back every few rungs. Suddenly, the stone in front of her exploded in a shower of pebbles and debris before a Digger appeared. It wrapped one clawed hand around her then started to retreat into the hole, forcing Zecora to use all her strength to hang onto the hole’s edge.

Storm arrived on her ladder, leaping up and latching onto the Digger’s neck. He snapped it effortlessly before prying Zecora out of its grasp and then kicking the beast back into where it came. The duo scrambled to the fourth level where they noticed a Digger on the fifth breaking the ladder.

The stallion rushed to grab the severed ladder, rearing up on his hindlegs and throwing the ladder - like a hammer throw - back to impale the Digger against the wall. Zecora reached his side as the two stared up at the blocked route while the horde closed in from below.

“Don’t squirm.” Storm ordered, placing a foreleg around Zecora before the zebra could protest. Then he kicked off the ground, sending the two up another floor.

“One more to go!” Zecora announced with hope coating her voice. Her companion didn’t share her optimism, resolving to cough violently and grab at his wound. “No, no! Come on! We’ve made it this far to be buried below!”

“Whatever happened to me is wearing off…” Storm croaked out, his voice sounding hoarse and battered. Sure enough, the seafoam aura was becoming more transparent by the second.

The duo swiftly scaled the last ladder to be met with the interior of a surface cave. They could see the orange gaze of the rising sun peeking out from the cave’s mouth. Zecora smiled brightly, dashing for the exit when she noticed Storm staying behind.

“What in Equestria are you doing?!” She screamed, screeching to a halt and spinning around.

“Making sure we aren’t followed!” Storm calmly replied, rearing forward and bucking the cave wall. The whole place shook as he made contact, while his aura shattered in tandem with the last ditch effort. Pieces of ceiling chunks started raining down as Storm and Zecora limped towards the exit.

A winged silhouette appeared in the cave’s mouth before it dashed towards the duo. Storm couldn’t see much in his tunneling vision and screaming insides, but Zecora knew it was Wind Sprint. The aura was completely gone, as was Storm’s resolve. His limping pace dissolved into a fall onto the ground, but both mares caught him. The placed his forelegs on their backs and rushed out of the cave just in time to see the whole thing come down on itself.

“W-w-wow…” Wind could barely get out. Her mouth was wide open in pure amazement. “Holy shit! Why didn’t you do that sooner! That was badass! No! That was fucking radical!”

Storm continued the silent treatment, refusing to respond or even face them. His head was hung low and that was when she noticed he wasn’t moving or breathing. Period. The stallion’s suit lights stuttered back on, but now the chest ring was flashing red rapidly.

Wind, who hadn’t noticed the stallion’s change, let go and soared into the air briefly shouting in delight at the morning sun peeking over the horizon. The trio were now in the entrance to a cave with the desert plains waiting for them outside much like the ball of fire in the sky.

After she was done with the celebration, Wind looked down to see Zecora shaking Storm prompting the younger mare to land and rush beside them.

“Storm?!” Zecora asked, setting him down to check his pulse. “Storm?! Storm?! By the heavens, please answer me!”

He didn’t.

He couldn’t.

The only sign made from him was a hologram from the red light on his chest.

WARNING: VITAL SIGNS APPROACHING CRITICAL CONDITION. SEEK EMERGENCY CARE IMMEDIATELY

Chapter 23 - "Sanctuary"

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“Is… Is that…”

“Rainbow Dash!”

“Dashie’s back! Look everypony!”

“Give ‘er some space, girls!”

Through a swirling vision and murky senses, Rainbow Dash could make out a series of blurs in the colors of her friends. Her vision bounced, turning the surrounding ponies from her friends into vibrant orbs before returning back into their whole shapes. She tried to speak, tried to give any acknowledgment to the friends she thought were gone forever, but her body wouldn't allow it.

“Please don’t go again!” A yellow blur suddenly appeared dead center in Rainbow’s line of sight. “Wake up, Rainbow!” The sweet, heartbroken voice made Dash’s heart shatter with each pleading word.

A single drop of something wet splattered on Rainbow’s cheek. She could imagine the tears pouring out of her friend’s aqua eyes despite barely being able to see her. More droplets fell, some of which landed on Dash’s eye, forcing her to squint on instinct. Upon opening the eye, the mare noticed something horrifying. The droplets weren’t tears. They weren’t even clear with that hint of blue.

They were more viscous, with a dark red bordering on black.

Suddenly, the crimson-absent side of her vision cleaned itself up with a single blink. The thing standing over her wasn’t Fluttershy. Those things behind her weren’t her friends. Whatever was wearing Fluttershy like a fur coat forced Rainbow to look eyes with the cream-colored mare’s dead ones. Blood continued to drip from the corpse’s nostrils down onto Rainbow’s face.

Dash’s heart was spinning in place, trying to jumpstart her body into reacting in any way possible. ‘Fluttershy’ leaned in closer, allowing Rainbow to smell the decay. The creature opened its mouth to reveal it’s teeth and tongue were gone, cuts and scars dotting its mouth as if someone yanked them out.

A gurgling sound came from Fluttershy, followed by a rush of blue liquid. Rainbow attempted to turn her head to the side, but her body was still unresponsive. The thick substance splattered onto her muzzle, seeping in through her nostrils and lips. It sparked in her mouth, no in her head, as if each slosh sent a warning message to her brain to try and throw the stuff up.

The blue torrent began to thin out as the first Plexer head peeked out from inside of Fluttershy’s throat. It was followed by two more, which scurried through the corpse’s mouth before leaping at Rainbow. The other ‘girls’ began to howl in a choir of moans and growls as the insects burrowed into the blue pegasus’ eyes. Rainbow’s head was on fire. The sharp rear ends of the Plexers sunk into her head. Each spindly leg dug into her socket as the creatures rotated themselves like power drills. Strangely enough, Dash’s vision wasn’t cut off like she expected upon feeling the piercing sensation. Instead, it seemed to be replaced with a throbbing blue filter, allowing her the displeasure of seeing her friends watch it all.

Fluttershy seemed satisfied with its job, getting off of Rainbow to stare down at her with the others. Dash was hardly paying them attention as the battering ram inside her head wouldn’t relent. With each pound, static-like veins moved in closer from the corners of her vision, threatening to overtake her every second.

Suddenly, Fluttershy’s head exploded, sending crimson and blue bits everywhere. Her crimson caked body dropped to the ground in an instant as the others faced a direction out of Rainbow’s sight. Various screeches rang out before the remaining four charged out of sight.

All she could do was listen and wait.

Bone clanged against steel, a deep growl of a warcry clashed with monstrous roaring, with gunshots in between being the only intermission. After what felt like hours, the chaos died down with one last thud. Silence filled the white space until it was replaced with slow, heavy hoovesteps in her direction.

Finally he came into view.

The stallion in jaded blue armor stopped in the middle of Dash’s vision. His hooves were coated in blood and his shotgun’s barrel still had a smoke trail escaping it. The stallion turned his helmeted head down to look at Dash, his purple visor’s glow hiding any expression behind it.

Both of them were silent as they stared at one another. Rainbow struggled to keep focused on him now that the veins had almost dominated her entire vision. However, she was coherent enough to watch as he lowered the shotgun to her face. Dash tried to scream, but her mind was torn between a call for help and begging to end it.

He loaded a shell. Rainbow felt tears, or rather some thicker substance leaking out of her sockets. She didn’t know if its release was out of her control or whatever had nearly taken her over. It didn’t matter to her.

He squeezed the trigger.

Rainbow Dash shot awake. Her coat was matted with sweat, along with the worn out mattress she had been lying down on. The mare’s eyes darted around the two room building to confirm her surroundings. The same crummy apartment-sized place? Check. Still in the apocalypse? Check. Still living? She put her hooves up to her face, half expecting to feel the writhing insects, only to flinch her eyelids shut once her hooves made contact.

Still alive! Everythings cool, everythings cool...

Slivers of orange rays broke in through the boards on the windows, but a good portion of the home was still shrouded in darkness. Suddenly, a soft seafoam glow from Clear Sky’s horn illuminated the rest of the house, forcing shadows to curl back like beasts retreating into the corners. The elder mare had bags under her eyes, which could have been either from sleep deprivation or crying, either was a fair guess to Rainbow.

Not wanting to make her nearing breakdown known, Rainbow Dash let out a faint chuckle to clear her raspy throat. “I guess nopony can really get a good night's sleep on these things, huh?”

Clear returned the gesture with a weak smile. “It’s not that… I just… I see my Wind Sprint every time I close my eyes. I… I can’t stop thinking about what could have happened to her out there… or in here! I tried getting her to stay in Ponyville, but she wouldn’t leave if Gutterball wouldn’t! I fought so hard to get them to join me and now look what happened!” Her tired demeanor melted into a budding hysteria.

“Hey,” Rainbow reached over to the unicorn’s mattress to place a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “Don’t think like that! Now is not the time for pointing hooves and laying blame! We need to make a game plan for today!”

Tears began to form in the corner of the pink mare’s eyes. “D-don’t you get it, Rainbow Dash? She has no idea how to use a gun or even a knife for that matter! She’s probably terrified and not thinking straight! Out there with those monsters or in here with perverted brutes at every corner! She could be right under us being… taken advantage of, and… and I-I’d never fucking know it!” Clear Sky broke out into full blown sobbing, crumbling into her forehooves.

Rainbow’s features dropped upon hearing the picture painted for the filly’s chances. “But what about Strongheart, the sheriff? She has officers or guards - or whatever you guys have - to make sure that doesn’t happen in here? Right?”

“The g-guards? They aren’t here for us…” Clear sniffed, doing her best to gain composure. “They’re here to watch the walls, make sure nothing gets suspicious of the camouflage spell around the town. There aren't enough of them to go on a manhunt, even more so now that what little she spared is looking for Ponyville survivors every morning…”

“Then we’ll do it ourselves! C’mon, we’ve had our rest. Let's go knock down every door until we get someone to talk! If that doesn’t work, I’ll go back outside and turn that forest upside down!”

“Why do you care so much?” Clear whispered, rubbing at her eyes. “Nopony except Gutter ever has.”

Rainbow pondered the question a moment. She didn’t have to think long or hard at all as the very first memories of arriving in this raped world flooded back in. “I dunno, somepony did the same for me, so it's only right that I return the favor.”

The pink mare’s stunned expression was the only answer Rainbow received. Clear swallowed her emotions just in time to find her voice. “Wow… I haven’t heard like that in forever…”

“Heh, where I’m from, “forever” feels like only a day or two ago. Literally.” Dash reminisced before jumping up to her hooves gracefully. The cyan pegasus extended a hoof for Clear Sky. “C’mon, we’re wasting daylight!”

After one final sniffle, the unicorn’s faint smile returned as she accepted the hoof. “You sound just like her. I know you both would have been best friends if none of these circumstances happened…”

“You mean, we will be best friends. No more moping until we know for sure. We need to have clear heads and be ready to kick flank if it comes to that! Now, Strongheart said somepony might have seen Wind Sprint yesterday?”

“Yeah, right, the sheriff mentioned a witness seeing her head in our direction. But with all the chaos from Ponyville, it could just be false information. A part of me really hopes it is. There are some… nasty townsfolk in these slums, but Wind knows not to get anywhere near them!” Clear swallowed a lump in her throat before continuing. “Even if she… she was caught off guard by some stallion or whoever, there isn’t any place to hide a foal-napping! All these shacks and tents are too crowded for that! One of the wall guards would have seen it and-”

“Woah, woah, slow down.” Rainbow attempted to console the elder mare with ill effect. “You don’t have to paint that picture. I get it. So we start in this crummy neighborhood then?”

Panic flashed across the pink unicorn’s eyes. “No! We can’t - I mean, not yet! We need a way to defend ourselves first!”

Rainbow gestured to the machete strapped around her hindleg. “Already ahead of you.”

“A knife?” Clear trailed off. “Against armed residents, some bigger and stronger than us, many outnumbering the two of us, and you want to go in there with a knife?! How are we supposed to protect my little filly when we can’t even protect ourselves?”

The prismatic pegasus shrugged. “Relax, we won’t even need to use the blade. I know a thing or two about roughing up bad guys with or without weapons.”

“I was just thinking maybe we should see Gutterball before searching. He’s pretty big and that counts for a lot when dealing with thugs. And he knows this town better than both of us too.”

Rainbow fought the urge to groan, fed up with the thought of needing an armed stallion by her side twenty-four seven. “Alright, fine, let’s just swing by and get him so we can make this reunion happen!”

Just a few blocks away, in the center of the western town sits a jaded purple building. The heart and bed sign embedded into the wall above the entrance is blacked out by a painted cross symbol. To the right of the double doors, a sign reading “hospital” is nailed in loosely. Inside one of the hospital’s many faded rooms, a female buffalo wearing a star badge sits across from a young violent pegasus while a doctor finishes stitching up her wounds.

“A cave in?” Sheriff Strongheart asked, her dry tone betraying her skepticism. “And a stallion caused it by punching the cave wall? A single punch?”

Wind Sprint nodded. “Yeah, he started going crazy, ripping those Damned apart with his bare hooves! He must’ve taken down a dozen!”

“Then what happened?” A grey suit wearing mare asked from her leaning position in the doorway. As usual, her helmet and tinted visor blocked any semblance of a facial expression.

“I dunno, he… passed out or something. We tried carrying him, but that was a no-go. Then your guys showed up and that's about it.”

Strongheart leaned into the backwards facing chair she was sitting in. “Listen, Wind, I know you’ve been through a lot, but I need you to really think about this next question…” The blank look on the young mare’s face fizzled into fear at the thought of being held to something of this magnitude. “Are you one-hundred percent positive nothing or no one was watching when Seeker’s group teleported you in? A survivor, a Damned monster, an animal - anything?!”

“Yes, I am, uh, sure - ma’am!” Wind stuttered, unsure of why she had become so uneasy. “They have more ways to leave the cave, but nothing could see or get out of the one we were in!”

“Okay. Good. Thank you.” Strongheart retracted herself, standing up from the chair and walking past the armored mare in the doorway.

“Wait! What about my mom?! Is she here?!”

“Clear Sky is fine.” The masked mare calmly interjected. “She’s at Gutterballs. We’ve had to divert wall guards for refugee rescuing so it's not safe to go through the Slums alone. I’ll get one of the scouts to escort you there once everything is wrapped up here.”

With that promise made, Strongheart waved her enforcer out of the room. Once they were out of earshot with only the medical staff and wounded groans echoing into their hallway, the buffalo turned to face the armored pony.

“What do you think?”

“She’s telling the truth. You can’t expect someone to survive a near death experience and be trapped by authority to be calm about it.”

“I saw that. What I mean is, do you think she could have anything to do with Ponyville or our situation here?” Strongheart replied, looking over their shoulders. “What about this Storm? Is he a threat to the town?”

The enforcer was silent for a moment. “The girl isn’t a murderer or slaver. I may not know her personally, but I know a killer. Storm… Storm’s unconscious and getting an infection cut out of him.”

“You didn’t answer the question. I remember the last conversation you two had before he ran off. He might’ve been just a colt at the time, but that was then. This is now, and now I have a town to protect. So I’ll ask again, is he a threat to us?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“And what if he is? Will you be able to handle it or should I stick one of our guards in his room just in case?”

“No!” The masked mare practically growled, before clearing her throat. “I mean, no, I'll handle it. If something does go wrong… better it go wrong in the room with just me and him.”

“Just do what you have to. You know the routine. Ask him the questions, keep yourself in between him and his gear. Give it back only if you know we can trust him! I’ll admit, I wasn’t thinking clearly when Rainbow arrived - that was on me. I have no reason to suspect she has any ties with the Wranglers, but Storm is a possibility.”

“Are you fucking serious?!” A mechanical hiss came through the helmet's filter. “Storm would help us cut the balls off of every single one of them! He’d be the last pony on this planet to join them!”

“I don’t need to remind you what time does to us, do I? Everything changes with it! Look what you, what we, had to do just to survive them! You have no idea what's happened to him after all this time and neither do I! So until proven otherwise, he isn’t cleared.”

“Understood…”

Strongheart nodded a reluctant thanks to her second-in-command before a beep resounded from her earpiece. She turned away to have a short conversation with someone on the other end before spinning back around to her enforcer. “We’ve got more refugees. I’m needed at the station. Just please, for your sake, don’t let emotion cloud your judgement.”

With that final piece of advice, the buffalo was off down the hallway and out the door, leaving the armored mare in the hall alone. The enforcer turned to face a closed door on the other side of the hall. She placed a hoof against the knob, but couldn’t find the strength to turn it initially. Her limb was starting to shake, forcing her to shove everything in her mind down and twist.

Then she saw him.

He saw her.

Storm Surge eyed the fully armored newcomer from his position propped up against the bed’s headrest. He sat up immediately while watching her freeze in place the second his eyes locked onto her vision. The next thing he noted was the revolver strapped to her hindleg. Storm felt his heart skipping now. Zecora was finishing up applying more of the pink potion to his stitched abdomen, placing the zebra in the line of fire should this stranger attempt anything. He snuck a side glance at his weapons and suit lying in the room’s corner, mentally cursing himself for his previous physical state of being unable to retrieve them until now.

Neither one of them spoke. Without any immediate course of action available, Storm was forcefully content with holding his indifferent expression until the stranger acted. Then he noticed something strange. Her legs had a faint wobble, the kind one got from standing still too long while their mind was preoccupied on other matters. Zecora noticed her friend’s stare, prompting the striped mare to turn around and address the masked pony.

“Is everything alright?” She asked, looking up at the taller mare. “It seems like something has you in a state of fright.”

“I… I’m fine,” The armored mare stumbled, unable to take her eyes off of the recovering stallion as she noticed the bandage around his abodmine. “I uh, just need to ask you two a few questions. Is the doc done with him?”

Zecora nodded. “He is, indeed. My potions only go so far with internal injuries. It’s a miracle you have such skilled physicians in our time of need.”

“So everything is good? No permanent damage or-”

“Who are you?” Both mares froze as the stallion finally spoke, interjecting into their conversation.

“Well, I-I…” The masked pony stumbled as her tongue knotted itself in her mouth. She put a hoof to her helmet in embarrassment, then a light bulb clicked on in her head. “I… I don’t know how else to do this…”

Her hoof moved down to the chestplate console, clicking the helmet disassembly button. Mechanisms began to whine loudly as the steel plating folded over itself before retracting to the armor’s backplate. The ashen grey face of a middle-aged unicorn mare revealed itself to the world. Her sweat-laced black and white mane was done up in a ponytail, allowing her watering apatite eyes to connect with the pegasus stallion’s.

Storm couldn’t breathe. All he could do was stare into her eyes. Their blue color was complemented by the tears starting to stream out of them. Her lip was quivering with what he assumed was relief or perhaps joy. It looked like this mare had been waiting for this moment for a lifetime. And he knew she had.

Then why could he only see red now?

“Hey, kid…” She could barely whisper through her emotions.

Suddenly, the stallion clutched his head. It felt like a needle had just pricked his brain. Then the whispers started. He could hear muffled voices, cheering, then shouting as the image of the last time he had entered the town played through his crimson vision. Storm practically threw himself off the bed, knocking over a bucket of bloodied rags in the process. Zecora and the helmetless mare watched as he had begun to close the distance in record time.

Storm passed them, leaning down to grab his discarded suit. Without a word more, he shoved the thing over his body and strapped it down, paying little regard for how harsh he was treating the old equipment. Once everything but the helmet was on, he swung the Sweeper onto his back and grabbed the revolver with his tethered hand.

The helmetless mare’s eyes went wide. She knew this was coming, but couldn’t bring herself to draw her own. The unicorn squeezed her eyes, severing the watery trail as she waited for what was coming, no, what she deserved...

It never came. The sound of metal scraping against leather filled the silent room, prompting the armored mare to open her eyes. Storm had holstered the weapon on his flank. The stallion had equipped every piece of gear, but his emotionless expression remained trained on the floor where all of it had been. A few moments of dreading silence later, he turned to the zebra.

“You’re going to stay and help the doctors?” He asked, his voice sounding even more lifeless than usual. His question earned another nod from the striped mare. “Okay, I’m going to find Dash. I’ll get back to you when we’re leaving.”

With that, the suited pegasus strode past her, stopping at the armored mare in the doorway. Suddenly, the unicorn dove in, wrapping her forelegs around the significantly taller stallion. Their suit plating clashed together, creating an awful clanking sound as she clung to his neck, sobbing against it as if she had just received the news that a loved one had passed. A string of “I’m sorrys” came out in the choked sobbing then. In the same frame of time she had embraced him, Storm shoved her off roughly, finally putting his eyes to her level.

“Don’t touch me.” The venom in his words forced both mares to recoil. He walked past the two grumbling about this being the last thing he needed now.

“Storm, wait!” The maskless unicorn called as she chased him down the hall.

Storm stopped in his tracks. Put a hoof to his brow before turning around to face his chaser. Both girls froze upon noticing his eyes shared the tear-stained appearance, however more faint than the mare’s. “Remember the last time we saw each other? Remember what I said?!”

She nodded, shaking droplets everywhere. “You… you said… you promised you’d shoot me the second I showed myself…” The mare choked as a realization hit her harder than their reunion. “But you didn’t! You’ve changed-”

“Circumstances have. I haven’t.” Storm’s expression resembled an overfilled air canister about to explode, with the tears being a whistle of air escaping through the cracks. “You aren’t worth the bullet anymore, Leadwall.”

After the gut-punch of a statement, nopony dared to speak again. Not even the medical staff passing by the commotion, every mare or stallion resolved to look elsewhere as if making eye contact with Storm would provoke something fierce. The armored mare, Leadwall, broke on the spot. Her tear-stained muzzle remained frozen with her mouth hanging open ajar. Her pupils shaking were the only sign that her body was still alive. Storm blinked once to clear his vision before facing away, leaving the hospital as fast as possible without full on sprinting.

Storm couldn’t get out there fast enough. He wanted to run for it, but he knew the sign of weakness an act of retreat would show. The stallion knew all too well he couldn’t afford anything like that anymore. He angrily stamped a hoof against the sand, mentally damning himself for nearly bursting back there in front of everyone. All it took was one look and he was back, not to the night at his mothers, but to the horrific runner up.

No matter how hard he tried to shove the memories down, the can had already been opened and the worms were spewing out too quickly for him to put back inside. Storm could feel the judgmental stares cast his way as he attempted to catch his breath. Suddenly, the sound of screaming broke the pegasus out of his trance. His eyes shot up, revealing nopony else had reacted to the noise. They were all going about their usual business as a group of stallions strapped a young mare down to a public humiliation device in the town’s center strip. Storm couldn’t make out the details of who was being subjected to a soon-to-be gangrape or snuffing, but he had his revolver drawn before his brain had even registered the action. Some of the stallions in the outer circle noticed him, one of them nodded his way as they all drew their weapons, but nopony said a word.

Time appeared to have been frozen as Storm pulled back the hammer. He couldn’t rationalize why he was ready to get gun downed for this random, indiscernible pony, all he felt was the emotions fueling his aim.

“STORM!”

A familiar, scratchy female voice called out. The tone was a concoction of overjoyed relievement and surprised horror. Now everypony else noticed, many turning towards the shout while a few gasped in horror. The few in shock weren’t looking at the sound, they were staring at the stallion with a loaded revolver pointed at his own temple. Storm finally registered the cold steel against his head, prompting him to recoil in surprise, staring at the gun before shoving it back into the holster.

The next thing he knew, someone had barreled into him from the opposite side of his nearly attempted suicide. Storm managed to catch himself as a rainbow blur slammed into his front. His muscles tensed on instinct as her hooves wrapped around his neck. His mind hadn’t caught up with the present, his eyes still locked onto the empty street where he swore a mare was about to be brutalized, but nothing was there. The feeling of a heartbeat carried throughout her body pressed against his neck brought him crashing back down to the now.

Rainbow Dash pulled back from the hug, allowing their eyes to finally meet. Dash was only granted a glance at his heavy eyes before she felt herself become pulled into another embrace. Storm buried his muzzle in her mane as tears poured out freely from his thousand yard stare past the both of them. That feeling returned in his gut. The one that seemed to crawl its way back inside no matter how much shit the world tried to clog his senses with. That feeling which only came back when in the company of his friends after scavenging all day.

“Is this your friend, Rainbow Dash?” Another mare’s voice called from the pegasi’s side. Storm turned to see the same pink unicorn from the Heart’s Desire spell. Her face went up in flames with a blush upon realizing how into the embrace they were.

Storm and Rainbow pulled apart, allowing the cyan pegasus to notice the steel-toothed device on the stallion’s forehoof. “Woah! You got a chainsaw?! What'd I miss?!” She squealed, the embarrassment of the moment vanishing entirely.

Oh nothing, just reason four-thousand and six of why we are fucked, is what Storm wanted to say, but his filter caught the words before his lips could. “A lot, I had some questions about the Damned answered and a million more that I don’t want answered.” He eyed Clear Sky before lowering his voice for Dash. “Can we talk about it later? Don’t want to start a panic and I’m struggling as is to keep it in…”

Rainbow’s ear-to-ear grin faded in favor of a more serious facial expression. “Gotcha…” She subtly replied before motioning to the pink unicorn beside them. “Clear, this is Storm. Storm, Clear.”

The stallion gave a nod alongside his usual expression of indifference. “You’re Wind Sprint’s mother, right?”

Clear’s aquamarine eyes inflated at the mention of her daughter’s name. “Yes, Yes! I am! Do you know-”

“MOM!”

Everypony’s attention was redirected to the hospital’s entrance, where a young violet pegasus had just shrieked in delight. Wind Sprint soared down to the trio as her mother closed the gap on hoof. Both mares embraced with tears leaking from their squeezed eyes. Wind nestled her head into the crook of Clear’s neck. As mother and daughter shared their own tender moment, Storm Surge and Rainbow Dash were left awkwardly waiting on the sidelines.

“Did we look that sappy?” Rainbow whispered, nudging the stallion’s side.

Before he could respond, the mother-daughter duo broke apart as Clear Sky looked up to the stallion with glistening eyes. “Thank you so much… I… I don’t know how to ever repay you - both of you - for this!”

“Can you teleport us out of here when the time comes?” Storm asked, wiping away a streak of blood from his nostril.

Clear nodded. “Of course! But, is that all you want? I can’t recall anyone wanting anything other than trade salvage or… you know…” She finished with an uncomfortable blush.

“No, none of that's necessary. I just need to repair a few things and then Dash and I will be gone.” Then he turned to the mentioned prismatic pegasus. “Have you been able to contact Twilight Sparkle’s ship? My Tethertech is fucked from the ocean.”

“I can’t reach Twi either.” Rainbow replied, removing her own earpiece and holding it up for him to examine. “Heh, you’d think we would have waterproofed these by now with all the other cool stuff the guard has.”

Storm tethered his sketchbook in front of him before scribbling something down. A blue blur shifted to his side in the corner of his eye, prompting him to snap the book shut, look up, and see Rainbow’s smug grin. “What?”

“What?” Dash repeated with a snort. “Nopony slams their diary shut like that for no reason! You like my idea, don’t ya?”

“It's a notebook.” Storm corrected, his slight irritation bubbling to the surface in an instant. “There’s... personal shit in it… but, yeah, that idea might be useful if we could ever find the parts or time. Enough about the book, we need supplies. Are any of the older shops still open, Clear?”

“There is the general supply store down the street, but it doesn’t open until later.” Clear Sky replied, pointing to a shop which Rainbow had become recently familiar with. “The trading system is more lenient than ever right now too. Something has those monsters all stirred up outside, making it nearly impossible for the town scouts to scavenge new material.”

Storm let out a strained breath, gazing back to the middle of the street. “How much later? I need to get us out of here as quickly as possible.”

“It opens at ten or whenever the owner opens it.” Wind Sprinted added. “Oh! But if you stay until noon, we usually have traders come in. They’ll probably have some exotic stuff!”

“Exotic?” Clear mused at the word, nuzzling her daughter’s side. “So you have been reading those old books!”

“Mom! Please, not in front of h- them!” Wind whined, caughting herself upon nearly spilling the beans before muttering under her breath. “Jeez, I’m twenty and you act like I’m twelve!”

“Nonsense, there is no shame in improving your vocabulary.” Clear Sky chuckled before putting a hoof in front of her lips to whisper at her daughter. “Besides, I’m sure your crush over there would find an educated mare attractive.”

Wind’s vibrant face made it impossible to sink out of existence after yet another embarrassing comment. Clear and Rainbow, however, weren’t shy about their playful snickering. The youngest pegasi snuck a glance at Storm, hoping he was sharing a similar blush, but his eyes gazed off distantly as if he was a million miles away from the conversation. Wind Sprint followed his stare to the hospital building they had emerged from prior.

With the exception of two guards, a single pony in a grey ATS suit stood in the hospital entrance. This pony was looking in their direction before swiftly averting their gaze. Wind looked back to the stallion in front of her, revealing a mood change which a blind pony could see. His blank expression was now strained, veins were visible through his light grey forehead. Overall, his appearance matched that of a boiling teapot with a loose lid.

“Well,” Clear Sky continued, transitioning from her and Rainbow’s private conversation. “We still have a few hours to kill. Why don’t you two join us for a celebration at the tavern? I’m sure Gutter is dying to find out his little girl is safe and sound!”

“Yeah, sure.” Storm answered gruffly. Only Rainbow noticed him peek over his shoulder at the hospital. “I need a change of scenery anyway.” Without further elaboration, the stallion led the way.

Clear Sky and her daughter followed suit, but Dash took a moment to investigate what her companion had been unsettled by. Immediately, the cyan pegasus felt her eyes lock with the helmeted mare’s indiscernible ones. Before she could notice anything else, Rainbow heard Wind Sprint call her name, prompting the prismatic mare to gallop to catch the others. As they made their way through the center street, Dash continuously took side glances at Storm, noticing his expression of indifference wasn’t natural. It was the forced kind he had shown to Rarity and the Solstice crew. It was the “something is about to go down” look that always made her stomach drop into a bottomless pit.

Whatever it was, she hoped this tavern would grant them a moment of peace which everypony walking beside her had definitely earned. No matter how small the salvation, anything would be adequately welcomed before stepping back into the shitshow of a world. As the group walked, Rainbow was knocked out of her trance by the sound of pounding thunder above. Lightning bolts raced across the rolling clouds of a flare, Rainbow opened her mouth to warn the seemingly unphased group, but her voice was silenced upon seeing the rain droplets bounce off an indiscernible barrier above.

“Gold Talon Tavern” was painted onto a massive wooden board nailed to the building’s roof, while an icon of a griffon claw curling over a mug rested underneath the blocky letters. A sudden flash from above illuminated the dark lettering, reminding one of the travelers of a past adventure involving a derelict castle shrouded in the same elements.

Every instance of uncertainty was swept under the place’s red carpet floor the second the group entered through the saloon doors, or it at least eased the minds of all but the one male traveler. The atmosphere outside sizzled into serenity, aided by the scarce placement of lights and antique nicknacks dotting the interior walls, which popped against the makeshift mood lighting. A pool table made up of boards with a smooth platform for playing was nestled in the tavern’s center, surrounded by barrel-like tables with a quad of chairs around each one. Literal sofas were used for the booths along the entrance wall. Continuous metallic clanging resounded from the furthest corner, where two stallions were playfully berating one another at a game of horseshoe toss. Finally, the bar was crammed into the back wall with hoof-crafted stools made from scrap metal and couch cushions.

Behind the bar counter, a changeling fluttered in place as his hooves fiddled with a dysfunctional ceiling light. Upon hearing the wooden doors slap together, he looked down at the newcomers. With a curved smile and a voice border lining on irritation, he acknowledged the group. “Welcome to the tavern, ladies and gentlecolt! I’ll send one of the girls to be with y'all in one moment-” He was cut off by sparks flying at his face. The changeling went into a cussing fit, muttering about the power needing to be cut before finishing his task. “Take any seat you like!”

Clear Sky led them to a booth along the front wall, far enough away from the rowdy horseshoe game. She slid into the seat with Wind Sprint scooting in beside her mother. Storm stopped in front of the makeshift seat before gesturing to let Rainbow Dash go first.

“Gee, Stormy, first you aren’t afraid of showing sappiness and now table manners?” Dash quipped, sliding into her spot, while the other two giggled. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you swapped places with that Changeling over there!”

Storm Surge rolled his eyes before shuffling his armored body into the booth. “It's more efficient to jump out of the seat from here if something goes wrong.” Then he glanced over to the bar counter and back at Rainbow. “That guy? That’s a Changeling?”

“Uh… yeah?” The prismatic pegasus replied before the realization hit her. “Wait, you’ve never seen a Changeling?!” She practically shouted, causing the bartender and a few others to glance at their booth.

“No, honest to God, I thought it was a Damned at first. I nearly took it - his head off and I would’ve if he hadn’t said anything.” Storm attempted to shrink away from the prying eyes around them.

“No way! You’re like what, fifty, and you’ve never seen one?!”

“Thirty-nine,” Storm corrected, turning to face the pegasus mare. “And no, for the second time, I’ve never seen one! Can you please keep it down, you’re drawing attention to us-”

“Welcome-” A cheerful female voice greeted, before an activated blade stopped directly in front of her face. Her shaky brown eyes met the stallion’s crazed purple ones as he realized what had startled him wasn’t hostile.

“Shit! I’m… didn’t mean to… I’m sorry!” Storm immediately deactivated the blade before putting his foreleg down slowly. The young mare, who was wearing a tight custom made fishnet suit of golden fabric, had started to shake in tandem with her eyes at the near death accident. Everypony else shared similar looks of horrific shock as they too had to calm down from the sudden incident. The waitress blinked a few times before swallowing a lump in her throat to compose herself.

“It’s… you’re fine, sir.” She cleared her throat before levitating a clipboard in front of her. “What, uh, what will everypony have?”

“Four alcoholic ciders, on the house.” A new male voice rang out from behind the waitress. Everypony glanced towards the approaching griffon. He sported pure white feathers that made his golden beak and talons pop, and was roughly around Storm’s height and age, but nowhere near the build. However, he seemed to be well-fed, with his stance being healthy and prideful. His eyes were blocked behind a pair of aviator shades resting atop his beak. Finally, his clean, brown jacket adorned with golden patches seemed to bend the mood lighting as he leisurely made his way to their booth.

The waitress tensed as the griffon’s arm wrapped around her neck in a friendly gesture. With a spiked grin, he chuckled before addressing her. “Don’t worry, Glimmer, this ain’t a test of company rules or nothin! They’re Gutterball’s family and friends! Comes with the employee discount!” He let go of the startled young mare, allowing her to rush away, before forming his claw into a fist in front of Wind Sprint. “There she is! My best horseshoe toss player! Y’all had me worried for a sec after comin’ outta that hospital!”

Wind bumped his claw with her hoof while a contagious grin emanated from her face. “Hey, Mr. Bling! I’m fine, really, just have a couple of cuts and bruises!”

“Ah shucks, well, I could think of worse things to happen!” The griffon, Bling, laughed. “Say, would you be stayin’ for Friday night’s tournament? You’d be doing this old bird a big favor by all those hotheaded suckers losing to ya! Maybe with them, I’d have a decent janitorial staff for a week!” He clutched the table before leaning in with a warm grin, eyeing the pegasi on the booth’s opposite side. “Whadda we got here? Some fresh meat to Appleloosa? I don’t recall seeing y’all two around these parts!”

“What do you mean by having janitor workers?” Rainbow Dash spoke up, raising a brow at the overly friendly griffon.

“Ya really ain’t from here, huh pretty lady?” Bling pulled back from the table before putting a single finger to scratch at his chin. “Well, let’s see - the best way to explain it is like a temporary job! As you know, bits and currency is about as useful as a tetherless rifle for an earth pony, so my customers buy food and drinks with trades that myself or my bartender over yonder deem appropriate for the price, or ya can offer your services here at the tavern for “x” amount of time!”

“It’s indentured servitude.” Storm dryly added, refusing to pry his indifferent stare off the avian’s pistol grip peeking from the interior of the coat. “Putting a sugar-coated title on it doesn’t change that.”

“My, my, so he does speak!” The griffon playfully swatted Storm on the shoulder plate, prompting all the mares to freeze in anticipation of what comes next. Despite the previous incident, nothing happened. The two males resumed their staredown, one friendly behind shades, the other cold and emotionless, as Bling continued. “Well, ah suppose that's one old fashioned way of putin’ it! Now ya see, little lady, say you were a griffon like myself, and you wanted… the fish fillet! Ya’d either have to trade that machete on yer flank for the meal and a couple a’ drinks or ya could dress up like Glimmer and take customer orders and cook for a day!”

“Psh, yeah right!” Rainbow scoffed, looking at the retreating waitress’ sexually-appealing outfit. “I’d never, and I mean never, never, ever be caught in something that degrading!”

“That’s nonsense right there! Style brings in business, afterall! A pretty uniform for a pretty, filly like yourself would look drop-dead gorgeous! And the pay - let me tell ya - is worth any doubts about the apparel! Ya get two square meals a day and all the cider ya could ever ask for! It is grown in our orchards after all!”

Rainbow Dash crossed her hooves across her chest. “Call me “pretty” or “little” one more time, buddy! I’ll give your janitors a reason to earn their pay!”

Clear Sky and her daughter’s faces displaced the horrified reactions of the newcomer’s threatening mannerisms. Only Storm could tell from his prolonged facial examination, but the griffon’s smile drooped ever so slightly as Clear took the reins to the conversation-to-be-confrontation.

“Maybe we should change the subject!” The elder unicorn peeped, placing her hoof atop the avian’s only table-bound claw. “Thank you for your concerns about Wind Sprint, Bling. I’m sorry about… all this… it’s - it’s just that we all have been through a lot in the last few days! Ponyville was overrun and we were all in the area at the time of it’s collapse…”

“Ah shucks, Ms. Sky!” Bling replied, moving his claw from Storm’s shoulder to embrace the pink unicorn’s own hoof. “Ah heard about that tragedy, but ah had no idea y’all were at the blunt end! Besides, no amount of rough housin’ comments are gonna influence my decision on y’all’s drinks! Welp, that’ll be about it! Just wanted to say howdy!”

After excusing himself, the griffon tilted his glasses towards the mares before striding away to a door in the back of the establishment. Storm clicked the holstered revolver's safety hammer back on while watching Bling disappear from sight. He heard the floating voices of Wind trying to gain permission to attend the tournament alongside Rainbow muttering about the griffon being a creep.

It was that moment when Glimmer the waitress returned holding a tray of wooden cider mugs in her magic. She passed the drinks around, asked if they needed anything else, then timidly excused herself as well. Clear Sky and Wind Sprint shuffled out of the booth, informing the pegasi they were going to find Gutterball and then would return.

Rainbow downed her cider no later than the mares had disappeared around the corner to another room of the establishment. With a satisfied smack of her lips, the cyan pegasus placed her mug down, leaned back on the sofa and shut her eyes.

“Ya know, minus that creep, this place doesn’t totally blow.” Rainbow commented as a burp escaped her lips. When she got no response, Dash shot a glance Storm’s way to discover he was fixated on a nearby window, where a flare was pounding against the town’s magical shielding. His drink hadn’t been moved since it was placed on the table either. A concerned frown donned on her face as she tapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, what’s wrong? You’re more grouchy than usual.”

Storm refused to meet her concerned gaze as he answered while looking past her. “I… just don’t like this place. The town - I mean. I promised myself I’d never be back and I really thought that until now…”

“I know somethings wrong, something more than just not liking this place. This isn’t the same as Ponyville. You wanna know how I know? Because the Storm I know would be ready to clobber anything ugly, not freaking out over a waitress and shying away from creepy assholes. What’s really going on?” Rainbow replied, directing his chin with her hoof, finally connecting their eyes. The stallion’s electric iris glimmered as if he was moments from a breakdown. “C’mon, Storm, you can’t just spoon feed me and leave it at that everytime we talk! Just say what's on your mind! I won’t tell anypony if that's what you're afraid of!”

“Ever feel like you’re stuck in quicksand?” Storm replied rather bluntly, his tone edging between forced and shaken. “No, wait, ever feel like you stumble upon a wall built between your foalhood home and you - then the ground becomes quicksand? You can’t move, can’t run, and every movement hurts and drags you down. Now the wall starts to erode and fall in pieces around you, some of the pieces you try and catch but their weight and your struggling only makes you sink faster. As it crumbles, you can see more of your home, but by the time anything worth glancing at appears, your head has already gone under in the sand. If somepony magically appeared to try and pull me out of it, they’d end up being dragged into the pit with me.” His eyes turned fierce before the next statement. “I won’t do that. I refuse to drag anypony else into my quicksand. I’m not… I won’t be like.. ”

Clear Sky and Wind Sprint returned to the booth at that moment with a dark pegasus stallion behind them. Gutterball stepped in from between the mares to arrive at the larger pegasus’ side. Storm slid out of his spot to stand at full height.

“Are you Storm?” The dark pegasus asked, his voice quivering with barely dried tear stains on his muzzle.

“Yeah… why-” The addressed stallion started before he was pulled into a half-hug. The bulky suit and shorter male made it awkward for every party except for the relieved family, but Storm managed to break free of the embrace without hopefully appearing rude.

“Name’s Gutterball. Thank you for bringing my little girl home!” Gutterball choked, shaking his hoof.

“It wasn’t a problem.” Storm calmly replied, doing his best to stay composed likewise. “Just don’t let anyone in your family leave these walls. Shit is getting much worse outside of them.”

Gutter let out a gruff chuckle before wiping his eyes free of droplets. “It's hard to believe it never stopped getting worse. But seeing as we’ve got ponies running around with crystal saws on their hooves, I’m not surprised. Thanks for the warning regardless, and I want you to know that you and your friend over there can stay at our place as long as you need.”

“We’ll be gone after the stores open and this flare passes. Thanks anyway.”

“Wait!” Rainbow interjected from getting out of her seat. “What about your guns? Aren’t you going to work your egghead magic before we go outside again?”

Fuck…

“Right…” Storm sighed, mentally smacking himself for his nearly emotionally slip-up. “Looks like we might have to take you up on that offer. What's the fee?”

“There is no cost.” Clear Sky added. “You two have done enough for us as it is! Our family is back together and I’ve found hope for the world with ponies like the both of you.”

With that decided, the group exited the tavern with the shack in mind. As they walked under the downpouring sky, a particular sight caught Storm’s eye. In the alley in between the general store and hotel, a group of armored ponies and a female buffalo were crowded around something. Suddenly, he heard a feminine shriek from the crowd. It almost sounded feral, making his blood freeze in place upon seeing who the scream came from.

Slumped back into the store wall was a frail young mare - no older than Rainbow or Wind - clutching a board with nails in her shaky forehooves. She was trying to disappear into the wall as shown by her shuffling movements to gain as much distance between herself and the guards or scouts. Her mane was practically shaved, only a buzzed trail of black fuzz remained above her head, allowing Storm to see the single letter carved into her head right beside the right ear.

“W…”

Author's Notes:

Well, it seems my promise to not take 3 months for another chapter fell through. Adult life has decided kicking me in the balls repeatedly is amusing, so it continues to do so, leaving little time or energy on my part to write. Anyway, enough about the production excuses. Let's discuss the future of this story (and a few other possible projects) instead.

I don't know the cause, but I seem to be healing slowly from my person loss and situation. Whether or not this story's themes and characters have helped me, such as writing about them being my equivalent to getting it off my chest, or if time itself and a whole lot of emo rock music (that these chapters are named after) but I feel I might be getting better. Hell, maybe its just the overall positive reception this story has received despite my novice writing skills. My favorite thing in the world is bringing joy, entertainment, or reactions from others through my creations. Its why I love drawing, writing, and game design. I get to create worlds for all of you to explore with me as I expand upon them. That is one of the reason Diplomat's pacing is all over the place at times. As I learn writing techniques, create plot lines, and add to the world. You might also have noticed the main plot itself is moving faster while retaining that sense of vagueness. I'm learning to move forward without regurgitating information and trying to balance downtime/character building in between. Essentially, the former is what this chapter is. A break from the action of the previous chapters, where a lot of juicy information was revealed about the Damned, while setting the stage for this current subplot. Speaking of, the decision to leave out a lot of crucial info in this chapter is made consciously to even out the pacing and avoid info dumping. There is much more to learn about post-Damned Appleloosa, these Wranglers, and Storm's past at the start of the apocalypse. I can assure you not all of it is this character conversation heavy though, there will be tension, action - the works, as it progresses. Why am I telling this to you? To bore you to death? Nah, its because I believe in transparency when it comes to design. I want you to know what I am thinking on a level that doesn't spoil the story and your experience. Chances are most readers won't care or make it this far into this authors note, so this is more for those like me who can't get enough of design and its process in general.

This rant leads me into the next topic; future projects. I plan on doing a full "developer commentary" style for Diplomats in my blog section either when the story reaches the halfway point or end. This way I can talk at length at the story's creation, my writing process, the full meaning of chapter names, character relevance to my personal life, and even give you full scrapped ideas for characters, weapons, Damned, and even entire chapters. Additionally, I even have sketches and unfinished artwork of many scenes and Damned variants that would also be posted here. The next project involves my second story, Dead Embers, which is essentially Supernatural in the FiM universe. I've only got the first chapter published and a rough draft of the second chapter written. I have long since finished the actual Supernatural show, and despite some shortcomings of covid-19 ridden season 15, it remains a special show to me. However, I can't find the same drive to write for Dead Embers that Diplomats has. Maybe its originality, but Diplomats is just my favorite aspects of FiM, Dead Space, Gears of War, and more all compiled into my take on dark sci-fi. So Embers being just Supernatural in my flavoring shouldn't cause an issue, right? Apparently not. I have no interest in continuing Dead Embers at the moment, but I do plan to leave it up on this site in case I do return to it in the future. And the final project is a story idea that hit me over the past few weeks. It's effect was actually what drove me through late night writing sessions of chapter 23, believe it or not, and I got brainstorming down for this new idea as well. Diplomats is essentially a big soap opera in an apocalyptic future with downcast themes, so what about a smaller scale, light hearted, soap opera in a high fantasy version of Equestria before it was... well, Equestria? Its not much to go on, but the characters I have are inspired from various real life D&D experiences.

Whew, that was a long one. Anyway, for those of you still not driving a nail through your skull at the sight of my metaphorical voice, I look forward to sharing the next chapter with you shortly. Fingers crossed its not another three months before that, but I do plan to pay attention to the finer details a lot more than Ponyville's mess of an arc, so no promises on the deadline!

Chapter 24 - "Here and Now"

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Appleloosa (Reign of “The Wranglers”)

November 29th, 2018

4:12 P.M.

Twenty-one years ago

Winter.

If the elements of the planet were corporeal beings, this season would be the nastiest of the four. Winter would have jaws lined with razors, a piercing gaze looking to consume anything unfortunate enough to wander into its den, and claws serrated to prevent said unfortunate prey from any chance of escape. Sure, it was maybe three or four months out of the year, but the predator’s size wasn’t a concern when compared to its speed and lethality. No one could run from a hunter that covered everything, searched every corner, every crevice of sanctuary and warmth.

For a seventeen year old Storm Surge, the only factor keeping his body from freezing was the adrenalized blood rushing through it. His mane had been shaved months ago, giving the cold easy access to nip at his head. However, his mane had steadily been growing back into a short style, almost concealing the “w” carved just underneath his ear. Inside the single letter, an even smaller inscription of the number, seven three rested just above the “w.” Additionally, his recent injuries provided a brief, stinging warmth. His coat was covered in dark bruises, scratch marks, and his nostrils dripped blood onto the sand below. Despite the crimson trail seeking refuge on his lips, Storm refused to wipe it off and ruin his mobility advantage over his clearly worn out opponent.

Across from the soon-to-be-stallion was another colt, probably the same age or slightly older, the exact number didn’t matter to Storm. Only one thing did; winning. The other colt’s coat was a dull black, making his own injuries impossible to make out as the two circled one another, silently daring the other to strike. The black colt was an Earth Pony, which would have only been possible to tell by his lack of shackled horn or tied wings like some of the crowd surrounding the two sported.

“FUCK HIM UP!” An older stallion roared from the sidelines. He was balanced lazily with the stock of his rifle dug into the sand, leaning in closer to get a better view of the action.

“AIM FOR THE MUZZLE! KNOCK SOME TEETH OUT!” Another shouted from behind Storm, who heard the violent requests, but managed to ignore them. He had to focus on his opponent - a mistake which he had learned to avoid way back when he joined this “division” as they had called it. Everypony had a choice for these jobs in the Wrangler’s “new society,” but Storm knew that was just a scented candle in a condemned restroom stall.

The rest of the crowd beyond more suited and armed ponies were ghostly silent. They watched from distances further back than the armed ones, lowering their heads or glancing away in shame whenever they felt their eyes lock with Storm’s or the dark colt’s own. These onlookers had become dotted blurs to the gray pegasus, who only had two colors in his sight. The first was the colt, no doubt. The second, a painted line of red dirt, which was dug into a circle around the two.

With a determined warcry, the earth pony charged forward, attempting to barrel into Storm, who sidestepped the attack before delivering a swift hoof to his face. The dark colt caught the second hoof before sending his own at Storm’s face, only to have it blocked in tandem. Now both males were locked in a stance reared up on their hindlegs as they attempted to overpower one another.

Storm felt razors digging into his neck as the colt had bit down, the sudden pain sending him into the sand on his back. Immediately, the gray pegasus knew his head was halfway out of the circle as a wave of sizzling magic began to circle it. If his body was pushed any further out, he knew what would happen.

Mustering everything he had, Storm threw the dark colt off of his frame with his hindlegs, sending the colt over the circle entirely. Wasting no time, Storm rolled back into the arena and stopped. His gaze landed on the blizzard reigning above the town’s barriers as he heard cheering all around him. A few gripes about losing a bet here, some “I told you so’s” there, but the most prominent response to the fight’s end was what Storm heard above all else.

Silence.

The lack of sound from the other onlookers. The ones like him. The ones who feared what was coming. Storm attempted to bury his ears against his head, but could hear the dark colt’s pleading nevertheless. An intense shocking sound broke through the silence, followed by the colt’s feral scream that died as quickly as it left his mouth.

“That’s a wrap, folks!” A charismatic male voice announced. “Today’s tournament has a winner!” Storm felt someone yank him to a standing position. A thin unicorn stallion wearing lidded white shades and a torn leather jacket wrapped a friendly foreleg around the adolescent pegasus. “I’ve got to say, that was the most entertainment any of us had seen all week! It’s always a privilege when you enter The Pit, Seventy-three!”

Storm didn’t acknowledge the amauater announcer or his designated title. Instead his stare remained fixed upon the charred, twitching body of the dark colt, who was surrounded by a sobbing mare and a filly, presumably his mother and sister. Maybe a spouse and daughter…

“Where is it?” Storm asked in a hushed growl, refusing to look at the repulsive sports-colt. The announcer spouted off some quip about the victorious colt being down to business before brandishing a gunk-covered tin can. Without a word further, Storm lifted the can in his hooves, but paused when a realization hit him.

“They’re lighter than last time.” He observed aloud, prompting a crackle from the announcer stallion. As soon as the words left his lips, Storm felt a wave of uneasiness surge through his veins. He prayed to Celestia his tone wasn’t disrespectful or unappreciative. Thankfully, the stallion looked to be in a good mood otherwise a strike would have already come Storm’s way.

“Course they are!” The stallion grabbed the can from the colt’s hooves to shake it audibly. “You can’t expect the same entertainment in the same rounds to keep producing half a can! Repetition is boredom to our viewers after all! You want a more prestigious prize? Sign up for the higher rounds, champ!”

With that, the announcer playfully threw the can into Storm’s grasp before patting him on the back and leaving to mingle with his armed buddies. The pegasus colt eyed the can, before opening the lid to be greeted by five apple slices. With a sigh, he closed the lid as his stomach rumbled from the mere sight of food alone.

“Holy shit, kid!” A rough feminine voice gasped, prompting Storm to flinch and nearly drop the can. Storm turned to see an ash gray unicorn mare limping towards him. Her mane was messy, coat was sticky with streaks, and the injuries in her back half made it clear where she had just come from. Before he could react, she wrapped both hooves around him in a loving embrace. Storm fidgeted as each moment in the hug angered his bruises, however he endured for her sake. “You scared the Tartarus out of us! Where were you-”

She saw the bruises. Then the sizzling body just a few steps away. Horror flashed across Leadwall’s face as her apatie eyes looked from the corpse to the colt before her. “You were… the Pit…That’s why Maverick kept stalling...”

“I wasn’t trying to make you guys worry,” Storm explained, rubbing at the dried blood trail under his nostrils. “I couldn’t risk any distractions this late into the rounds. Hearing any of your voices could have made me slip up.”

The unicorn’s expression hardened. “Distractions?” She recoiled. “Distractions, that’s rich. It’s fucking great to know that after everything, the act of running into to save you from a meaningless death is considered a distraction in your book, kid!”

“You know what I mean.” Storm retorted coldly before slamming the can into her chest. “Here, should be enough for you and Maverick to eat tonight. Thanks for the lecture.”

Leadwall was forced to grab the can as the gray pegasus began walking away towards the town square. “Hey! We’re not done!” She placed herself in between him and the rest of the town, scanning the area to ensure their bickering hadn’t caught any attention. “You’re barely a stallion, Storm. No seventeen-year old colt should have to feed his grandparents or his best friend and his mother! Least of all, beat others in the same boat as you to obtain the food! We might be governed by animals, but we won’t become animals! We’ve got plenty of food to survive. Forge isn’t risking his neck for those bastards on scavenging runs and I’m not letting them violate me just so you can get yourself killed and leave my son alone in this shithole!”

“We won’t survive this winter!” Storm hissed back. “It was bad enough before these guys, now we’ve got the bare minimum to avoid starvation and they’ve hoarded all the blankets and clothing for themselves! Rye barely made it through last winter! Last winter with our freedom and equipment! The colt lurked dangerously close to Lead’s face. “I can’t… I won’t make the same mistake twice… Rye will survive. You will, Maverick, Forge, Ivory - you’ll all make it through this season! I’ll give these assholes what they want. I’ll take on the most desperate in the Pit if it guarantees you all survive!”

“Don’t be an idiot! Half of these guys in the upper rounds are twice your size and weight! I know the Wranglers even jump into those rounds when they feel like keeping the prizes for themselves! You think you can take on even a single well-fed, fully grown stallion? You’re one month away from skin and bones, Storm! We all are! Celestia-dammit, kid, It’s like you’re trying to get yourself killed-” The realization slammed into her ashen face like a freight train.

“It’d be one less mouth to feed for you all.”

Leadwall froze. The only sign of movement from the mare’s body was the lightly flowing stream of tears. In a flash, she pulled the flinching colt in close before gently forcing him to look into her teary eyes. “Don’t… don’t you ever say anything that fucking stupid ever again! You aren’t just one extra mouth to feed! Not to your grandparents, not to Maverick, and fucking especially not to me!”

Storm didn’t respond as the elder mare poured her soul out. He tried to avert his own eyes to check if anypony had noticed, but he couldn’t look away. Something about the spark in Leadwall’s eyes ignited something buried deep inside. It was only when he remembered who had a similar look in a conversation about his worth to the family, that Storm felt a warm trail begin to crawl down his eyes to his muzzle.

“Do you have any idea how many nights I fought with putting Maverick up for adoption?” Leadwall choked, her shaky voice barely keeping it’s head above water. “He didn’t deserve to be forced into that worthless lifestyle I brought us! Some nameless one night stand for a father, a fucking high school dropout for a mother, nopony deserves to be born into that! I had two jobs and did the same fucking thing I do now with my body just so he could eat some frozen dinner each night! I physically gave up on him like I did with everything, but one thing changed all that! It was you, Storm! You came into our lives when I was at my end!

“Stop-” The colt began only to be cut off instantly.

“You can’t just turn your feelings off, kid! Believe me, I tried after high school! What else are you supposed to do after a teenage pregnancy and disownment from your own fucking parents?! You don’t become a hollow shell! You become a vacuum! A vacuum that drains everypony around you that you care about! I drained my son! You’re draining us all and I know you don’t mean it! Something happened in your foalhood, I know it did, you can’t hide raw meat from a starving dog, Storm. Every night Maverick begged to let you stay over, I could see the pleading in your eyes. There was something… horrible at home you couldn’t face. I didn’t know it at the time, but you weren’t just saving my son from me, but I was saving you from whatever hurt you! And I won’t stop doing just that, no matter what! Slavers or monsters, you and Maverick are my world! So don’t you ever fucking say that about yourself ever again, understand?!”

Storm couldn’t look at her anymore. He had lowered his head long before her statement was through. Both ponies sat in silence before the colt showed initiative. He weakly buried his muzzle into the crook of Lead’s neck, returning the embrace in full with the addition of his hooves around her back. She reek of degeneracy, but he didn’t care. In all likelihood, his nose had probably been broken from one of the countless rounds prior.

The silence continued for a moment before Leadwall heard a muffled voice coming from her neck. “I’ll… I’ll join Maverick in the orchard tomorrow. I promise.”

Soon, the colt and mare went their separate ways before their captors caught a whiff of happiness that couldn’t be capitalized on. Leadwall went towards the isolated apple orchard to find her son while Storm settled down in the town’s pony pile. He wasn’t the only one there either. A few other townsfolk had returned from doing their “jobs” for the day, where they laid down alone or with family to escape the nightmare with sleep’s embrace.

But sleep never came easy, and it wasn’t just for his own reasonings. There were disturbances all around. Noise all around. Muffled feminine whimpering came from nearby where a young mare with bruises and scratches around her muzzle and flanks. She was attempting to disappear into the embrace of a stallion, who could have been a father, brother, husband - whatever he was, it was the only thing keeping her cracked parts from shattering. The collective mourning of a family that had lost somepony to the Pit or the supply runs the night prior. Others cried for reasons Storm couldn’t fathom, but understood nevertheless.

Taking a deep breath through his sore chest, the colt squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for the worst. Whether it be in his dreams or in tomorrow’s wake.

“Get up!” A gruff voice boomed as Storm felt something massive slam into his ribs.

A mountain of dark brown fur greeted Storm’s sleep-crusted vision. Though groggy and his sight hazing from the impact to his side, he knew who the hulking blur standing over him was. Storm shot up to a standing position, resembling a newborn foal’s first attempt at walking, as his limbs had not shaken off the cobwebs of sleep.

After blinking a few times, he could make out the colossal buffalo surrounded by two fully armored stallions. The buffalo’s beedy eyes held a sense of ordered malice towards the colt, causing Storm to divert his gaze away from the other’s eyes. Instead he focused on the war painted anvil symbol on the nose and jaw. The fur around his nostrils constantly shifted as if the behemoth was in a state of discontentment at everything, yet his body was stiff and calm.

“Patriarch will see you now.” He snorted before slowly wheeling himself around to walk in the direction of the town saloon. The guards didn’t even glance at Storm as they turned their backs to him, waiting for the colt to walk in front of them, effectively pincering him between a wall of muscle and their firepower.

Without a word further, Storm was led across the pitch black town square. The buffalo’s steps roused many from their slumber, forcing them to quickly gather their families and friends to move before his straight path stamped across where they had just been. Most of the townsfolk cowered as the anvil-like male strode past, however, a few that were curious - or rather stupid - enough looked on to see Storm in the middle.

Those who weren’t trying to disappear into the sand or embrace a loved one gave the pegasus sympathetic looks until one of the two machine gunners made them lie back down. Eventually, Storm locked eyes with Ivory, who silently gasped in horror upon realizing what was going on. Ivory tried to stand when a barrel pressed firmly against her cheek kept her at bay. Her mouth opened as if she was going to say something to Storm, but the guard shouted at her to lay back down. She did. They moved on.

Storm found that his body had begun to shake slightly. His mind or physique hadn’t been awake enough to comprehend what all this meant, but now he was firing on all cylinders. Every cracked, whistling, rusted cylinder in his mind told him this was it. He knew why everypony had given him the look like he had just been diagnosed with cancer. In a sense, he had. Cancer was a death sentence now, but so was this. Not many saw Patriarch ever since the fall, but everypony knew that his right hoof meant his involvement wasn’t far off. A puppeteer playing for beasts never put his hands close to the crowd, instead allowing the steel crossbar above the puppet to be within reach of the jaws.

They arrived at a building with a rotted sign reading “Saloon.” Piles of random junk littered the entrance to the structure, most of which didn’t belong to the saloon. Various couches, chairs, and mattresses with tears and stains just piled outside and collecting sand just yards from freezing families. Broken glass from discarded photos, bar mugs and the now boarded windows, which hindered any attempt to gaze behind the curtain of the saloon’s interior. Two more armed stallions were posted lazily in recliners on opposite sides of the saloon doors - which had been replaced with full sized wooden ones - both of which were smoking cigarettes and making explicit comments about their shore leave in the racks.

Both stallions went silent the second they saw the buffalo, who stopped in front of the door without more than an irritated snort. One of the guards wrapped on the door three times before a voice on the other side came through.

“What is it?”

“Anvil Block found the kid.”

The brief conversation gave birth to an even shorter-lived silence before the metalicing clanging of locks and latches on the door cut it. On the other side was another guard stallion, who opened the door in time to avoid being stepped on by the brute, Anvil Block, with his company in tow. Upon the entry of the last two guards, the door was latched back.

All eyes landed on Storm, who found his limbs to be iced over in an instant. Everypony was here. Forge Beryl, Rye Blossom - his grandparents, Leadwall and Maverick all stood in the middle of the room with petrified stares his way. Anvil Block calmly stomped his way over to the bar counter before plopping his huge form down next to the cooking equipment. The guard duo parked themselves directly behind the line of five townsfolk.

Nopony said a word. Everyone with the exception of the buffalo looked straight ahead at the bar counter, where a unicorn stallion laid casually across it with a hoof holding his face up, yet his eyes were down at the chessboard on one of the bar stools. His face held a mixture of relaxation and fiery concentration, aided by his maroon coat and softer green mane. His cutie mark was covered by a cloth wrap with a scrawled “w” on it. Right next to his flank, strapped on by leather was a polished six-piece revolver. Sitting directly below him on the floor was a young mare wearing one of the saloon’s old errotic waitress outfits. She moved a shaky hoof to one of the pieces on her side of the board as the stallion’s brow rose in anticipation.

The mare moved her last piece only to have it instantly swatted by one of his. The stallion sighed before levitating a piece of chalk towards a board and marking another win on his side, which was practically all white at this point. The other side of the board had no name or tally marks for victories. He produced a book from behind the counter labeled “The Secrets to Chess” for the mare to see.

“Now, I understand you can’t read, but that ain’t the point.” The Patriarch said in a fatherly tone. “This is. You see, I grew up much like yourself in an environment where smarter ponies made the decisions for us. I, and many others, did the little things to keep our community running. Somepony has to shovel filth out of the rack stalls, somepony has to plant and make the food, somepony has to provide sexual relief to the scavengers and soldiers, yada yada, and such.”

Storm and his grandfather exchanged silent, but curious glances as the stallion monologued to the young girl. Neither one of them knew why they were here, that was the only nonverbal conclusion they could make. Storm turned to look at the others. Rye had suddenly stopped herself from sinking into her husband’s side in an attempt to hide from whatever was to come. Storm knew why. He immediately washed his face of any emotion, plastering indifference above all else as he examined the rest. Leadwall was doing the same, except he could visibly make out the beads of sweat on her dark ash coat. Maverick was a mess, his hooves shook and his lip quivered slightly. He had to lean against his mother just to avoid collapsing into the floor.

“You and everypony else are a part of something bigger!” Patriarch extended a hoof, which the mare stared at for a moment before reluctantly accepting it. She was pulled up into the stool beside the chessboard. “What do you think I’ve been trying to nail into everypony’s heads for the past four months? To work is to survive and to exceed is to prosper! I worked, I was fed and clothed during winter. I exceeded their expectations and you know what I got? This book before you! Of course, I couldn’t read neither, but one of the breeders agreed to teach me in between customers as long as I shared some of my rations with her foal! Well, her pre-service foal. She had a lot more after him… anyhoo, I was rewarded for my work around the community! I seized the opportunity and got more out of life - while living in the safety of my community, mind you - because of my drive!”

The mare didn’t respond. Her shrunken pupils remained on the jaded book cover, refusing to meet the stallion’s own. “This book could be yours! Reading lessons included! Anything in the prize pile right outside could be yours too! Well, anything except Tethertechs, horn suppressor removal, weapons, or radios, of course. Hey, you work in the racks, right?” Patriarch put a hoof under her chin. “I know that kind of intimate work isn’t for everypony, but it has to be done to survive, right? See, life is just like this game of chess here. If you can’t read the rules, then you are swatted at every turn, which means death by the way. If you understand the game and how to play each piece correctly, you’ll not just survive but also prosper! You might not know it, but you are intelligently playing the game right now! Choosing to stay with us and work instead of eating everypony else outside these walls like dogs. Speaking of dogs...”

Patriarch finally acknowledged the ponies in the center of the room. He looked back to the mare one last time, shooting off a side comment about the lesson she was about to witness, before looking at each pony before him. He threw the book behind the counter, only to have his magic aura return with a Tethertech. Opening a holographic box, he scrolled through menus lazily before stopping at one section.

///TRANSMISSION HISTORY///

Tossing the earpiece on the chessboard, Patriarch eyed the group with a neutral expression on his face. As the video recording loaded, he took a prolonged sip of cider, only putting the mug down as a distorted female voice came through.

“If anyone gets this message, we need help at Appleloosa! Slavers snuck in, gained our trust, and overthrew the law! Sheriff Silverstar is dead, half of the town’s old leaders are too. There are about thirty of them, but all are heavily armed and armored! Please send someone, anyone, a whole town! There are foals, fillies, and colts starving and freezing to death! Nopony here deserves to live under these conditions!”

///TRANSMISSION END///

The Patriarch sighed, clicking the device off. The room was dead silent. Nopony dared to speak or move. They all heard the voice. Leadwall’s voice - on the transmission. Storm finally found the strength to turn his head, seeing Lead’s frozen face, the question of how they had found her call plastered on the horrified expression.

“The Salvus community picked this up two days ago.” Patriarch explained as if on cue. “They sent it back to my own device personally. So naturally, my old mentors and current business partners came through. Another thing, you really threw me through a loop, lady. I had to quiz every single one of my men who had the night off in the racks to find out who lost their earpiece temporarily. One of them finally fessed up, telling me he got distracted by how “touchy” one of the girls had gotten with him. Now here we are...”

“What did you expect?!” Leadwall suddenly cried, sending a shockwave of collective flinching to everypony around her. “We’ve put up with this abuse for far too long! This isn’t a business no matter how you twist definitions! It’s fucking slavery-”

“Woah, woah!” Patriarch interrupted, nearly knocking his chessboard at the mention of the latter word. “You know, I know, and everypony in this room - and town for that matter - knows we don’t use that false term! We all agreed to it on the day this partnership began, remember?”

The ashen mare gulped before attempting to regain her composure. “Yeah, I remember your lieutenants dragging bodies to a burn pile while you stood over everyone making a demand list! I remember our “partnership” beginning with you stripping us of our clothes, our belongings, and our Celestia-damned identities! And I’ll never forget it with day after day of “letting” your filthy brutes fuck me or having to watch everypony I love starve and freeze to death in this fake capitalist prison!” Unknowingly at first, Leadwall had taken a step forward despite the presence of the guards behind them.

“Mom! Please stop!” Maverick had found a sliver of courage to move, grabbing her foreleg in an attempt to tug her back into place.

Faint droplets of water formed in Leadwall’s eyes as she looked at her son with a loving smile. “No, I’ve done nothing but stand by while you were forced to find your way through life. I was playing catchup with my own mistakes when I should have been there for you, Maverick. Well… I’m done catching up. It’s time to be a mother for once…” She gave the violet stallion a tender kiss on the top of his muzzle before turning back to Patriarch. “I know why we’re all here now. Go ahead. Execute me to prove your point. Mine has already been proven.”

Patriarch raised a brow at this. “Firstly, executing you in front of your son and friends isn’t the point of this meeting. I’ll get to that later, but I am extremely curious what point you are trying to make? Let’s say, hypothetically speaking, that I did have one of these gentlemen cut ties with your life. All that would do is create a mess on the floor and hinder your traumatized son’s performance in the orchard.”

“The point is that we will stand up to you. If a failure like me can do it, who knows how many more will! Who knows how many already have?! Unless their methods were intercepted by your slaver pen pals, there could be help on the way right now! Even in our or your ranks just like how you took down this town!”

“That is exactly why I am not going to kill you.” Patriarch replied before casually whistling to Anvil Block, who grunted in acknowledgement before getting up.

The buffalo stamped it’s way to a pile of furniture and clutter in the room’s corner, grabbing a foldout table and two empty crates before kicking them to the room’s center. Anvil began walking back to his station as Patriarch tossed a hoof-full of apple slices into his mouth.

“See? Effort and progress equals reward. That is how this society thrives. No conflict of interests, no bickering, no backstabbing their benefactors with phone calls to another community for unnecessary help! Now, down to it. You two kids, take a seat.” He pointed towards Storm and Maverick.

Unnerved confusion replaced the determination in Leadwall’s face in an instant. “What the hell?! I did it! What does this have to do with th-”

“Ah, ah, ah!” Patriarch playfully interrupted, sliding off of the counter to approach the makeshift table setup. “Come on boys, don’t be shy! The winner gets a reward after all!”

Storm Surge stepped forward without a word or second glance at his family. He couldn’t bear to know what expressions they were wearing, so he looked forward to Patriarch's gritty smile. The older stallion patted one of the crates, which the grey colt reluctantly and carefully slid onto. It was awkward and unstable, forcing Storm to put his forehooves on the table just to stay up. Maverick wasn’t too eager to approach, but he shakily forced his limbs to obey.

“Please, sir, just… Please don’t hurt her!” The violet pegasus pleaded as he sat down across from Storm.

Patriarch put a firm hoof on Maverick’s shoulder. “Don’t you worry about her, son. I ain’t gonna harm a hair on her mane. Gentleman’s honor.” The stallion began pulling the revolver from his hip, causing the crowd’s eyes to widen and their breathing to hitch in their throats.

The weapon was custom made. Faded silver with golden engravings of talon-like curls around the barrel and cylinder. It was clearly griffon-manufactured, but the trigger guard for a claw was removed entirely and a Tethertech link had been built into the handle. Patriarch opened the cylinder, shook the revolver lightly as all six brass bullets fell onto the table. Then, scooped up all rounds except for a single one, placing them on the counter behind him. He loaded the round into the cylinder and gave it a good spin, slamming the cylinder back into the weapon before anypony could see which hole the round stopped in.

Patriarch placed the revolver onto the table in between the colts. As if all the pieces had clicked, Forge, Rye, and Leadwall practically rushed forward on instinct, only to be stopped at gunpoint by the guards at their sides. Patriarch wiped the frown off of his face before clearing his throat.

“When an employee with a poor performance record drags the company down, you used to fire them in the old, savage world.” He explained, looking Leadwall dead in the eyes. “Sure, that saved the current company, but then the employee finds a new job and ruin’s a new company’s operation. The employee doesn’t care about the original company’s success as long as they get food on the table, meaning firing the employee responsible does nothing. So what does a smart, civilized, employer do? Simple, cut off the food supply so my employee listens to policy and follows the company’s goals! When they remember what privilege was taken from them, they’ll listen. Then you’ll listen, Leadwall.”

“YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TOUCH HIM!” She shrieked, leaping forward, only to be intercepted by one of the guards that held her back. “KILL ME! KILL ME! PLEASE! DON’T HURT HIM!”

Patriarch silently watched as the mare held down to the floor sobbed her guts out. He mentally drowned her out to return to the colts, one of which was shaking with tears in his red eyes while the other was oddly calm. With a hint of curiosity, Patriarch arrived at the gray colt’s side, noticing his distant stare - which had been directed at the kitchen counter - was down at the weapon on the table.

“I know what you’re thinking, son. Grab that gun, take your one in six chance and point it at me. Pull the trigger and hope the odds are in your favor, correct?”

Storm didn’t respond or acknowledge the stallion. He was so still, even Patriarch couldn’t see his chest rising from breathing despite his close proximity.

“Go ahead then. If you do get lucky, let's just say I’ve got a plan for that. Even if you do catch me off guard, you’ve got one hunk of muscle and two machine gun-wielding stallions ready to dish out a worse punishment than this. Just follow the rules and you get to go back to bed before another productive day! Well, you might…”

“Please! You can’t do this!” Rye Blossom choked, her voice barely piercing Leadwall’s begging. “Have one of us do this instead! Forge and I will take their places so you still get to teach the lesson! Just please don’t-”

Patriarch’s raised hoof cut the elder mare off instantly. A twitch of irritation formed on his face before the professionalism kicked in to mask it. “Now here is what is going to happen. Your boys are going to make a choice. I spin the revolver, whoever it lands on goes first. That player gets the choice to either point it at the other or at their own heads. Then they pull the trigger. Assuming nothing happens, that player passes it to the next and we repeat until the lesson is learned. Then after that, Leadwall, you’ll have to prove to me you value our work here. You don’t get your rations - or your boys, assuming his brains don’t go splat - until you’ve pleased every stallion in my defense force. Every. Single. Night. Understood, everypony?”

No one responded beyond the guards and Anvil Block. Even the fishnet wearing mare at the counter just shrunk behind the stool silently, peeking over it ever so slightly. Leadwall, however, continued to thrash and scream.

“I”LL FUCKING GUT YOU! I”LL SLICE YOUR COCK OFF AND SHOVE IT DOWN YOUR THROAT!”

Patriarch’s eyes widened in genuine surprise. “Woah, talk about being unprofessional. Sure these boys are almost stallions now, but damn, lady. Whichever one walks away from this will surely have a new catchphrase in the Pit thanks to you.” His horn glowed a bright yellow, which formed a stretched rectangle that clamped over Leadwall’s mouth, silencing her entirely.

“Let’s begin. We’ll get this little team building exercise over with to start fresh tomorrow!”

With an energetic punch of his hoof, Patriarch spun the revolver in place. Half of the room watched in horror as the gun slowly lost momentum, eventually stopping with the barrel pointed at Storm.

“You’re up, champion!” Patriarch hooted, thrusting the weapon into the colt’s hooves. “Remember, no looking into the chamber, detaching the cylinder, and you can only shoot Maverick or yourself. Well, techincally speaking, you could shoot me, but we don’t need two major fuck ups tonight now do we?”

Storm clumsily grabbed the revolver with his hoof, curling his fetlock around it in preparation to squeeze the unguarded trigger when the time came. Without further hesitation, he placed the barrel against his temple. The pleading cries from his grandparents were enough of a shot to the brain, but he persisted while looking Patriarch directly in the eyes.

“You better hope this kills me.”

Patriarch’s grin faltered for a second. Storm’s unblinking eyes caught it with certainty. Time froze as he squeezed the trigger. The cries of everypony were distorted, almost like they had been placed in a slow-motion audio filter.

CLICK!

Nothing happened. The cylinder spun to the next slot. Storm could feel the faintest traces of tears trying to force their way out of his eyelids. It felt like an eternity since he last breathed or blinked, but he let out air as subtly as possible to not break contact with the stallion beside him.

“Damn! Now that’s a kid with some hangars on him!” One of the guards next to Forge and Rye commented.

“Now you.” Patriarch took the gun from Storm, holding it out to Maverick, who just stared at the sidearm with trembling pupils. “C’mon, it’s your turn, Maverick.”

Leadwall couldn’t watch. She squeezed her teary eyes shut, folded her ears down as if it would block out the inevitable gunshot sound. Maverick finally grabbed the revolver. He looked to Storm, his eyes pleading for answers, but all he received was indifference.

“You can do it.” Storm finally spoke for the second time. “Point it at me.”

“What?! No, man, I can’t-”

“Fucking do it, Mav!” Storm growled, leaning forward to give a point blank shot. “Only one of us is getting out of here alive, might as well not let these mind games break the rest of us!”

The violet colt’s limbs were jelly as he forced the revolver to be pointed in his best friend’s direction. Storm stared down the barrel of the gun with unflinching resolve. Maverick couldn’t stop repeating that he was sorry as he slammed the trigger down.

CLICK!

The cylinder spun again. Maverick’s chest heaved as he dropped the gun on the table and doubled over to puke on the floor. Patriarch practically leapt backwards the second the revolting chunky substance splattered on the ground. He groaned before turning and nodding to Anvil, who silently grabbed a broom and bucket to clean it up.

Storm eyed the inside of the revolver’s barrel, where he noticed something different from when Maverick had pointed it at him. Instead of the abyssal tube inside the barrel, a tiny pinprick of brass was illuminated by the dim lighting.

“Dammit! There goes my appetite.” Patriarch mumbled before barking to the buffalo. “Turn the cooker off. We’ll reheat the potatoes tomorrow.”

Storm quickly glanced back to the kitchen. Indeed there was a large bot being boiled by a makeshift stove, which was powered by a generator and tank of fuel. Then he saw it. He saw what most ponies could never see from his distance. He saw what he had to plug so many times in his and Forge’s Sweeper invention.

A canister leak.

Now he could hear the tank squeak. It was impossible previously with Patriarch’s endless stories and Lead’s sobbing, but now it was clear as day to the amature engineer. A side glance to his grandfather revealed that he also noticed.

Forge swallowed hard before giving a subtle nod. Storm felt his heart jumpstart like an airship engine. Before he knew what his body was doing, the revolver was in his hoof and pointed at the tank.

BANG!

BOOM!

A blazing inferno engulfed the kitchen, sending the young mare to the ground while glass and wood flew in all directions. Storm dove into Maverick, sending them both to the ground. Anvil Block, being the closest to the blast, was sent into a booth while his front half became charred. Patriarch felt splinters and shards enter his side before he too slammed himself into a prone position. Rye ducked down to Leadwall and her guard’s levels as Forge struck his guard in the muzzle before shoving him in front as a meat shield against the debris.

The guard’s machine gun went flying in the chaos, landing in between the bleeding Patriarch and Storm, who were roughly equal distance from the weapon. Both males reached it at the same time, with Storm having the stock end and Patriarch having the barrel. Shouting and banging resounded from outside the saloon, but everyone inside had more prominent problems to deal with.

Forge had already gotten to work in removing the guard’s Tethertech to give Storm full control over the guardless weapon. Rye gave a swift buck to Leadwall’s guard, who was still standing up from pinning the ash unicorn down. Leadwall, now free from the silencing spell, wrapping a hoof around a shard of glass before eviscerating the guard’s throat in a series of repeated stabs. In the few seconds it took her to kill him, her hoof had become a scared and bloody mess. Forge was trading blows with his guard to the ground as Rye tried to snap Leadwall out of it.

Storm tap-fired the rifle, each kick from the recoil threatening to throw the weapon from his hooves. Patriarch continued to wrestle the machine gun’s barrel away from himself, until he got a clean opening over the gun’s bulk. His horn lit up, Storm’s eyes widened as he realized what was happening. Summoning a burst of strength, the colt shoved the rifle in between the stallion’s horn and himself, causing the kinetic blast to tear the weapon apart. Storm felt the shrapnel skid across his face and chest, but he managed to bring his wings up to protect his face.

A deep roar pierced the room as the colt felt something rock hard slam into his side, knocking the wind out of him entirely. Storm flew into the makeshift table setup in a daze. Before he could process what had just happened, an anvil of a hoof crushed his chest, revealing the buffalo of the same name standing over him. Blood sprayed from the gray pegasus’ mouth onto the unflinching beast, who reared it’s other hoof back in preparation to finish him off.

Suddenly, an explosion of gunshots zinged through the building as Forge unloaded the other dead guard’s rifle on Anvil Block. The buffalo's thick hide began to resemble swiss cheese, but he didn’t go down initially. Rye Blossom swooped down into Anvil, knocking his already weakened state off balance before sending them both crashing to the ground next to Storm.

He couldn’t breathe. Each inhale felt like daggers were stuck in his lungs and his breathing came out fragmented. The world blurred with each pulse of air as a dull ringing filled Storm’s ears, whether it was from the barrage of gunfire or from whatever the brute had just done was unknown.

“No, no, no!” He heard Rye’s distorted pleading as her blurry silhouette was parked over him. “Honey, please! Can you hear me?! Stay with u-”

A single round burrowed through Rye’s throat, exiting out the other side in a rapture of blood onto Storm’s chest. She began choking slowly, looking down and clutching the hole as if validation was needed that it had really happened. Then she collapsed directly next to the colt, revealing Patriarch with his reloaded revolver standing behind her.

“NOPONY FUCKING MOVE!” He demanded with a foreleg wrapped tightly around the fishnet mare’s neck, Patriarch used her as a meatshield while aiming the weapon at Storm’s downed body. Forge had his own rifle aimed at Patriarch while beads of sweat and tears rolled off his face. Leadwall was backed up with Maverick shielded behind her. “You ponies just can’t get with the program, can you?! Put the gun down now or I’ll cut him loose too!”

Forge’s lip continued to sweat as he looked at his grandson’s condition. Storm was able to see now, but his chest felt like a boulder had just crushed it. Both of them held expressions of despair as the mare’s corpse in between them could deny the truth no further. Forge slowly lowered the rifle to the floor.

“Yeah, that’s it!” Patriarch huffed. “Lower it and your son here lives!”

Suddenly, the rifle was launched across the floor to Leadwall’s position as the elder pegasus leapt into the air to tackle Patriarch, who fired a round into Forge’s chest, knocking him down directly next to his wife’s corpse.

Still holding the mare, Patriarch cocked the hammer back to finish Forge off when a torrent of bullets erupted into both himself and the hostage. Most of the rounds had found the poor mare, killing her on the spot, but Patriarch was more fortunate. Only a few of the rounds had hit him in lower places, however, the assault still dropped him to the floor.

Forge wasted no time disarming the slaver, kicking his skull down and taking the revolver away. Meanwhile, Maverick rushed to help Storm up, acting as a support for his wounded buddy. Leadwall stomped up to the scene with the rifle continuously held high. The fiery mare jammed the barrel into Patriarch's temple, sending a shockwave of panic through his normally calm eyes.

Now that the situation was under control, Forge quickly discarded any care for the Patriarch, instead crawling over to his wife’s body to confirm what he already knew had happened. With a bullet hole in the spot where his lung would be underneath, he held her still head in his hooves, clutching it to his chest while silent tears rained onto the floor. Storm watched the whole thing with a flood of emotions filling his wartorn body. Of them all, one had fought its way to the top of his mind, like it always did.

“What… why are you… waiting?!” The gray colt wheezed at Leadwall. “Blow his head off!”

“No.”

“The fuck do you mean?! He can’t… he doesn’t get to live after this!” Storm attempted to march forward, steal the gun from the mare and do it himself, but he collapsed the second he left his living crutch. “Please, Leadwall! Fucking kill him!”

“No!” She shouted back, refusing to lose focus on her prisoner. “We can use him, Storm! Take back the town! He’s filled everypony's head with his bullshit, they have nothing else to follow! If we threaten to take away what matters to them, they’ll all drop their guns and surrender! Then we can start living again! Not just struggling!”

Storm couldn’t argue much more. His body had already begun shutting down. The world’s dizzying effect had returned, but through it all, he could hear and see one last thing before blacking out.

“Do whatever you want.” Patrach crackled with a toothy smile. “All unions blow over eventually! Once everypony realizes how awful this chaos disguised as freedom is, they’ll all come running back to order! You’ll see! You’ll s-” A swift smack to the skull by Leadwall’s rifle butt knocked him out cold.

Storm woke up in the town’s hospital hours later. He clutched at his bandaged chest, alerting Maverick to his conscious presence. Besides the common courtesy “You’re alright,” neither colt had much to say to the other after the recent events. Storm already knew of the night’s outcome as he was in the remains of the town hospital instead of in a grave with a bullet in his skull.

Sounds of cheering, laughter and celebration raked at his ears from outside. It was still night, or maybe it was the next night or even a later date - he didn’t care. The dancing shadows and lights outside told him all he needed. Ponies were outside reuniting with loved ones, reclaiming their stuff from the pile, and possibly executing the former Wranglers.

Suddenly, the door to the room opened up, revealing Leadwall and a female buffalo. Leadwall froze upon seeing Storm, prompting her to turn towards the other girl. “I’ve got it from here, Strongheart, can you make sure nopony is tearing each other up over belongings?”

Strongheart nodded and left the room. Leadwall sighed before asking Maverick to give her and Storm a few minutes. The violet colt gave Storm a pat on the back, however, the gesture fell hollow on the gray pegasus once the events of the past returned to the forefront of his mind. Maverick left the room after giving his mother a brief hug, leaving the older mare and remaining colt alone.

Leadwall levitated a cup of water to his side, which the pegasus ignored in his zombified state. Finally, she took the hint and placed it on the table next to the hospital bed. Then the unicorn tip-toed to the bed and sat down next to the colt.

“We… I didn’t know if you were going to make it.”

No response. Storm continued to stare past the rotted wood floor.

“We got a doctor the second those pieces of filth surrendered their guns. You had two broken ribs poking at your insides. The doctor removed them and patched you up. It nearly took all the medicine, but I made sure you got through it. So did Maverick. He stayed here almost the whole time in case something went wrong. Even after all your help, we still can’t get that boy to stop thinking he knows better than everypony.”

Still nothing. So she tried to change tactics.

“I wish you could’ve seen it. It was unbelievable to see them all look like they had shit their suits once they saw us holding Patriarch at gunpoint. We made it quick too. Something they would’ve never offered us. Once all their stallions were disarmed, I killed Patriarch. Strongheart and a few others helped. Even if it was an execution, it was the most community-like thing I’ve seen this town do in a while. Shit, that sounded way more inspiring in my head…” Finally, Leadwall craned her head to look at him. His body language told her nothing. He was… frozen. Like a corpse that had been caught out in the winter evening. “Storm… I know a lot was… sacrificed for this, but just think about it for a second. We won, kid. You’re a hero too. Maverick and Ivory told everypony about your bravery. It wasn’t a clean victory by any means, but-”

“You won.”

Leadwall stopped mid sentence. The interruption was a ghost of a whisper, but she had definitely heard it.

“What-”

“That’s all that mattered, right?” His tone was as hollow as his dry throat. “You got your victory by acting. Didn’t matter what the results were as long as an action - any action - was taken.” Storm felt a hoof on his back, causing him to flinch away and shoot up off the bed like a short-ranged rocket.

“I don’t und-”

“STOP IT!” The unexpected roar made the mare recoil. The colt spun around to face her with teary ideas and hatred boiling on his face. “That’s all you’ve ever done! Play innocent, play dumb, guess your way through life without thinking a single Celestia-dammned thing through! You did it with Maverick and I had to practically raise him! Now here we are again! You hop on the first opportunity to do anything regardless of consequences and I have to clean it up! Now you have the audacity to call me the hero here?! I pulled the trigger, but I wouldn’t have had to if you had used your fucking head for once! We wouldn’t have been in that mess in the first place!”

Leadwall’s own eyes welled up with tears as she shot up. “Those are a lot of strong accusations, kid! I know you’re going through tartarus and back right now, so these things you’re saying are just anger talking. You know it, deep down, Forge and Rye gave their lives to give us a chance! I was ready to give mine and so were they! For you, for Maverick, Ivory, this whole town! Be mad at me all you want, but at the end of the day, you know I’m right.”

“I’m not mad at you.” Storm shook his head as hot tears poured freely out from his eyes, which the colt attempted to cover with a wing as he broke down. “I fucking hate you for being me! I hate that I couldn’t see the ticking time bomb that you are despite the fact I was staring in a mirror of the past every time I looked at you! It’s always the same! One reckless act! One shot to kick start it! The only variable is how many have to die in the process! Well, I’m done looking into mirrors! From now on, I’ll smash it to pieces or walk away until I can’t see the reflection.”

With that cold statement made, the gray pegasus stomped past the mare on the bed, slamming the door as he went and nearly knocking the thing off its hinges. He left a frozen Leadwall in awe at the outburst, but that was the furthest thing from his mind. All he knew for certain was he had to get away. From himse- From her! From Leadwall.

Eventually, the ashen mare pulled herself together to follow him outside. She found Storm dragging Forge’s old ATS suit out of a pile of executed Wrangler items. Storm sniffled as he yanked the straps around his frame despite the suit being a size or two smaller than his build.

Storm paused when his gaze landed on a familiar item in the pile of weapons, which had been amassed by the townsfolk in the redeeming days he was out cold for. Using his retrieved Tethertech, the colt picked up the slab-barreled rifle.

“Think about this, Storm! Please-” Leadwall’s mouth was locked shut the second all five barrels pressed against her neck.

“I’ll walk away or shatter the mirror…” Storm reminded her with an empty tone. His telekinetic grip on the weapon was shaky at best, but the mare was sure he could still use it. And judging by his current state, he would if she didn’t comply.

It took every bit of Leadwall’s will to pull back and give him some room, but she did rectuantly. Storm finished loading up with his possessions as she watched in silent horror, trying to think of any way to get through the colt’s head that didn’t involve five nails going into her own.

“What about Maverick?” She found it. “You’re just going to abandon your best friend?! What about Ivory, I see the way she looks at you! I was in love once too, you know!”

“I’m doing this for them! If they stay here, they’re fucked with m- with you, and if they leave then they’re fucked with me! It’s their choice with you, but I’m done being the downfall of everyone I care about!” He began walking towards the train station, the old point of teleportation entry and exit to and from the town.

That was it. Leadwall couldn’t say anything more. She couldn’t take anymore. Her own tears flooded her vision as the colt walked away. She knew they had won, but not everypony did. Some had lost long before the Wranglers, but at least had something or someone to hang onto to trick themselves. To hide the wretched truth and find a reason to keep going.

Leadwall had shattered his illusion. She didn’t just lose two good friends. She lost three family members. So she did the thing that had always worked. She ran. Ran from the guilt, ran from the colt who would be teleported away, never to return because of her. The one pony who had fixed her broken family, she had repaid by shattering what was already cracked in him.

And she hated herself for it. Leadwall knew she could rebuild a broken town. But a broken mind and heart were irreplaceable after she had unknowingly put a lock on the replacement organs. She knew he couldn’t hear her, but she had to say it.

“You didn’t kill anypony, kid…”

Author's Notes:

Merry Christmas and happy holidays! I'm so thankful I managed to get a chapter and artwork out for the season, even if the artwork isn't cannon to the plot in any way. Those drawings are coming soon, rest assured. Anyway, onto the chapter. This was another difficult, but rewarding one as I had to condense the Wrangler's rule into a single chapter and tell a bit about the backstory between Storm and Leadwall's falling out. All in all, I am very pleased with the unique take on slavers the Wranglers have with their capitolist society-like reign. There will be much more on their rules and customs later, but I didn't want to overload with everything going on in this chapter alone. I am also aware of many questions and holes this chapter leaves by itself, however, I do have answers later on down the road. There is much more to be explored with Maverick's mother, Leadwall, and Storm's relationship that should fill in said gaps. It's all part of my slow burn style.

That is all for now! Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year, everyone!

Credit to the drawing's background goes to the talented: Vector-Brony

Diplomats of the Damned

by CreativeCorpseStories

Chapter 1 - "Hollow"

Chapter 2 - "Damned"

Chapter 3 - "Mare in the Mirror"

Chapter 4 - "What Lies Beneath"

Chapter 5 - "Fever Dream"

Chapter 6 - "Expectations"

Chapter 7 - "Obstacles"

Chapter 8 - "Fucking Perfect"

Chapter 9 - "Always"

Chapter 10 - "Rules"

Chapter 11 - "Ashes"

Chapter 12 - "Somewhere Between Happy"

Chapter 13 - "... and Total Fucking Wreck"

Chapter 14 - "The Quick and the Damned"

Chapter 15 - "Evolution"

Chapter 16 - "Revelations"

Chapter 17 - "Sympathy"

Chapter 18 - "Catalyst"

Chapter 19 - "Far Away"

Chapter 20 - "Dirt Room"

Chapter 21 - "Cadavers"

Chapter 22 - "Against the Wall"

Chapter 23 - "Sanctuary"

Chapter 24 - "Here and Now"