Since Discord's accident in town hall causing a permanent portal, excess energy has went into certain objects around Ponyville. Now the CMC come face to claws with the world of DeadSpace 2. But they have help from an old survivor, Isaac Clarke. And he's determined not to lose anymore people he meets as friendly, even if they're not people at all.
"Are you sure this will work?" Discord asked Twililght.
"I'm positive; I did make the spell myself." She reassured him.
"What are you two doing again?" Asked one of the CMC out of the three in the room.
"Were going to look into another world! Think about what we'll learn!" Discord mocked Twilight using her voice.
"Sounds complicated." Appebloom whispered to Sweetiebelle.
"Not at all. It's just a locater spell, but with more power. Which is also mixed in with a trans-lucid spell mixed in." Twilight explained.
"What would happen if we got sucked in?" Asked Scootaloo edging away from the mirror.
"That won't happen, as long as Discord doesn't lose concentration. Worse comes to worse, the mirror will just explode."
All three of their faces were in "O" shapes.
"But what are the chances of that happening?"
"Could we just get this over with? I'm teaching Apollo how to make cotton candy clouds." Discord said tapping his goat leg impatiently.
"Alright keep your tail on. When I say go, you go, okay?"
"Whatever." He said placing his eagle talon on the mirror.
"Go!" Twilight yelled pulling out a quill and parchment.
He released a wave of magic into the mirror, first it glowed yellow before a picture started to form. There was a tall biped figure dressed in strange clothing and carrying some type of object in his hand.
"Fascinating! It appears to be ape like in origin yet is intelligent enough to use tools!" She giggled scribbling notes down.
"Miss Twa'light, can we get closer?" Asked Applebloom.
"Sure, just don't touch Discord."
They all smiled before running up to the mirror, just as they stopped the figure jerked to the right.
And fired from his "tool" four flashes of light which cut off two bladed arms of some grotesque monster.
All the Crusader's screamed, Pinkie along with all the other Element’s gasped. And Pinkie accidentally threw a brick from her mane at the mirror. Shattering it and causing an explosion.
When the flash subsided the Area where Discord was standing was smoking. In the shape of three foal bottoms.
"You don't think..." Discord trailed off eyes widened in fear.
"I think so..." Twilight said, barely a whisper.
On Titan Station.
"Good god that was close." Isaac breathed after killing the Necromorph sneaking up from the right.
"AAHHH!" Screamed three voices from inside a closet.
Isaac Slowly walked over thinking it was just some poor soul killing themselves.
He opened the door to reveal three small ponies. He stood there, momentarily shocked.
"Okay, my dementia is making me go even more insane." He said turning around to walk away.
"P-Please help u-us." Came a voice from behind that made Isaac stop dead in his tracks and spin around on his heel.
"Did you just talk?"
One of the ponies slowly nodded while hugging onto the other two crying.
"Okay, so what are you?"
"P-Ponies." Said a small orange one with wings.
He could only stare in open shock, he didn't even breathe to the point his health bar started to go down slowly. He finally took some air in and began talking again.
"Alright, I’m talking to three small technicolor ponies. Where did you come from?"
"E-Equestria, while we were watching our friend Discord do a new spell." Replied a small white one with pink highlight's in her mane.
"Okay, do you want to live?"
They all looked up to him in fear before nodding slowly.
"Good, you’re smart. Now come on and let's see if we can find a store." He said waving the three out.
"B-But what about the monsters?" Asked the small yellow one with a red mane and a ridiculously large pink bow in it.
"Don't worry, as long as you don’t try and kill me. I won't kill you."
They all gulped before shakily getting to their hooves. They all slowly followed him out, and immediately Sweetiebelle and Applebloom emptied their stomach contents on the floor.
The body of the Necromorph was fresh, and the blood was still pouring out.
Isaac had his hand out making a strange light come out onto the floor before making a line leading back from where he had went. He started walking with his weapon pointed forward, always rushing around a corner, always watching his every step.
And so did they, only they were watching him move around as if something was about to strike.
They saw a faint glow coming from around another corner, and as they turned they saw a large rectangular machine with a large blue screen.
"Alright, I guess I have three new companions. So, let's get you suited up."
All three of them looked at him confused, tilting their heads.
"I'm getting you a suit like mine."
They all made "oohhh" sounds. Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle looked excited while Applebloom was still a little green.
"I guess a normal suit won't do so, I’ll have to make some... adjustments."
He went up to the machine letting the screen enlarge before pressing a few buttons, as soon as he started, he stepped off and went over to another large rectangular machine, this one on its side.
He pushed a button on his helmet and a suit started to form on top of the machine. Once it was finished, he put in a few commands before turning to the small orange pony with a small device connected to the machine.
"I didn't do anything!" She squeaked.
"Don't worry, I’m just going to do a quick body scan to get the bench to modify the suit. Now hold still, this'll only take a second."
She reluctantly opened her eyes and faced forward; as soon as she did the little device let out a small whir and he pulled back reconnecting it to the machine. Little "arms" came out and started mending the suit to its new owner.
Once it was done, he took it off and handed it to her. She just stared at it confused before putting it on and getting the shock of her life when the helmet went around her head.
"Alright, I gave you the hacker suit. As for you little white pony with a horn sticking out of your head, you get the level 5 suit. You with the bow get the tank suit."
He repeated the process twice before all three ponies were fully geared. Except for weapons, they were completely defenseless.
He went over to Scootaloo and picked her up much to her fright, and brought her over to the tall machine.
"Alright, what's your name?"
"Scootaloo."
"Well alright Scootaloo, let's get you signed up as an engineer. Wouldn't want you to be broke and not be able to buy health and ammo now would we?"
He pressed a few buttons before a small screen popped up and to her fright, grabbed her hoof and put it against a small square in the screen. The screen turned green before he pushed a button on her helmet making it fold up.
"Now, look straight ahead at the screen."
She looked forward and a bright flash came out of it, startled, she kicked and a small clink was heard as she hit the floor. When she recovered and looked up she saw Isaac rubbing the side of his helmet.
"I'm guessing you're not that photogenic?" He asked laughing.
"No, I guess not." She answered sheepishly.
"Well I hope you two are, because it's your turn."
He repeated the process with the other two fillies.
"Ok, now you’re all official engineers." He said trying not to look at how ridiculous they looked in the suits.
"Hey girls, you know what that means?" Scootaloo asked.
The other two looked at each other before smiling.
"Cutie Mark Crusader Engineer's Yay!" They all yelled.
"What happened to mah lil' sister?" Applejack said tears brimming on her eyes.
"D-Don't worry I’m sure there safe... there just somewhere else." Twilight said putting the mirror back together.
"What if that thing finds them!?" Applejack yelled.
She stopped and turned to them with her head hung low. "I... don't know."
"This is all my fault. If I hadn’t have had that brick then none of this would have happened." Pinkie cried, tears dripping off her flat mane.
"Pinkie, nopony could have guessed a brick of all things would have come out of your mane. It's noponie's fault but mine." Twilight said before standing up with a determined expression. "And I’m going to fix it."
"Twilight dear, if you didn't notice you may be powerful, but the magic I used is far more stronger than any normal ponies magic." Discord said.
"But we have to try! Spike take a letter please."
He absentmindedly pulled out a quill and parchment. His face and mind a clear blank.
"Dear queen Celestia, it seems a new spell that I was working on, along with Discord has went... wrong. So very wrong, the Cutie Mark Crusader have been lost, there not dead to our knowledge, just somewhere else. We cannot be sure of their safety at the moment but we hope they are, especially after the world we were all watching.
Your faithful student, Twilightsparkle."
She gave a small smile before he sent the letter, and not soon after a bright flash came from upstairs.
Celestia came running down and saw the burn marks on the floor, Discord not smiling and the Element's in despair.
"What exactly happened?" She asked causing all the ponies and Draconequiss to flinch.
"It seems when we were looking into another world, a rather violent one... Three foals were accidentally sent there."
"What world? We need to find them, to make sure that they're safe."
"That's exactly what we were going to do. Discord think you can do it again?"
"If it means protecting my friends I’ll give my own life." He said before placing his talon on the mirror again.
It glowed yellow before a picture of blood covered walls, torn doors and in the middle were three ponies and the biped from earlier.
"What are they wearing? It's absolutely horrid." Rarity sneered.
"It looks like what it's wearing... then that means it's helping them! There safe!"
As the looks of happiness spread across all of their faces before another creature, a large hulking thing blasted through a wall. It walked mainly on two arms and was armored throughout there to its shoulders.
All the happiness had left to be filled with dread.
"There's no way they can beat that..." Rainbow Dash said now with tears starting to fall.
Back in Titan station.
"So Isaac, you know what we are, but we don't know anything about you. So, what are you?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"I'm a human, or if you want to get scientific a homo-sapien. So, no monkey jokes."
"You're supposed to be a myth."
"The last time I checked pegasai and unicorns were myth's too."
"Touché. So what's going on here?"
"Another Necromorph outbreak. Unfortunately, this is my second run in this sort of thing."
"Where was the first?"
"A class-A planet cracker called the Ishimura. I was sent there along with a small group of people to see what went wrong. Only to be nearly killed around every corner, shoot asteroids, fight hellish creatures in and out of space and let's not forget about that traitorous bitch that wanted to use the Marker as a weapon."
"A Marker? What's that?"
"It's an artifact the church picked up, saying it will liberate the galaxy. As it seems, I’m not quite ready to be liberated yet."
"So, where is everypony? Shouldn't they be fighting this?"
"They're all dead as far as I know. Otherwise their killing necro's and each other."
"I forgot to ask, but where are we?"
"You’re on titan station."
"Where's-"
"What's that noise?" Asked Scootaloo.
Not a second after she finished those words the door down the hall burst forward letting out a giant creature with plated arms.
"Oh shit! Brute!" Isaac yelled switching weapons.
He was now holding what looked like a larger version of what he was carrying.
It charged and he fired one bolt into its shoulder cutting it off. It fell momentarily before standing up again. It roared and a large object flew out from its "mouth" and came directly at them.
He stuck out his arm and a white beam came out grabbing it and with a quick flick of his wrist, sent it back straight into its face.
Out of the door again came a large black creature. It stood up on two legs like Isaac but instead of hands, it had two large spikes.
It charged and he shot, only for the shot to only stagger it. It let out a screeching roar and ran faster than he could fire. It tackled him to the ground and was trying to sink its two blades into his head.
"We need to help him!" Applebloom shouted.
"But that weird gun is over by that thing!" Sweetiebelle cried.
"We need to help him! He's been nothing but nice, so I think it's time to return the favor."
"Yeah! Let's get that thing!" Scootaloo cheered already rushing to the gun.
She quickly grabbed it with her teeth and ran back to her friends.
"How does it work?"
"I think he pulled this thing here." Sweetiebelle said while pulling the trigger back and causing them all to jump in surprise.
"Okay, we know how to fire it, now it's time to fire it." Applebloom said.
They all nodded and raised the gun to the creature's shoulder level. They fired and its arms came off in a spray of blood and burnt flesh. Isaac slowly got up and stuck out his arm before catching another of the pods from the "Brute" and sent it to the side.
He grabbed the gun from them and calmly aimed it at the ground in front of it and fired a small bolt of energy, making a small ball of light come out. It raised up flashing before it exploded.
"Thanks for killing that thing."
They all were about to thank him when they realized what he had said. They all broke into tears the next second.
"W-We killed somepony!" They all wailed.
He gave them the most sympathetic look he could manage before getting onto one knee and gently wrapping them in a hug.
"Listen, you didn't actually kill anyone. These things... these Necromorph’s are just remade dead bodies, all you did was shoot a walking corpse."
"So there zomponies?" Scootaloo asked looking up at him.
"No, Zombies want to just eat your flesh. Necromormorph's want to eat it, cut you into little bits, blow you up, impale you, tear you apart and turn you into one of them. But that won't happen as long as you stick by me, I’ve lost so many people I care about and I’m determined to get you all out of here."
"Pinkie promise?"
"What's a Pinkie promise?"
"Just do what I do. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Said Sweetiebelle doing the motions.
He did the same before realizing the words to it were like another. "Huh, that sounds like the human version. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye."
"I think I like ours better." Scooaloo said.
"Yeah, I do to. Now come on, since the store back there didn't have the equipment to put weapons in your suits we need to find another."
They all nodded before continuing on.
Ponyville. Library.
All the ponies had a mix of horror, confusion, fear and happiness.
"He promised to help them!" Pinkie cheered.
"Yes, but I fear for them myself. If he is lost then they will surely perish." Celestia said.
"But you heard him; he said he's fought those things before! He knows what he's doing!"
"Your right Pinkie. I believe, that they are in safe hooves. From his actions and sympathy I see no ill intention in him. Now, let us rest and continue this tomorrow at the castle." She said before teleporting out.
"Applejack, you and your family can go, I’ll harvest the apples and do all the work. Twilight I’ll make sure your library stays intact. Rainbow Dash Fluttershy, you two have others who can fill in. And Rarity... I’ll just tell the customers you went away on Royal business." Said Discord.
"Thank you."
"Thanks partner."
"Alright! No work!"
"T-Thank you... if you don't mind me saying?"
"Thank you darling."
"Hey what about me!?" Asked Pinkie.
"You don't actually count considering you did an entire week’s worth of baking last night."
"Oh yeah!" She giggled.
"Now let's go." He said teleporting them to the castle.
He turned to them gave a quick smile and teleported out only to come back with a frightened Macintosh and scared Granny Smith.
"Are they safe?" Big mac asked.
"Yes, they got some help from a local. He's apparently dealt with the sort of thing before." Twilight said.
"Good. But Ah don't think me and granny can see it."
"That's understandable, you two don't have to stay." Discord said teleporting them back to the farm.
"So, why don't we all go to bed?"
They all nodded and left to find the guest bed rooms.
"I hope their alright." He whispered before teleporting to his and Luna's room.
The CMC and Isaac were carefully walking along the deserted halls of Titan station.
"Where are we going?" Asked Scootaloo.
"I think there's a store by the tram rails. Which, evidently is where I also need to go."
"What's a tram?"
"A train that goes along on a cord above it."
"That doesn't sound safe."
"Neither does walking through a hall where necro's could jump out at any second, but we're doing that anyway."
"I guess. Say, how can you use magic without a horn?"
"What? I can't use magic. Magic doesn't exist."
"But, how did you catch those things in the air?"
"It's called kinesis. Your suits have them too, why don't you try it on that box over there."
She looked over to a small yellow box with blue lights on the corners.
She stuck out her hoof and nothing happened.
"You need to think what you want it to do. Think about the box coming over." He said.
She put out her hoof again and this time it came flying over to stop a few feet in front of her.
"Good, now think about throwing it to the ground."
She did and it smashed into multiple pieces. What came out were little small bronze circles.
"What are those?"
"Well god damn... you just found a box of power nodes. This is good, really good."
"What do they do?"
"You can improve your suit or tool with them. And it seems you just found atleast forty. Enough to fully upgrade your suits. If there’s any left then you can divide them between each other to improve your weapons."
"Sweet. I wonder what's in that one."
She pulled in another and smashed it revealing a long blue and silver object with eight small rounded objects.
"You are just one lucky pony, you know that?"
"What is it?"
"A Pulse rifle along with eight clips, nine if you count the one already in it."
"What's it do?" She asked pocketing the ammo and holding the gun.
"Its semi-automatic rifle that fires small bolts of energy. And like my plasma cutter, it has an alternate fire mode."
"Alternate what now?" She asked cocking her head to the side.
"If you activate the alternate fire, then the blasts will spray from every direction around you. It won't shoot down unless you point it down though, that would just be stupid."
"Wow, can I keep it?"
"I don't see why not? Unless you’re thinking of killing me and taking my stuff."
"What! Why would I want to kill you? You've been protecting our tails."
"Actually, so far you've protected mine. The Brute doesn't count, since I couldn't finish it off immediately."
"Hey Isaac, look what I found!" Sweetiebelle said running over with a javelin gun.
"Hey! Hey!Watch where you point that, I don't feel like being turned into shish-kebab. Wait, where did you even get that?"
"While you and Scoot's were talking, me and Applebloom saw something shiny in a room and found lots of cool stuff like this!"
"Where exactly did you get this?"
"Right to the right."
They all looked and saw Applebloom walking out with a plasma cutter and ripper.
"Holy shit... you three make a leprechaun look like a black cat that spilled salt, broke a mirror and walked under twenty ladders."
"Can we keep them?" Applebloom asked.
"You need to protect yourselves. So yes, plus the more firepower we have, the faster you all can get out of here."
"Alright, but there was more stuff in there." Sweetiebelle said walking back in.
Isaac and Scootaloo both shared glances before heading in. Isaac, as soon as he saw what was in there, put a hand up to his chest and the other against a wall.
There were four of each tool and weapon that you could buy at a store, health packs of every size, ammo in the piles, power nodes and air tanks.
"You all need to quite with so much luck or else I might have a heart attack." He laughed and they soon joined in.
"Thanks, taint' nothing." Applebloom said.
"So why don't we go and grab your stuff and then move out?"
They all smiled before going lining up.
"Alright, who has a good eye?"
Sweetiebelle raised her hoof.
"Okay, I think you'll need a Seeker rifle, Contact beam and Plasma cutter."
"I don't think I can carry that much." She frowned.
"That's why your suit does. It kind of absorbs it into your inventory."
He handed her, her three weapons, two medium health packs and a large air canister.
"Alright, now who's good with an automatic?"
Applebloom raised her hoof.
"Alright, you get a Pulse rifle, Line gun and a Plasma cutter."
He handed her all of her, her weapons along with two small health packs and a large air canister.
"Are you good with heavy items?" He asked Scootaloo.
Who was holding a Ripper in both hooves.
"I'll take that as a yes, so you can have a Ripper, Force gun and Plasma-"
"I think I’ll take that over there." She said pointing a ripper at another weapon with a small flame coming out.
"Alright, just don't turn us into Bar-B-Q. So you get a Ripper, Force gun and the Flame thrower."
She took her stuff and a few nodes.
"You’re not getting any air tanks?" He asked slightly shocked.
"No, I can hold my breath for two hours."
"Good, because the necros don't need air anyway. Now come on, let's sort out the node issue and then we move out."
They all nodded and went to work collecting as many nodes as possible.
There were atleast a hundred nodes in total.
"Wow, there looks like there's enough for everyone."
"And there's a bench-thingy by the tram." Scootaloo said reloading all of her weapons.
"How do you know that?"
"I saw the line go in the same direction that blue one did. So, let's go."
"I'd say so far this has been a pretty good outbreak, as far as they go." Isaac said.
"Come on, we need to move." Said Sweetiebelle taking out her Contact beam.
"Ah just want tah' go already." Applebloom said taking out her Plasma cutter.
He led them out and led them down another hallway, always checking every corner to make sure there were no enemies in hiding.
They made it to a room filled with desks, chairs and the chairs beheaded occupant's. It was pitch black and the only light is when Isaac showed the path to where they needed to go.
As they made a turn a screen came to life for only a second scaring all three of them to run out of the room in fear of the noise and possibility of it attracting necromorph's.
When they stopped they were in a room full of bed like tubes with blue energy floating around them.
"Stasis chambers." he said, reading the sign aloud.
"What?" They all asked in unison.
"If you can fire a bolt of this stuff out of your suit, then you can slow down the motion of certain objects, even if they’re in the air."
"Do we have them?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"Yes, you all just need to charge them. And look at that, there's a re-charge station right over there."
They all looked to the right of the room and on the wall was a small box with a blue bar connecting to a circle. They all ran up to it to look at it closer.
"Ah can't reach it." Applebloom said frowning.
"What if we stack on top of each other?" Scootaloo asked.
"That could work." Sweetiebelle said.
Scootaloo planted her hooves firmly on the ground and let Sweeitebelle climb on and following her Applebloom. After she got her stasis charged, Sweetibelle switched places with her and after Sweetiebelle was done Scootaloo climbed up and charged hers.
"Dammit!" Isaac yelled shaking his smoking hands.
They all turned and saw him reaching into a box full of wires while looking at a screen with a large circle on it.
"What's he doing?" Sweetiebelle asked Applebloom.
"Ah don't know."
"Come on!" He yelled shaking his hands again.
Scootaloo walked over and saw how he was doing it, he just moved his hands around making a bar in the circle move and when it met a blue dot he pushed a button on the inside. As he was about to try again she stuck her hooves in it and started to move it.
She got the first done making a blue light shine above the other two crusaders, making them run over to her.
She got the second and the light grew brighter, along with part of the ceiling being torn open to let in another one of the big burnt looking Necromorph's.
Just as it was charging, she got the third and a blast of stasis energy shot it, slowing it down enough for them all to open fire.
As it wore off, the torso fell to the floor before the limbs or what was left of them. Blood dropped to the ground in puddles, and the head dropped, rolling slowly over to Isaac's feet, who then kicked it across the room.
"Ok, now all we've got to do is go through the door." He said.
"Why does my flank feel all funny?" Scootaloo asked slipping out of her suit momentarily.
All three of the crusader's eyes widened in shock and happiness.
Scootaloo had a picture of two wires together connecting in a blue circle with the dot in the middle of the line, on her flank.
"I've got my Cutie mark!"
"What's a what?" He asked staring at the picture for longer than he felt necessary.
"It's what a pony gets when they find what there good at." Applebloom said.
"So, you get a tattoo on your ass saying what you’re going to do for the rest of your life?"
"It's not a tattoo, whatever that is. It's a Cutie mark."
"I'm not saying that."
"What? Cutie mark?"
"I'm not going to say it."
"Wait what's it called again?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"A Cutie mark." Scootaloo said.
"I know that." She sighed at her friend for ruining her chance to get him to say it.
They all preceded to the panel that opened the door. Isaac pushed a button and when Applebloom went to go through, it scanned her and closed.
"Hey, what gives?" She pouted.
"It seems we need to slow it down or find the guy it's supposed to scan. And since he's lying over there in the corner with his face probably eaten; that only leaves us with the option to slow it down." Isaac said.
Before he walked around back to the panel he saw Scootaloo with her hooves tapping away at an assortment of buttons. He was about to tell her to stop when the doors opened and the scanner blew up into a spray of sparks.
"Now we can go." She said passing Isaac.
"How did you even know what to do?"
"It's not so hard if you know what you’re doing. That and I read the manual in my suit if I ever need to hack anything."
"Damn, I see why you got that as a Cutie mark." He said before slapping his helmet with his palm. "You win this time Applebloom."
"What are they doing? And what are they holding?" Asked Rarity.
"It seems like he let them have their own weapons." Twilight stated.
"She's too young for a weapon!"
"But he can't protect them all at once. Even he knows that." Twilight pointed out.
"I guess it's for their own safety. I just hope nothing will happen to my little Sweetiebelle."
"As long as he's with them, nothing will harm them."
"Thank you twilight, you always know how to make me feel better." Rarity brushed away a stray hair.
Titan station.
Isaac and the others had just found a medical waiting room covered in blood but, still looked nice considering the circumstances.
"Are you sure this is the right way?" Applebloom asked.
"Yes, I’m sure."
"Are we there yet?" Asked Scootaloo.
"For the tenth time, no."
He decided to let them play a little game as they went along, and what a mistake that had been. They hadn't stopped talking, occasionally taking in some air.
When they were done scavenging the room they were currently in, they proceeded to down the hall where a rush of steam escaped the ceiling signaling a quarantine. Instead of yelping the crusaders and Isaac raised their weapons.
Yellow lights flashed around distorting the shadows, scratches echoed from the walls and afterwards metal could be heard tearing from behind them.
Sweetiebelle aimed her Javelin gun and fired, it hit the slasher directly in the chest causing it to fly back and into a wall. Isaac and Applebloom where firing away rapidly with their plasma cutters cutting off limb after limb, head after head until there was a small pile. Scootaloo had her Ripper's out and was charging them head on, jumping on them and sending a nice silver blade into their bodies.
A lurker crawled along the ceiling unnoticed, it saw its chance. The small one with the gun that shot the round blades. It leaped and started sinking its tendrils into its back. As it was doing so one of its tentacles was cut off by a flash of light. It fell to the ground before seeing what had happened, the tall one had its weapon raised directly at him. He gave it one screech before jumping through the nearest vent.
"I-Isaac... help." Scootaloo whispered letting her helmet fold open.
He ran directly to her and slowly picked her up, cradling her like a small baby.
"Don't worry, you'll be alright." He said trying to comfort her even though there was blood pouring from her back.
"I've had a good run... that right girls?" She smiled weakly at them.
"N-No! Please don't go, we need you!" Sweetiebelle cried letting her helmet fold down to reveal her tear strewn face.
"It's alright... I got my Cutie mark. I'm ready... just go, before more come. Please... for me." She whispered with a small trickle of blood coming from her mouth.
"W-We can't! You’re our best friend!" Applebloom cried.
"Please... get out of here. I’ll hold any off if they come over. Just... go." She said before closing her small eyes finally.
They all could just watch as her health bar slowly went from yellow to red and then flickered out. Isaac slowly set her down on a bed in the room next to them.
He just looked at her before grabbing a vase and throwing it into a wall. He let out a cry of anger and sadness before going onto his knees.
"I promised I’d protect her... Why does everyone I care about die!" He yelled at no one.
The remaining crusaders slowly went over to him and hugged him on both sides.
"W-We should keep going... it's what she wanted." Sweetiebelle silently cried.
"Yeah... we need to get out'a here." Applebloom agreed wiping away her tears and letting her helmet fold back.
"I'm getting you two out of here... even if it kills me." Isaac said before standing up.
They all left their fallen comrade, lying peacefully on the bed. As they exited through a door, the lurker came crawling back out of the vent.
It crawled over to where they had been standing; it didn't understand why they didn't bring their comrade back. Instead of pondering the confusing statement it crawled over to the bed.
It crawled up onto the bed and saw the reason for its missing tentacle. It let out it's remaining two and as it was about to mutilate the corpse, her eyes shot open.
She started to convulse and before long her face had turned completely white, she had no eyes and no visible nose. Her suit around her legs extended until they were atleast as long as the tall one's, her wings became white and longer.
She stood up, towering over him. He shot out with his tentacles but he was shocked that they were caught by two smooth black one's and saw another two coil around his underside. He was lifted to face the creature, it tried to bite it but that proved futile.
"Lunch time..." It said coldly before it started to feel his face warm up and freeze at the same time.
Slowly it started to squeal out of pain, it tried to look away but for some reason it couldn't.
Red light's shot out of its face and slowly its shape formed and was sucked into the creature.
"The others are going to freak... I hope they can forgive me." Said Slenderloo before walking through the door they had went out, followed by her new two armed companion.
In Canterlot castle.
"I-Is that Scootaloo?" Rainbow whispered eyes full of shock and betrayal.
"I-I think so." Twilight Said not quite believing what she had seen.
"She's a S-Slenderpony and she never told us. Why? We would have accepted her."
"I-I don't know... maybe it was how her friends would have reacted."
"Atleast there alright. That's good, right?" Rarity asked.
"Yeah, he's still going to get them out." Pinkie said letting her hair inflate back.
Titan station.
"Where now?" Sweetiebelle asked getting some of her will back.
"To the tram, still." Isaac replied sadly.
"Ah'm going to miss her." Applebloom said walking closer to her remaining friend.
"We all are. Now let's get out of here and too where we need to be." Isaac said pausing to go into a door.
They all saw a large room with small pillars lining around with a large one in the middle. On the wall to the left was a recharge station and on the right was the tram, burning and torn to scrap.
"Dammit... now what?" Isaac groaned out of disbelief.
They walked over to the tram and as they did Isaac stepped on a piece of glass breaking it, causing a small echo to resonate around the room.
That was all it took before a creature, large than a brute and far more deadly climbed on top of the tram and jumped down.
It jumped into the air and landed with a thud, knocking Isaac down to try and dodge it's giant claws. The two Crusaders opened fire, Applebloom using her Line gun and Sweetiebelle was using her Seeker rifle. All the shots bounced off uselessly making it turn to them, it swung with one claw, and Isaac shot out a pulse of stasis and momentarily slowed it down.
They all ran over to the other side of the room to reload.
"Alright, we need to get attack the yellow parts on it. Now fire!" He yelled the last part before taking out a pulse rifle and fired at the Tripod moving freely again.
They all fired with their strongest weapons, Isaac managed to score a few hit while the crusaders mainly missed every shot they took.
"I can’t hit it! It's moving too fast!" Sweetiebelle whined agitated and scared.
"It's movin' to fast!" Applebloom yelled over its roar.
It jumped again and smashed into the wall behind them breaking the stasis recharge station. Applebloom was caught underneath the Tripod and as it was about to strike her down, she fired her Line gun, severing its lower arm from its elbow. It gave a loud screech before swatting her to the side with its free arm.
She had the wind knocked out of her; she felt blood trickle down her forehead. Isaac and Sweetiebelle were firing away at the monster while it made its way back to the one who cut its arm off.
It raised its arm, and she closed her eyes.
And she waited for the inevitable.
And waited, and waited.
She opened her eyes and saw one of those small things stabbing it with two of its tentacles.
The tripod let out a frustrated roar before grabbing the Lurker off its back and crushed it to a pulp. It raised its arm again and swung.
She saw it stop inches away from her face. When she looked to the side she saw its arm wrapped in four black smooth tentacles. And what was attached to them made her and Sweetiebelle scream.
They quickly ran back to Isaac as hey watched the Tripod take on a Slenderpony.
It saw what was holding it back and struck out with its tail; the pony jumped and opened its wings taking to the air. It tried to reach it with its spike tongue; but the pony kept flying away before it came close. It misplaced a step and slipped on a piece off scrap, the pony saw its chance and dived down onto the tripod.
It wrapped its tentacles around the yellow bit connecting The Tripod's shoulder before it started to get up. It put in as much force as it could before its tentacles met. With a sickening splurch and snap combo, the Tripod's arm came off in a glorious tiny explosion of yellow goo. It fell on the floor wriggling in vain to try and get to its attacker.
It got down and stood in front of the limb-less monster before taking two of its tentacles and wrapping them around its head. It started to pull more and more before with a sickening crack the head popped off.
"What the hell is that thing?" Isaac asked pointing his trusty plasma cutter at it.
"It's Slenderpony." Sweetiebelle squeaked out.
"A ponified version of Slenderman, great. It’s not like I have to deal with enough freaky shit, but now I get this."
It calmly started to walk towards them before Isaac raised his gun higher. It stopped in its tracks before putting its head down and resting on all fours.
"I'm sorry..." It said in a blood freezing voice that resembled Scootaloo.
"S-sorry for what?" Applebloom asked looking out from behind Isaac.
"For lying... I’m not just a Slenderpony... my name is Slenderloo or as you’ve come to know me... Scootaloo." It finished rolling its ears back in shame.
"N-No! She’s gone! Ya can't be her!"
"I'm sorry Applebloom, you too Sweetiebelle; I should have told you what I was, but I was afraid of what you might think of me. For what I am."
Slenderloo slowly shrank down, her legs shortening, her wings getting smaller and her white fur got an orange hue to it before it was the familiar bronze they all knew, the purple mane came back in a ruffled mess like before and the eyes and lips came after. The eyes red from crying and the limps in a frown.
"I'm so sorry... I never wanted you two to know. I didn't want you to know because I cared too much about you; I didn't want you to get hurt because of me... I'm sorry!" She finally wailed letting tears flow freely again.
Isaac lowered his gun and just looked down at her in pity for what her friends were about to do.
Applebloom silently stared at her best friend, crying her eyes out. She didn't care if she was a mythological monster, she was still the Scootaloo everypony knew and loved. She quickly ran over and wrapped her friend in a tight hug.
Sweetiebelle followed suit and soon Scootaloo looked confused but happy.
"Why are you hugging me? Don't you hate me for lying this whole time?"
"We don't care what ya are, you’re still our Scootaloo!" Applebloom cried in tears of joy knowing her friend wasn’t dead.
"We wouldn't care if you were a changeling!" Sweetiebelle said hugging tighter.
Scootaloo's eyes shifted between the two nervously before a small smile crossed her face.
"Funny thing about that..." She started making her two friends stop to look at her.
"You’re a changeling too, aren't you?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"I'm part changeling; my grandmother is that big changeling that attacked Canterlot a year back."
"Your grandma is queen Chrysalis!?" Applebloom nearly yelled.
"Yeah, my grandfather Stormflitter met her when she was stalking another couple." She shrugged.
Her friends slowly started to smile and before long were laughing. It wasn't soon that Scootaloo joined in and before long Isaac finally spoke.
"What the fuck is going on!?" He yelled throwing his arms up in emphasis.
"Yeah! Go scoots!" Rainbowdash cheered seeing her number 1# fan kill that thing.
All the other ponies could only stare in shock that she managed to beat that thing.
"I think I-I need to lay down..." Fluttershy trailed off before falling to the floor passed out.
"Did you all see that!? Applejack you're sister and the others managed to actually beat that thing!"
"I can't believe it mahself, my lil sis’ managed to nearly beat somethin' that big. And dangerous."
"I can't believe Celly hasn't done anything yet." Discord mumbled, irritated that he still had to keep the mirror going.
"I wouldn't say that, brother." Said Celestia walking in with a bag of parchment and ink.
"And where have you been?"
"Working on how to contact them. Now step aside." She said motioning him to move.
"But I need to keep the connection going."
"No you don't, all you need to do is just give it one good charge. Now step aside, please."
He slowly retracted his talon and the picture stayed put, clear as day.
Celestia slowly walked over to the mirror and set down a piece of parchment and started to furiously write. After she was done her horn ignited and the letter turned into a black smoke before going into the mirror, causing ripples in it as if it was a liquid.
Titan station.
Isaac and the newly reunited crusaders were walking along the halls of the abandoned station. All was quiet, not a single voice could be heard, not even the scratching of the Necromorph's in the walls could be heard.
As Isaac was turning a corner a black smoke swept past him, startled he shot out with his plasma cutter and managed to hit a box.
He turned around and saw the "smoke" go straight at the crusaders, he was about to run and try and hit it but it stopped and materialized into a piece of parchment.
"What's it say?" Asked Sweetiebelle looking over Applebloom’s shoulder.
"I-It’s from the queen! She knows were here! It says the rest of our friends have been watching! Sis if ya can hear me Isaac has been takin' care of us! Were alright, and we miss you!"
"Let me see!" Sweetiebelle said excitedly before jumping up clicking her back hooves together. "Rarity! If you can hear me, I’m alright!"
"Let me see it!" Scootaloo said grabbing the paper with one of her tentacles surprising the other two crusaders.
"Rainbow Dash, listen I'm sorry I never told you what I was, I’m sorry. Can you forgive me? And not run me out of Ponyville?"
"What the hell is going on?" Isaac asked grabbing the letter. "Huh, a queen. I guess you all can't surprise me anymore."
"She not the only one there's Candace the alicorn of love, Celestia the co-ruler and and controller of the sun and Luna, Celestia's sister and co-ruler of Equestria and controller of the moon. Alexander, Celestia's husband. Solar Flare and Discord's and luna's kids, Apollo and Orion." Sweetiebelle explained.
"So, your telling me that you all have eight actual gods. I would love to see the Unitoligist’s freak out knowing there marker is crap compared to them. That was a compliment, if you heard me!" He yelled like the others.
"Hey, if were yelling doesn't that mean we could attract-" Scootaloo started.
"Don't say it!" Isaac yelled cupping his hand over her muzzle.
"Necros?" Applebloom finished before two Slashers turned the corner.
The first one was cut in the middle making it just a torso, the second was instantaneously killed. Applebloom walked up to the necro, turned around and bucked with all her might. There was a wet crack and the necro went limp.
"I've never been able to kick them to death before." Isaac said impressed.
"Thanks, I work on the farm when no one’s lookin'. Oops... I guess that secret's out."
"You work on a farm? I guess that explains the name." He said before continuing onward.
All four entered into a room with a store and a bench.
"Alright let's see what we got." Isaac said going over to the store.
The crusaders were staring up at the bench.
"So, who wants to go first?" Asked Sweetiebelle.
"I'll go first and help you two up." Scootaloo said before standing on two of her tentacles.
She used manely all of her power nodes and what she did have she upgraded fully.
Now she had two Rippers, a Force gun and Flamethrower, plus her suit and stasis along with kinesis now fully upgraded. She lifted Applebloom up next and she used all of her nodes up but managed to upgrade all of her things. Scootaloo raised Sweetiebelle up next and kept her there until her tentacle got tired before she wanted down.
"What took you so long? My tentacle is killing me." She said retracting her boneless appendage.
"I wanted to make the right choices." She said before walking over to help Isaac, or watch him atleast.
"Hey Scootaloo," Isaac called out. "Do you need any air canisters or health?" He asked.
"No thanks, I don't actually need to breathe. And I don't even have a heart so, I can't really die."
"Ok now I know of nine immortal beings and their all ponies. Weirdest. Necromorph. Outbreak ever."
"I don't really mind, I’m getting plenty to eat."
"Please don't tell me you eat meat too?" He asked taking out his plasma cutter.
She saw him reach for it and her eyes turned a lime green. His hand stopped and he sat down while taking off his helmet, she walked over and sat in front of him before her eyes turned back to normal.
"What did you just do?" He asked slowly.
"I'm part changeling, so I can control others. But I didn't get the feeding part from my grandmother; I got it from my dad. Slendermane."
"I thought yall were slenderpony?" Applebloom asked.
"That’s just a family name, my dad's Slendermane and my mom is Slendermare. You should come by some time, there nice folks."
"Aren't we getting off topic?" Isaac asked starting to stand up before her eyes started to glow green.
"Your remember that little thing that helped me attack that big one earlier?" Scootaloo asked.
"Yeah what about it?"
"I was in control of it."
"I think you're wrong, only the Hive Mind controls these things."
"Then why did it attack another necro?" She asked with a smirk.
"Good point. So, how did you control it?"
"I don't eat meat, I eat souls. And after I do that I can control the husk left over."
"That's fucked up, but really cool. Your not-"
"For the last time! I'm not going to kill any of you! I'm a vegetarian!" She asked letting her eyes flash red.
"I didn't know there was a difference in souls."
"There is, I feed on animals. My dad goes after ponies and my mom just eats like a normal pony. These necros though... these things are just how I like them! Spicy!"
"So what do animals taste like?"
"Like chicken," she said rolling her eyes. "Not really, I haven't eaten meat before. But if you must know there cold except for Manticores, Timberwolves, Ursas and my new favorite that packs a real punch. Natures pack."
"You’ve eaten an Ursa?" Applebloom asked shocked her friend could take on that.
"Yeah, I leave the minors alone though, what I like are the majors."
"You’ve beaten majors!?" She yelled making her eye's go as wide as dinner plates.
"Yeah, and let me tell you, those thing's will send you running to a river quicker than when a pony see's my dad. And there very filling."
"Alright now I know the Unitologist’s are going to flip their shit. Now can I go please?" He asked thinking he was still under her mercy.
"I don't have control over you right now, but I am getting peckish..." She said turning white.
"Hell no! Eat a brute or something, I’m off the menu!" He yelled jumping onto the bench making all of the crusaders laugh.
"Remember I’m vegetarian?" She said between laughs.
"You guys suck..." He muttered sourly even though he was smiling.
"No that's only me, but seriously I’m starting to get hungry again."
"Then let's go. Maybe we can find you a nice plump Brute, how does that sound?"
Her mouth had a bit of drool coming out before she unlocked the door. They all gave a quick chuckle before following her out.
They were in a large hallway with windows on one side and a wall with luggage and broken T.V.s hanging on by the cords. Scootaloo was staring out the window in wonder; her two friends came over and looked out too.
There were ships flying by, one of them nearly taking out the glass pane, but that's not what they were staring at. They had never seen space before.
"Wow, Luna's been busy." Scootaloo whistled.
"Look at all the stars." Applebloom whispered.
"It reminds me of one of my sister’s dresses, the only difference is there’s less sparkles out there than in her shop." Sweetiebelle chuckled.
"Attention. This is Director Tiedmann. A station-wide emergency is in effect. In accordance with the Titan Station Civic Code, I am declaring martial law. All citizens are ordered to evacuate. Looters will be shot on sight. This is not a drill. Move immediately to the nearest evac route." One of the televisions said before being stomped on by Isaac.
"Asshole." He said begrudgingly before walking over to the nearest door, completely overlooking the Necromorph he passed.
It got up and before any of the crusaders could react, it went limp as Isaac's hand went through its chest and out it's back, severing it's spinal cord.
"Aww, I wanted that one. Oh well, there's always next time." Scootaloo said trotting over to Isaac with her friends en route.
As soon as the door opened a loud explosion blinded them and screaming ran through the air. When they went in, the first thing they noticed was the man getting hack up by a necromorph. And Scootaloo charging at it.
She hit it while it wasn't looking and pinned it against the wall. It tried to free its two razor sharp scythe claws but her grip was to strong. As she turned white another came out from the hole next to her, she saw it and pinned it too. She turned into her normal form and extracted the first souls from the two, seeing it's "brother" get "slain" it started to freak out even more in anger.
She finished off the other before walking back over with her two new minions.
"Holy hell, that is fucked up." Isaac said walking over to a necro. "Are they safe?"
"Only to my friends and allies. Go on try it out."
He looked at her and back to the Necromorph who was just staring blankly ahead. He slowly raised his hand and poked it before putting his plasma cutter to its shoulder.
"See? Harmless, now for this." She said before taking off her helmet.
The one too her left slowly lowered one of its blades down and started to lightly scratch her behind the ear. She smiled in relief and to the shock of Isaac and her friends the other started too.
"What. The. Fuck." Isaac slowly said, not believing he was seeing two Slasher's scratch a small supernatural pony behind the ears.
"Enough." She said raising her hoof making them both stop.
"Let's go to the elevator now." Isaac said taking a quick glance at the two necros before walking around them uneasily.
The other two crusaders ran after him before Scootaloo and her two minions came along and squeezed into the elevator.
A lovely tune was playing as the Crusader's, Isaac and Necromorph's waited in the elevator in complete silence. Until a guy opened the doors and started yelling for his life.
All they could do was stare at him before a blade was drove through his back and he was pulled away. The elevator started again and kept going until it reached its final stop.
"Isaac! Isaac over here!" called a guy from across the platforms.
"Who are you?" He asked over his video channel.
"It's the drugs, Isaac. They gave us drugs to make us forget. But it's all coming back... "
"I don't know what you're talking about. Why are you calling me!?"
"Isaac! Isaac! Look out!" Patient five yelled out before turning off the transmission.
A Leaper was about to crawl over the railing before it was tackled by a Slasher and sent back.
"I'm going to miss you Fluffy the second..." Scootaloo said sadly before throwing the other Necromorph over. "And you too Fluffy the third."
"Who was that? And what did he want?" Sweetiebelle asked peering over the edge.
"He's patient five, I don't know who he is or what he wants, but he seems to know me. And what's going on."
"I think he's just tryin' to tell us not to use drugs." Applebloom said before continuing on.
"Sure, why not?" He shrugged before following the mini-farmer.
They opened a door to the left and saw two people screaming, one trying to get her mother while the other was pulling her away. As soon as Applebloom stepped forward a Slasher burst through the door next to her. Isaac quickly tackled it and put his plasma cutter up to its neck before firing.
"Nooo! Mom!" The woman yelled before finally running away.
Curious the crusaders and Isaac went into the room and found half of a new Necromorph crawling on the floor. Applebloom used her stasis and alternate fire on her Line gun.
They left almost running before any more showed up.
They entered a laundry room and with what sounded like someone in one of the shaking washers they were about to go through the door when a lockdown started.
They all huddled into one corner, Isaac had his Pulse rifle out, Sweetiebelle had her Seeker rifle out, Applebloom had her Line gun still out and Scootaloo was holding two Ripper's above her while holding her Force gun with her hooves.
When they saw the first Necromorph, they all opened fire.
In Canterlot castle.
"They seem to be handling the situation well." Celestia stated even though she was watching an unfair fight of ponies and a human versus the Necromorph's.
"Go Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash cheered.
"Kick them varmint’s flanks Applebloom!" Applejack yelled.
"Please don't get any blood or... ugh, guts on your fur Sweetiebelle." Rarity pleaded.
"Wow, there doing just as good as Alex was against them." Discord stated grabbing everyone's attention.
"What do you mean by that?" Celestia asked.
"He's dealt with these things before. If you would like I could get him and I could leave? I need to go teach my daughter how to use her magic properly and this is starting to get boring."
"You two may switch. Just hurry."
He nodded and snapped his fingers, in his place stood a soaking wet Bronze alicorn with a short red mane and blonde goatee.
"Alright what the hell... is... What the hell is that!?" He yelled flaring his nostrils at the mirror.
"That is what the Cutie mark Crusaders are dealing with, with the help of a human."
"H-How did they get there!? Why are there more Necromorph's!? Who is that!?" He yelled nearly cracking the mirror.
"It was an accident, there's a second outbreak and he's Isaac Clarke." Twilight stated.
He calmed down enough to where he gave a low chuckle that sooned came out as full blown laughter.
"Isaac Clarke! How'd I know that crazy bastard is still alive! I hope he's still not dealing with the whole dead girlfriend thing."
"You know him dear?" Celestia asked.
"Hell yeah I do! We fought alongside each other before! He was using his plasma cutter while I tore the fuckers apart with my bare hands!"
"Then this is good, we need somepony with knowledge of what to warn them about."
"Oh crap, there's not any new necro's are there?" He asked genuinely worried.
"Do any of them spit up acid?"
"No... no! Crap there’s Pukers! We need to help them! Let me send them a letter or something, I need to warn them!" He pleaded.
"And you will, but tell them all you know."
"Dammit, I know to do that! Those are my best friends in there!"
"Good, now what do they need to watch out for?" She asked pulling out a quill and parchment.
"So do you have any friends back home?" Isaac asked stomping on a box.
"Sure! There's Twi, my sis, RD, Fluttershy, Rarity, Dinky And Alexander, but he prefers Alex." Applebloom said.
"This might be an odd question but... Alexander wouldn't happen to be human too, would he?"
"He was until the princess turned him into an alicorn."
"Does he usually carry around a big hammer? Where black and white armor and have insane strength?"
"Yeah, do ya know him?"
"He helped me during the first outbreak aboard the Ishimura. Me and him were unstoppable, I shot them to bits while he just tore them apart. If I had a choice to fight a horde of Necromorph's or him I would choose the Necromorph's every time."
"That scary huh?"
"Scary no. Terrifying as hell, yes."
Isaac and the others went through a set of doors and the crusaders went to look out a window but before they could another ship crashed into the station severely cracking the glass and knocking them to the flanks.
"We shouldn't mess with that window." Isaac said getting glares from the crusaders.
"What gave ya that idea?" Applebloom asked rubbing her sore flank.
"Don't get moody with me; I have enough women problems as it is."
"We thought ya were a girl." She nodded along with the other two crusaders in acknowledgement.
"... What?" He just stared at them.
"Ya said yall were havin' girl problems."
"I'm not a girl. It's just my dead girlfriend is trying to kill me."
They all gave him questioning looks before Scootaloo started to whistle the universal "Coo-coo" symbol making her friends laugh.
"If you’re done insulting the evil dead, can we go?"
"Sure, just watch out for that necro right there." Applebloom said before firing two shots at a unseen corpse which identified itself to be a Necromorph.
"Good eye. Sweetiebelle you have some competition."
The filly mentioned rolled her eyes before pointing her javelin gun to the side while still looking at Isaac with a bored expression before firing. She managed to stick a Leaper to the wall.
"Never mind... Let's keep moving."
They walked past the boxes and large T.V. and as soon as Isaac got to the door.
"Are you serious? Now of all times you pick a damn quarantine!" He yelled to the door.
A milk curdling moan echoed out from the vents and soon a bubbling noise accompanied by three Necromorph's with glowing sacs on their left arms.
"Aim for the yellow." Isaac said aiming at the one in the middle.
Before he shot a small bolt of plasma discharged from Applebloom's Plasma cutter. He looked down and she gave him a nod.
"Power has been restored." A speaker announced.
They all quickly went over to the door and opened it to run ahead so it won’t open again.
Isaac froze in place for a little while just staring at a screen about Cassini towers. The crusaders took notice and stopped to look at him.
"What wrong with him?" Applebloom asked.
"How should I know?" Sweetiebelle said.
He started to walk forward and bumped into Scootaloo who had a glazed over look on her face as she followed him. They both went up to the top of the ramp and stared at an empty seat before Isaac took out his Plasma cutter and took off the top just as a flaming train sped by.
They both wobbled for a second and looked at each other with shock in their eyes.
"You saw her too?" Isaac asked fear in his voice.
"Y-Yeah... what was she? Who was she?" Scootaloo asked.
"My woman problem."
"What happened to you two? You both just went blank and Isaac went nuts on the chair." Sweetiebelle said.
"I'm afraid she's got my little condition." Isaac said sadly.
"W-What condition?" Scootaloo asked.
"My lethal dementia. Now we need to hurry or else me and her will die. Her for real this time."
"Ow... my head hurts." Scootaloo said rubbing her forehead.
"It gets better." Isaac said.
"Really?"
"No, it stays the same, but that's the good part."
"What makes it bad then?"
"It’s still killing you. Now come on, I see a train over there."
He started to walk towards the train and when he got to the doors an Infector dropped from the vent and started to turn a body. Isaac raised his gun at the entrance where he was level with the Infector.
The doors opened and it came crawling out; it barely made it one step out before a barrage of plasma hit it, killing it. The Necromorph inside charged him and he cut off its arms, he walked over to the Necromorph and smacked it's head off.
"Trains here, all aboard!" He called like a old ticket collector.
The crusaders ran in, Applebloom last making sure that they were alone.
Isaac and the others went to the front of the train and there they found a loose panel. Scootaloo ran ahead of Isaac and pulled it off where after she started to hack. In seconds the train's engine whirred to life and they felt themselves lurch back.
"Good job kid." Isaac said before getting a face full of black smoke.
He waved his arms around frantically before he hit something solid. He looked and saw a scroll laying on the floor. He picked it up and started to read, some parts making his eyes widen underneath his helmet and others bring back memories.
"What does it say?" Applebloom asked.
"It’s from Alex, he's telling me about the new necro’s here and some one's I hope we don't meet as far as his description goes."
"Hey Isaac, does this thing go to the government sector?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"No, it goes to Hogwarts." He replied sarcastically.
"Really? Wait... Where’s Hogwarts?"
"It doesn't exist. But yes, it does go to the government section."
He went ahead and went through the first pair of doors, the crusaders in tow and when the doors closed some of the windows busted open.
They came face to face to muzzle with a Puker.
Isaac cut off its head and an arm. It was still standing so Scootaloo grabbed it and let it scrape against the outside all until only its legs remained.
They went to the next set of doors to reveal the other section of the train moving ahead.
"I guess we need to jump." Isaac said before throwing himself out.
The other crusader gave each other looks of uncertainty before they jumped out too. They quickly caught up to Isaac and soon they were halfway to the other bit.
One of the doors came loose and nicked Isaac sending him slightly back before he regained his stature and threw on the boosters.
A second door came loose and Isaac was going too fast to avoid it. He closed his eyes and waited for the impact.
And waited.
And waited.
He opened his eyes to see the door went harmlessly over him. He chuckled at the close call before speeding up to the train. He grabbed hold of a bar and pulled himself to safety. He stuck out a hand to help the crusaders on.
They were falling behind and they looked to be getting slower.
"Come on! I won’t be able to get you over if you can’t get near me!" He yelled.
"We don’t know how to speed up!" Sweetiebelle yelled.
"Just jump!"
"What!?"
"Jump!"
They all looked at each other before trying to jump and as soon as they did they rocketed into Isaac sending him to the back of the train.
"Shiiiiiiiit!" Isaac yelled going through the doors.
They watched, screaming as they went by Necromorph's hanging on trying to stab them as they went along. They saw an opening and Isaac got his ankle caught on a cable while the crusaders fell down.
"My leg!" Applebloom cried as she held her ankle.
"Don't worry about the leg! We've got bigger fish to fry! Watch out!" Isaac yelled firing at a half-slasher or crawler.
Reluctantly all three turned to see a horde of different necro's coming in their direction.
They quickly finished them off and as they did a Brute came up above Isaac knocking him free. He shot momentarily before a piece of the track fell down and he watched as the train started to fall. He got up, grabbed Applebloom and started to run with her friends in pursuit. He ran a good distance until the train exploded sending out a shock wave making him fall. He turned at the last second so he would land on his back instead of Applebloom.
"You’re a big pain in the ass, you know that?" He chuckled making her laugh a little before wincing at the pain.
"Ah think my leg is broken." She cried.
"Let me see." He asked.
She showed her front left hoof which was twisted the wrong way.
"Don't worry; it's just a twisted ankle."
She blew out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, but that was my firin' hoof."
"Just use the other."
"Ah can't walk then."
"... Oh. Why don't you let me carry you, or one of your friends?"
"I got her." Scootaloo said changing into her taller form and placing Applebloom on her back.
"Let's go, and Applebloom, when you're hoof starts to feel better just tell me, ok?"
"Alright. eww! Scootaloo, what did ya eat?" Applebloom asked waving her good hoof in front of her helmet.
"You try eating three souls in one day and see what that does to you!" She argued.
"Girls!" Isaac yelled.
"What!?" They all yelled back.
"Can we go? Quietly?" He asked.
They all nodded before following him up a ramp and to a door.
They opened it and they all saw a shadow on the wall, it was a childlike shadow only it had claws on it.
"Fuck, it’s the Pack." Isaac rhymed without knowing.
I know you all are loving this story, but I'm sorry to announce that I will be taking a break from this. Again I'm horribly sorry. In the mean time I will be working on my other story, King of Velrain. Again, horribly sorry and thank you for reading what you have as of far.
It's not any of you, it's me. I've hit a bit of a block and right now I can't think. I'm to focussed on the story going through my head now. Sorry. But I Pinkie promise to write on this again. It's not getting cancelled so don't worry.
Alexander stood there, fuming but sad with his head low.
"Why did it have to be the Pack... Why dammit!?" He yelled shaking the room.
"What type are they?" His wife asked trying to calm him down.
"There Necromorph's made from toddlers. Just little children like the Lurkers, only they could have ran for a few seconds before they knew what was going to happen to them."
"What do those things not kill?"
"Themselves. Let's just hope they don't fight a Hive mind or Leviathan."
"What are ya talking bout' now?" Applejack asked.
"Two extremely large Necromorph's. I fought two Hive Minds before... Only to learn the second was being controlled by someone."
"What do you think will happen if they find-" Twilight was about to ask before getting a glare from Alex.
"They won’t. There in deep space right now. If there was one, it would be dead."
"So what ever shall we do?" Rarity asked.
"What I need to do is inform the public of what’s going on."
"Alex are you sure that is a good idea? Ponies have never seen this kind of violence." Celestia said eliciting a sigh from her husband.
"What will we do when they get back? Or if they get back?"
"What?" She asked taken back.
"If they do get back, what will everyone else think? Seeing three blood covered, high powered suit wearing, weapon toting fillies; they'll want to know why the Elements of Harmony were out of town for an entire week and why the fillies were covered in blood. They need to know."
"Are you sure? What if they panic?"
"Then let them. Because they'll do just that if the crusaders get back... and their followed. Do you want to know what will happen if even one of those things makes it through?"
"N-No..." She said quietly.
"Then let me do this... Because their families need to know. The town down there needs to know where they went. We can’t just let them sit there and ponder where their best friends and family went. We need to tell them so if one of those... things does get through, we'll all be prepared."
"Alright, I will call for a meeting." Celestia said before summoning a guard.
"Yes Princess?" Shining Armor asked saluting.
"I need you to go to Ponyville to arrange a meeting. And hurry, time is not of the essence." Celestia said motioning him to leave.
He realized the gravity of the situation and ran as fast as he could down the hallway. He swept past guards and servants. He saw the front doors and instead of opening them he barreled through leaving a dent in them.
"Was that the captain?" The guard on the left asked.
"Yeah, I think it was." The one on the right answered.
"Does you uncle still work at that strip joint?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I think I need to find another job."
Queen Celestia and Alexander stood there watching the mirror. Celestia calm with worry in her eyes. While Alex had nothing but growing hatred for the creatures in front of him.
"I hate those things so much." Alex said coldly.
"As do I, but we need to stay calm. They are safe for now."
"There are those two words; for now. No one’s ever safe when any Necromorph is around... No one."
She draped a wing over his back and nuzzled him on the neck making him smile.
Which soon vanished as he saw a swarm of the Pack come out from the doors in a hallway.
Titan station.
"What the hell!" Isaac yelled grabbing the small Necromorph off his helmet and knocking its head off.
Sweetiebelle was firing away with her Plasma cutter cutting through two at a time. Scootaloo was smashing them against the wall and tearing them in half with her tentacles. Applebloom was shooting the ones who got around them.
"I'm having second thoughts about having kids!" Isaac yelled.
The last one of the Necromorph's came running at Isaac and jumped only to be grabbed by a black tentacle. Slenderloo carefully pulled it closer, examining it before crushing it swiftly.
"Why didn't ya take its soul or whatever?" Applebloom asked.
"They're young. Nothing but foals who didn't stand a chance at surviving. I couldn't; not to them atleast." Slenderloo said letting a single tear drop from her eyeless face.
"That's very kind of you. Atleast-" Isaac said before a screen came into view.
"Isaac! Isaac! You still alive? We can't talk long. I think they're tracking our signals! Are the memories coming back to you? They're coming back to me... the good ones... ow!"
Stross or "Patient 5" gripped his head momentarily before speaking again.
"The-The bad ones... the more I remember, the more my head hurts. I keep seeing symbols... do you see the symbols too, Isaac? And him... I keep seeing his face... Ah shit they've found me."
Stross logged off and the screen faded out of sight.
Slenderloo was making the coo-coo sign again and this time Isaac just nodded.
He stuck out his palm and a small blue light marked its way towards the elevator. They all reloaded their weapons and went in.
"Huh, different song this time." Isaac said listening to the new tune.
The doors opened and they all stopped to watch a lone Pack member jump off the railing.
They all exited with their weapons drawn before concluding it was safe.
"Wow, check it out. It's a food court!" Sweetiebelle said.
"I'm guessing you’re all hungry?" Isaac asked playfully.
Three stomachs answered back before he went to the nearest and only shop.
Lightspeed de milos.
They all sat at a table finally getting a chance to relax.
"It feels good to get some air." Sweetiebelle said fanning her frizzy mane.
"It would feel better if we had somethin' to eat." Applebloom smiled before testing out her leg. "Isaac, ma'h legs feeling better."
"Good, could one of you help me with this?" He asked trying to get through the locked gate.
He was pulling with all of his strength before he was lifted in the air. He looked down to see Scootaloo holding the gate's corners in her tentacles.
"Thanks. Can I get down now?"
"Just drop, it's only a few inches." She snickered at him.
He let go and fell only an inch above the floor. He was about to go in when tearing metal was heard. He turned and saw Scootaloo had tossed the gate and had taken off the head and arms of the statue.
"Really? Why did you do that?" He asked blankly looking at her.
"It was creepy. It was-what's this?" She asked looking at a small green and grey bar on her visor before it disappeared.
"What was that?" He asked.
"It said; Achievement unlocked: Lightspeed de Milo. What's an achievement?"
"I have no idea. Why don't we all just sit down and eat... Peacefully."
She shrugged before going over to climb on the railing.
"Where are you going?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"Getting something to go with the food. I think I see half a Slasher down there... Yep! That's a Slasher!" She gave a salute before jumping off.
There was a loud ding and seconds after Isaac came out with three burritos, each on a plate on his arm.
"I made sure these had only things you three could eat. Alright, I got Sweetiebelle a green bean burrito. Applebloom you got a cheese burrito and Scootaloo... Wait, where’s Scootaloo?"
"She went ta go get something for the food." Applebloom said before looking over the railing.
To nearly have her nose bitten off by the Necromorph Scootaloo was carrying.
"Ooh, burritos! What did I get?" She asked holding the Necromorph to the side.
"You got a jalapeno and cheese..." Isaac said limply sliding the burrito over.
"Sweet, my favorite! Come on let's dig in!" She said before picking up her burrito and looking over to her prisoner. She moved her little hoof over with the burrito still in it. "You want any?" She asked it.
It tried to shake even harder before she just shrugged and started to eat its soul.
"That one had a nice pinch to it. Hey Isaac, what are you eating?"
The crusaders looked at Isaac who was finishing off a corndog.
"Ugh... I'll tell you when you’re older. And not eating."
"It was meat, wasn’t it?" Applebloom asked.
"Yes…"
"It’s a'right we don't care." Applebloom shrugged before taking a bite out of her burrito.
"Whew, I was afraid I would have to calm you down and convince you that I’m not going to eat you."
"You? Eat us? Please, it's three against one, and I have four lightning quick tentacles, supernatural strength and teleporting on my side." Scootaloo said throwing the soulless corpse over the railing.
"You can teleport?" Applebloom asked eyebrows raised.
"Yeah, my mom and dad can too. Everypony knows that."
"What can’t you do?" Isaac asked.
"I don't know." She shrugged finishing her burrito.
Ponyville.
Alexander was on stage looking at the crowd before him sadly. The Elements, Celestia, Discord, Luna, Orion, Apollo and Solar Flare all present too with the same look; except for the three children who were confused.
"Citizens of Ponyville!" He started. "We have gathered you on account of tragic new, news that concerns the safety of three foals. These foals we know of as... The Cutie Mark Crusaders."
The crowd gasped before a reddish mare spoke up.
"What's happened to them?" Cheerilee asked fearing for her students.
"Earlier, Discord, the Elements of Harmony and the CMC were gathered at the library... There they were looking into a different world when the mirror they were viewing it in, shattered and sent them to that world."
"It sent them to where I had come from, only... it seems more of a nightmare. But they are safe; they have found a dear friend of mine who is helping them to stay alive. His name is Isaac Clarke."
"Are you sure they're safe with him?" A colt in the back asked.
"Yes, I fought alongside him on a class-A planet cracker called the, USG Ishimura. The threat he and the crusaders are facing are the same as what me and him faced."
"What threat?" Asked Solar flare.
His eyes hardened before pulling off the sheet covering the mirror.
"Necromorphs."
"All I see is them having lunch." She said walking up to her dad.
"They seem to be safe for the moment. But not for long." He turned back to the crowd with a pained expression. "If any of you wish to watch them, be careful. The world and what their facing is something more gruesome then what you could ever imagine. What has happened there has happened once before, it is not permanent though, but only if they succeed in what they need to do."
Titan Station.
Isaac stopped suddenly before getting up and looked to the crusaders.
"Do you feel like we're being watched?"
"Yeah." They all replied uneasily.
They shrugged it off before following the guide.
They came across an open door way with a marker sign lighting the entry way. They looked around before Scootaloo went over to a panel, pulled it off and put her hooves into the wires.
A mechanical snap was heard and the light on the door turned blue. She smiled and went through followed by the others.
The same tune was heard before, until Isaac and Scootaloo started to back up against the wall and she put a dent in it before the elevator stopped.
"Would you just shut up and go away!" She yelled eyes flashing red.
"What happened!?" Applebloom asked wrapping her friend in a hug making her snort.
"It was... Whatever is killing us. Wait... This looks like a Unitology recruitment center."
"A what?" Applebloom asked letting go of her flushed friend.
"You know those batshit crazy people I told you about, the ones who worship what’s going on here?"
"Yeah." She nodded.
"This is where you become one. I don't like it here."
"Have you ever felt-" The speaker was saying before Sweetiebelle shot it.
"Feel better?" She asked smiling underneath her helmet.
"Much better; now I think we need to go through that access vent over there."
They all started towards it before orange lights started flashing and a small group of Necromorph's came out.
"Don't shoot the glass! Were to close!" Isaac yelled firing precisely at the monsters.
"Then let’s not shoot! Let’s slice and dice!" Scootaloo said using two of her tentacle to take out her Rippers and the other two the rip out the metal from a window.
All three of them watched as she single handedly and hoofly took out the small group in seconds leaving a small pile of limbs and torsos.
They all walked over to help her out before a number of screeches were heard. They turned to see the Pack once again run at them.
"Now shoot them!" Isaac yelled before they all opened fire.
Ponyville.
The entire crowd stared in horror at what they were seeing.
"Those are but only a few types of Necromorph's, those are what they are fighting through to get to freedom and peace." Alexander said.
"You've fought those things before?" A green mare in the front asked.
"Yes, only there were much more dangerous types that I have been able to rule out. The most dangerous one's are not there."
"D-Daddy?"
He looked down to see the fur on his front legs wet with a small filly hugging him. He leaned his neck down nuzzling her and wrapping her in a hug.
"Shush, shush, it’s alright. They can’t get you." He comforted her.
"C-Can you get rid of the monsters?" She asked through his soaked fur.
"Not those, that's up to Isaac and the others. If they do come here I will slaughter all of them before they even lay a claw or tentacle on any of you... Especially you my little angel."
"C-Can I go with Apollo and Orion?" She asked looking up at him.
"Yes, this is something to violent for you and them. Why don’t you go get some ice cream?"
"O-Ok."
She ran to Apollo and Orion's side who took her to the farthest ice cream shop in town.
He looked back at the mirror and watched as they crawled through a vent.
Titan Station.
"Eww, it stinks in here." Scootaloo complained.
"Maybe it was the burritos?" Isaac joked.
He received three kicks to the ribs.
"I was joking!" He yelled rubbing his side. "Warn me when your going to kick me again."
"It wasn't very funny." Sweetiebelle said walking past him and opening the hatch to a new room.
He was about to argue not to go ahead before a scream rang out. He quickly sped up and got through to see Sweetiebelle frozen on the spot staring at a partially mauled body in a chair.
"Sweetie! Sweetie! Are yall a'right!?" Applebloom asked coming out of the vent followed by Scootaloo.
"He's... He's dead." She said looking at the body.
"Yeah, we have passed plenty of bodies before. What's different about this one?" Isaac asked.
"He left a message. Look." She said walking up to the table.
"Okay. Whoever sees this, listen up. You can use kinesis to pull blades off dead ones, and shoot it back at them. Watch, watch. I stayed alive three hours using this trick. You see? Just shoot it back at them. Uh, I'm going to bleed out soon. I got clipped pretty bad earlier. I hope this helps you out, whoever you are."
"H-Hey Scoot's... Could you lift me up?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"Why?"
"I just... I just need to do something... For him."
She nodded and lifted her friend onto the table. She walked over to the body and shut both of his eyes.
"It's disrespectful to the dead if you leave their eyes open." She said hopping down.
"That was very nice of you. Something he would have thanked you for, I'm sure." Isaac said.
He walked up the ramp and into the control room. They all saw another body, mauled beyond recognition, a bench and a blue panel.
He walked over and pressed a few buttons before the machines outside began to move.
"Diagnostic mode initiated for waste Compression Chamber 752. Compressor piston offline. It is now safe to enter the chamber. Authorized personnel only." A scratchy voice rang out from the speakers.
"Well, atleast we can’t blame, who smelt it dealt it in there." Isaac said before getting a hit in the shoulder from Scootaloo.
Rubbing his shoulder he went through the door and was about to go down the ramp before he head a few Necrmorph's. He stopped and raised his Line gun at the bottom. As soon as he saw the tip of a blade he fired a mine onto the floor.
Just as the Suicider came around, the mine exploded making its yellow puss sack explode, with it while taking out the other two Necromorh's with it.
When he turned to let the crusaders through a Puker jumped down and before he could even turn, it spit out a large glob of the corrosive fluid hitting him on the foot.
"Isaac!" They all yelled.
Applebloom took out her Line gun while Sweetiebelle took out her Seeker rifle and Scootaloo had her flamethrower out. They looked at the thing below them, they looked at it with pure hatred in their eyes before firing.
The result was horribly and glorious in a show of burning flesh, and scraps exploding from Seeker shells. Once they had made sure it was destroyed they went to Isaac’s side.
"Overkill much?" He asked while cradling his foot.
"Are you alright?" Sweetie belle asked.
"It just clogged the thrusters a little, no serious damage."
"Are ya sure ya are okay?" Applebloom asked keeping guard.
"Yes mom. I'm sure I'm alright."
They all smiled before heading through the door to the left. Once they entered Isaac immediately started to float when he jumped. The crusaders stared in wonder before joining him.
"Hey Scoot's! Is this what flyin's like?" Applebloom asked doing back flips.
"Yeah, actually it is." She replied moving around with her tiny wings.
"I think I'm going to be sick..." Sweetiebelle said.
"Take off your helmet before you throw up!" Isaac said turning to her quickly.
"Can hurry up?" She asked sickly.
"We just need to go through that door." He said pointing to a door opposite to the one they came in.
They all floated over easily and landed with small clanks. When they opened the door a body nearly hit Isaac in the face.
"Get it off! It's trying to tear my head off!" Isaac yelled firing away with his Plasma cutter.
"It’s not a Necromorph! It’s just a body!" Scootaloo said trying to suppress giggles.
He stopped moving before he hit the body away.
"I knew that... I was testing my reaction time, that's all."
"Right, come on hero." Applebloom said flying in and to the panel.
He gave a grunt before walking in. Scootaloo swinging around by two of her tentacles and Sweetiebelle was still outside.
"Hey Sweetiebelle, you coming or what?" Scootaloo asked.
A loud rasp and small cough echoed out before she came trotting in shakily.
"I think I just lost my lunch..." She said walking past her friend.
They all walked to Isaac who was busy pressing multiple buttons on the panel before lights started to shine throughout the other side of the window next to him.
They all walked out and Isaac walked face first into a blob of partially digested burrito and daisies.
"Where did this even come from!?" He asked irritated, wiping the stuff away quickly.
"I got sick." Sweetiebelle said getting airborne.
"Could we go before I walk into more vomit? Yes, good. Now come on we need to boost through that stuff." He said pointing to the cubes of garbage flying through the wind tunnel.
They all gave each other unsure looks before following close to him; Isaac was already at the entrance waiting for them before boosting in.
When they entered they were nearly pushed out by the force before activating their boosters. They caught up to Isaac and had to keep behind him to see. As they were getting to the halfway point Isaac's foot, the one that the Puker got, started to smoke and finally give out. He veered to the right and soon he was starting to get pushed back.
Just as he was about to go flying something wrapped around his waist. He looked to see Slenderloo fully changed and her other friends holding onto her wings. She effortlessly used the other three tentacles to crawl along the wall and soon to safety.
"Thanks, I don't know what I would do without you all." Isaac breathed a sigh of relief.
"Die probably." They all said making him look at them.
The three of them just chuckled before helping him up. After a quick dust off and thruster cleaning, they were ready to go.
He opened the door and they immediately aimed for the vents and walls. While the Crusaders took notice of the yellow boxes in a corner.
As they were smashing them the lights went out making Isaac flinch and two of the Crusaders scream.
"Ah can't see!"
"Isaac! Where are you!?"
"What's wrong with you two?" Scootaloo asked letting her eyes flash blue while covering her friends in the soothing light.
The sound of metal hitting metal could be heard. They all jumped to their hooves and aimed at the walkway and vents to see nothing. They looked to see Isaac with his hand over the front of his helmet.
"You're scared of the dark, but not Necromorph's?" Isaac sighed.
"We're scared of them both! It's just... We can't see anything in the dark." Sweetiebelle said blushing under her helmet.
"You know, you have lights in the front of your helmets for a reason, right?"
"They give off enough light as when ah light the lantern in the barn to read at night... Not again!" Applebloom cried hitting her helmet once.
"Alright, let’s all just take a deep breath and calm down. Think we can all do that?" He aid doing it himself. 'Nope. Not working at all.' He thought.
The two Crusaders took in deep breath and released.
"Ah feel better, thanks." Applebloom said much calmer.
He started up the walkway and soon he found the source of the problem.
"Looks like the power core just went out." He said before picking it up with his kinesis and putting it in the hole.
The lights turned back on and the door turned blue letting them through.
They rode silently up the elevator, Isaac and scootaloo glaring at the corners until it stopped and the doors opened.
They did the usual check but only found a power node before going through the only door besides the elevator.
"What's with the candles?" Sweetiebelle asked looking around.
"Oh great, were in the cultist part of the outbreak now." Isaac groaned.
"Hey, I think I see some ammo!" Scootaloo said running into a room.
The body in the bathroom door way split in two and out came crawling three, boneless pieces of flesh.
"S-Spiders! Get them away!" Scootaloo shrieked before pummeling them with anything nearby.
Which happened to be Isaac.
"They're dead! Stop!" He yelled in between hits.
She dropped him and was rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly as he got up.
"Why on earth, would you use me to kill the Swarm?" He asked folding his arms.
"I thought they were spiders." She said tapping her hooves together.
He just face-palmed before going on.
He exited the room, checked where to go, disturbed more of the Swarm and got used as a hammer again.
"Seriously!?" He yelled throwing his arms in the air.
"It was Sweetiebelle!" Scootaloo said pointing at her friend with a poker face that would make Celestia jealous.
"She can't lift me! You're the only one who can!"
"Nuh-uh!"
"Yeah-huh!"
"Nuh-uh!"
"Yeah-huh!"
"Yeah-huh!" She said back smiling.
"Nuh-uh!" He said triumphantly before realizing what she had done. "Oh, you're good."
She gave a cheeky smile before trotting ahead and into a different room.
The others followed and soon they saw Isaac and Scootaloo lean against the doorway in a children's room for support.
"You're not Nicole! Nicole is dead! You're not really here." Isaac said looking to the bed.
They both looked back to each other and then back to the other two ponies.
"It was her, won't it?" Applebloom asked.
"Yeah, yeah it was. Come on, we still have a way's to go before you all get out."
He went through the door and swerved to the left and then right before waving them through.
The Crusaders went to the ledge a few step over and peered down.
"Weird, they must really like this stuff. I don't know why, it's so tacky." Sweetiebelle said scrunching her muzzle up. "And it smells like vomit in here."
"I think that's Isaac." Applebloom whispered to her.
"I heard that!"
They all giggled at him before following him through the next door. Applebloom saw a box and went to buck and as she did so, a Necromorph burst through the door next to her. She raised her plasma cutter at it and cut off its arms before it fell to the floor dead.
She reloaded and went to open the elevator. They all went down occasionally sparing glances at the vent above them. It stopped and they got out, the first thing they saw were the bodies out in the open.
"I don't like this. There are too many undamaged bodies lying around." Isaac said getting out his line gun.
"I don't like any of this." Applebloom said readying her Pulse rifle.
They all slowly entered, each of them guarding a side.
Applebloom spun and fired thirty bullets into a Infector trying to re-animate a corpse.
"Infectors. Don't let them near-not again!" Isaac yelled getting drenched in acidic puke.
Scootaloo turned and side-swiped the Puker getting ready to unleash more of the corrosive fluid.
Sweetiebelle was taking off arms with her Seeker rifle and Applebloom was picking the blade up and pinning the rest of them to walls. But she failed to notice the Infector sneaking up behind her.
It jumped and soon they were wrestling in a blur of spider-like legs and hoofs. She rolled it onto its back, grabbed the proboscis and pulled with all of her strength. She put down her back hooves until they were sinking in its flesh before the appendage came loose and snapped off.
"And stay off a'me ya mangy varmint!" She spit at it coldly before helping to finish off the remaining Necromorph's.
After they finished they stood there to catch there breathe. All except Scootaloo.
"I... hate Necromorph's..." Isaac wheezed leaning on his knees.
"Me too." Sweetiebelle agreed.
"Me three." Applebloom said popping her back.
"Where to know?" Scootaloo asked flinging a head across the room to smash on the wall.
"It's... It doesn't say. Now I really hate this. Unfortunately that's the only way." He said opening the door ahead.
"What's all of these things?" Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle asked running up to a table and pushing a play button.
"History lessons for the cult of the bat shit insane." Isaac replied walking ahead and letting them follow.
He opened the door and jumped as he went up the steps. There was a loud shattering noise, Isaac yelping and guns being fired. The Crusaders ran up and soon their oxygen packs were starting to drop as they watched a barrage of bullets come from the ceiling.
Isaac nudged them and started to run under them to the doors ahead. They ran against the wall.
The doors closed and they took note of their surroundings. Including Isaac shaking his head.
"What is this place?" Applebloom asked looking at the large room. "Looks like the queen's castle... Only creepy."
"Welcome to hell Crusaders. This is a Untitologist church." Isaac said taking a step back with them.
"Creepy." Sweetiebelle said.
"Ugly." Applbloom said.
"Comfy." Scootaloo said getting looks from the others. "What? I like the creepy stuff."
Isaac sighed before heading to the right. The Crusaders shrugged and followed.
They entered a room full of candles and corpses. After rummaging around and finding a few clips to their already, gross amount of ammo, Isaac's screen popped up again.
"Isaac? Isaac, I know you see the symbols too. They mean something!"
"Stross. Yes, I see the symbols." Isaac said border-lining between annoyed and bored.
"Were a threat to them. I know it. We have to work together!... Oh, my nose is bleeding? When did that start? Uhhh..."
"Work together? Who's them? You mean Tiedmann? Stross? Work with me Stross!"
His screen flickered out and left the others silent before Isaac started up the stairs.
When they went through a door. Sweetiebelle groaned.
"What? You don't like libraries?" Isaac asked.
"I do, but now Twilight's going to want to see them... Sorry Twilight."
Ponyville.
"Hey! That's not true!" Twilight said angrily.
"Twilight, you're eyes glazed over the second the door slid up." Rainbow Dash said.
"Did not!"
"You did!" The fairly larger crowd said in unison.
"Quiet! Something’s going on!" A colt in the front yelled. "Look!"
Titan Station.
Isaac and the others were running around the elevator avoiding the Necromorph's while still shooting back.
"Get to the elevator if you want to live!" Isaac yelled putting the mob of Necromorph's in stasis as they all went into the elevator.
The doors slid closed and were opened a second later as a Necromrph tried to get in before getting shoved out by Isaac's boot connecting to its face.
Once the elevator opened, they all ran to the doors ahead, ran in and Scootaloo dented the door so it wouldn't open again.
"Remind me... How two Brutes came from the damn ceiling again?" Isaac panted.
"I just pulled a book out of a shelf and then, boom! Those things were there trying to kill us!" Scootaloo yelled.
There was a sudden pounding at the door making them all run into the room ahead of them.
It was small, filled with organized chairs, a small projector and a large, very breakable, glass window.
"Ok, no one fire directly ahead." Isaac said before noticing the locked door and the control room next to them. "Looks like we need to unlock the door." He stated.
They all looked at the locked door and then to the open one before going in. A panel flying off in sparks startled them and sent them running to the other side of the room.
Isaac pulled off the other side and grimaced.
"We need another plug-in."
"A what?" Applebloom asked.
"A plug-in, as Isaac called it, is a small circuit used to connect larger more energized ones and make sure they won’t use too much electricity and damage the system." Scootaloo said getting looks from everyone else in the room. "I read the manual."
As they all looked around, Isaac saw a panel on the wall, he pulled it off revealing a second plug-in. He pulled that out and swiftly put it into the empty slot in the wall.
Outside the door began to rapidly open and close in quick succession.
As they opened the door, three Necromorph's dropped from the ceiling and started to walk towards them.
Scootaloo froze them in stasis as she walked out into the front of them. She shot out four tentacles and latched onto the floor before taking out her Force gun.
"You all may want to step back." She said to the others before firing at the window making it shatter.
The Necromorph's flew back with anything else in the room that wasn't nailed down. Scootaloo just sat there idly inspecting a hoof.
"That was awesome!" Sweetiebelle said running up to her friend to hug her.
"Eww! Quite with all this mushy stuff! I don't want to the others seeing this! They might try and hug me when we get back!" Scootaloo protested.
"If'n yall are done," Applebloom said. "We need to go before more of em' show up."
Isaac and her went to the door and as he stasis-ed it, she went under. As he waited for the other two, Scootaloo just grabbed it and tore it from the wall before flinging it to the side.
As soon as Isaac and Scotaloo were in, they both stopped in their tracks and before Applebloom or Sweetiebelle could say anything, Scootaloo smashed all the screens in front of her as Isaac stomped on the pieces.
"I don't like you're ex-girlfriend Isaac." Scootaloo said rubbing her head.
"I'm starting to see why myself." He said wobbling into the next room.
"Alright kiddies, into the vent." He motioned them into the vent as if it was a Limousine and he was the driver.
They all, one by one, crawled in.
Scootaloo exited first followed by Isaac and the other two got the biggest shock so far.
Scootaloo was trying to stab Isaac in the eye with a needle. He was struggling to force her back but even he was starting to strain. Luckily, they both snapped out of it and just stared at each other before she dropped to the ground.
"I-Isaac... I-I don’t know what happened! One second I was crawling t-the next I see that woman and then... and then... I'm sorry!" She finally cried out wrapping her four tentacles and hooves around him.
He caressed her back slowly trying to get her to calm down.
"It's alright, shh, shh. It's alright, I saw her too. It’s alright... She’s just trying to separate us. And I won't, I repeat, won't let her." He looked right into her eyes before smiling. "I Pinkie promise. Cross my heart hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my ey-ow! Why’d I do that!?" He was gripping his eye he just poked.
She giggled before seeing her two friends.
"Applebloom? Sweetiebelle? Are you two alright?" She asked as Isaac looked behind him.
They just nodded before falling to each other’s sides with a thud as their helmets hit the floor.
A sound like a horn went off and the four saw something run away out of sight across the room. They all froze as they listened in on the sounds.
"Did yall see that? Please tell me yall didn't see that." Applebloom muttered.
"Isaac, what was that?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"I have no godly idea." He replied slowly.
"Who cares? It's food and with their speed, they could be really dangerous if I got one of them!" Scootaloo piped up rubbing her fore-hooves together.
"Didn't you just eat?" Isaac asked.
"That was like... An hour ago. Wait, listen... They stopped."
All the sounds, except for the four’s breathing, had simply stopped.
"Now this is creepy. Be careful and watch the corners." He said taking out a Pulse rifle.
One by one they went down the elevator. When they were all down they went left but stopped as they saw the back of a creature run away.
"Let's get through the damn doors quickly. These things are faster than anything I've seen." Isaac said running to the doors.
Only to be knocked back as something rammed into the other side breaking it.
"I don't have a good feeling about this." Sweetiebelle said as she heard more of the creatures. "Not at all."
"Hey, we'll be ready. As long as were together, were unstoppable." Scootaloo said nudging her in the side.
"That's very... Noble of you scoot's." Isaac said.
"You called me-watch out!"
She pushed him out of the way as a Necromorph ran out of cover with a loud screech and ran at Isaac. She fired off a saw blade and cut its legs off.
And then it started to crawl.
She picked it up and threw it up to the ceiling as Sweetiebelle shot it three times with the Seeker rifle.
"I'm guessing we know what they are now. They’re going to be hard to kill, that's for sure." Isaac said getting back up.
Another screech was heard and another creature came running. It swerved to the sides as it went from cover to cover dodging every shot.
"How are we supposed to hit it if we can't even hit it!?" Sweetiebelle yelled.
"Maybe there’s something we can use to stop them?" Isaac suggested.
She looked around and saw only used Javelins. She looked to her right and a devious idea formed in her head.
"Hey Scottaloo!" She yelled as a creature came running at them.
"What!?" She yelled back trying to get a lucky shot.
"I think those things have spiders on them! Look they do!"
"What!?" She yelled.
"What!?" Yelled Isaac already seeing her tentacle move towards him.
She picked him up and swatted the creature aside letting her two friends kill it. She repeated the process as she ran out to chase the Necromorph's using Isaac the whole time as a hammer.
She finally dropped Isaac and had a hoof over her small chest.
"Owww..." Isaac groaned.
"Isaac! Are you alright!? Speak to me!" Scootaloo yelled holding him by the shoulders.
"Damn you Sweetiebelle... Damn all of your imaginary spiders." He groaned getting up wobbly. "I feel a little sick." He opened his helmet and went around a corner to throw up.
"Sweetiebelle! I could have hurt him!" Scootaloo yelled.
"Well we need to get rid of those things! And none of us could even get off one shot! What was I supposed to do?"
"Good point. Isaac! Are you alright buddy?"
"I am now. I really hate spiders now myself... They bring pain. Lots of pain." He said.
Applebloom stuck out her hoof and let the small line guide her to a panel hanging on the wall. She motioned for Scootaloo to come over; as soon as she did she tore the panel off and went to work.
"Hey, Isaac!" Scootaloo called out looking away from the screen while still working. "About the spider thing. I just-"
"It's all in the past. Just let it go and use Sweetiebelle for once." He said clutching his stomach.
"Hey! I was trying to save our lives!" She shot back defensively.
"I said once. It's not like I said to use you as a weapon for the rest of the time."
"Done! Alright everypony, get on." Scootaloo said getting on the elevator.
They all got on the elevator and were stepping off. Three of them froze as a Stalker came out and stopped in front of them. They all just looked to see Scootaloo who was running up to it to ride on its back.
Halfway up, Sweetiebelle stopped the elevator.
"Listen, Isaac. I really am sorry; I can take it if you're mad at me."
"I'm not mad, I'm just sore."
"Ok... Hey I just realized something."
"What?"
"Scootaloo could have just torn the door off and used that to keep those things away, instead she used you."
All of them thought for a moment and the sound of small tinks of metal hitting metal was heard before they continued up.
"That things looks a bit like a bird. Don't it?" Applebloom asked looking to the Stalker.
Scootaloo peered over the head of it and scrunched up her face.
"An ugly one. Cool beak though, it matches with the little eyes and its ribs sticking out." She replied.
"Just keep that thing away from me or else I'll Kentucky fry it." Isaac said opening the door ahead.
They walked along in silence, aside from the occasional squawk from the Stalker. They proceeded to the next door and proceeded through, scootaloo and Isaac in the front for protection.
"Looks like there was a funeral here." Isaac said looking at the casket. "Look for bodies that have blades and wait for the rest of us."
They gave a nod and half way across the room, the Swarm started to fall from the ceiling.
Isaac immediately ran behind the crusaders as he saw Scootaloo moving to grab anything nearby.
Which, coincidentally, happened to be Sweetiebelle.
"Sweetie! Shoot them!" Scootaloo yelled raising her friend into the air.
She took out her contact beam and started to fire away, but only managing to kill a few at a time.
Soon she was dragged across the floor in one solid swipe and then used as a hammer twice before being set down.
"Sweetiebelle, are you alright?" Isaac asked walking over.
"I'm not alright, I'm Sweetiebelle." She groaned smiling lazily before getting a smack in the back of the head by Scootaloo. "Ow... That didn't feel very good at all." She said rubbing her head.
"Hey Applebloom, you're turns next." Isaac said making Applebloom walk behind him.
"Not if ah'm behind all of yall." She said.
After giving a quick laugh and Sweetiebelle throwing up from dizziness, they all went to go through the door in the back of the room. After killing the hidden Necromorph the human, fillies and Stalker proceeded in.
The elevator ride was short, as was the walk down the ramp; but inside the room and the doors ahead was horrifying.
The station morgue.
There were some pods broken but most of them were still intact.
The first step Applebloom made, sent herself, Isaac and Scootaloo screaming.
Sweetiebelle just stared in fear as she saw them all fire at the row of tubes, and then stop.
"Isaac, why did all the... Bodies start movin' and the lights turn red?" Applebloom asked reloading.
"What did you just say!?" Isaac and Scootaloo nearly yelled at her.
"Why were the bodies movin'? They weren't Necromorph's, were they?"
"Dammit... She's got it too now. Sweetiebelle, I have a job for you." Isaac said motioning her over.
"Got what? What do I have!?" Applebloom cried, her voice cracking at the end of the sentence.
Sweetiebelle went over to Isaac, they removed their helmets and he whispered something into her ear that made her start to cry and run up to hug her friend.
Applebloom pushed her away gently before looking at Isaac.
"I'm sorry... I really am." He said. "You've got what me and Scootaloo have."
She hugged Sweetiebelle and buried her eyes into her mane as Sweetie cried alongside her.
"Am I gonna die?" Applebloom asked through her friend’s mane.
"If you start to see symbols, then you should be alright for now. How the hell did you get it through? The Marker only affect ones like this when they've... You haven’t lost and family or friends that were close, have you?"
"My parents went when I was a foal. Why?"
"If you see them, do not follow them. Sweetiebelle, if she starts to wander then stop her. By any means necessary."
"Hey, Applebloom." Scootaloo said getting her attention. "Do you want to ride the Stalker for now?"
Her ears perked up slightly and she gave a small smile and nod before climbing on the monstrosity.
"Looks like all you needed was a little pick-me-up. Come on; let's go before I start seeing my great uncle Herbert... That guy was still creepy, even in the casket." Isaac said the last part under his breath.
The second room was clear, the third as well, the forth only had a Puker that Sweetiebelle turned to Swiss on sight. The fifth room was larger than the others; there were more tubes and corners. After finishing off five Necromorph's they proceeded to the last pair of doors.
"Finally, it was getting cold in there." Isaac said dusting off some ice chips.
"Where are we now?" Applebloom asked.
"It looks like the main part of the church. I already have a feeling this is going to suck."
"I'm sure nothin' will happen." Applebloom said waving a hoof at him.
He took a step ahead of the stairs on his sides and down came another tripod, grabbing him and at the same time trying to spear his head off.
All three crusaders took out their strongest guns and fired, but in vain as their shots didn't do anything. Scootaloo turned back into her natural form and went to tackle the thing.
She collided with it with enough force to free Isaac. He scrambled away to the other two as he saw the two things fight.
She tried to grab its arm but the smooth skin was prohibiting that, she tried to hit only for her tentacles to bounce off. She gave out a yell and went to grab the spiked tongue and got a grip on that. She started to pull and with an easy snap it came off.
The Tripod gave out a screech and knocked her off.
After it did so it ran away up a wall, but on the balcony next to where it climbed up was a single member of The Pack. It called out to the others and soon they were jumping down to attack the four survivors.
"Don't worry, I've got this." Slenderloo said running up to the swarm of them.
She picked two up and threw them at their fellow comrades which did nothing to slow them down. Some of them jumped and started to try and claw her but only hit air, they looked around until they saw her standing on the stairs next to them. They all went to run up and jumped again. Only to hit air again.
"Third times the charm, right?"
They all turned to see her standing again at the bottom and ran at her again. This time they all were sent through the rails.
"That wasn't so bad." She said returning to her friends.
"So you can teleport after all." Sweetiebelle said walking up to poke her repeatedly.
"Why are you poking me?"
"I'm just seeing if you're not solid. It seems you are."
After the "experiment" they all went to go up the stairs when more Necromorph's came out from the vents.
They all easily tore through them but didn't see the ones in the back until they were nearly at blades length.
"Look out!" Applebloom yelled bucking away a Slasher that was about to spear Isaac.
"Uh... Girls, I think were surrounded." Sweetiebelle said looking between the two groups of Necromorph's.
"Run." Slenderloo said.
"What?" Isaac asked while cutting off the arms of a Slasher.
"You all are going to run through that door over there. I'll hold them off." She said before wrapping her tentacles around her friends. "And it's not up for debate."
She threw them across to the door just a corner away from her.
They all landed in a heap of legs, arms and hooves.
She watched as her friend did teleport, but only to the small balcony in front of them.
"Go while you still can. I'll take care of them all. Every last one of them!"
Isaac grabbed Sweetiebelle and Applebloom followed them inside but, stayed close enough to keep the door open.
Slenderloo shot out her tentacles, two grabbing onto the farthest pillars in the room and she started to pull. Her tentacles bulged in areas where the muscle was struggling; the Necromorph's were closing in slowly.
"Scoot's! Stop it!" Applebloom yelled going back out.
Isaac let go of Sweetiebelle and they both ran out to go help.
By now, Slenderloo had small droplets of sweat sliding across her expressionless face. The Necromorph's were being kept back, but barely.
A loud groan was emitted from the pillars as metal started to go out of place. Her tentacles widened even further and now she was on her knees with her wings on the floor.
"Scootaloo! Come on! We can still get out of here!" Isaac yelled firing his Pulse rifle at the swarm of monsters.
An even louder groan was heard and now the pillars started to shift. Three things happened in only seconds.
The pillars broke free of their restraints and collided with the others, the other pillars started to fall while tearing chunks of the ceiling out. And Slenderloo turning back into Scootaloo after giving out a blood piercing scream before falling to the floor.
"Scootaloo!" They all yelled in panic.
Isaac scooped her up in his arms and quickly ran through the doors as the room collapsed in on itself.
After dealing with the Stalker crawling along the floor, he gently set her down.
"Scootaloo! Are you alright!?" Sweetiebelle cried running up to her friend.
"Yeah... just a bit sore." She replied back quietly opening one eye.
"You are fucked up in the head, do you know that?" Isaac scolded her. "But you're the good kind of fucked up in the head."
She smiled weakly before closing her eye. Soon a soft snoring was heard as she wrapped her fore-hooves around his arm.
"Alright, sleep tight, we'll make sure the necro's won’t bite." He said pressing a button on her suit making her helmet close.
"Is she gonna be a’right?" Applebloom asked.
"Yeah, she's just tired. But damn, she managed to take out two of those pillars. Those things were supposed to hold up against a few thousand pounds of force or even a bomb. And she did it with her tentacles within seconds."
"She is a special kind of pony, ain't she?" Applebloom smiled weakly.
"Yeah, she is, isn't she."
He turned on his heel and started to make his way to the door ahead.
The room had a large metal Marker built into the floor and candles lining the shelves.
Nearly half of the way through, Applebloom and Isaac stopped to look ahead at them at something.
"Isaac... Appleboom? Why did you both stop?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"Dammit, that's getting annoying." Isaac complained rubbing his head.
A snort was heard and Scootaloo stretched out all of limbs, boneless and bone filled.
"Hey, what did I miss?" She lazily asked scratching her back. "Aww, where’s Fluffy the forth?" She asked sadly.
"He... Didn't make it. It was a he right?" Isaac asked setting her down.
"Aw well. There's thousand's more Fluffy's here. Hey Isaac, I forgot to ask you; why are we going this way?"
"Yeah, you never told us why?" Applebloom said.
He gave an audible sigh before sitting down on one of the shelves. "I've been talking with a woman on my comm for some time now. She says she can cure me, and hopefully, you two." He pointed at Scootaloo and Applebloom.
"Alright, good enough for me. Do you think she's one of the Uni-Unitologeist ponies?" Applebloom stuttered.
"Unitologist. And I’m not sure, what makes you think that?"
"Think about it. She asking us to go into a church, go deeper into it and now meeting her in a secluded area in the church. With who knows how many armed guards."
"That's actually pretty clever. Scootaloo, think you can fight some people with your tentacles?"
She smiled and turned back into her other form and gave a nod.
"Good, we should be careful then. Come on, our hostess is waiting."
They all crowded into the elevator and soon after the doors closed a Necromorph came out from the ceiling making them all scream.
The elevator door opened and out walked a Necromorph with blood dripping off its blades.
"I wish there were stairs..." Isaac panted.
"That was horrible." Sweetiebelle said.
"I say we rest for a few seconds." Slenderloo said.
"Agreed." Isaac said walking over to the small cushioned seats.
The others followed and sat down. Sweetiebelle spread out on them, Applebloom sitting back, Isaac following suit and Slenderloo getting her ear scratched.
"What's with you and having your ears scratched?" Isaac asked.
"It feels good because ponies don't have fingers like you do. I can't scratch behind there."
"You know," Sweetiebelle started. "Why don’t you ever keep you're mane when you turn? I think the purple would go great with the white."
She tilted her head for a moment before her mane started to grow back.
"You're right, I do look better don't I?" She smiled.
All of her friends including Isaac immediately backed away.
"What?"
"Uh, Scootaloo. Do you think maybe you couldn't smile like that again?" Isaac said.
She looked into the glass and saw her reflection and saw her mouth looked like it was cracked open like an egg with small tentacles moving around in it. She shrugged and it closed back up.
"So, I guess while we wait, we can talk about our worlds. For your Twilight's sake." Isaac said straightening up in his seat.
"What do you want to know?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"You just had to say that." Slenderloo groaned.
Ponyville.
"Twilight, I don't think he wants you bugging him like this." Rainbow Dash said gesturing to the stack of papers she already written on.
"Fine, I'll ask him a few things then." She huffed.
Titan Station. Unitologist church.
A black cloud of smoke appeared and a scroll appeared, presenting itself to Isaac. He picked it up and read it over.
" No, I have never done a sonic rain boom. Yes, humans do have parties. Yes, we like apples. And... Hey! I can't help how my suit looks! No, we do not have any animals aboard. We'll, I can honestly say that our sun moves on its own using gravity as its natural propellant and stabilizer to make sure the gasses stay together. And, yes we are currently on one of Saturn's moons called, Titan." He answered.
"Is the queen there?" Applebloom called out.
A small cloud of black smoke appeared and a scroll fell in front of her.
"Yes, I am here my little pony." She read out. "If it's a'right with you, could you try and test something out for Isaac?"
"For me?" He asked interested that a god might have some interest concerning him.
"Could ya try and send one of my sister’s apple pies here?"
Ponyville.
"I can certainly try." Celestia smiled.
"I'll be right-" Applejack was saying
"I've got one!" Pinkie said producing a freshly baked pie from her mane.
"Then, let's send it." Celestia smiled before her horn started to glow.
Titan Station. Unitologist church.
They all waited for a few moments, Isaac teaching some constellations to Applebloom and Sweetiebelle sending replies to her sister.
A large cloud of smoke appeared and laid on the floor before materializing into a steaming, fresh pie with forks beside it.
"So... You got her to send us a pie?" Isaac incredulously.
"Not just any pie! An apple family pie!" Applebloom beamed. "Go on, try it!"
He looked at the pie for a second before picking up a fork and taking a small bit out. He put the piece in his mouth and chewed slowly.
He gently set it down to the side.
He looked at them with a completely expressionless face. "That's one of your families famous pies?" He asked.
"Yeah. Do you like it?" Applebloom asked him, biting her bottom lip smiling.
"I don't like it." Her expression deflated into sadness. "I love it!" He smile could have rivaled Pinkies famous, Smile song smile.
"Well, duh. Nopony can dislike the apple's pies." Sweetiebelle said matter of factually.
"I can see why. These things were great." He smiled. "It was gooey and warm with cinnamon. I wish I knew how to cook that well."
"The first time we tried to cook we nearly burned down Sugarcube Corner." Slenderloo said laughing. "Pinkie said we all still did a good job. For beginners."
"Well, I could probably eat this by myself, but..." He wavered off sliding the pie in between all of them. "I should share."
All of their faces brightened up; Slenderloo went into the other room and tore off four chunks from the wall and brought them back to the others.
They each cut out four fairly sized pieces and ate while telling jokes and the crusaders telling him some of their own stories.
After they were finished, Slenderloo wiped the tin clean with a tentacle and sucked what was left, off.
"Well, that was good while it lasted. Real good." Isaac said groaning as he got up. "Ooh, careful getting up. That stuff is sitting a bit heavy for me."
They all stood up with general ease making him slightly jealous.
"Alright, are you all ready for a possible trap?" He asked them.
"They won't be expecting two, small talkin’ ponies and one supernatural one, are they?" Applebloom stated.
He nodded and went to the door ahead of them.
As soon a she stepped in, two men grabbed him and Diane turned to him with a villainous smile etched on her face.
"Well look at that, Scootaloo was right. This was a trap." Isaac said grinning at the woman.
"And who would that be?" She asked pleasantly.
The guards were smashed against the walls and herself was wrapped in two tentacles as Slenderloo and her two friends came in.
"Yeah, that's Scootaloo, that's Applebloom and this is Sweetiebelle. And you're going to tell me why the government want's me dead."
"They want you dead because their afraid. Afraid of change. Your mind is the purest of all. We need you to make more Markers." She said.
"What? What do you mean you need to me to make more of those damn things?"
"You made the one here Isaac. And soon we will all see glorious liberation."
Before any of the others could ask her anything else, a building not too far away exploded from a gunship firing at it and then the windows were shot in. Slenderloo let go of the woman as she was filled with led and sucked out alongside the two men.
And Fluffy the fifth.
"Shit! I could use some help over here!" Isaac yelled hanging onto a rail.
Slenderloo grabbed him and her friends; she pulled them over and looked to see a panel on the floor he kept pointing at. She tore it off and jumped down.
They all hit pipes and bumped into the walls as the traveled through before busting through a vent and hitting the floor.
They all got up groggily and dazed which faded quickly.
They all looked up to see a massive Necromorph screech at them.
"I fucking hate religion!" Isaac yelled before they all ran from the Tormentor.
They all ran screaming their lungs out. For the sake of Isaac's masculinity, or what's left of it, he was yelling very vulgar words at the thing and at Unitology.
They ran underneath numerous pipes, but only to have Isaac and Applebloom trapped underneath them.
"Shoot the yellow flesh on it!" Isaac yelled getting dragged towards its mouth. "Now!"
"Ah'm workin' on it!" Applebloom yelled firing away at the yellow tissue.
It gave a small explosion and became slightly smoother and thinner.
Isaac was firing away with his Pulse rifle and managed to cause another small explosion of tissue.
It swung its massive arm and made Applebloom go flying out of the pile while it still held onto Isaac. It pushed the other pieces of pipe out of the way and stood at its full height.
"Shoot it already!" Isaac yelled as it lowered him towards its mouth. "Any time now!"
Applebloom was dazed but still lifted her Plasma cutter at the middle piece of yellow tissue and fired.
She heard what was a sickening snap, her friends giving a sigh and heavy footsteps followed by louder ones.
"Let's go! Now!" He yelled picking her up.
He slung her over his shoulder and the last thing she saw was the Tormentor running at them before darkness.
Isaac slung the panel to the side as he carried Applebloom. The two conscious crusaders were right on his heels and on their tails was the Tormentor.
They ran ahead to a large glass window where, stepping near it, the gun ship appeared again and started to fire. The glass shattered sucking all of them into the void of space, they all hit the ship and grabbed on, Sweetiebelle holding onto Isaac and Scootaloo hanging on by her tentacles.
The Tormentor came flying by and crashed into the ship knocking out some fuel canisters. Isaac saw this and raised his plasma cutter and fired.
There was a flash and suddenly pain.
They all were blown away, Isaac and the crusaders crashing through a window.
"Ow... that's going to sting in the morning." He groaned getting up from the floor.
"You said it." Sweetiebelle said before getting lifted off Scootaloo.
"How do you think I-where's Applebloom!?" Scootaloo shrieked.
They all looked around for any sign to where she could have landed, but she was nowhere to be seen.
"The explosion must have knocker her out of my hands... Dammit!" Isaac yelled hitting a wall.
Four floors below.
"Oww... what happened?" Applebloom asked to herself while rubbing a small lump on her head and wincing as her hoof brushed against a tender bit. "Ow..."
She got up and looked around.
There were candles lining the floors, some in circles with the weird symbols and others just strewn about.
"Great... now ah’m lost." She huffed looking at the floor. "I'd better go and see if ah can find those silly fillies. Oh no, now ah'm startin' to sound like Pinkie." She groaned before having her helmet fold up.
It was pressing against the lump, but she thought it to be better to have to deal with a lump, than a blade in her head.
She started her silent trot along the corridors.
"Celestia pray for me and my friends." She asked.
Ponyville.
"Oh no..." Celestia said barely above a whisper.
"Dammit! Fuck every last one of those hell damned monstrous mother fuckers!" Alex yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Is she going to be alright?" Fluttershy asked nearly on the edge of crying.
"Please let ma'h sister be okay. Please... please... please..." Applejack kept repeating.
"If I get my hooves on those things, I'll tear them apart with my own damn teeth!" Alex continued to yell stomping the ground making the building shake on their foundations.
The crowd all had their ears lowered in pity.
"We never liked them... but they never deserved this." Silverspoon and Diamond Tiara cried. "We really should have been nicer."
Titan station.
"Do you think she's alright?" Scootaloo quietly asked.
"Of course she is!" Sweetiebelle cried. "She's more stubborn that a hydra... if anypony can make it, it's her."
"Now, what?" Isaac asked leaning against a wall. "What do we do now?"
A small screen flickered on his visor and Stross came into view.
"Issac? Isaac, can you hear me?"
"What do you want Stross? Look, it's over. All my plans just flew out the window." He replied glumly.
"No, no, no, no! It's not over. At least, not yet."
"Isaac... Isaac, we built it. We can tear it down!"
"You mean the Marker? Do you know where the Marker is Stross?"
"I... It's in the Government Sector! The Government Sector! But we have to move now! Now! Now! Because time is running out... for us."
His screen started to go staticy before fading out.
"Stross, Stross! Where are you going? Shit!" He slumped back against the wall.
"I guess we should keep going. There's not much of a point and waiting to see if she just shows up." Scootaloo sniffled.
Isaac and Sweetiebelle only gave a nod before he got up and they continued on their way.
Four floors down.
"Get back ya mangy varmints!" Applebloom yelled firing at the Lurkers crawling along the ceiling.
She fired and cut off all three tentacles of one that was getting ready to strike. The other had already fired and scraped the side of her helmet as she tried to duck.
"Ahh! You'll pay for that!" She yelled stopping it in stasis as she set a mine down in front of it.
Just as it was coming out the mine exploded and blew up.
"And stay down." She hissed as she unfolded her helmet.
She could feel blood coming trickling on her cheek. She sighed and walked over to the nearest mirror in the room she had holed herself up in when the Lurkers attacked.
She grimaced at the amount coating her cheek but still looked at the cut. It wasn't deep, but that wasn't what concerned her. She was cut across her eyelid.
She looked around and saw the bathroom close by. She trotted in and hopped onto the counter while grabbing a wash cloth with her kinesis. She turned on the faucet and let some cool water soak it before wringing it out and applying it to her eye.
She winced as she felt the cold cloth touch her skin but still cleaned it. After she was done she looked back in the mirror to see the damage.
It grazed her eyelid but cut her cheek too. The cut led from the middle of her right eyebrow down to her muzzle.
She smiled and turned her head to the side.
"That's gounna make a heck of a scar. I think I have Big mac's plow cut beat." She laughed at herself.
She hoped down and let her helmet fold back up.
She stuck out her hoof and the little blue line led her to another set of doors.
She hopped up and pushed the blue button in the middle and let it slide open. Luckily, she could hide behind the corner to peak out while Isaac would have just been standing there.
She looked around and slowly made her way in. The room was still lit fairly well, no blood or bodies on the floor and...
"Hello? Is there somepony there?" She asked, listening to the crying before it suddenly stopped.
"H-Hello? Who's there? I don't have anything! Please don't hurt me!" Cried the obviously childlike voice.
"Why would I want to hurt ya? I can't even see ya. And sides' I'm just tryin to find my friends. Why are you here?" She asked walking further into the room.
"I'm hiding from the monsters... they took my mommy and daddy... I miss them so much."
Applebloom stopped in her tracks, heart heavy.
"Yall lost your ma and pa too?" She asked shakily.
"I-I don't know... could you help me look for them?"
"S-sure... but ah need to see ya first. Where are ya?"
A small patch of bright orange rose from behind a table.
A little girl in blue over-all’s and a white shirt carrying a teddy bear came out. Her skin was tanned, her hair a bright orange and her eyes red from crying.
She saw Applebloom standing there and screamed before running out of the room.
"Wait! It’s not safe!" Applebloom yelled running after the girl.
She chased her down multiple hallways before losing track of her. Just as she was about to go back and look she heard a scream farther down to the left. She ran as fast as she could and saw the girl cornered by two large men.
"Please! Don't hurt me!" The girl cried in a ball.
"Don’t worry child, convergence is at hand. All shall see the glory that is the Marker." Said a tall skinny man with a black, overly gelled hairstyle.
"Yeah, what he said." Replied a large gruff man wearing an engineering suit like Isaac, reaching out for the girl.
"Hold it right there!" Applebloom yelled getting their attention. "Yall best be gettin’ away from her, if'n yall know what's good for ya."
"Look brother! A holy creation of the Marker! Let us give sacrifice to them so we may pass easily." Said the tall one.
The large man started to reach out again before something collided with him.
The girl looked up and saw they had turned blue and were glowing slightly.
"Ya might want to get behind me." Applebloom said reloading her Plasma cutter.
The girl ran away and went behind Appleboom just as the men came out of stasis.
"It seems this might not be a part of the convergence. Any who oppose us shall be sacrificed." The tall man replied calmly reaching into his jacket.
"Try anything funny and I will shoot." Applebloom warned letting her helmet fold up.
The man pulled out a gun and Applebloom fired.
The body hit the floor as the head rolled towards his partner.
"You feelin' lucky punk?"
He shook his head and ran off.
Applebloom gave a log sigh before turning back to the girl.
"Ah'm sorry yall had to see that. Are ya okay?"
"What are you?" She asked hugging her stuffed bear.
"Ah'm a pony. And if yall will let me, be the one to help search for ya ma and pa."
"R-Really?"
"Sure! Right now, we all need as much help as we can get. Ma'h names Applebloom, what's yours?" She smiled extending a hoof.
"Sally." She smiled back before shaking her hoof.
"Well," Applebloom started to reload her Plasma cutter. "Do ya know which way they were taken?"
"Just down the hall. That way." She pointed down the corridor.
"Then I’d say that's where were headin'." She said confidently.
Four floors up.
"What. The. Fuck." Isaac said slowly looking at the Cyst's on the walls and floor.
"That just looks nasty." Sweetiebelle grimaced.
"Even I wouldn't eat that." Scootaloo said.
"Hey, scoot's see if you can grab anything to throw at them." Sweetiebelle nudged her in the side.
"Y-Yeah, sure, whatever you say." She mumbled.
Her eyes lit up blue again as her gaze showered whatever part of the room in she was looking at in a clear sparkling blue.
Her eyes sat on a body lying against a wall away from the closest Cyst. She grabbed it and threw it at the small lump of flash making it shoot out a yellow puss filled flesh bomb.
"Well, this officially sucks." Isaac said grabbing a nearby box. "Let's get this over with."
Ponyville.
"I hope Applebloom is alright." Cheerilee said.
"We all hope that. But we mustn't lose hope in them." Rarity said gulping.
All the ponies were startled when they heard Alex start yelling at the top of his lungs into the muzzle Celestia put on him, for the sake of the children's sensitive ears.
"Alex, they will be alright." Celestia said walking up to him. "I promise."
He gave a huff before starting to walk off.
"Where are you going? If you don't mind me asking that is?" Fluttershy asked.
"I'm going to go blow off some steam. If any of you see any mountains crumble and need me; follow the destruction." He said before flying away.
Titan station. Residential.
"Are ya sure this is where they went?" Applebloom asked.
"Yes, this is the only way down here. They must have had to be taken here."
Applebloom looked up to see the sign above the door read, Escape pod launch bay.
She shrugged before jumping up to push the button.
The door slid open and Sally gasped.
There were necromorphs everywhere and they were all crowded around the door to one pod. The one with her parents.
"That's them! Please save my mommy and daddy! Please!" The girl cried.
Applebloom walked into the door way, Pulse rifle in one hoof and Line gun in the other. He helmet unfolded showing her with a clear smile but her eyebrows furrowed.
"I'd say its bout time' to do a little exterminatin." She said before firing a grenade from her Pulse rifle.
Necromorph limbs flew everywhere as the explosive hit a compact group. As they turned another went off and more went flying.
Applebloom aimed her Line gun and fired rapidly managing to cut many of them to pieces.
They all were charging her at full speed.
She smiled wider and pocketed her Line gun before doing the same. She ran at the closest Slasher; it brought down its blades and she jumped while firing her Pulse rifle, killing it and then using the body as a platform to jump onto the others.
She ran as fast as she could to the ship where the girl’s parents were staring at the small filly. She made sure to break the face of the last one that she ran on. She jumped onto the top of the ship and stood back on her hind legs looking out at the small horde of Necromorphs.
She brought out her Line gun again and started to fire away, cutting them to pieces as she blew them up with grenades, froze them in stasis to get a large amount with a mine. She was about to fire another grenade when it made just a clicking noise.
"Well dang, I guess now yall are gounna have to pay the hard way..." She said before taking out her Plasma cutter.
She fired off two more mines to clear a path for her to run. As they exploded she jumped and using the shock-wave, she propelled herself even further along and landed on a Brute.
"C'mon! That all ya got you mangy snake!?" She hollered while it tried to desperately reach her, but it's armored arms were preventing it from doing so.
She pointed her Plasma cutter right into its shoulder and started to fire. In seconds its arm broke off, she jumped down and saw one of the last necromorphs besides the Brute in the room. She aimed at the Exploder's small arm attached to the glowing puss sack and fired.
The sac was left behind as the Exploder fell to the ground, dead.
She walked over to the sac, picked it up with her kinesis and threw it at the Brute's good shoulder, thereby detaching it.
"Yall can come and go to your folks now!" Applebloom yelled out.
Sally, who had been hiding, came out of the doorway wide eyed as she took in the damage the small pony caused.
What was possibly dozens of necromorphs were now burnt piles of hacked and splintered limbs and bodies, some of them still smoking. She quickly got over it when she saw her parents emerge from the pod.
"Mommy! daddy!" She cried, hot tears of joy running down her cheeks as her parents embraced her in a similar fashion.
"Oh my little baby is alright! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" The mother cried.
"You or whatever you are. Thank you for returning us our daughter." The father said to Applebloom.
"No trouble at all, ah’m just glad she's with her folks again. What are your names, mines Applebloom."
The man was tall and skinny, his skin was a pasty white, his hair orange and he had a tangled looking beard. The woman was just as tall, she was blonde, had tan skin like her daughter.
"I'm Steven and this is my wife, Vanessa. We cannot thank you enough for helping her and us."
"The only way to thank me is to get out of here. Don't want to run into any more of those varmints do ya?"
"No! Again, thank you Applebloom. We don't know what we would have done if something happened to her. Come on Sally, we need to go." Steven said.
"Applebloom, do you want to come with us? Away from the monsters?" Sally asked.
"Ah’m sorry, but ah can't. I still need to find my friends." She sighed.
"Maybe I can help?" Vanessa said.
"Really? How?" Applebloom perked up.
"I'm chief medical officer. I have a clipboard somewhere in the pod that lets me pin point the location of every person aboard the station. But only if their alive. I'll be right back."
Vanessa quickly ran into the ship and a few seconds of rummaging around she reemerged with a small holographic board.
"What are their names?" She asked ready to type.
"Scootaloo, Sweetiebelle and Isaac Clarke."
"Uh huh, yes, ah! Here we go. Their four levels above us. All you need to do is head to that elevator and go up three floors where there will be another that will take you up another. Now I'd suggest you hurry before more of those... things show up."
Applebloom gave a quick thanks and salute before running off to the elevator across the room. As the doors closed she heard the rumble of engines, and smiled. Knowing she managed to bring good in this crisis.
Ponyville.
"Applejack... you're little sister s a total bad-flank!" Fluttershy said.
Everypony looked to her in shock that she had just cursed making her shrink away whispering apologies.
"Ma'h little sister, just obliterated-"
"Decimated." Pinkie said.
"Annihilated." Fluttershy squeaked.
"Leveled." Rainbowdash wheezed out from trying to regain her breath from the amount of awesome just witnessed.
"Destroyed." Twilight said.
"Mopped the floor with them."
"Those necro's." Applejack finished. "And all to help a lil' girl. Ah'm proud of you Applebloom."
"Eeyup."
They all turned to see Big Macintosh at the front of the crowd.
Titan Station.
"I think I’m going to throw up again..." Sweetiebelle groaned putting a hoof to the front of her helmet.
"Just don't do it in front of a walkway this time." Isaac said taking out a power core.
"Life support failure: Oxygen output is zero. This area is unsafe for habitation. Personnel Oxygen supplies are now required." Said an electronic voice from the speakers.
"Isaac, you can put the core back in now. The fire's out." Scootaloo said buzzing around her sick friend. "And hurry. Sweetiebelle needs to puke again."
He put two of the cores back into their rightful spots restoring enough oxygen so she can unfold her helmet.
She quickly floated around to the ground where she deposited her stomach's contents.
She shook shakily but started to trot forward to the entrance of the room ahead.
And have Isaac and Scootaloo hear two shot's fired from her Seeker rifle and no reply.
"Sweetiebelle? Are you okay in there?" Isaac asked magnetizing his boots to the floor. "Sweetie?"
"I'm alright. But we need another core for the elevator!" She called out.
"I've got one. Just go in." Scootaloo said pulling a core along into the darkness.
He shrugged and walked in.
His face plate illuminated the room clearly; pieces of scrap were floating around aimlessly and two Lurker bodies with their heads missing.
He turned the corner and went through the door.
"Not again!" He yelled wiping more vomit from his chest. "These suits are dry clean only."
"S-Sorry..." Sweetiebelle said. Her usual white face was now a pea green with a small line of saliva floating to the floor as she burped. "Ugh... I hate zero gravity."
Isaac pulled out the malfunctioned core and put in the new one. He pressed the button and the elevator whirred to life.
What was in it gave them the shock of their lives.
"I was wonderin' when I'd find yall again." Applebloom grinned sitting on a Puker corpse.
Sweetiebelle and Scootaloo ran up and hugged her, both of them crying in happiness.
"Applebloom! We thought we lost you!" Sweetie cried burying her face in her friends’ mane.
"Don't you ever leave us again!" Scootaloo cried smiling. "That's my shtick."
"Doesn't Uncle Isaac get a hug too?" Isaac asked getting down on his knee.
"Maybe later. You smell like this thing." She pointed down at the Puker.
"Blame Sweetiebelle for that." He grunted.
"Again?" Applebloom asked.
"Again." She replied.
"I'm sure you don't mean to leave vomit in conveniently placed areas. Let's go see what's up top."
They all squeezed into the elevator. The crusaders in one corner while Isaac was in the other.
"So, what did you do while you were gone?" Sweetiebelle asked Applebloom.
"I found a girl named Sally, saved her from those Unitologeist ponies, fought a small army of necro's in minutes and got her back to her ma and pa. What did yall do?"
"We... just blew up some living mines and floated around in a room." Isaac said.
The elevator stopped and the first thing they notice was the numerous amounts of boxes lining the room.
And the horn like sounds.
Isaac put his head down in defeat. "Go ahead. I know you're already reaching for me." He sighed.
Scootaloo grabbed Isaac by the legs and ran forward leaving her friends behind.
They both winced as they heard Isaac's occasional yelp of pain but that faded when they saw him and Scootaloo walk back with four Stalkers.
"I already hacked the panel, come on and hop on if you want."
The other two crusaders smiled as they mounted their grotesque steeds.
"Isaac... you know you want to." Scootaloo bribed. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."
He gave another sigh before getting on his requested Stalker.
"Mush... I guess." He said hanging wrapping his arms around its neck.
The Stalker gave a chirp before sprinting away from the others, Isaac yelling more profanity as it started to jump on and off the containers. They all kicked their Stalkers in the sides and they also went sprinting.
They all were running up a hallway and before they knew it. Their small infantry stopped when Scootaloo spotted her favorite place on the station.
"Sweet! Can we get some more burrito's Isaac?" Scootaloo squealed.
"You're asking me that when there's someone over there?"
She looked to see a woman behind a gate killing Slashers left and right, figuratively and literally.
"...Yes?"
"Let's see is she needs our help first, or at least see if she can help us."
They quietly walked to the end of the walkway, keeping an eye on her but only Scootaloo saw the Leaper climbing up the railing.
She shot her tentacles out and grabbed it, all the way from the tail up rendering it immobile.
She turned into her natural self and started to eat the soul of the thing when, she got the odd feeling something else was watching her. She looked back towards the woman and saw she had her weapon aimed at her.
As she fired Isaac tackled Slenderloo to the ground. The leaper ran off and Isaac caught a glimpse of Slenderloo before he fell onto the floor.
Soon they all heard a scream and it came from the woman across the cat-walk.
Isaac and the other two crusaders quickly rushed over and saw Slenderloo sitting in front of the woman; the only thing between them, a flimsy metal gate.
"Stand back or I'll shoot-" The woman started before her weapon was taken from her by Slenderloo. "You."
"Scootaloo, turn back please and give the nice lady her weapon back." Isaac said. "Listen, I'm sorry about her. I think you just let her meal get away and she's a bit angry."
"I'm more than a bit angry! I'm starving!" Scootaloo yelled handing the woman her weapon back before she sat down on her orange rump.
"Meal? That thing eats meat? And it's eating the necromorphs?"
"First of all, lady, I'm a mare, second I'm a slenderpony and third... I do not eat meat!" She yelled before smashing a chair across the room. "Get you're facts right!"
"Okay, so why shouldn't I kill you four?"
"We had the chance to kill you, didn't we? But you're still standing. Look I think we got off to a bad start, here. I'm Isaac."
"Ellie. What do you want, Isaac?"
"Were, trying to get to the Transport hub, I need to get to the Government Sector."
"What do you think we were trying to do?"
"Hey, I can help you. Besides, we got a better chance if we stick together. Don't you agree?"
She stopped messing with the wires in the panel to walk over to him.
"Not a chance. Other people are just a liability. I'll release the door lock, but after that you're on your own. And please, don't follow me. Ok?"
She was about to go back to the circuits when he saw Scootaloo fiddling around with the wires. She ran over to stop her but the sound of the elevator opening distracted her.
She looked back to Scootaloo who was glaring at her with red glowing eyes before she pointed at the elevator.
"Go before I eat your soul." Scootaloo hissed.
She walked into the elevator and looked back at Isaac to see his helmet fold back up.
Scootaloo went over to them again and threw, Fluffy the sixth through nine over the rail.
"You’re not very good with the mares, are you Isaac?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"Yes I am!" He defended.
A small cloud of black smoke came from behind and materialized into a scroll, Applebloom picked it up and read aloud.
"No you're not. Alex."
The three fillies were sent into a wave of giggles as he blushed under his helmet.
The elevator buzzed along. Scootaloo humming the earlier song and Isaac staring at the other two grinning crusaders.
"I'm not good with the ladies. Hmph! My dead girlfriend still want's me."
"She wants to kill ya." Applebloom corrected.
He raised his hand to give response, but he found none. He just leaned on the back of the compartment and crossed his arms.
The elevator doors opened and they stepped out.
"Eww. These things again?" Scootaloo said.
"Wow. What are they?" Applebloom asked looking at the pulsating lump of flesh in front of the store.
"Cysts. Don't get to close; they shoot out exploding puss sacks." Isaac warned before spotting a body. "Watch."
He stuck out his palm to let his stasis wrap itself around the corpse as it came flying over.
He turned it to the Cyst and let it go flying.
There was a flash of light and then it gave a horrible screech before spewing yellow liquid on the floor.
"Eww is right. That's just gross." Applebloom frowned under her helmet. "Hang on; ah need to get some more ammo."
Isaac lifted her up to the store so she could access her account. When she did, she frowned.
"It looks like ah'm out of bits. Danget." She grimaced at the store.
"Let me get you some." Isaac offered setting her down. "Uh oh. I'm almost out too. Scootaloo, Sweetiebelle what about yours?"
Scootaloo lifted Sweetiebelle up and let her check.
"I'm broke." She said as Scootaloo set her down.
Scootaloo stood on her tentacles.
"Me too. But I think I can fix that... Give me a minute."
She started to press buttons, eventually coming to a screen with an Earth Gov seal on it. After it flashed green three times it turned an even brighter blue.
She picked up Applebloom and held her up to the store. "Now try it." She said.
She accessed her account again and her eyes widened.
"Wow! That a lot of bits!" She exclaimed.
"Let me see." Isaac said looking over her shoulder. "Holy crap. That's at least a forth of Earth Gov's money... How did you get that?"
"I'm a better hacker than you all thought." Scootaloo said.
"It's a good thing you don't know my social security number, isn't it?" He laughed.
"I got that back at the food court." She shrugged.
His head snapped to her. "...What?"
"Applebloom! Did you get the ammo?" Scootaloo asked avoiding Isaac's gaze.
"Ah'm done." She said hoping down. "So how are we gonna get past the others?"
"I don't think the body is going to do much good now that it’s in pieces." Isaac said nudging a bone.
Applebloom looked around and saw nothing.
"How fast do those things spit?" She asked.
"What?" Sweeitebelle asked.
"How fast do they spit?" She asked again.
"Just a few... You’re not going to... Are you?" Sweetiebelle stuttered with wide eyes.
She gave a smile before sprinting ahead firing at every Cyst in her way.
She dodged every one of the explosive sacs and made it to the other side.
"All clear!" She called out.
"Behind you!" The all yelled back.
She turned and saw a Slasher coming at her.
She ran towards it and as it brought it's blades down, she turned to the side and bucked. They came off with a snap as she grabbed them in her kinesis and sent it back into a wall.
She turned around in enough time to see a Pregnant bring it's blades down. She raised her hooves and sent them down onto the blades tops making them sink into the floor. She raised her Line gun and put it directly against its head and fired.
It leaned there, against its own blades, dead.
The others ran over quickly and stopped in front of her.
"Applebloom... That had to be the coolest thing I have ever seen!" Scootaloo said her voice cracking.
"I think you're starting to scare me." Isaac said.
"Are yall just going to stand there or what? We need to keep moving."
Isaac stuck out his palm and the small line went to a large door leading into the station's school.
"I hate the Pack." He said under his breathe.
They all walked in slowly. Isaac and Applebloom in the front and Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle in the back.
There were handmade suns with smiley faces hanging from the ceiling, a large central desk with lockers on the side, blue paint on the walls and blood on the grade 1 news bulletin.
"I guess were going right." Isaac said aiming his Plasma cutter at each of the lockers.
As they were turning a corner, Isaac stopped and turned to look into a class room. The other crusaders got up on their hind legs and peered in.
"Come to momma! Yes, yest that's it. Come to momma. Oh, right up here. Oh, oh! Yes. There you go..." Said a woman as she hugged a glowing baby.
Which promptly exploded.
They all fell back as the entire window was covered in blood.
"Jesus! What the hell was that!?" Isaac yelled checking down the hallway.
"Did that baby just explode!?" Scootaloo asked fervently.
"What just happened!?" Sweetiebelle asked putting a hoof over to her chest.
"Let’s get out of here as fast as we can!" Applebloom yelled.
They all quickly walked down the hallway, looking back every now and then to make sure they weren't being followed.
They entered an extremely dark room. The lights turned on and they all stepped back to the wall.
"A-Are those c-cribs?" Applebloom stuttered.
"Yes. And where there are cribs there are-" Isaac was saying.
A small sound came from the vent and a bloated, yellow explosive baby came crawling out followed by more.
They raised their guns and fired. They all exploded with each hit as they died.
"I hate babies." Isaac huffed putting a hand to his head. "Why did it have to be babies?"
"The faster we get through this, the less of them we have to deal with." Sweetiebelle said.
They all hesitantly walked through the doorway and ran into the corner on the opposite side.
"Shoot them! Now!" Isaac yelled.
They shot all of the Crawlers. Ones on the walls, the floor and the ones that fell from the ceiling.
"How many babies were here!?" Isaac yelled to himself more to the others as they walked out.
They went through the hallway, occasionally reading the poster.
They were in the nurse’s office now. There was a large blue desk in the middle of the room back wall, small leather beds with curtains and more blood covering them.
"I think that washing your hands is the least of our problems. Hey Applebloom, did you put any antibiotic on that cut?" Isaac asked.
"I couldn't find any." She replied.
"Go and take a seat on one of the beds and I'll clean it up." He nodded towards a cleaner bed.
She hopped up on the bed as he looked through cabinets. He pulled out a cloth, rubbing alcohol and some gaws with a patch of white cloth on it.
He dabbed some alcohol onto the cloth and gently put it to her cut. She hissed but it only stung enough to make her wince. He wiped that away with the dry side and then wrapped the gaws around her head with the cloth on her eye.
"There, now it shouldn't get infected. Good thing the cut just hit your eyelid and not your eye."
"Thanks Isaac." She smiled as her helmet folded up.
When they went out Isaac, Scootaloo and Applebloom all gripped their heads. Sweetiebelle didn't notice, she was looking at who was in front of her.
"Grandma? Is that you?" She asked.
"Sweetiebelle? Are you alright?" Isaac asked waving his hand in front of her face.
"Wait, wait! Don't leave me again!" She cried running past Isaac and the others.
She ran into the gate ahead but still tried to run through it, until Scootaloo gave her the same green eyes like she did Isaac.
"Snap out of it!" Scootaloo yelled.
She jumped in fright before being transfixed on Scootaloo's eyes.
She stopped and took a step back from her friend to let her get some air.
"Agh... What happened? First I saw my Grandma and then I'm looking into Scootaloo's eyes." She rubbed her head again. "What just happened?"
"Sweetiebelle… You have it now to." Isaac said before dropping to his knees. "Dammit!" He hit the floor.
"Does this mean that...?" She trailed off.
"Yes, yes it does. Now we need to hurry, for the sake of all of us." He said getting up.
She looked at her hooves before scowling and hitting the locker next to her leaving a small hoof print.
"Let's just go. I'm sick of this place." She said with her head lowered.
"You and me both. Now, how are we going to keep each other from separating?" Isaac asked following her into the next room.
"I-no! I couldn't... Not to any of you."
They all turned to see Scootaloo looking at them with sad eyes.
"Can't do what?" Applebloom asked.
"I could make a telepathic link to you all, but I've never done it with something with a soul before." She looked away.
"It's better than nothing, right?" Isaac said.
"It could kill you all the moment I make the connection. I think it would be better if I just watched you all. None of my family has died."
"Okay, you’re our keeper then." He said continuing in.
"Where are we now?" Applebloom asked.
"The school gymnasium. It looks like they’re having a play." He pointed up to the stage where a background was set up.
"Were, looks more like it." Scootaloo said poking a body. "So, where do you think the actors went?"
"There somewhere. Probably watching us, waiting to strike. Let's see if we can't get the door uncovered."
Scootaloo went with Applebloom and hoped over the tables and up onto the stage. Sweetiebelle and Isaac went behind the bleachers.
"Grab one of those spears, we might need it." Isaac whispered aiming ahead with his Pulse rifle.
She picked one up with her kinesis and aimed it forward too.
As they were going down the ramp, a Puker got up and sprayed a stream of fresh acid onto Isaac.
He yelled as it dripped off his suit but he still fired.
Sweetiebelle shot the spike ahead and hit it in the middle. She got out her Contact beam and charged it, she fired and the Puker was sent into the wall.
"Dammit. Look at the body; it's black like the Slasher from earlier. See?" Isaac pointed at the body.
She looked at the body herself and saw it was blackened.
"What does that mean?" She asked.
"They're changing. They're adapting, evolving, and becoming better. They’re getting tougher to kill." He said walking past it.
She thought about that for a moment.
She wiped that thought away and followed him to where Scootaloo and Applebloom where keeping watch on stage as the props went down and the tables folded up.
"Did you find anything?" Isaac asked.
"Just a stupid prop that almost took off Applebloom's head." Scootaloo pointed to her friend. "Uh, we have company!"
Isaac and Sweetiebelle turned to see the first few of the Pack were cut down by Scootaloo and blasted away by Applebloom.
Soon the both were firing but they were already getting onto the stage. They all backed up, but not before Isaac got a cut from one of the small Necromorph's.
"Dammit!" He yelled firing with his other arm.
There was a scream of agony that sent all of their blood cold. Even the Necromorph's stopped to see the source of the noise.
Applebloom was crying, her hooves over her head as she started to laugh.
The laughter soon sped up as she stood up.
Her pupils were dilated, her eyebrows were furrowed, and she had a thin smile showing only the bottom and tops of her teeth.
She brought out her Pulse rifle before getting rid of the Necromorph's onstage before moving to the front.
"You. Will. Not. Hurt. Them!" She punctuated each word with a grenade blast wiping out the small group of Crawlers, the Pack and the lone Infector.
She jumped down and dropped her gun before cracking her neck to charge the last three Pack.
She bucked the first out of the air, shattering its fragile ribcage. The other two charged her at the same time. The first swung down, she grabbed it by the arm and twisted it around. The second ran towards her from the back, she broke the arm off and sent the claws into the first victim's back and through its chest.
She let go and bucked that one in the back sending it into the other.
She picked up her gun before falling onto her flank, hoof rubbing her head.
"W-what just happened? Isaac, what happened to the necro's?" She asked squinting her one good eye. "Have Ah been cryin'?"
"Um... Appleboom? You just killed them all." He said.
"Ah... Ah did? When? Ah don't remember anything." She squinted her eye in concentration trying to remember.
"H-Here, watch this. I recorded it when I saw you... Just watch it."
Her screen flickered on and it was her standing at the front of the stage.
It showed her yelling, the fighting and then her siting on the ground.
"A-Alex, Queen if'n yall can hear me. Could ya kindly tell me what just happened?" Applebloom asked.
Ponyville.
Most of the ponies had left to go to bed. Only the Element's, Celestia, Alexander, Cheerilee and Big Mac remained.
"Alex, what do you think happened to her?" Twilight asked. "It looked like she just turned into an entirely different pony. Like when you-"
"Like when I snap.” He breathed a sorrowful sigh. “I think she might have my same condition." He nodded. "Atleast she doesn't cry blood when it happens."
"What happened to ma'h sister, it looked like she was bout' to kill everything in her way. She had that crazed look in her eyes. And that laugh... that laugh made ma'h blood run cold and it came from ma'h lil' sister." Applejack cried into her brother’s shoulder.
"I think it might be similar to me. She sort of blacks out when someone dear to her gets hurt and well… Does that."
"But that doesn't explain when she ran through those Cysts or when she helped that little girl. How come she remembered that?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Those may have triggered small fractions of what she can normally do. In those instances, she used her agility and courage to help herself through it. This though, and the large fight before, she at first, was trying to save the girl’s parents. They weren't hurt so that could be why she remembered it. That fight though, Isaac got hurt and that caused her to do that."
"So you're saying that the first two times, she did that herself? But when her friends get hurt she suddenly becomes an unstoppable force of nature?" Rarity said.
"Yes. That might have been caused earlier when they thought Scootaloo died. I'll send her a letter telling her and only her."
Titan station. Gymnasium.
"Hey, bloom, do you want something to drink? There's a fountain down the hall." Isaac asked rubbing her back.
"No, ah want to know what wrong with me." She sniffled some loose snot back into her wet muzzle. "Can ah take these bandages off? Their startin' to get itchy."
He reached around her head and undid the bandages. He slowly unwrapped them and cast them to the side.
Scootaloo, who had let Isaac and Applebloom talk, was with Sweetiebelle down the hall getting water.
"I hope she's alright." Sweetiebelle sighed.
Scootaloo stopped mid drink and huffed at her friend.
"Sweetiebelle, you need to stop worrying about her. She's fine. I Pinkie promise."
"I just can’t be sure. I'm can't help but be worried, she's our friend." She nodded.
Scootaloo gave a sigh and nodded.
"Come on, let's get back. Maybe she got a letter or something."
Applebloom was looking at her reflection in Isaac's camera while it showered herself on a separate screen.
"Ah defiantly have Big Mac's plow scar beat." She grinned. "Ah wonder if he even remembers how he got it?" She put a hoof to her chin.
"Well, you certainty won’t forget how you got yours, that's for sure." He said looking at her. "How did you get that one? Slasher, Lurker, Leaper what?"
"Ah was fightin' two Lurkers. The first one didn't get a chance to blink, the second did some damage." She smiled.
As her friends came in, a cloud of black smoke came in. Her eyes lit up as she outstretched her hooves.
"Weird. Why does it have a note?" She mused.
She took the note off and read it to herself. She blinked in confusion before turning to her friends.
"It says it's only for me."
All three of them raised an eyebrow, but let her read.
She turned her back to them as she read to herself.
"Dear Applebloom. What you have is a very good thing; you have nothing to fear but doing some overkill. When your friends get hurt, your more aggressive side takes over, that's why you couldn't remember the fight and that's why you acted the way you did. There is nothing to be afraid of. Alexander.
P.S. Your sister say's hi.
P.P.S. Big Mac say's hi and he remembers how he got the scar.
P.P.P.S. Spike also sent a gift."
And on cue, something fell from the scroll.
She looked down and saw something reflect a flash of light from her suit.
"Spike... Ya shouldn't have." She smiled.
She undid her pink bow and put in the small Fire Ruby clip in the middle of it before re-doing her mane.
Ponyville.
Alex chuckled while Spike looked smug as ever.
Fluttershy and Twilight were smiling gently at his act of selflessness.
"Spike," called Big Mac. "That was awful kind of ya ta do. Knowing ya eat gems and all."
He shrugged before looking back at the screen.
Titan Station. School hallway.
"Alright, does anyone need to go to the bathroom?" Isaac asked.
Three hooves went up.
"Alright, hurry up then." He sighed.
They all went in and minutes later, the sound of yelling was heard.
He put his head to the door and listened in to what they were yelling about.
"Isaac! None of the stalls have any toilet paper!" Scootaloo yelled. "Could you go get some!?"
Inside the bathroom they all heard the sound of a metal glove hitting a metal helmet followed by an audible groan.
The three fillies came out from the bathroom, armor clean, fur cleaned and waste disposed off.
"What took you so long!? What were you doing in there for an entire hour!?" Isaac asked tapping a foot impatiently.
"Mare things. You wouldn't understand." Sweetiebelle said raising her nose into the air.
"I swear... just like woman; they're dying and they still take forever in the bathroom." He shook his head before following them.
They entered the play area. The walls were painted over to look like a grassy clearing with a sun and few clouds above. What wasn't supposed to be there was the Nicole entity.
"Still in denial? Afraid that you'll cut your wrists if you listen to me?" She asked spinning the marry-ground.
"I'm not listening to this. You may fool Stross, but I know you're not real." Isaac said calmly.
"Oh, you claim I'm not real, and yet here-" She was saying until Scootaloo hit her in the face with a teddy bear.
The other two crusaders were already in the elevator. Applebloom waved him over; he got the message and went in himself.
"Listen, well talk later. It’s not you it’s me. Alright it is you though." He gave her the one finger salute as the doors closed.
"I expected her to try something like with the needle." Sweetiebelle said. "I... guess we just ignore her until she actually does something?"
"Yeah. She's not very intimidating when having a small pony hit her in the face with a teddy bear." Isaac said.
A screen popped up and it showed Ellie holding a Plasma cutter to Stross.
"Isaac, it's Ellie, I've found someone. Another survivor. He says he knows you." Stross made a slight move to reach for the camera. She yelled at him. "I said stand still!" She threatened.
"Eliie! Take it easy! His name is Stross. I know him." Isaac almost sighed.
"He looks... twitchy. I don't trust him." He made another move. "Don't move!" She jabbed the mineral cutter at him defensively and offensively.
"Ellie! I need him to be... not dead. I need him."
"Shit, Ok, Isaac. I'll march him up to the hub but if he does anything stupid. Anything. I will shoot him."
The screen logged off and he looked down to see two of the fillies smiling up at him.
"What?" He asked confused.
Then the two broke out into a small song. "Ellie and Isaac, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G." Then they made puckering sound as they laughed at him.
"I still don't like her." Scootaloo growled. "She owes me a necromorph dinner."
"Atleast someone else agrees with me." Isaac said nodding towards the small pegasus.
The doors opened and they found themselves in blackness again.
Isaac got out relatively quickly; the other three were hesitant, but soon came out too.
"I wonder what's up there? " Sweetiebelle thought as she saw the dark ringed shadow.
Upon closer inspection it looked like something tore through the wall. When she tried to get a look inside Isaac pulled he close.
"Don't. Touch. Anything." He whispered keeping an arm around her while pointing his Line gun at the hole.
The other two crusaders were behind him watching intently as he slowly moved towards the door.
He opened the door and they were in a brightly lit area. Desks and lockers along the walls, strange bars in the middle and Ellie and Stross on the balcony.
"Issac! Were up here! Come on, move!" Ellie yelled on his screen.
"Hello Isaac." Stross said meekly.
"Well, this brings up bad memories. I barely managed to escape this CEC facility this morning." Ellie said.
"Wait, your CEC?" Isaac asked.
"Heavy equipment pilot, class four. You?"
"Engineer. Along with my... apprentices."
Only now had she noticed the three ponies down next to him. Especially the one with wings.
"You!" She yelled at Scootaloo.
"You owe me a necromorph!" She yelled back shaking a hoof.
"You tried to kill me earlier!"
Scootaloo turned back into her natural form and that same grin spread across her face, black ooze dripping onto the floor burning through it.
She used a more demonic voice to answer back.
"I haven't even tried to kill you." She said icily before teleporting herself up. "Not by a long shot."
"I don't even know your bloody name and you hate me because I let a snack get away!? Go eat another necromorph. They're thousand's here! Or eat one of those other ponies that Isaac's picked up."
She huffed before teleporting back down to Isaac.
"My name is Scootaloo, in this form, my real form it’s Slenderloo."
"And you two?" She looked at the other two.
"That isn’t any of your business. Specially' after treatin our friend the way yall did just now." Applebloom huffed letting her helmet unfold. "Not until ya apologize, to us and Isaac."
Ellie was slightly disturbed by the scar on the little ponies' face.
"How did you get that scar?" She asked.
"Fightin' two Lurkers after being blown up and smashed through a window from space. Unconscious."
"Tough little tike's aren't you? Well, I'm partially sorry for yelling at you all. Except Isaac." She smirked.
"Please, don't encourage them." Isaac groaned.
The lights went out plunging them all into darkness.
"Shit." Isaac said getting a bad feeling as he felt two of the crusader's rub against his legs.
"It’s dark... he'll find me in the dark!" Stross screamed.
"Shut up! Its ok, it’s just a power outage."
"You guy's alright up there?" Isaac called out stroking the two fillies manes.
"No." Stross replied quickly and meekly.
"Shit, I think life support is out too." Ellie said.
"That's not good." Applebloom said. "It isn't, is it?"
A screen came onto Isaac's view and the three crusaders leaned in.
A bald dark skinned man in a white uniform was in view.
"Our two remaining runners. Clarke and Stross. I knew it was only a matter of time before you reached the transport hub. You will find the train inoperable."
"And that's going to stop us how?" Scootaloo said extending her wings.
He stared at her for a second before looking downwards at the other two.
"How fascinating. Talking horse-"
"Ponies!" Scootaloo yelled; the parts where her eyes would be flashed red.
He raised an eyebrow at that and continued.
"Are you insane? You cut life support! There may be other survivors over here!" Isaac yelled making the man turn back to face him.
"The public sector is already beyond acceptable recovery conditions. And i can't allow you to escape. Good-"
"Hey buddy."
He looked over to Scootaloo and froze. His eyes turning the same color green as hers.
"Turn the life support back on and get rid of the button to do so. And when I say get rid of it, shoot it in."
He nodded before pressing multiple buttons on the panel in front of him, the lights turned on and he shot a hole into the panel. She released her mental grip and watched as his mind refocused.
"Ugh... What, what have you done!?" He yelled. "How did you do that!?"
She shrugged her wings.
"You insolent little mother-" the screen turned off as Isaac ended the connection.
Before he could speak again the lights turned back off and necromorphs could be heard as the emergency lights went off.
Soon Ellie was shooting Slasher's as they were running at her and Stross.
A Brute jumped overhead taking out a letter from an advertisement as it jumped down.
"Hey scootaloo, consider that your repaid snack!" Ellie yelled.
The pony named was charging the Brute head on as her friends watched smiling, smiling at how silly this all had just turned out.
After the quick meal, she walked back over and gave a satisfied belch making them all laugh before Ellie cut in.
"Isaac, are you alright? I think that's all of them for now..."
"Why did Tiedemann cut off the power? What did you do to piss him off so much?" She asked.
"Ellie... do you know what a Marker is?"
"Yeah, the Unitologists on my crew wouldn't shut up about it. Why? Is it real?"
"Yes it’s real. Tiedmann made one using codes, patterns stored in our heads... mine and Stross. Everything happening on this station is happening because of that Marker. I have to destroy it and i need Stross to tell me how."
"You’re a strange man, Isaac."
"You have no idea." All three of the crusaders said.
He ignored their comment and continued on. "Will you help me?"
"Were about to suffocate. So, I think I'd better."
"Ok good, listen we need power. Without it we have no air and no train. The Sprawl's gotta have-"
"Got to." Sweetiebelle corrected receiving eye rolls from her friends.
"Have back-up batteries somewhere." He finished.
"Yes, the Solar Arrays are up there!" She looked up. "But they've been mothballed for years."
"Ok... alright, good. I'm heading there now. If i can start them up and get some power to the train."
"You'll need someone to open the collector panel. I can do that." She said.
"Take Stross. Keep him safe."
She gave a thoughtful look as her screen turned off.
He looked down to see smiles on the crusader's faces.
"Ellie and Isaac, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-" they were singing as loud as they could.
"Shut up!" He yelled as he saw Ellie raise an eyebrow in his direction.
"What were they singing Isaac!?" She called out.
He scooped the two up in his arms and ran through the door leading to the solar Arrays.
"Would you two stop that! It wasn't funny the first time!" He said walking alongside them.
"This actually reminds me of that heart's and hooves day. You remember that Applebloom, with Miss Cheerilee and your brother?" Scootaloo asked.
"How is this anything like that? We didn't give Isaac and Ellie a love poison."
He stopped in his tracks and stared at the three fillies.
"Did you just say you poisoned some woman and your brother?"
"We didn't know it was a love poison." They all said in unison.
"How did that turn out?"
"Ma'h brother ended up draggin' me, a cart full of anvils, two bulls and a house while he was jumping along without a care in the world." Applebloom said.
"There's no damn way he managed to hop pulling that." Isaac said in disbelief.
"I can prove it." Scootaloo said.
"Really? How?" Sweetiebelle asked.
One of her tentacles went up to the back of Isaac's neck and he felt a twinge of pain before he saw...
"Wow... is the big red horse your brother?"
"Eeyup." She replied.
"Remind me not to piss him off."
"Will do. Which way are these fancy panels again?"
"This way." He pointed ahead.
As they turned a corner they all stopped when they saw three blue lines crossing their path.
"Do I even want to know?" Sweetiebelle groaned.
"Mines. Just grab something to throw at them. And not me Scootaloo."
Her tentacle uncurled from his feet as she gave an indignant sigh. Instead she picked up a barrel and threw it.
It exploded in a flash of blue light.
They went forward before they came across another with a Guardian behind it.
It shot out a small sac and hit the three beams making it explode and severing it's own tentacles in the process.
"That was easy." Isaac said walking past the hanging corps.
They stepped over the remains on the floor and proceeded into the elevator.
Where they abruptly stopped.
Ponyville.
"Why the hell did it just stop!?" Alex yelled. "Discord! Get over here! Now!"
The draconequiss rubbed his sore ear before looking at the mirror.
"I'm right next to you. As for the mirror, let me go get the case."
He reached into Pinkies mane making her giggle before pulling out a small green case with a picture of Isaac's helmet and the words, ‘Dead Space 2’ written on the front.
He popped open the case, took a disk into his talon and pressed a button on the mirror. A small piece slid open revealing a second disk which he switched with the other and pressed it back into the mirror.
The pictures started moving again as they were getting into the elevator.
Titan Station. Solar elevator.
"Atleast it's a bearable song this time." Issac said.
For the remainder of the song they stood there. The occasional sneeze from one of them or a small conversation concerning politics, games, reading or pastries sprouted but never bloomed.
The doors opened and the four survivors came out' Applebloom and Isaac in a discussion concerning current political debates.
"Ah'm just saying that if he cuts the budget to the southern systems then that could cause bankruptcy in the northern ones from lack of trade and crop growth." Appelbloom said.
"Yeah but, the southern one's are trying to petition fair trade concerning ore mining. They say that the western systems are putting a tax on them unfairly. Believe me; I tried myself to stop it."
"How?" She raised an eyebrow slightly scrunching up her scar.
"I held a petition and even went as far as going on T.V. I was making sure that-"
"Could you two please stop talking about politics!?" The other two crusaders yelled.
"Sorry." Isaac said coughing into his hand awkwardly.
"Sorry." She said grinning sheepishly.
They rolled their eyes before looking around.
The room was dark, steam filled, had a large hole in the middle with spike forming a ring on the top and bottom, a store to the right, a bench to the left and necromorphs in the front.
The Puker was taken care of by Isaac stomping on its head, the Leaper was dealt with by Scootaloo who just repeatedly kept slamming it into a wall.
"Anyone need anything from the store?" Isaac asked.
Their screens came up and they checked their inventory.
"You know, maybe Ah'll get something else. Lift me up Scoot's." Applebloom said.
She gave a nod and lifted her friend into the air as she accessed the store.
She examined the weapons and saw nothing of interest. She looked at the suits and saw a new one.
"Hey Issac... Have ya ever seen a suit like this?" She pointed at the new suit.
He walked over and shook his head.
"Get it if you want. It seems like a pretty good one, aside from the name." He said.
She nodded slowly before putting her hoof to the icon, a screen came up asking to confirm her purchase she pushed yes and went inside the store.
A light shined from the crack in the doors going down. And then the doors opened to let her friends see the new suit.
"Wow... that's pretty awesome." Scootaloo said.
"I like its colors?" Sweetiebelle said awkwardly.
"Sweet." Isaac said.
"So this is what that Zealot suit looks like." Applebloom said examining herself. "Looks a bit weird."
"Who cares, let's just fix the solar whatchamacallits and get out of here. Besides, Sweetiebelle won't be able to throw up in space." Scootaloo said.
"Don't worry the last of my food came out on Isaac's chest. My stomach's empty now." She waved off as Isaac groaned, trudging towards the door below.
They went through and saw more darkness, steam and what looked like a bottomless pit.
"The Docking Pod is off the mag-rail. An Engineering work order has been issued." Said an electronic voice from the speakers.
"It looks like we have to go out." Isaac said. "Sweetiebelle, keep you're vomit to yourself this time." He pointed at her.
She gave a huff as they went through the second door.
Isaac looked around and saw the canister on the piece of scrap, he fired and it started to move away. He waved them on as he jumped and started to float around.
They all floated down to the bottom of the shaft where Isaac was already waiting.
"Took you long enough. What were you doing, admiring the scenery?"
"It just never gets old." Applelboom said looking at Saturn.
"No, no it doesn't. Why don't we light the candles and head back up?" He raised his Plasma cutter again and set off the other two canisters.
As it went, so did they back to the top.
When they passed through the doors again Sweetie's helmet folded up and she was slightly green. She shook it off with a smile.
That faded when she saw the Leaper prowling around the corner as Isaac walked towards the door.
Before she could say anything they all watched as he was blindsided by the Leaper. Sweetiebelle and Applebloom already looked back to see Applebloom getting out her Line gun and folding her helmet down. Only it still showed the same looking Applebloom.
She aimed and fired cutting off its arms. He pushed it off him and stared at her with a smile until realizing she still had it pointed at him.
Before he could stop her she fired.
The Lurker creeping along above him lost all of its tentacles before falling into Isaac's lap.
"Applebloom...? Are you all there?" Isaac asked.
"Yeah, ah'm still here. I guess controlling my emotions is easier than ah thought. Pretty easy if ya think about it. It's like two wires and a bulb. Just have to take a wire away and then all the electricity goes through that one." She shrugged. "It's not easy though. Hurts ma'h head a little." She smiled.
They all entered the large orbital elevator in silence. Until the crusader's thought to start talking about what Isaac thought about Ellie.
"So Isaac, do you think she's attractive?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"Dear god, what next? Where do babies come from?" He thought to himself as he looked forward. "Don't move and they might stop."
"Hey Isaac, what do humans have at parties to drink and eat? Is there meat or vegetables and fruit?" Scootaloo asked.
"Fuck you universe! Fuck you! Can this get any-"
A window busted open and hanging onto the elevator was a small Tripod.
"Worse." He sighed and raised his Plasma cutter. "Fire!" He yelled.
He fired off two shots into its left should cutting off the arm, It hung on by a claw before Applebloom bucked its fingers to bloody stubs.
A second window busted open and Scootaloo fired her Force gun sending it into a platform they were passing.
A third and fourth broke in. Sweeitebelle and Isaac turned to fire at the necromorph's. He shot off another's shoulder; Sweetiebelle stuck a javelin in another one's face making it fall off.
Now a fifth one busted open and Scootaloo sent all four of her tentacles at it. They all impacted it, skewering its chest; in one swift move ripped it into four different pieces in a shower of blood and gore.
Isaac got the worst of it. He was covered in head to toe in blood with bits of the Tripod's insides slowly sliding down his faceplate.
Scootaloo was about to open her mouth when he raised a hand to stop her.
"Just forget it. I've been covered in worse stuff than this." He said slowly wiping away the gunk from his faceplate. "Trust me."
"Arriving at... Solar Array Sigma zero five." Said an electronic voice from the speakers.
"Looks like we’re here." Isaac said going forward.
They exited the elevator making sure none of the Tripods had followed them inside. Instead they found Cyst's.
"How about we skip the lockers?" Isaac suggested watching the small lumps of flesh move up and down.
"Yeah, that sounds like a right good plan." Applebloom nodded. "Nasty little things." she stuck her tongue out at one.
They went through the door after taking care of the Cyst hiding above it.
And a swarm of birds came flying out.
"What the heck was that?" Scootaloo asked hiding under her fore-hooves.
"Birds. There used in the mines to detect gas, so if we hit a gas line where were mining the birds will start chirping. The technique has been used for thousands of years actually." Isaac stated.
A holographic woman appeared in front of them.
"Welcome to Solar Array Sigma-Zero-Five. Proper identification required. Please wait here. Watchman... Howard Phillips will be with you shortly." She said before flickering off.
"What was that?" Applebloom asked.
"Just the AI for the station." Isaac said.
"A what now?"
"It stands for, Artificial Intelligence. It's a mind without a body."
"Ooh." She said smiling. "Ah don't get it." She frowned.
"It’s like a soul," Scootaloo started. "It needs a host to do anything. The AI here, it needs the station to do things. A soul needs a body to do things for it. Now do you understand?"
"Ah... guess that makes more sense. Why couldn't ya explain it like her Isaac? Instead yall had to go and confuse me with your fancy words." She pouted.
"I-I... forget it. Let's see if we can get through this AI." He groaned.
They walked to the door at the end of the walkway, watching every vent they passed.
The door scanned them before the AI flickered back into view.
"Your RIG is not authorized to access this area. Please step away from the door."
"oh come on!" Sweetiebelle yelled showing her dissatisfaction.
"Hang on, I've got it." Scootaloo said.
A Slasher was crawling through the vent behind them. He saw them turn their backs and he tore through the vent, landing on the floor with as much noise as a mouse.
The barely audible crunch was heard when the small one threw the door at him, sending sparks all across the side as it went and finally imbedding itself into the back wall.
"Did you hear that?" Scootaloo said. "It sounded like a moth was just hit."
"I hope it's alright." Sweetiebelle said. "Celestia forbid a single moth be crushed by a metal door in a necromorph outbreak."
"Could you two stop it!?" Isaac said silencing them. "Let's focus on how to get to the Solar Array."
They both hugged it out smiling guiltily and proceeded forward.
"Unauthorized visitor detected. Auto-defenses activated. Station watchman Howard Phillips, please provide verbal access code to authorize your guest." The AI said turning on orange lasers.
"See anything we can throw?" Isaac asked looking around.
All three of them looked to the sides and even as far as they could forward, but nothing was in the room except for them.
"Well, dammit. It looks like I'm going to have to just go with it." Isaac sighed. "If I die, tell Ellie I was fighting a Hive mind." He said to the crusaders.
He ran forward and went into the laser's themselves. He stumbled from the small explosion but kept going to the next set where he did the same. Once he made it to the door he slumped against it, his RIG red.
"Isaac! Isaac! Are you okay! Say something! Anything, please!" Scootaloo cried.
"Never let me do that again..." He moaned. "Get off my arms please..." He winced as Sweetiebelle's hooves stepped off.
"Ellie was right, yall are strange." Applebloom pointed out. "We could'a just went back and got something."
He gave a low moan before passing out from pain.
"N-Now what?" Sweetiebelle asked, her fur matted by her eyes and cheeks. "Should we carry him or try and heal him?"
"We should heal him. Come on, let's go put him somewhere he'll be safe." Scootaloo said taking his limp body in her tentacles as they traveled back.
Ponyville.
Alex had a hoof mark on his face from witnessing what Isaac had just done.
"You stupid bastard... you couldn't just look back?"
"I-Is he going to be alright?" Fluttershy asked.
"After that? Please that's nothing compared to some of the other things that's happened to him. That had to be the most stupid though." Alex pointed out.
"If he ever comes here, I’d like to ask him how he can fly around in space." Rainbowdash said.
"He just uses thruster in his suit." Alex waved her off. "Huh, look at that. They did find somewhere safe for him."
Titan Station. Mining center.
Isaac couldn't describe the pain. Every bone in his body was rattling, his muscles were sore and his head was in pieces.
"God damn... what happened?" He asked pushing the covers off him. "What the hell? I don't remember getting into a bed."
He looked around and saw his suit laying at the other side of the room. And next to him was a plate of eggs and some black coffee with two sugar lumps next to it.
He looked around carefully before picking up the plate and ate the eggs nearly in seconds. He tasted the coffee and put the sugar cubes in, swished them around and drank it all.
It was probably a bad idea but he was gunless at the moment. "Hello? Is there anyone out there? Sweetiebelle? Applebloom? Scootaloo?" He called out.
He was greeted by three furry heads grinning brightly as they raced through the doorway and jumped onto him.
"My ribs!" He yelled in pain.
They all slid off and sat at the foot of the bed, with the same grins as before.
"We thought we lost yall for a second." Aplpebloom laughed.
"I don't remember what happened. It felt like I ran into a bunch of lasers like an idiot." He groaned rubbing his head which was starting to feel better.
"You did, you boor." Sweetiebelle said smirking.
"Alright, that answers that... but how did my armor get over there?"
They looked at the solid black armor as it stood there.
"We had to take it off so we could use one of those health canisters on you." Sweetiebelle explained.
"You didn't have to take my armor off." He smiled at their blushes. "Don't worry; I’m still wearing what I had underneath. Wait… am I!?" He quickly lifted the covers and saw he still had his boxers and socks on. "That's a relief." He sighed.
"How did ya like breakfast?" Applebloom asked.
"It was good, best eggs I've had in years. Same for the coffee. Where did you all get them anyway?"
"That's a story for another time. Get up and put your armor back on." Scootaloo said.
They all hopped down and sat patiently as he slid out.
And then they all burst into full blown laughter.
"What? There’s nothing wrong with hearts." He grumbled as they laughed at him.
He was only wearing a white T-shirt, black socks and a pair of boxers with hearts on them.
As he walked past them mumbling light swears he put his armor back on.
As the helmet snapped back into place the crusaders were calm enough to get up and follow him back out the door.
"Hey, this is that watchman guy's bed!" Isaac yelled.
"We asked him if you could use it. He didn't say no." Sweetiebelle said.
He smiled at her crude joke and went along.
They passed the AI again and the second time while she was by the door-less hallway and a third time when she turned the laser's on.
They proceeded to the door ahead and opened it.
They all immediately ran behind some crates.
"Did you see how many of them were there?" Isaac whispered. "There's got to be atleast two dozen of them walking around."
"What do we do?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"Girls, Isaac." Applebloom started with a maniacal grin, but not the same one as when they were at the school. "I've got an idea."
"Well spill it!" Scootaloo said.
"Isaac, do these suits have a… a volume control?" She asked.
"Yes. Why?" He asked hesitantly.
"What are they at now?"
"Ten percent."
"Turn ours up to a hundred and our hearing parts to zero."
"I'm not going to ask." He said adjusting their volume control and receiving input.
"Isaac, hold onto somethin' and turn yours down to zero. Girls," She was speaking over their radios now.
They got grins like hers before hoof bumping.
They all slowly crawled past the necromorphs and to the side wall where they sat.
Author's note: This will be a chapter of gore. Ignore the slight comical lines. There will be a chapter later devoted to only comedy complete with dancing, music, jokes and stories from the characters. Thank you. P.S. Sorry for the rushed chapter.
"Cutie Mark Crusader Engineer's! Yay!"
All the Necromorphs stumbled from the unexpected ear shattering noise. Isaac was curled on the ground gripping a pipe with all of his strength.
His ears were ringing even inside his helmet.
What he felt next told him they thought it through much more. He felt a large pull constricting his body. He looked up and saw the glass window at the front of the room had shattered.
Ponyville.
All the manes from every resident had been blown back. Every piece of glass or fragile clay shattered. Even Celestia's mane and tail had stopped.
"What the hell was that!?" Alex yelled out. "I can't hear anything!"
"What!?" Celestia yelled at him.
"What!?" He asked her.
All they all could do was watch each other’s lips move. Every other pony was in the same state.
Titan Station.
The seal finally shut and Isaac got up from the pipe he was hanging onto.
He shakily got up and proceeded to the crusaders who were staring at him guiltily.
"I-Isaac? Are you alright?" Sweetiebelle asked putting a hoof on his leg.
He gave a nod before going in.
They all gave each other nervous smiles as they saw him pull of a panel and start to reroute the wires. He failed twice but didn't curse.
When he did get it he readjusted their helmets and his own.
"Sorry bout' that Isaac." Applebloom smiled nervously rubbing the back of her neck. "Ah didn't expect it to be that loud."
"How in the holy hell are you three not deaf?" He asked.
"We made the cheer ourselves didn't we?" Scootaloo said.
He nodded before peeking out from the door. He saw a Leaper lying on the ground, twitching.
He slowly walked up to it and looked over.
It looked up at him with blood stained eyes before those promptly rolled back. He did the respectful thing and started to stomp its corpse so it wouldn't stab him in the back when he turned around.
"Come on, let's go up." He motioned for them to go on the elevator.
They all hurried up and let him push the buttons in. The lift whirred to life and as they went up they heard the sound of metal tearing. When they got up, they saw a Slasher prowling at the entrance. Isaac and Applebloom took out its limbs killing it as they stepped over it.
He pushed aside the metal plate blocking the ramp and pulled that down.
A set of laser's came on as he was about to step through them. Luckily Scootaloo grabbed him and pulled him back.
"Clarke, I know you're up there. Understand that even if you survive long enough to restore power, there is no escape. All routes in and out of the government sector are being monitored. Give up Clarke." Said Tiedmann on the speakers.
"He got smart enough not to do this comm wise. I think he's afraid of you Scotaloo. Good job."
"Thank's." She said throwing the necromorph body into the lasers. "I'd say before this all ends, me and you should pay him a visit."
"I think that's a great idea. I'll be sure to give him a very special gift. We shouldn't keep him waiting, that would be rude."
She smirked under her helmet as they went forward.
As soon as the stepped through the door the AI came back; she said only three words before disappearing and leaving them with half a Stalker.
"Purging life support."
"What? That doesn't mean she's going to..." Sweetiebelle started before the oxygen left the room and the lights took on a blue hue. "I think we need to hurry and fix this before we suffocate."
"Hang on; I think I see the panel connecting to the hallway's air flow over there." Scootaloo said. "Yeah here we go."
She opened the panel and a pile of wires fell to her hooves.
"This doesn't look good... I think i need some cold air for his."
All of them watched as the first fold of her helmet clunked into place, they watched in horror as her entire helmet unfolded and she was left staring at them with a raised eyebrow.
"What? We Slenderponie's can survive in the harshest of conditions. Including space." She smirked before getting to work on the panel.
They all watched silently as her little hooves got the first two, but gulped when the third left her hooves smoking. She gave a grunt before starting again. And it ended with the same result.
"Isaac, how much air do I have left?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"About... oh dear god. Scootaloo could you be a good little pegasus and hurry the fuck up! We’re running out of air fast!" Isaac yelled.
Applebloom looked over to see her friends gauge. She put a hoof to where her mouth would be.
It read 70.6 and as she looked away it went down by two numbers.
"Scootaloo, ya need to hurry. We're almost out of air."
"I'm trying here!" She mouthed back.
Isaac was pacing and Sweetiebelle was sitting there, deep in her own thoughts.
Applebloom was staring at her friends hooves intently, flinching each time she got her hooves smoked.
She looked at Sweetiebelle's air. It was actually slower than Isaac's who was going down dangerously fast.
"Scootaloo, Isaac only has," She looked back at his gauge. "Thirty seconds!" She yelled.
Scootaloo started to move her hooves rapidly and jerkily.
His gauge was now at 20.9
She got the first.
14.6
Second.
1.10
The last.
She breathed a sigh of relief. But that faded as she discovered that the air had yet to turn back on.
Isaac was on the ground, grabbing his throat. She rushed to his side and tried to do anything for him.
Sweetiebelle was woken out of her trance by the bump to her side. She looked over and saw Isaac gripping his throat. She immediately ran over and connected her air to his.
His head snapped up as he took a long breath of air. He looked over to see Sweetiebelle leaning on him. He turned her over and would have made a dent in the wall if he could.
Her gauge read zero.
He started to shake her, Scootaloo was crying, her tears freezing to her face. And then the air was restored.
They both looked to see Appelboom taking her hind legs out from the mess of wires and run over to them.
"Good god, come on breathe!" Isaac yelled giving her CPR. "Come on dammit!" He cried, tears already streaming down his face.
"N-No... please! Sweetiebelle, please don't go. Were so close to getting out of here." Scootaloo cried into her hooves. "Please..."
Applebloom looked down to the floor, sniffling and letting the tears drip off her nose.
"Please, Sweetiebelle. We still need to get you back to your sister. Your home..." Isaac cried.
She still didn't move, not a twitch or even a single heartbeat.
"Dammit. You should have just let me die... you all could have just went on without me." He said.
"I-Is she... gone?" Scootaloo asked looking away.
"... Yes. Atleast she did it a hero. I'm sure her sister, you two and her friends along with the queens would be proud. I know Alex would probably award her the medal of Velerainian honor that he always talked about. I know I would give her atleast twenty."
He gently set her down and let her helmet fold up.
"This is my fault! If I hadn't have stopped all those times... she would be alive!" Scootaloo cried.
"No! This is not your fault!" Applebloom yelled. "This is Tiedmann's! He killed our friend, he killed all of these people and he's going to be the one I'll kill mah'self!" She yelled.
Ponyville.
"Dammit..." Alex cursed as he wrapped a wing around Celestia as she cried into his shoulder.
"Sweetiebelle... why, why my little Sweetiebelle!" Rarity cried.
Pinkie's hair deflated and she was now in a puddle of her own tears. Twilight had her ears drooped down as did Rainbowdash. Applejack was saying a silent prayer a she put her stentson over her chest. And Rainbowdash had almost no emotion present, only tears running down her cheeks as she stared at the mirror.
Titan Station.
"Should we say something?" Isaac asked looking down at her.
"Sweetiebelle, for the short time I had known her... had been a friend to me, loyal, funny, annoying at times but she was a friend. May god give her easy passage to the golden gates of eternal paradise." He said.
"Sweetiebelle, I'm sorry for all the times I called you a dictionary. And I'm sorry for all the fight's we ever had... even the one that freed Discord, that one I regret the most." Scootaloo sobbed.
"Sweetiebelle... Ah'm sorry for everything ah've done to you. Everything bad ah mean. Don't worry though; we'll get who did this to ya. Even if it's the last thing ah do." Applebloom swallowed a lump in her throat.
They all quietly passed through the door and only looked back once.
The new room had a large cylindrical object that took up most of it, it was plated and the AI was still there.
"Unauthorized Visitor. Main-" It was cut off as Applebloom shot out the speaker and projector.
"We have to crawl in there. Be careful." Isaac pointed to a nearby vent.
They nodded and folded up their helmets as he picked them up and set them in there.
They all ignored Tiedman as he ordered the AI to shut down the Solar Array functions. They silently crawled through the vent and to the other side.
The new room was white with a small patch of metal by the window and panels lining on the wall. He pulled the panels off and flung them to the side, the last one containing the Swarm.
He sighed as he shot them too bits.
"I kind of miss how she gave you the idea to use me..." He said to Scootaloo.
"Yeah... I miss when she let me use her." She nodded.
Applebloom was already putting in the third 'plug-in' as they looked back to her.
Isaac put in the last one and they saw the machine outside whirred to life, parts of it spinning as steam poured out.
When they exited, they found a number of necromorphs already advancing towards their position.
In the hallway.
Sweetie's body lay there, cold, dead, and motionless.
An Infector glided down and landed at the body. It looked her over, thinking she might have been killed by one of the creators, but dismissed that, when it saw her pristine white coat. It grabbed her with its smaller arms and started to flap in the air.
It turned her around so her face was at its chest. It swung down with its proboscis and jammed it into her skull.
For a brief moment nothing happened.
And then, her horn gave off a spark followed by a blast of energy that burned through the Infector.
She got up shakily, rubbing her head. With a quick light of her horn the wound closed and she sucked in a sharp breathe of air.
Her eyes snapped open and her heart was racing. She didn't know where the others were.
Three screams rang through the air.
Her eyes narrowed and she sent a blast at the door in front of her.
"Don't worry, Sweetiebelle's here!" She yelled out of happiness and tears that she saved Isaac and she was still alive.
She shot a bolt of white magic at the door sending it off its hinges and landing at the necromorph’s currently surrounding the two crusaders and human.
Her friends got only a glimpse at her before she fired off a bolt of red magic at three necromorph's. They fell to the ground in a cloud of ash before her horn started to glow blue.
The other necromorph’s were already charging when she fired off two more shots. The necromorph’s fell to the floor and shattered, cold air still rising off the bloody ice chunks. The ones that got close enough raised their blades and swung down.
She raised a shield and let them hit it. Her horn sparked in arcane energy before she dropped the shield and in one swift movement, caused an electrical chain, linking the last necromorph’s as they fell to the ground blackened and smoking.
Only then did she turn to her friends, eyes still glowing white from the energy coursing throughout her veins. Her eyes even had small spark coming from the corners as she silently stared at them before her eyes softened.
The light faded and she was left smiling, smiling as wide as Pinkie on her birthday.
"Hey... what's up?" She asked calmly rubbing a hoof on her front right fore-leg nervously.
"S-Sweetiebelle? Is that you? Is that really you?" Scootaloo asked.
"Last time I checked this was me." She calmly answered.
"H-How? How are ya alive? Yall were dead as a brick!" Applebloom said.
"One of those bat things was trying to... we'll it was doing something. It stuck that weird proboscis in my head. The next thing I know I'm doing spells at the same level of Twilight."
Before her two friends could step forward Isaac raised his Plasma cutter at her.
"Stay back. I don't want to put down a friend." He warned.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the weapon before they started watering.
"I-Isaac, What's g-gotten into y-you?" She stuttered as she backed away in fear. "Isaac, stop! Y-You're s-scarring me!"
"How do we know you’re not a necromorph? Or even another hallucination like Nicole?"
"It’s me! Isaac come on! Remember when I got Scootaloo to use you as a weapon!? Or when I gave you my air? Or what about when me and Applebloom found all of those neat weapons? It's me!"
His gaze hardened before he put down the tool.
"Show me your back. If you’re not a necromorph then your life should be visible."
She blinked once before turning around.
"What the hell?"
"What? I-Is something wrong?" She asked still facing the wall.
"Uh... no, sorry. It's just that-"
"You were making sure it was really me?" She smiled at him before looking at her friends. "So, how about a group hug?" She spread her fore-hooves wide.
They slowly walked over, both glancing at each other nervously. Scootaloo was the first to make contact.
She poked Sweetie in the belly with a tentacle before her eyes widened and she wrapped her, figuratively and literally in a hug.
"Sweetiebelle! We thought we lost you and then you came back just like me and Applebloom!"
"Hey! Don't ah get a hug too?" Applebloom complained.
Scootaloo unwrapped two tentacles and pulled Applebloom in to a nearly bone crushing hug. Thankfully since they were wearing the suits that didn't happen.
"Ahem." They all looked to see Isaac standing awkwardly by the vent looking down at his boots.
Sweeitebelle struggled out of her bonds and trotted over to Isaac, where she motioned for him to lean down.
He got down on one knee and was face to muzzle level with her.
She arched her front right hoof back and socked him in the jaw. He looked back holding his jaw and muttering a silent, Ow, to see her glaring at him.
"That's for almost killing me." She said before she started to smile.
She wrapped her little fore-arms around his neck and brought him into a hug, her fur brushing against his scruff that was lingering on his cheeks. He slowly returned the gesture.
"Awww. That's so heartwarming." Scootaloo said.
"It's good to have some of the weirdest friends ever." Applebloom said.
Sweetie belle unwrapped her hooves around from his neck and tried to push away. He still held onto her with enough force to keep her in place.
"Isaac, could you let go of me please?" She asked.
He let go and stood back up, brushing off some ash that had got on him.
"Sorry, but your coat was just so soft. It reminded me of one of those therapeutic pillows." He chuckled lightly.
"So, what were you all doing before i blew the door open?" She asked waving a hoof around the room.
"We were about to go into the second room before... ugh Sweetiebelle your horn is smoking." Isaac said pointing at the small appendage.
Her eyes looked up and her horn did in fact have a small trail of smoke leading up to the ceiling.
"I'm not sure it's supposed to do that. Is it?" Isaac asked.
Scootaloo licked the end of one of her tentacles and put it onto the edge of her horn putting the small trail of smoke out.
"Thanks scoot's." She said. "Now about that other room. What do you need to do?"
"I'll explain when were in. Come on, hop up." He said motioning them to get into the vent.
They all went, in order. Sweetiebelle just floated up, Scootaloo climbed up and Applebloom jumped through the hole. He climbed in too.
They all got out of the vent and into another small white room.
"I'm guessing you need to put the plugs into the correct slots?" Sweetiebelle guessed.
"Right. And the sooner this is done, the sooner we can get Tiedamnn for killing you."
They all worked as a single unit, each holding one of the small plugs and setting it in the right place. Once that was done a small pedestal rose from out of the floor and a screen appeared.
Isaac cracked his knuckles and started to push buttons, one by one a small clink was heard and soon the machine outside began to rotate in different directions before the shields slid down. The AI turning off and the power cutting off.
"What is this, like the third time this has happened?" Issac complained.
"Emergency lighting activated." Said another electronic voice over the speakers.
"Um... Isaac?" Sweetiebelle said.
"What?"
"The vent is broken."
"... What? Let me see."
He went over and saw the vent, had no holographic switch.
"Power shall be restored in two hours." The voice said again.
"Great, what are we going to do for two hours!?" Scootaloo yelled.
"I've got some ideas." Isaac said. "Any of you want to listen to some music?"
Nine ears went up at the word music.
Ponyville.
"Alex? Alex dear are you alright?" Celestia asked waving a hoof in front of her husband’s face.
"I don't understand... I just don't get it." He mumbled scratching his goatee with a hoof.
"Alex, why isn't Sweetiebelle one of those... horrid things after that thing tried to do, whatever it was doing to her?" Rarity asked.
"I don't know. It should have turned her into a necromorph, but it didn't. Why?"
"Alex, didn't they say something about an artifact called the Marker?" Twilight asked getting a nod in return. "What can you tell me about it? There might be something you can tell me that can help."
"Well, it makes necromorph's out of dead flesh." He said. "Other than that I know it occasionally glows and they're mainly red."
"How does it turn bodies into... necromorphs?" She asked with a crack in her voice as she said the last word.
"It sends out a signal that starts to mutate the flesh, what does that have to do with anything?"
"What if her magic counteracted the signal and modified it? She used it to bring herself back. It would make sense considering that it would probably have never encountered anything with magic since it doesn’t exist where Isaac is."
"That would explain it. So, what are they doing?"
"Whatever it is there doing, they're doing it really good." Rainbowdash said.
Titan Station. Main frame.
The crusaders were egging on Isaac to dance to the song he picked.
"Alright! Alright! I'll dance, but on one condition. One of you has to dance too." He said. "Who wants to volunteer?"
"Ah'll do it!" Applebloom said getting next to him. "Could ya show me how to first?"
"Alright, let me get the song going."
He pushed an icon on his screen and the song in question started to play.
The song started, he kicked his right leg forward twice then the left once before pulling it back. He walked in place once before repeating the first two steps. He swung his leg around and did a spin. He repeated this for the remainder of the song alongside Applebloom, who was doing better than him.
"Well now what? That got boring fast." Isaac said before sitting against the wall.
"Hey Isaac, does that internet thingy in your suit have pictures?" Scootaloo asked.
"Yeah, want to look at some funny pictures while we wait?"
"Can we look up funny dog pictures then?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"Sure. Just give me a second to go to Google."
Ponyville.
"But, the Infector spreads the virus right?" Twilight asked. "Wouldn't that mean that Sweetiebelle is infected?"
"Yeah, it would mean that. But what if her magic... mutated it more than it was?" Alex replied.
"That could be another possibility. Or what if she is one but can control it?"
"Then I guess that's good. But the necromorph’s attacking her before would rule that out, considering they don't attack each other."
"This is so confusing! Is she one or not!?" Twilight yelled.
"Ha! Dashie look at this one!" Pinkie snort laughed. "It has drawn eyebrows!"
Rainbowdash looked over to see the picture and fell to the floor laughing.
"Alex! You need to look at this!" She said in between laughs. "This is hilarious!"
He looked over in the mirror and started laughing alongside them.
Titan Station. Main frame.
"That's one was better than the last!" Scootaloo laughed.
"Ok, ok calm down. How about we watch a video now? Who's up for an old show?"
"Show? What kind’a show?" Applebloom asked.
"The smoking gun presents. The world’s dumbest criminals." Isaac said pulling up a video.
Ponyville.
"Alright so what do we do?" Twilight asked.
"Were going to send a letter. It's as simple as that." Alex said. "But what to right?"
"Guys! Look! Those guys tried to run but they didn't know they were chained together so they ran between a pole and swung back at each other!" Pinkie giggled.
"Sereve's em' right if they were criminal's." Applejack said. "It is kind'a funny to watch them screw up though." she chuckled.
"Aside from that," Alex began. "Dear Isaac and Sweetiebelle..." He began to wright.
Titan Station. Main frame.
"Did you see that! They ran right between the pole!" Scootaloo breathed out clutching her side.
"Hey Isaac, do ya know any jokes?" Applebloom asked.
"I know a few. They're not very good though but I guess I can tell a few... So all of you listen up."
All the crusaders perked up as he began.
"A guy and his friend are driving along the highway, so the driver goes through a red light, his buddy doesn't notice. He does it a second time and his friend notices but ignores it. The third time he finally asks him, 'why do you keep going through the red lights?' His friend replies, 'because my cousin does it and it saves time.' his friend shrugs and lets him drive."
"When he stops at a green light the friend turns back to him, 'why don't you go through the green lights?' he asked. The driver replied, 'I'm afraid my cousin might drive by.'"
All the crusaders had small smiles on their faces as they giggled.
"Power restored." Said an electronic voice through the speakers.
They all looked at each other slightly frowning before getting up.
"Hey Isaac, what are these for?" Sweetiebelle asked pointing at another diagram on the wall.
He stopped and looked back seeing the purple symbols.
"I don't know. Should we try them out?"
"Sure. Let me get the plugs."
She quickly took out the plugs and put them into how the diagram dictated. Now she had four purple symbols that made another panel slide up.
He looked to her before pressing it.
The vents yet again, started to move and when they stopped all four of them just stared. Scootaloo was the first to go in, followed by Applebloom, Sweetiebelle and then Isaac.
When they got out they were in an even smaller room.
It was white, filled to the brim with ammo and health. But what got Sweetiebelle's eye was a small gold statue.
"Hey Isaac, what's this?" She asked picking it up. "Peng treasure." She read off the small pedestal.
"I've only seen one of these before... back on the Ishimura." He said. "You should keep it; they're worth a lot of credits."
"I think I will. Maybe when we get back I can use it as a memento for you." She smiled putting it into her inventory.
Before they could all exit a black cloud came from the cracks in the vent and a scroll materialized at Sweetiebelle's hooves.
Here's the picture Pinkie was talking about. Enjoy!
"I wonder what it says?" Sweetiebelle thought as she opened it.
"Dear Isaac and Sweetiebelle, it has come to my attention that Sweetiebelle has come into "contact" with the necromorphic plague. Isaac and Sweetiebelle, please report any suspicious behavior, moods, thoughts or actions. Alex.
P.S. Isaac, please don't dance again. Leave that to Applebloom."
"I don't remember him being so insulting towards me." Isaac said.
"Isaac, I actually feel fine. Aside from an itch on my nose that's it." Sweetiebelle shrugged. "Let's get out of here before the power goes out again."
They all nodded in agreement before crawling in the vent and back out.
Applebloom was about to destroy the circuit’s when Sweetiebelle stopped her and sent another bolt of electricity at them.
They passed the malfunctioning AI and proceeded through the door where Isaac had a body fall on him.
"I hate it when that happens." He said kicking the body away.
They were in a new hall way, blue light's same metal walls and the necromorph body parts moving around on the floor.
"Isaac are those...?" Scootaloo wavered off.
"Go ahead; I need a little something to wake me up."
She grabbed him and started to chase the small body parts around, making sure not to hit hard but hard enough to kill the things.
The head kept jumping at her but the third swing she got it and sent it flying across the hallway.
"Well, that woke me up. And Purée the eggs I ate earlier." Isaac said getting up.
A small screen with Ellie and Stross, who was sitting in a corner, came into his view.
"Ellie. I'm on my way to the mirrors now. I have to realign them manually. How's Stross?"
"See for yourself."
The video zoomed in on Stross as he was talking to himself.
"No. I'm not ready for the needle again! You have to let me out! I can't breathe! Let me out!"
The camera went back to Ellie.
"Stross, what's wrong? Ellie?"
The camera went back to Stross.
"He's... waiting... for... me!" Stross panicked.
The camera turned off and they were left in the darkness.
"Ugh... Isaac, we have more of those Cyst things." Applebloom pointed out.
He looked ahead and saw more of the flesh lumps lining the floor and walls.
He looked around and saw a small green box laying on the floor. He picked that up and shot it at the Cyst. It exploded in a geyser of yellow fluid.
They made their way past the others, often just killing them on sight.
"I still hate those things." Applebloom said as they went through the doors.
"Quiet, do you hear that?" Sweetiebelle shushed them. "Listen."
They all stopped, silence filling the room. And silence until Isaac spoke.
"I don't hear anything." He said.
"They're in the vents. Watch." She pulled out her Contact beam and charged it, fired it and got a kill. "How could you not hear them?" She asked incredulously.
"Because, they were on the other side of the room in the vents. Applebllom, Sccotaloo could you hear them?" Isaac asked.
They shook their heads.
"I guess sensitive hearing is a side-effect. Come on, let's head up." He said leading them to the arrays.
Scootaloo made quick work of the panel and they went in fast.
They went to the door at the end of the hall and opened it to find Nicole standing there.
"How do you do it? How do you hold it all inside, your face never betraying your pain? No one would ever know the guilt you feel-"
"Actually I can relate." Scootaloo raised a hoof.
"Never know the dark thought's-"
As she rambled on, Scootaloo grabbed Isaac, Sweetiebelle and Applebloom before teleporting them all out into space.
"Ahh! What happened!?" Sweetiebelle yelled.
"I teleported us out." Scootaloo said.
"Alright listen up," Isaac said getting their attention. "All of you stick with a buddy and do not take your helmet off."
"Actually I could take my helmet off and be perfectly fine." scootaloo said.
"Just don't. Now, do the rest of you understand?"
They gave nods before he waved them to follow him.
He slowly glided up to the first solar panel. He stuck out his palm and slowly moved it towards the non-lit panel. When it touched the panel it lit up and sent a beam of light down towards the middle chunk of the arrays.
"Alright now to get the other one."
"Isaac, there's a problem." Scootaloo said poking him in the side.
"What?" She pointed to a large white fleshy growth on the arrays walkways. "Oh, what is that?"
"It's called a Nest." Sweetiebelle said getting looks from the others. "I memorized the list."
As they approached the second panel it opened up exposing three fleshy bulbs and a swarm of jellyfish like necromorph’s heading their way.
"Don't let them hit you!" Isaac yelled before he got hit. "Don't do what I just did!"
"Ya don't have to tell me twice!" Applebloom yelled back.
Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle were flying up to the second array unnoticed. Scootaloo started to pull the array down and as she was connecting it Sweetiebelle pushed her out of the way and began firing at the Swarm where Scootaloo was.
"Thanks." Scootaloo said.
"No problem. Let's kill that thing and get Isaac and Applebloom."
They flew over to the still dodging engineer's and started to fire alongside them.
"Hey Isaac! I think now would be a good time to let me just get that thing." Scootaloo yelled.
"Just do what you need to do!" He yelled back dodging another three of the necromorph's.
She undid her helmet and flew down as fast as she could. She landed at the base of it and wrapped her tentacles around each of the buds before squeezing. They popped much like the Cysts only leaving the yellow fluid and the lump of flesh.
As she flew up to her friends a bright light went off behind her. As she turned she saw a large yellow beam going down to the station.
Isaac's screen came into view with Ellie and Stross both looking panicked.
"Holy shit Isaac." She said.
"Ellie? Ellie are you alright!?"
"We just made it into the crossover tube when the beam hit! Isaac, those things are still heading for the Transport Hub. They're wreaking everything in their path!"
"Oh shit. They'll cut us off! Get to the hub! I’ll meet you as soon as I can!"
The screen turned off and he pointed back to the small elevator where they entered at. They all quickly got on and started to run, even going as far as trying to pull the door up.
"Ellie! Come in!" Isaac nearly yelled into his comm.
"Isaac! We have to cross the Government Sector before they cut us off! You'll never make it down here in time!"
"I'll be there! I'll be there!"
"Instability detected in the Array alignment. Emergency ejector systems initializing." Said an electronic voice through Isaac's head set.
He turned to the crusaders, all of which were looking at him expectantly.
He looked back to the booster and then back to them.
"Have any of you ever been on a roller coaster before?" he asked with anything but mischief in his voice.
They all shook their heads as they saw him get into the chair.
"Get on. And turn on your boosters when we launch." He said.
They all ran and jumped onto his lap where they sat back.
The machine lifted them all up and then pointed them sown, the jets fired and they were speeding ahead at atleast thirty miles an hour before it broke off and they all turned on their boosters.
They sped along faster than anything the fillies’ minds had known.
A building came flying by; they swerved to the right and let it pass. A large chunk of rubble came next that collided with the beam and was either blown to bits or disintegrated.
The crusaders made a mental note not to hit that.
Another building coming up on the left nearly hit them as they flew in the broken cone of it. And then a massive chunk came passing through their field of vision. They slowed down and went through the hallway in it.
Another building came from the left as they watched a small light grow brighter.
"Aim for the light!" Isaac yelled over the comm’s.
They straightened out and made a line directly towards the light.
There was a crash and soon they were all hitting against the walls and occasional vent of the shaft.
Isaac turned on his thruster and cracked the marble flooring as he landed one hand on the ground and one leg on the floor while the other was facing forward. Applebloom landed next, she landed on all fours with a solid crack as the marble web-worked its way to Isaac. Sweetiebeel landed on the otherside of Isaac, she landed on three legs, one held against her side.
And then Scootaloo landed with a split.
"Everyone alright?" Isaac asked. "Well, I know Scootaloo probably isn't but still."
"We need to get a move on!" Applebloom urged him already running towards the door.
Isaac opened the door and ran in followed by the crusaders.
"Issac! This way! The train is this way." Ellie said.
"Oh shit!" Isaac yelled as the doorway exploded.
Ellie and Stross went running through the doorway above there before that also blew up.
"Move! Move! Move! Head for the factory! Ellie, can you get the door to the factory opened?" Isaac asked over his comm.
"Are you crazy? I barely it out of there with my life! That place is swarming with those things!" She yelled back.
Now the air was being sucked out of the room as the lights turned blue and the sounds of necromorph's could be heard. Very close.
"No choice! Go! Go!" He yelled louder than before.
Soon the Pack started to jump from the balcony where Ellie and Stross once stood.
"Get back, move into a corner!" Isaac yelled to the crusaders as they shot a number of necromorph's.
They were all huddled together in a doorway, shooting numerous necromorph's as they tried to run at them. Only the Pukers hit any of them, even if it was just Isaac.
Soon more and more came out before a near swarm was attacking them. Sweetiebelle panicked and put up a shield.
"Come on! Why won't this bloody door open!" Isaac yelled.
The shield had started to gain a few cracks as more blades started to hit it.
"Come on! Open!" He yelled again raising his Pulse rifle.
The shield broke and at once a swarm of necromorph's came crashing through, and not a second after they were being shredded by the barrage of gunfire.
The door opened and they ran through, Sweetieblle slightly stumbled as a Slasher made its way in before scootaloo sent it into the ceiling with a loud thud denting the heavy metal.
"Holy... shit." Isaac panted leaning on his knees. "Let's never do that again."
"Ah'm with ya there." Applebloom said as she lay on her back and raise a tiny hoof before rolling over onto her belly. "Sweetie, how are ya holdin' up?"
The unicorn in question was staring bleary eyed at her friends as she rubbed her head. She stumbled backwards and nudged the Slasher lying on the ground.
And not a second after all her friends watched as it jumped back onto its feet and brought it's only blade down in a sideward swing.
"No!" Scootaloo yelled as she grabbed it. "You monster!" She cried as she repeatedly slammed it against the walls until she was sure every bone in its body was broken.
Her two other friends, stood there, looking at what was Sweetiebelle.
The Slasher had done none-fixable damage. When it swung it beheaded her; her head was lying in front of her.
Ponyville.
Rarity was on the ground crying with all her content and more as Fluttershy sat beside her, crying softly alongside her as she stroked the unicorn's back.
"No..." Alex said. "No!" He yelled stomping the ground.
"Sweetiebelle... man why'd it have to be any of them, but why Sweetiebelle?" Rainbowdash said to herself, ears splayed back and salty tears stinging her eyes. "Buck every one of those things!" She shouted.
Twilight was hyperventilating, Rarity was still crying, Fluttershy was also crying, Applejack had her hooves in her eyes, Rainbowdash was screaming curses at the necromorph's and Alex was looking at the mirror.
"Ugh... guys you should look at this." He said. "Guys! Look dammit! Something’s happening!"
They all looked hesitantly up at the screen and gasped alongside the crowd.
Titan Station.
"Dammit! Why is there still blood coming from her? It should have stopped almost a minute ago." Isaac said looking at the fresh stream of blood coming from Sweetiebelle's body. "What the hell?"
Her neck wound started to close and slowly healed, the blood stopped gushing out and more of the skin, bone and hair grew where the head was.
In one quick burst a new head came out from her neck stump. And then, she was still again.
"Sweetiebelle...? Are-Are you alright? Sweetiebelle?" Scootaloo asked.
A low moan came from her and a hoof slowly started to rise.
"Ow... my head feels like I just slammed it against a wall and had my horn broke off." She said sitting up.
All her friends were staring at her, each of them backed against the wall. She didn't notice, she was distracted at squinting at her head on the floor.
"That's a weird reflection." She started to reach out with a hoof. "It almost looks like I could... touch it." Her hoof met the head and slightly pushed a lock of hair up.
Her eyes shot open as she backed away before deciding to run behind Isaac and hold onto his legs.
"What-what-how-why- what's, what's going on! Why is my head over there!?" She panicked, her tiny chest moving back and forth in a blur. "Answer me!"
"It must be a side-effect..." Isaac said. "Sweetiebelle, I think you may have been affected by that Infector much more than we thought. By a lot."
"W-what's that supposed to mean!? What am I!? What's happening to me!?"
"I-I need to ask something. Give me a second." He slowly pried her off and let her latch onto Scootaloo. "Alex, is there any way to send things from over here there?" Isaac asked.
Ponyville.
"I-I don't know... is there any way?" Alex asked.
"Not that I know of. Unless we could send Spike there, then no." Celestia said.
"Wait, say that again." Alex said.
"Unless we could send Spike over there. You’re not thinking of-"
"No! What if we send some of his fire!? We could have them use that and then they could hopefully be able to send things over here!" He kissed her on the lips making her blush in front of the crowd. "Honey you’re a genius! And a life saver!" He said before his horn started to glow.
In a flash Spike was sitting there, with his old apron on and a tube of icing in claw. It took a second for him to realize his surrounding's changed.
"Alex? What's going on?" He asked.
"Listen, I need you to breathe some fire into a box for me. Can you do that?"
"Sure... but where’s the-"
Alex's horn glowed again and a small box appeared.
"Come on! Spit it out! We have lives to save!" Alex urged him on.
He raised an eyebrow before shooting out a ball of flames into the box, where it was promptly sealed. His horn started to glow again as a spell fired at the box. It seemed to just freeze in a block of ice.
"Send them a letter! Quick! And wrap this up too."
Before Celestia could grab hold of the small box, a pink hoof grabbed it and wrapped it in a scroll of parchment.
"Here! Now send it!" Pinkie yelled.
"Here goes nothing..." He muttered before tossing the cube and scroll through.
Titan Station.
Sweeitebelle was hanging onto Scootaloo, her eyes wide, mouth hanging open and only the steady sound of breathing giving a clue to tell she was alive.
A small black smoke cloud floated down and landed at Isaac's feet. He picked it up and nearly dropped the metal cube that was in it.
"Dear Isaac, please get a blood sample from Sweetiebelle, put it into a small box or paper, aim the box lid towards the object and open it. (Warning contains magic dragon fire.) Love, Pinkie Pie." He looked back at the cube and then did another read through of the scroll.
"If she says so. Sweetiebelle, could I get quick blood sample from you?"
She snapped out of her trance and looked at him before extending a fore-leg.
He took out a small health canister used it on her and sucked in a small amount of blood. He set it on the floor in front of them all and aimed the box at it.
He opened it and a torrent of green flame shot out for only a brief second.
When it died down the canister was gone, not even a scorch mark.
"Magic dragon's too... What doesn't your world have?" He thought to himself.
Ponyville.
The mirror shimmered before a trail of green smoke appeared and at Alex's hooves, landed a small canister.
"I'll be right back; I just need to run some tests." He said before teleporting away.
"Sweeetiebelle... you truly are an angel." Rarity cried knowing her sister was still alive and beat death twice. "You’re your own guardian angel."
The Sweetiemorph has arrived! Run for the hills! (It wont help...)
"Okay... okay good. Wait… scratch that, that's not good... and perfect!" Said Alex as he held the small vile of golden liquid.
"Okay now that I've got my secret stash of apple juice sorted out, it's time to go check on the blood tests."
He turned from his small pocket of inner-space, closed it and went back to the counter.
He stared at the small veils of red liquid mixing within before looking at the screen connecting to the separator.
"What the..." He looked up confused before looking back down. "Well I'll be damned."
Titan Station.
"What am I?" Sweetiebelle looked at her hooves, her eyes still watery.
Isaac put a hand on her shoulder and smiled gently at her.
"Your Sweetiebelle. Nothing more, nothing less. Now if you cheer up I'll see if we can get us something to drink. That reminds me," he turned to the other two. "When was the last time any of us had anything to drink?"
They shrugged before scooting over to Sweetiebelle.
"If it makes you feel any better, I'm here if you want to talk about it?" Scootaloo said. "I can relate."
"Me too. Ah mean look at me. Ah'm nearly unstoppable when I get mad, and that's just for yall." Applebloom gave her a reassuring smile. "Even Isaac. Since he's crazy and all."
"Hey! Were all crazy. And were going to be crazy together, until the end."
She looked up and smiled slightly.
"Until the end." Sweetiebelle said.
A small cloud of black smoke appeared and landed at Isaac's feet. He picked it up and began to read.
"Dear Sweetiebelle and friends, it seems the test conducted on Sweetiebelle's blood have, unfortunately confirmed the existence of the necromorphic plague. Strangely it seems to have molded onto her own cells and created something similar to a necromorph called the Hunter, me and Isaac had fought before. It had a heightened sense of sight, hearing and touch while it was also able to regenerate limbs including a head. It was nearly unstoppable until it was burned down to the core. Alex." He looked down at the crusaders.
All of their mouths were open; Swetiebelle's left eye was twitching.
"I guess that explains the new head. I wonder what else you can do now?" Isaac pondered.
"I... I'm just tired." sweetiebelle said. "I'm tired of all of this." She hugged her friends closer.
"Trust me, with you three this has been a cake walk." Isaac said. "Hell, if it weren't for you three I would have been dead already."
"I mean, look at you three. We have the demonic spawn of the supernatural, the badass farmer and our own little angel."
"I'm no angel, I’m a monster." Sweetiebelle looked down.
"No!" He snapped making them all look at him in fright. "I don't ever want to hear you say that! You are not a monster! You are a kind, caring and loving pony! Now if I hear that one more time I'll duct tape your mouth shut."
"T-Thanks Isaac. That helped, really it did." Sweetibelle said letting her helmet fold up.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened.
They looked out and saw more steam rising from large pipes at the sides and a nearly bottomless drop. They proceeded through the door in the front; Sweetiebelle had her head high in joy. She still knew her friends wanted her.
When they entered, as soon as they stepped on the end of the ramp they all grabbed their heads as Nicole caused images to appear.
"Dammit, that's still annoying." Isaac grunted. "And slightly stinging."
"Forget her, she's just a murderous hallucination made from your mind." Sweetieblle said.
He rolled his eyes under his helmet as they went through the door to the left.
And into a dark room with furniture upturned, bodies lying on the floor and just a light flickering.
"Watch the floors; we don't want a necromorph jumping us when we can't see." Isaac whispered taking out his Plasma cutter.
They silently stepped through the debris, both of the bodies they passed they stared at intently before seeing they were dead.
"Operation control room. Huh, ah wonder what it controls?" Applebloom though as she entered the small room.
It had a small holo-table projecting the Sprawl, a window leading to numerous machines designed to run ventilation, waste disposal, communication and shipping docks.
Two Infector's came from the other side of the glass and started to turn two bodies into necromorph's, which after transformation, wandered off.
Ponyville.
"Is there going to be anything different about her?" Rarity asked. "Look wise or emotionally?"
Alex sighed before answering again. "No, her blood cells and the virus were molded perfectly together. The only mutation should be the mass regeneration and heightened senses. Now could you be quiet and watch as our friends kill necromorph’s?"
"In any other time I would say that is simply barbaric, but, that is barbaric even if it's to watch my little Sweetiebelle."
"Hey Alex. Bout’ Applebloom," Applejack started rubbing the back of her neck nervously. "She's not gounna, well y'know... be like ya when she gets angry?"
"Why? Are you worried?" He asked with an edge in his voice.
"Well a'course I am! She's ma'h little sister!"
"I'll have you know what she has is more of a gift. And she only does that when her friends are in danger. Hell, I’m surprised she managed to control it. I still haven't gotten mine even close to stable." He laughed.
"Ah've seen what you can do, and it ain't pretty." She narrowed her eyes. "What's so good bout' being able to kill something like that?"
"I don't always kill something whenever I snap! And in her situation she has no choice!" He said back, voice rising slightly.
"Honey calm down, you get mad when you’re stressed." Ceestia said putting a hoof on his shoulder. "Look, there alright. And we should send a drink for them, they deserve it."
"Yeah, sorry Applejack. Rarity asking me again and again if her sister is going to change, you yelling and the whole multidimensional travel has got me a bit stressed out."
"T'aint a problem. I'd be hittin' anypony in ma'h way if I were you." She waved him off.
"If you were me, you'd probably leave a hoof sized hole in their head if you did that." He laughed until realizing no one else was. "Well it's true and funny in my defense." He pouted.
Titan Station.
"That wasn't so bad." Isaac said kicking a necromorph corpse.
"Wasn't bad?" Applebloom panted. "Wasn't bad!? Ah nearly lost ma'h head twice!"
"And you’re still alive, therefore it wasn't that bad." He shrugged at her red face showing clearly through her coat.
He stepped over the Impregnator corpse in the hallway and proceeded through the doorway.
They stepped into the main control room, a large screen ahead showing static before Nicole's black, pitless eyes started to show.
"The cracks are showing, Isaac, and the memories are seeping in. And when they do, I'll be waiting for you."
Everything appeared normal again, the group swiftly rushed through the door, around the corner and into the walkway hanging above more steam and flashing lights.
"Alright, we should be directly at the transport hub now. It should be just beyond this door." Isaac said opening said door.
The room was large, had large glass windows, bodies lying around, and blood dripping off the walls making puddles.
"Isaac, over here!" Ellie called out from behind the glass. "The door is jammed. This must have been a last stand for whoever was left down here."
"Can you get the door open on your end?" He asked.
"No the circuits are fried. They must have fused the panel trying to keep those things out."
"There has to be another way in." Scootaloo said. "What if I tear open the door?"
"No! You might cause a decompression, killing us all while at the same time sucking everything in there, in here. So no door tearing. The transport hub has a lower compression than the one were in."
She frowned but still kept her tentacles out.
"The only way around is through the Processing Plant, but it’s not meant for human traffic. I think I can stop it from here now."
"Is it safe for pony traffic then?" Applebloom asked, whistling innocently.
"No, it's meant for trash." She said rolling her eyes. "And we still haven't learned each other’s names yet."
"Applebloom." She said smiling at the woman.
"You know me." Scootaloo said.
"Sweetiebelle." She said waving. "Hey Stross!" She said happily.
"Hello little pony." He said quickly.
"Is something wrong?" She asked, worried for the twitchy human. "Would you like something to drink?"
"Water. If you have it." He said. "From where though?"
"Wait for it, wait for it." Isaac and the crusader's said in unison.
A black cloud came from a nearby vent, it split into six chunks, four landing in front of Isaac and the crusaders and two passing through the glass window before settling down at their feet/hooves.
"Drink up. This might be the last." Isaac said raising his glass down to the crusaders. "Cheers to humanity and... ponies."
They clinked glasses, Sweetieblle with a distant look on her face as she finished hers.
"It’s my favorite tea. Rarity always heat's it up and then it tastes bad." She smiled gently setting the glass down. "Thanks sis. For everything."
"Thank you whoever sent this." Stross said. "Hey Ellie, do you think my glass is half full or half empty? I never quite got why that matters."
"Stross, shut up and enjoy your drink." She looked back at Isaac before doing a spit take. "Isaac! Behind you!"
He turned around and saw a Slasher running at them.
Faster than anyone could react it leapt at Sweetiebelle.
She screamed before raising her hooves in defense. She felt her hooves tingle before something warm started to drip down her legs. She opened her eyes and a gasp was followed by five other glasses shattering.
She had two large spikes protruding from her hooves which a dead Slasher was leaning on. She tilted them to the side and it slid off.
"What-Whats going on!" She screamed. "Why do I have these things in my hooves!?"
"Sweetibelle! Calm the fuck down now! Or I swear to god I will knock you the right fuck out right here on the spot and remove those things with a Ripper!" Isaac yelled.
She stopped and looked at him before taking a deep breath. She exhaled through her nose and looked back at him.
"Well? What do I do? Because I'm not comfortable having them snapped, shot or taken off surgically."
"Try thinking of them retracting." Scootaloo said.
"What?" She looked at her friend as if she were crazy.
"Think about retracting them. It wouldn't hurt to try." She said.
Swetiebelle looked down at her blades and concentrated on them going back in. Slowly she started to feel them move until they were moving back in. Soon she reabsorbed the bone and the holes in her hooves closed.
"Wow... thanks Scoot's."
"What are friends for?" She smiled flittering her small wings.
"To blame stealing the cookie before dinner?" Isaac joked.
They all actually smiled before laughing, even Ellie made a giggle while Stross laughed and smiled warmly at them.
Ponyville.
"I didn't know! The blood cells were perfectly normal when I looked at them!" Alex yelled at Rarity. "How the hell was I supposed to guess she'd grow fucking blades out of her hooves!?"
"You said that nothing would be wrong! Well, what's wrong with her now!?" She yelled back.
"I don't know! Maybe when she was frightened... when she was frightened! That’s it! The necromorph blood must have activated and caused a mutation."
"What does that mean!?"
"That she's a hybrid. She can control the necromorph side of her. Honey take a letter! And someone get me some apple juice!"
"Wow, this is really cool." Sweetiebelle said as her new blades shot in and out. "Really cool."
Isaac and Ellie just watched as the small pony sat retracting and pushing out her new blades. They both turned to each other thinking the same thing.
"What the fuck is going on!?"
"So, Isaac." Ellie started. "What's with the smoke and breaking physics thing?"
"Huh? Oh the water. Their rulers are communicating with them and me through letters they send using magic smoke." He said as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"Magic smoke? Really?" She asked incredulously.
"You’re asking me that when you saw it and there are three talking, technicolor cross-dimensional ponies here?" He raised an eyebrow.
"I still don't get it. I don’t even know what's with two of them. Speaking of which, Scootaloo, could you come here for a second?"
She turned around raising an eyebrow suspiciously.
"Yes Ellie?" She asked cautiously.
"What Are you exactly? You look like your friends, but then you change." She asked narrowing her eyes.
"I'm one-fourth pony, two-fourth's Slenderpony and one-fourth Changeling." She said. "And before you ask, 'what's a Changeling?' There small insectoid like ponies. And no, there not actually related to bugs."
"Right. So, Isaac do you want me to open the door so you can get through?"
"I was waiting. Sweetiebelle, were going. So... stop messing with your blades, please."
She frowned before retracting her blades and walking over.
"Alright, that should do it." Ellie said as she unlocked the waste disposal treatment facility.
"By Ellie! By Stross!" All three of the crusaders wave, Stross smiled and waved back weakly while Ellie gave a nod and smile.
The door closed and all they saw were massive blades on the floor, a metal walkway, lights hanging at different levels from the ceiling and multiple vents.
"Watch the vents and keep away from the rails." Isaac said.
They were against the wall; Isaac was leaning on the rail since he would slip under as easily. Halfway across to the doors a large evolved Slasher came out from a vent on the other side and a Puker on their side. Conveniently in front of Isaac.
"Shoot it before it-Dammit! Not again!" Isaac yelled as he was drenched in the acidic fluid.
He quickly blasted off the arms and head from the Puker before focusing on the blackened Slasher. Which was nowhere to be seen.
A scratching was heard from behind him; he turned and caught a glimpse of the tips of a set of black blades.
It was in clear view, it jumped and was tackled in the air by Scootaloo; they both went over the railing.
"Scootaloo!" They all cried leaning over the rail.
"Get me out of here!" She called as she was thrown across to the other side. "Help!"
"Hang on Scoots!" Sweetiebelle yelled charging her horn.
Scootaloo was still being thrown across the room until she started to slow down. She opened her eyes and saw herself encased in a light blue glow and was being set down onto the lower walkway.
They all ran to her side as she got up, eyes spinning and a hoof over her mouth.
"Scootaloo? Are you alright?" Sweetiebelle asked as she saw her friend heave her stomach contents over the edge. "I guess not..."
"Now you know my pain." Isaac said patting her on the back.
"Isaac, I don't feel so hot." She said sickly before puking again; it landed on his chest and boots.
He looked down and sighed.
"I figured that was going to happen." He said wiping it away. "Every time I get close to any of you, I end up getting some kind of bodily fluid or chunky mess on me."
"I-I think that was the last of it." Scootaloo said before wiping away a small strand of drool from her chin.
"Good, because were going zero-G in a second." Sweetiebelle said as she stared out the door. "Or Scootaloo can carry us."
"No way! Isaac's too heavy!" Scootaloo protested.
"Hey! I only weigh a hundred and ninety-five pounds!" Isaac said crossing his arms.
"Yeah well... you’re shaped funny for me to carry on my back or tentacles." She said rolling her eyes.
"You dragged me through the garbage chute and used me as a hammer twice!"
"And it was uncomfortable. Besides, we might not always be here to save your sorry flank later." She smirked at him before going in.
"Why you little-" He raised his hands in a choking gesture.
"Let it go Isaac." Sweetiebelle said putting a hoof on his leg.
"But-"
"Isaac, be the adult."
He stared down in those green eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose and exhaling.
"Alright... I'm the adult there is nothing she can say-"
"Come on hundred ninety-five, we've got to go!" Scootaloo called buzzing around.
Isaac swore he heard something in his head make a small 'pop!' before he ran after the small pegasus.
Sweetiebelle did the only thing sensible to stop him.
She grabbed his leg.
"Isaac! Stop!" She yelled.
"I'm going to have a very, very long talk! With you!" He yelled jumping over the railing.
Scootaloo half-screamed half-laughed as he jumped at her.
When Applebloom came in she was watching the whole thing.
Sweetiebelle hanging onto Isaac's leg as he chased Scootaloo, who was literally flying circles around him. She gave a groan and flew up, hit them both on the backs of their heads and glared at them.
"Well, what'd yall have to say to each other?" She growled crossing her fore-legs.
Scootaloo looked over at Isaac guilty before extending a hoof. "Sorry Isaac." She said.
He reached out and shook her hoof. "Yeah, me too. I got a little out of control."
"A little?" Applebloom questioned.
"Alright, alright! A lot!" He raised his hands defensively.
"Good, now if'n yall are done goofin around, we can get out of this place. And Sweetiebelle, quit tossing your cookies next to Isaac, he's gounna' fly into it."
Sweetiebelle gave a shivery nod before flying to the floor and throwing up.
"Weird, I thought the last of that stuff came out of her a while ago?" Isaac said.
"It did!" Sweetiebelle called out. "I think this is the tea. It's all brown and translucent. Not opaque like food chunks."
"And now ah've lost ma'h appetite." Applebloom muttered.
"I'm still hungry." Isaac and Scootaloo shrugged in unison. "Weird. Hey! Stop copying me! I said quit it! That's it! Come here!"
"Stop it! Or so help me, Ah'm gounna knock both of yall out and leave yall's sorry tails here!" Applebloom yelled.
They both stopped and saw Applebloom's face red, her eyes narrowed and the Line gun she was holding at them.
They looked back at each other before starting to fly away. Applebloom smiled and helped Sweetiebelle along.
The room was small, dark, blood covered, had a few bodies floating around and a large plate blocking the way.
"So, how do we get it open?" Scootaloo asked. "Becasue I might not be able to bend or tear that. Or even get a grip."
"See the canister over there at the door?" Isaac said looking back at her. "Get it and put it on this. It's just like what we did with the lift where we killed the mini Tripods."
She was about to start flying when the panel started to glow. They looked to see Sweetiebelle's helmet light up where her horn was.
"Sweetiebelle, there's no way you can open that. It has a magnetic-" Isaac started.
"Isaac, are you coming or what?" Scootaloo called as she flew through underneath the panel.
"Lock." He finished looking at the small pony.
"I've got to thank Twilight for those anti-magnetism lessons!" Sweetiebelle said enthusiastically. "Does anypony want to try letting me carry them?" She asked. "Sorry Isaac, I do have my weight limits too." She smiled cheekily before flying off.
"Don't you start that shit too!" He yelled as he flew next to her.
The way forward was even darker, had larger machines but no bodies floating around. When they turned a corner Scootaloo was flying ahead, weaving through numerous shredders, and when Isaac came along. They all turned on simultaneously.
Scootaloo tried to fly away but since she had left her tentacles out they got caught on one and now she was being thrown around.
Tiedmann was talking with Isaac and the others.
"Clarke and... ponies." He started still looking at the three before looking back to Isaac. "I see your friend has powered off the facility. Remind me to thank her for providing me with her location. I've locked the processing cycle on, and you and your companions with it. It ends here, Clarke." His screen turned off.
"Somepony! Stop this thing!" Scootaloo yelled as sparks flew.
"Good god the irony." Isaac thought as he stared at her. "This reminds me of a song; I think I'll play it to help... ease the tension."
The other two crusaders looked over at him with questioning looks.
"Isaac," Applebloom started. "Now's not the time for music. Now's the time to save Scootaloo!"
"My speakers were on, weren't they?" He sighed.
"Big time." Sweetiebelle said.
He switched the music off and shot a Stasis pulse at the shredders, slowing them down long enough for Scootaloo to get through.
"Why... why do I hear music?" She said slowly. "Look at the pretty stars." She laughed before her head went limp.
"Scoot's? Hey Scoot's, are you alright?" Sweetiebelle asked poking her friend. "Um... Isaac?"
"Yeah?" He inwardly sighed.
"I think you might need to carry her." Sweetieblle said pushing her over to him.
"What? Why me?" He asked annoyed that she was trying to make him carry her. "Why can't you do it?"
"She's too heavy and the tentacles would slow me or Applebloom down to where we couldn't even walk. And I can't levitate her, I could for a small while but then I'd get tired."
He sighed and wrapped her tentacles around her and held her to his chest.
"If she wakes up, tell her she was sucking on her hoof and I took a picture, ok?" He asked.
"Why?" Applebloom asked.
"So I can say I can black-mail her if she starts throwing insults at me again."
"Isaac!" Sweetieblle yelled.
"She keeps calling me irregularly shaped! And you have no room to talk either, Ms. Sorry Isaac, I do have my weight limits too!"
"Both of yall just shut up! If'n ah wasn't dyin' from craziness you'd two would have given me it before!" Applebloom yelled.
They both stopped and looked to her, Isaac slightly in fear and Sweetiebelle slightly nervous and afraid if she spoke again.
Applebloom looked at the two and sighed out of regret.
"Ah'm sorry-" Aplpebloom smiled gently at them.
"No. I'm sorry, sorry for acting like a child. A stupid, little, ignorant child. I guess you three have had a bigger impact on me than I thought." Isaac muttered.
"Yeah, I'm sorry to. For the name calling. And whatever else I did but am not aware of." Sweetiebelle followed suit.
"No... no waffle dinosaurs for me..." Scootaloo snorted.
"Oh what the hell! She's pulling that sleeping crap again!" Isaac yelled. "Scootaloo! Wake up!" He yelled at her.
Her eyes snapped open, she screamed and punched him in the gut making him double over.
"Good god... she has a terribly strong left hoof." He groaned before belching. "I think she broke one of my floating ribs."
"Isaac? Why are you all hunched over like an old colt?" Scootaloo asked tilting her head to the side.
"Later... well talk later." He groaned straightening out. "For now, let's not get turned into minced meat."
Sweetiebelle winced at the words, 'minced meat' but still flew up to the blades and shot out a bolt of stasis slowing them down. They all followed through, slowly as the blades were slowed one-by-one and sped up behind them one-by-one.
Once they were all out they looked around and saw a Lurker taking aim, it fired and missed. Sweetiebelle did not.
As they flew pat half a Lurker they saw even more machinery. Large engines pumping out streaks of fire, the only cover a rectangular piece moving back and forth.
Isaac shot a bolt of stasis at it, slowed it down and they all quickly went through as it came out from it. They looked down and saw multiple saws on pillars, the saws themselves spinning round and round.
They drifted down and stared at the flashing yellow lights as they spun. Oddly, Scootaloo's eyes were slightly glazed over and she started to drift towards them.
Before the others noticed she stuck out a tentacle and wrapped it around one of the blades. She went forward but then held onto the pillar with her hooves. Two more tentacles wrapped themselves around the blades and slowly sparks and smoke started to come from it.
"Scoot's? Scootaloo!" Isaac yelled out. "Small supernatural pegasus! Listen to me for I am the voice of god!" He called out chuckling slightly.
She slowly shook her head before looking at the blade in her grip before chucking it downward making it catch in the others and jam them. She looked back at the others smiling sheepishly.
"You’re probably wondering about that?"
"To be honest, I don't really give a fuck at this point, nor did I ever really about any of your weird habits." Isaac said getting glares from the three ponies. "We'll its true. You can't blame me for being honest."
They all rolled their eyes before continuing on. He caught up and saw another panel in the way. Applebloom put the canister into place and Scootaloo whip lashed the top of, igniting the contents and opening the passage.
As they went Sweetieblee stopped and looked back to see it explode.
"I'll have to keep that in mind later." She thought.
They all flew through the rank air, killing the occasional Lurker and sparking more political debates.
"You get mad at this guy, for supporting this old racist dude, but you're not mad at the old racist dude? ‘So where's the point in that then?' is what i said to him." Isaac said to Scootaloo.
"I know! He's mad at one guy for supporting him and yet you’re not mad at the racist guy. My family knows that for sure." Scootaloo nodded. "Even my grandma, but she did try and take over the world and imprison our rulers. And assault her and defeat her with one magical blast." She said.
"Damn, your family sounds cool. Hey, if i ever visit you guys I'll have to meet them."
"Really!?" She squeaked flying over to hug him. "I'll have to tell my dad not to peel your skin off and my mom not to crush you! Could you come over for Hearth's Warming Eve!? Or Nightmare Night!? Because that would be awesome!"
"I'll try, I'll try! Just stop with the affection or else I might think you want me to hug you."
She flew ahead instantly.
the only thing they saw was a large fan they were currently standing on.
"Well, where to now?" Applebloom asked.
"Look up." Sweetiebelle said staring straight up.
"What?" they all asked tilting their heads.
She pointed a small hoof up; they followed it and saw a Nest above them, only four jets of flame between them and the small kamikaze necromorph’s.
"That could be a problem." Isaac said flying up to the first jet. The Nest opened up and expelled six necromorph’s. "Why me..." He groaned.
He was about to fire when they all died before they reached him.
"Well, we can't just float here all day. Let’s go!" Scootaloo yelled before flying up to it.
And only to be blown back to her friends.
"ya did it wrong, let me show ya how it's done." Applebloom smirked before getting a crazed look on her face again. "Play time!" She hissed as she went to charge it.
And to meet the same fate as Scootaloo.
"Ow." She said rubbing her leg. "Sweetiebelle, do ya have any ideas? Sweetiebelle?" She looked back and then to the Nest, but still saw her friend nowhere. "Where'd Sweetiebelle go?" She asked.
"I'm right here."
They all turned and their jaws dropped.
They saw her holding six of the canisters in a light blue field.
"You all may want to move. Like now." She said before an ark of electricity shot from her horn and ignited the canisters.
They rocketed past the others and went straight at the Nest's three fleshy bulbs. They all impacted the mound of flesh simultaneously causing a large explosion and tearing it to pieces.
"Damn..." Isaac said.
Sweetiebelle giggled and flew ahead, soon followed by the others. They saw another panel and let her open it. It slid open and they now saw a clear path to the next set of doors. And to the next pressurized area.
"I thought that would never end." Isaac thought. "So, Sweetiebelle, have anything to add to why you get mad at this guy, for supporting this old racist dude, but you're not mad at the old racist dude?"
Two crusaders chuckled while one groaned before face-hoofing.
If you have not read the blog I put up, then do so if you are interested in being mentioned in the story. Thank you. Whoever you are...
The hallway was lined with lights, all of them shining purple as the four silently walked towards the door.
Isaac opened it in an instant, waited for it to open and stepped through.
Half a Stalker crawled towards him, Applebloom bucked it in the side of the head, disconnecting the head from the neck and sending it into the wall on the other side.
"Are we there yet?" Scootaloo whined. "I'm hungry and my head hurts." She continued.
"No, no we are not." Isaac growled clenching his fists. "For the tenth time since we just opened the door behind us twenty steps before, that led to the zero-G area we just left. And you should have eaten before we left."
"Eaten what?" She argued.
"Preferably me..." He whispered under his breath.
"That's a little morbid, don't you think?" Sweetiebelle said as she looked at him.
"Wow, looks like a right big fight happened here. But ah don't remember coming here." Applebloom said pointing to the broken windows and dead Stalkers littering the floor.
"Do you think we could get through?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"You could, but don't." Isaac said. "There's a door right there." He went to the only unlocked door.
They followed as he opened it and were blinded momentarily by a flash light.
"Hey! Hey!" Isaac called out dodging a shot from Ellie's Plasma cutter.
"Oh god, Isaac! Glad to see you've got all your parts." Ellie said walking up to him.
"You alright?" He asked.
She broke eye contact and suddenly found the floor very interesting. "Um, yeah."
"... There are four steps!" Stross yelled out.
Her look faded to irritation as she motioned a hand over to Stross.
"... No thanks to twitchy here." She said.
"One, two, three, four." He counted.
"Step four she'll be waiting." He said as he held his legs to his chest, atop his small domain that was a box he, subconsciously, claimed as, 'Stross land.'
"Stross? Mister Stross? Are you feelin’ good?" Applebloom asked him.
"Oh! Hey little pony. Um... Applebloom was it?" He asked skittishly.
"Yeah! What's yall's name though? You and Ellie."
"Nolan Stross... and-and that's-"
"Ellie Langford." She finished.
"I was going to say grumpy." He muttered. "Step four, she'll be waiting." He continued in his psychotic rant.
"Jesus, Stross. You okay?" Isaac asked.
Ellie crouched down to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"It's getting worse." She said.
"What is step four? Who will be waiting?" Isaac asked.
"After the screws, after the needle, she'll be waiting." He said again.
He turned his head slightly and jumped back as Nicole was standing behind him.
"Dammit!" he fired off a shot from his Plasma cutter nailing her in the face.
"This time Isaac, Sweetiebelle, Scootaloo, Applebloom." She looked at them all as they all huddled together in a defensive stance.
Scootaloo had all her weapons draw and aimed at Nicole, Sweetiebelle was levitating her Seeker rifle and Contact beam out, and her horn was also glowing a blood red as she took her blades out. Applebloom had the crazed look on her face as when she faced the Pack and Crawlers at the school; she was holding her Line gun and Pulse rifle. Isaac had his Line gun out.
"This time you all will listen," she made a scream making them flinch. "You all will succumb to me, eventually. As they all do." She looked to Stross and the corners of her distorted mouth twisted into a grin before she walked over to him.
He screamed and backed into the wall as he watched her stop mere feet away.
"And him," she pointed at Stross. "Is close enough as it is. Goodbye Isaac and friends of Isaac."
She vanished and they all let out a breath of relief.
"Isaac? What the hell was that?" Ellie asked raising her Plasma cutter at him. "Well?"
"My dead ex-girlfriend is trying to kill me and my friends." He said.
"Really? Your single?" She asked before realizing what she said. "As in looking for someone else? To work with I mean!"
The crusaders were laughing at her and started to sing.
"Ellie and Isaac, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" They all sang.
Isaac laughed slightly before looking at Ellie's blush and then fell to the floor.
"Alright, shut it!" She shouted. "I said shut it!" She fired at the ceiling.
They stopped and looked to her pouting before laughing even harder.
"That time it was funny!" Isaac said between laughs. "I haven't laughed like that in years." He wiped away a tear that was rolling down his cheek.
"There's an Industrial Transport upstairs." Ellie interrupted getting their attention. "Runs on the same spoke as the commuter train. It should get us to the government sector. One of us will have to deploy it from the gear house."
"Stay here and, uh, try to get him on his feet." Isaac said glancing back.
She nodded before walking back to the door.
As Isaac made his way to the other door, clearing debris as he went. Before he opened it he felt something tap his leg. He looked down and saw Sweetiebelle looking up at him with a distinct look on her face that he couldn't quite place.
"What? Are you hungry? Thirsty? What?" He asked.
"Aren't you going to... you know?" She raised here eyebrows twice.
"What? I'm going to do what?" He asked completely oblivious.
"Ask her out." She said between gritted teeth while motioning her head towards Ellie.
"Uh..." He said, O so cleverly.
"Let me take care of this." Scootaloo said putting a hoof on her shoulder.
Her head snapped to Ellies direction and she cupped her muzzle with her hooves, before shouting out...
"Ellie! Isaac has something to ask you! It's really important!"
Ellie jumped from the voice but calmly walked over, Plasma cutter at the ready.
"Yes Isaac?" She asked.
"Damn you small ponies and your romantic intentions!" He cursed in his mind. In reality. "Uh... I'm not sure what I was going to-"
"He wants to ask you out on a date." Scootaloo said.
Ellies eyebrows raised and her mouth fell open, it worked like a fish out of water before she spoke.
"R-Really Isaac? I mean, n-now of all t-times?" She stuttered blushing profusely.
"I guess?" He said. "If we survive, would you like to go out?"
"We’ll see. Call me... maybe." She winked at him before walking back to her post.
They all hurried out through the door. Two crusaders giggling while a human and other crusader were grimacing.
"Really!? Just what tempted you two to do that!?" Isaac hissed at Sweetiebelle and Scootaloo.
"Well... you seemed like you needed a special somepony-" Sweetiebelle said.
Scootaloo finished her sentence. "And you’re horrible with talking to mares if your past says anything." Scootaloo pointed out.
"I had a girlfriend before!" He yelled.
"Yeah... I know the whole 'dead girlfriend trying to kill you' takes its toll. But if you don't have somepony then-"
"You'll end up sad, lonely and angry." Scootaloo finished. "It happened to a local donkey in Ponyville. Cranky Doodle, he met the love of his life at the Gala but then lost her."
"He searched for years, and didn't stop until he was too old, that he just decided to retire. That's when he moved to Ponyville."
"At first he was sad, angry and lonely." Sweetiebelle said.
"But then, Pinkie found his lost love and reunited them. Mable had been livin'' in Ponyville the entire time." Applebloom said.
"So you’re comparing me to a technicolor, talking, grumpy old donkey?" He said. "I can see the resemblance. Since Nicole did... you know." He nodded. "I have been angry, lonely and sad. Everyone I knew aboard The Ishimura, my friends, family by marriage mind you, and girlfriend. I probably hacked them to bits when I was there and didn't even realize it until I ended up here. My whole world changed in a day." He looked down at them with a small smile.
"Maybe all I need is a change for the better."
They all smiled underneath their helmets as they went up the elevator.
Which soon vanished when they hear Nicole.
"We only had two years Isaac. Two years, but they were the best years of my life. I was happy. I had everything I wanted. Until you made me doubt myself."
They all groaned when it ended.
"I think she heard us." Isaac muttered. "Ow."
As they passed a corner a Slasher burst from the vent and landed on Isaac. As it brought it's blades down they stopped.
He looked up and saw two other blades holding them back.
"Isaac," Sweetiebelle said coldly. "Move."
He crawled out from underneath the Necromorph as it brought its blades down again, only for Sweetiebelle to hit them to the side.
It raised them again but she hacked off its arms and sent it to its knees. She walked up to it before taking one blade in hoof, beheaded it.
"Payback is a dish best served cold." She said as the head rolled on the cold metal floor.
They walked past the other corner and stopped dead in their tracks, not one of them even breathed.
"How many damn babies are we going to see?" Isaac whispered.
"Ah don't know, and ah don't care as long as there's no more. Just aim and fire." Applebloom whispered raising her Pulse rifle.
Ponyville.
"Isaac you dog..." Alex chuckled.
"My little Sweetiebelle is a match maker." Rarity said. "How sweet."
"Eww!" Rainbowdash stuck out her tongue. "I hate romantic stuff."
"I think its great their helping him in more ways than one." Twilight said.
"You just want to see how bad they can screw up his chances." Rainbow said.
"What! Rainbow! How could you be so insensitive to think such a thing?" Rarity scolded.
"I know I do!" Alex laughed until being punched between the eyes by his wife. "Damn it all..." He fell to the ground chin first, before long, a loud snoring was heard from him making the windows nearby rattle.
Celestia brushed a lock of her ethereal mane out from her eyes as she gently smiled at him. "I swear it gets harder and harder to do that." She winced as she rubbed her hoof.
Titan Station.
"I hate babies!" Isaac yelled as he was blown back by a Crawler.
They decided on running and not trying to fight thirty Crawlers. Especially since they had crawled behind them.
They ran past them and went through the door ahead. Which Scootaloo shut behind them with a strong hit, denting the outside and inside of the door.
They entered another room similar to the one Ellie and Stross were in. Same flaming lift going up and down, dangerous looking shadows moving from the flames licking at the ceiling and sides of the shaft. Junk piled in heaps; but the only differences were the two Lurkers and Puker in the room with them.
They took care of the Necromorph’s quickly before looking around for supplies. After the search was concluded they regrouped again.
"I guess we go through there." Isaac said pointing at the lone door. "Or we go back to the babies."
The crusaders immediately ran up to the door. Before Isaac opened it Sweetiebelle gasped.
"Oh what now? Is there something in there?" Isaac pointed a thumb at the door.
"It sounds like... someponie’s wailing in there. A pained wail, but also like a groan." She put her ear to the door. "And it sounds bad. Scoot's I think you may need to turn for this one."
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow before changing into her slender self. The only thing with color is her suit and purple hair she kept.
Isaac put his hand to the door and as it opened he raised his Line gun up, aiming straight ahead.
They all walked slowly, step by step, the only sound was their boots hitting the floor. The wailing had stopped along with heir breathing as they turned the corner.
Out from the steam, spreading a lengthy shadow ran out a tall, slender Necromorph.
"Scootaloo, get ready for five times the trouble." Sweetiebelle said.
"Why?" She asked as she got out her Flame thrower.
"Because that's a Divider." She said.
The creature jumped as a torrent of flame was unleashed upon the demonic monster.
A torrent of flame bathed the creature as it swung down from the air.
It hit her in the side of the head, cutting the pale flesh. She growled as the blood trickled out from the closing wound, dropping as it trailed down onto the floor, burning through the metal. She charged it and they went down the shaft. Steam hitting them as they fell, stinging her face as it hit her over and over.
They finally landed down onto a table, breaking it and denting the floor.
It pushed her off as it got up, much to its annoyance; she had brought out her tentacles.
It rushed forward faster than any man or woman. She was faster as she hit it on the side and slammed it into a wall. It got up again before charging her, this time it dodged the swipe and landed a blow across her side.
More blood, falling feathers and much more anger.
She gave a slow hiss, as the parts where her eyes were turned a pitch black.
Her wings retracted; the feathers falling off, next her membrane dissolved letting more blood flow freely and finally the bones straightened out and retracted into her side in sickening snaps and cracks. In their place came two bony tentacles, each armed with spikes on the sides. But what was on her head, gave her the real advantage, was the black horn, shinning with a red spiral in the edges.
The two armored tentacles shot out and smashed together on the side of the Necromorph.
In response its head, feet and hands fell off and started to move around.
Her horn started to glow a dark red, almost black before a rune started to form around her. It glowed a dull blue before lighting up to a light purple, it changed to orange and then yellow before settling on black mixed with red.
Small points started to rise from the edges.
They parts jumped to attack her but were stopped in mid jump as she held them down.
The points grew into pillars, each lined with jagged obsidian thorns, each with blood running through the cracks. It grew until an arch was formed where the empty space in-between started to glow.
A small flame, black as the night with grey swirling in it; the flame itself were as cold and hot as the frozen north and Celestia's sun.
It grew in size before it all turned black, soon moans and horrible, blood curdling shrieks filled the air until no other noise could be heard.
That's when the black tendrils reached out. They grabbed the small body arts and quickly brought them in. After doing so, the pillars collapsed in on themselves and were also sucked in.
"Enjoy Tartarus..." She hissed with enough malice to melt the ice and boil the venom in her words.
Above the shaft.
"Is... is she going to be alright?" Isaac asked, worried and amazed.
"Yeah. She's as tough as nails." Applebloom said. "And as fierce as ma'h brother when Applejack or Twa'light tries and takes his smarty pants doll."
Isaac gave her a strange look of utter bewilderment.
"The same horse that dragged all of that stuff by hopping to see his girl and he has a doll?" Isaac questioned in his own mind.
Ponyville.
"You still have that thing?" Twilight asked.
All eyes were on Mac whose calm demeanor portrayed nothing but shock and embarrassment.
"Eenope!" He said before galloping off.
"He does." Applejack said. "It's under his bed."
"Aww... dammit. My head feels like I was just... just..." Alex groaned getting up.
His calm features turned to one of anger.
"Celestia! What the hell!?" He yelled.
She merely smiled at him.
"You are so sleeping on the royal couch for a week." He growled. "Now, what did I miss?" He asked.
"Nothing much, Isaac getting a date, them running from exploding babies and Scoot's kicking one of those tall Necromorph's flank!" Rainbow said.
"Wait..." He scratched his goatee in thought. "Isaac's got a date?"
Titan station.
"Should I go down?" Isaac suggested.
"No, that won't be necessary..." Scootaloo's voice rang out through the hall and their minds.
A flash, flashed behind them. They all turned and gasped.
Scootaloo was standing there, two massive, bone plated tentacles coming out from where her side would be. And the horn jutting from her fore-head.
"Scootaloo! What happened?" Applebloom asked.
"I sent that thing to Tartarus. Literally." She said changing back, but only as a unicorn filly, all her tentacles still out.
"Scootaloo! Language!" Sweetiebelle scolded. "Wait... why do you have a horn?" She asked confused.
"Oh... yeah, that. We'll my parents can do the same. We can choose to be earth ponies, unicorns or pegasai. My dad can turn into an alicorn though if he concentrates hard enough." She shrugged. "It runs in the family."
"Wow... that means there's six alicorns in Equestria." Sweetiebelle said in awe.
"Yeah, big deal. I think we should get going before more of those things find their way here." Isaac said as he went forward.
They shrugged before entering the elevator, Scootaloo had to retract her tentacles for space issues.
The doors opened and revealed a room with a steaming pit with a table supporting small crates on it hovering over it, a fragile glass window and a trail of blood leading to the door ahead.
As Isaac entered a large charred looking Slasher came from the side, he didn't see it but he certainly felt it when he got tossed to the other side of the room.
"Isaac!" The crusaders cried.
It charged him again, but as it brought its blades down he vanished in a flash of red light. It looked at where he was in confusion before turning back to the other targets.
All three of which were charging.
Applebloom slammed into its knees, effectively breaking one off. Scootaloo got its arms, tearing one off and Sweetiebelle had her blades out as she sunk them into its chest and tore it in half.
"AHHH!" Isaac yell rang out.
They all turned back to Isaac, who was still lying on the floor, yelling his lungs out.
"Isaac. It’s gone." Scootaloo poked him.
He lowered his arms from his face-plate as he looked around.
"I knew that." He said getting up. "I knew it all along. I was just being cautious."
"That would have gotten you your arms chopped off regardless." Sweetiebelle pointed out.
He cursed silently as they entered the next door.
And as soon as they entered the hallway. Nicole spoke up.
"Why would I choose the Ishimura over you? You said I'd regret passing up the chance, that the choice would haunt me forever. It was as if you wanted me to leave."
The voice vanished along with all the comfort of the survivors.
"Well... I'm getting used to it atleast." Isaac shrugged.
"It’s inconvenient." Sweetiebelle pouted.
"It’s just annoying." Applebloom said.
"Yeah, she is." Scootaloo agreed.
"That's woman for you, in my life atleast." Isaac said picking up the closest explosive canister. "Ready?"
They all gave a nod before going forward.
They ascended the ramp; Isaac looked around the corner and whipped his head back.
"There's a Guardian. Don't get close to them." He warned.
He jumped out from the corner and shot out the canister.
And only for it to go flying to the side and over the railing.
The Guardian saw him, yelled and shot out a small pod. It opened up and started to shoot small spikes at him as he ran back around the corner.
He looked down at the crusaders, who still had their hooves across their muzzles.
"Give me a break; it's been thirteen years since I did this. Ten in an asylum here and three floating in space." He complained.
"Never send a colt to do a mare’s job." Sweetiebelle groaned as she took out her Contact beam.
"I don't think that's going to kill it quick enough..." Isaac said.
"Why does it matter how fast we kill it?" She asked.
He pointed a single, trembling finger ahead. "Babies." He croaked.
The crusaders turned and saw the swarm of babies from earlier.
Sweetiebelle looked back at her Contact beam before an idea struck her. She took out a small cartridge and held it in her hoof.
"I wonder if it can take magic..." She thought as she looked at it.
"Sweetiebelle, whatever you’re going to do, make it quick!" Isaac yelled firing at the Crawlers.
Her horn started to spark and soon a steady stream of pale blue energy was filling the cartridge. No longer did it glow yellow, but now it glowed a bright white.
Her friends stared curiously. Isaac stared in uncertainty.
"Here goes nothing..." She sighed.
She spun around the corner, charged the shot. The gun glowed from every crack a brilliant white. When she fired she was sent back into the pile of scrap behind her. What the others saw shocked them.
Where the Guardian once was, there was now a large hole, a melted ring of white metal lining the ceiling and walkway. Essentially cutting their path in half, literally.
"Holy shit..." Isaac wavered off.
"Twilight said that magic is unpredictable. I see what she means now." sweetiebelle groaned as she sat up. "Wow, I did that?" She asked in amazement.
"We can celebrate later! Let's get out of here!" Isaac yelled as he began to run. "Oh shit... that's right." He stopped at the edge of the hole.
He felt a large tentacle wrap around his waist and then himself being thrown across to the lift.
Next Applebloom and then she started to go up when Sweetiebelle started to fire.
"Sweetiebelle, leave them! We need to go!" Scootaloo yelled over the gurgles of the Crawlers.
"I'll find my own way over; just let me make sure they won't follow." She said.
"Are you-" Scootaloo started.
"Go!" Sweetiebelle yelled.
She hesitantly went to the other side before looking back to see her friend.
Sweetiebelle shot bolt after bolt of energy from her Contact beam, each shot killing atleast two Crawlers.
She grunted in agitation before taking out another small cartridge and charged it with her magic. She didn't put as much but it still glowed from the gun's cracks.
When she fired she had a small amount of kick-back but still stumbled. When she looked up, she saw most of the wall where the Crawlers were, was now a solid chunk of ice. With one final shot, the ice broke, wall and all.
"Alright Scoot's! Can I get over?" She called to her friend.
In response she sent over a tentacle that wrapped around the fillies waist and gently brought her over.
"That was bad-ass." Isaac commented. "Not as bad-ass as when I fought the Hive Mind, but bad-ass nonetheless."
As they went up, Nicole started to speak again.
"And when you received my final transmission, you couldn't bear to watch the end, could you? You knew what happened yet, you went looking for me anyway. You knew deep down that all you would find was death."
The lift stopped halfway to the platform, halfway to the greeting blades of a Slasher and Exploder.
He raised his Plasma cutter up before cutting the arms off the Slasher and using his kinesis, shot a blade into the exploders sac.
"Well, there's the tram." Isaac said as the crusaders were already trotting to it. "Let's not keep them waiting."
They all entered the tram, only to find it out of order.
"Crap, we'll need to find some other way to get it moving. I think there's an energy pillar to the track over in the back room over there."
They all looked back and saw two Pregnant's making their way towards them. Applebloom charged them fearlessly as she pushed them over the railing.
"Take that! Ya mangy varmints!" She yelled shaking a small hoof.
Isaac smiled at her small gesture of defiance that quickly turned to nervousness when he realized she could take out an army given enough ammo.
They walked into the room with new found vigor as they searched the room for anything of use. Eventually coming up with nothing but a small disk that hid a moving head underneath.
He pressed the panel against the shaft and immediately he turned on his comm as a low rumble was heard.
"Okay Ellie, I found the transport, but there's a problem with the release mechanism."
"No surprise there." She answered back.
"Yeah. I'll let you know when it’s fixed."
He turned back to the crusaders.
"Well," Isaac said flinging the head away. "That was a bust."
"I wouldn't say that." Sweetiebelle said.
"Why?"
"Because we need to get the other two disks for this." She pointed to the small pillar.
He looked to the sides and saw two covers that hid another pillar each.
Sweetiebelle raised the one on the left and found another blue and grey disk. They pulled that out before letting it drop again and put it into the correct slot.
He turned to the one on the right and raised it. Unfortunately, a small group of the Swarm landed on Scootaloo who went into immediate hysterics.
"Get them off! Get them off!" She yelled as she ran into walls, stomping on them or just rolling around.
"Hold still!" Sweetiebelle yelled as she horn started to lite up.
At once the small Necromorph's lifted into the air before being crushed.
"Thanks..." Scootaloo breathed out, putting a hoof to her chest.
"Let's hope there aren't any more." Isaac groaned from being thrown into a wall by the small orange unicorn.
"Isaac get up, this ain't nap time!" Applebloom barked at him as she lifted the right one and froze it on stasis before taking the small middle part.
He groaned before getting up and putting the large disk in the bottom.
"Now what?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"Now, now we get the others." Isaac said walking back to the holo-panel.
"All right, I've released the Transport. Meet me at the landing."
"We'll be right there. Stross, come on. Come on!" Ellie yelled.
They all quickly ran back to the tram and got on. Isaac put in the commands for the destination and in seconds Nicole appeared again.
"Why did you come looking for me if you knew I was dead, Isaac? Did you think I would forgive you?"
Isaac's helmet unfolded and his face clearly showed anger.
"Get out of my head!" He yelled. "You’re not Nicole!"
She quietly walked up to him before screaming into his face and mind. "Who am I, Isaac!?"
Soon the shadows of two familiar figures were present. Isaac quickly let Stross and his new girlfriend, thanks to the crusaders.
"Hey you made it." Isaac greeted Ellie as she walked by.
"He's staring at me, Isaac. Through the... holes... in his head!" Stross say's shakily but quickly.
"Stross, listen to me. Listen to me!" Isaac yelled.
Stross immediately started to back away.
"Stop staring at me! Stop it!" He yelled as he retreated to a seat.
"Relax! Relax!" Isaac yelled.
"Isaac, we have to get out of here." Ellie said turning to him.
"Then let's go." He said.
And they were off.
The crusaders casting worried glances at Stross while he sputter erratically and Ellie looking back and forth along with Isaac.
The decent was fast, and all it took was one quick glance out the window.
"Oh my god... it can't be... that's the Ishimura..." Isaac said hollowly as he walked over to the window.
"Yeah, used to be the pride of the CEC." Ellie said. "Sad story actually. I heard everybody onboard died... some sort of terrorist attack."
Isaac flinched along with the crusaders who raised an eyebrow in question.
"What? Terrorist attack? What happened on board that ship was no terrorist attack." He said narrowing his eyes.
"Yeah, Alex told us 'bout it one time. He said that him and Isaac fought Necromorph's the entire way through it." Applebloom said getting a strange look from Ellie.
She turned back to Isaac, a slight edge to her tone. "What do you mean?" She asked looking him in the eyes.
"That's where all this started, Ellie. Everything that's happened here happened on that ship. I saw it, I was.... onboard when it happ-happened." He grimaced recalling the memories.
The car was shaken as it hit something on the track. Something large.
"Hey, what's happening?" Isaac asked as he got his footing back.
"I... I don't know." Ellie said running up to the controls. "Something must be blocking the track."
"Stay here, I'll take a look." He said as he walked to the door. Crusader in tow immediately.
Him and the crusaders stepped out from the glass and metal box.
"Through there." Isaac said pointing at the door ahead.
"No, really? I hadn't guessed that's where we needed to go." Scootaloo rolled her eyes as she went and opened it.
And into a living mine field.
"Eww. These things again." She stuck out her tongue in disgust as she watched one pulsate.
As they all entered, Sweetiebelle saw a corpse laying slumped up against the wall.
"Hey," She called out. "Look at this body."
Her three friends came over and looked at it before her.
"What do you notice about it?" She asked.
"He’s dead?" Isaac said shrugging.
"Thanks Sherlock hooves." She said sarcastically rolling her eyes. "But look, the bones and chest are.... crushed in. Almost like-"
"Something ran into him multiple times." Isaac nodded, before groaning into his hand. "Scootaloo, no using me as a hammer, not around the Cyst's."
"I know." Scootaloo replied.
A small explosion and excess goo that hit Scootaloo, came from behind them.
They turned around and saw Applebloom grinning innocently as she stood next to a dying Cyst.
"Really? Did you have to do that right behind us?" Isaac asked. "Why?"
"Ah didn't want any of yall backtrackin' into it." She shrugged.
"Right. Because we totally didn't see that one." Isaac said sarcastically.
"Aright' that's enough of that." Applebloom said. "Let's go."
They all carefully walked past the crates on the left, as they went to the back, the sounds of Stalkers rang out through the room and in a second one jumped atop a crate and ran away.
Two of them ran to the back and the other two ran back to the door.
"Alright, stay calm!" Isaac yelled across the room. "Run back to us!"
Applebloom turned to Scootaloo, she received a nod and they started to run.
They ignored the surprised squawks from the Stalkers as they sped past, only applebloom stopped when she heard the distinct yell from one as it charges. She turned around, pupils dilated and a thin smile as she held her ground.
It came running at her, head down ready to smash her into a wall. She set down her Plasma cutter and raised her front hooves, attempting to catch it.
It hit her, but it didn't get the desired result. As her hooves wrapped around its head she jumped to the side and pulled, twisting its head upward to the left. It came off with a river of blood flowing freely from the corpse as it slid across the floor.
Another one came running at her, she didn't have enough time to turn and kill that one, it hit her and sent her into the wall in front of her. She hit it head first, and didn't get up.
"Applebloom!" Isaac yelled rushing over to her. "Come on, you had better be unconscious or asleep." He picked her up and shook her by the shoulder. He checked her back and saw her life had gone down by only two bars. "Thank god." He sighed as he set her down again.
A scream rang out through the air; he looked back and saw only Scootaloo standing there.
'Where the hell did she go!?' Isaac thought sporadically.
Another scream followed by a flash of light to the right of the room signaled where Sweetiebelle had run to.
He quickly ran through the small maze of crates, occasionally hitting a Stalker that tried to peck at him as he ran. When he saw Sweetiebelle, he ran even faster at the Exploder as it lurched toward Sweetiebelle as she was getting up.
Her eyes widened as she covered her eyes with her fore-legs as the Exploder lifted its sac into the air.
"Don't you fucking touch her!" Isaac yelled as he slammed into it and into a crate making the small wall cave in.
He stepped back; it got out and tried to raise its arm again. Isaac grabbed it by the arm, swung it around and broke it off before throwing it to the side. He grabbed the back of its neck and slammed it down onto the floor before stomping its head in.
"Sweetiebelle, get Applebloom." Isaac said as another Stalker came charging at them. "Yeah, that's right you fucker... come right to papa..."
It ran at him, head down and blearing out a steady yell through its twisted vocal cords. Before it hit him, he bent his arm down and upper-cutted it. It was head up in the air momentarily before Isaac brought his fist to its ribs.
It fell to the floor and as it was getting up, he planted a boot firmly on its neck before shooting its head off.
He looked back to Sweetiebelle who had disappeared. He looked back to where he came from and saw a crate go flying into the air.
He ran back to the others; Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle fighting off Stalkers with Applebloom behind them. He started running again as he saw another Exploder sneaking up behind them.
He rammed into that one too, sending it to the floor. He grabbed it by the arm and lifted it up before throwing it towards the Stalkers. They squawked in surprise but even that was cut short as Isaac shot the puss sac on the Exploders arm, turning the Necromorph's into bloody piles of bone and flesh.
"Oh... god dammit. Don't let me do that again." Isaac wheezed as he leaned on his knees. "I need to start working out again, damn."
"Thanks Isaac." Sweetiebelle said.
"Thanks nothing, why'd you run away though?" He straightened out and popped his back. "Oh, that feels good."
The two conscious crusaders winced at the sound of what could be described as, bones breaking while being scrapped against a cheese grader.
"Well," Sweetiebelle started but winced as another crack was made. "I saw a Stalker come out from the crate behind me so I ran..." She scuffed the floor with a hoof. "Sorry."
"Sorry? You’re sorry!?" Isaac laughed much to her and Scootaloo's confusion.
"What's so funny?" Scootaloo asked. "Did I miss the joke?"
"She's sorry for acting on instinct! Sweetiebelle, that's what kept me alive on the Ishimura." He settled down to a light-hearted chuckle.
"So, you’re not mad?" She asked.
"No, I'm not mad because you got startled." He looked down to Applebloom. "So, how's she doing?"
Scootaloo ran a hoof through her friend’s mane and frowned.
"She's unconscious." Scootaloo said. "That Stalker hit her pretty hard, and hitting the wall didn't help either."
"I'll carry her." Isaac said picking her up. "She's so peaceful asleep. But I swear if she punches me in the gut, I'm dropping her." He smiled letting his helmet unfold.
Ponyville.
"About time Isaac got back into the game." Alex muttered. "It was getting boring watching him get upstaged by three fillies."
"Ah hope Applebloom will be a'right." Applejack said as she watched Isaac pick her up.
"Don't worry, after what she just did to that Stalker, nothing short of an Ursa Major can stop her." Rainbow Dash said gliding gown.
"Thanks Rainbow, ya always know how to make me feel better." Applejack smiled wiping a tear away.
Rainbow's cheeks flushed slight as she smiled awkwardly.
A loud grumble resonated through the air, all heads turned to Alex.
"What? I haven't eaten since Discord teleported me out of the shower."
Net to him, Discord was snickering before getting a punch to the jaw knocking his snaggle-tooth out.
"Do that again, and I'll shove your horns where the sun doesn't shine." He threatened.
Discord stepped to the stepped over and firmly planted himself next to Twilight.
"Good, now back to watching the survivors."
Titan Station.
"So that's where that crate went..." Scootaloo said as she looked at the crushed Guardian.
"No time to admire the scenery, we need to get moving." Isaac said opening the door to the elevator.
As the doors closed, an old song began to play again.
Isaac felt something in his arms move, he looked down to see Applebloom wincing as she rubbed her head.
"Ow, why does ma'h head feel like Sweeitbelle was singing another camp fire song." Applebloom grumbled as she sat upright. "Oh... hey Sweetiebelle." She waved nervously.
"My singing's good! Thank you very much!" Sweetiebelle said with a scowl. But even that faded as she saw her friend. "I'm glad you’re not dead." She smiled.
"Yeah, ah ah'm too." She chuckled. "Why do ah smell like tea and burritos?" She sniffed her fore-arms before looking at Isaac. "Eww, Isaac." She turned to her friends. “Why did you let him carry me?”
"Hush up, your lucky I didn't just drag you by your tail." He smiled.
She smiled too before lightly hitting him on the fore-head. She jumped down and checked her inventory as he rubbed the small hoof mark.
"Hey, where'd ma'h Plasma cutter go?" She frowned.
"Oh, I picked it up after the Stalker hit you." Scootaloo passed Applebloom's Plasma cutter to her.
"Thanks." Applebloom said.
The doors opened, and they all saw a Cyst in the floor.
"Ah've got this." Applebloom said as she sprinted forward. She shot a bolt of stasis at the Cyst as it fired a puss sac into the air; she bucked with her back legs and jumped away from the side of the wall as she grabbed the small sac with her kinesis.
The other's stood there, waiting. The sounds of Cyst's dying and one Slasher rang out before the Cyst in front of them was shot with a Plasma bolt.
"Hurry up Scoot's, I saved the Slasher for ya." Applebloom waved them forward.
Scootaloo ran ahead of them and immediately grabbed the Slasher crawling along the floor.
She let out a satisfied belch as she blew a small puff of soul from her lips.
"Let's go see what's causing our delayed stop." Isaac said getting out his Line gun.
They ignored the store and opened the door leading to the tram maintenance.
Inside, they looked up and saw massive groups of tentacles blocking the track. Down, they saw a clearing with a nitro tank sitting there. There was even one hanging on the side.
Isaac immediately contacted Ellie, alerting her of the situation.
"Ellie. There's a giant tentacle blocking the transport door. It’s wrapped around a big tank."
"A big tank? Nitrogen Trichloride. Those explode if they overheat!" Ellie responded.
"Perfect!"Isaac said dis-connecting the feed.
He aimed at the explosive barrel perched on the tank hanging above, he fired and it exploded raising the temperature.
He looked to his right and picked up another barrel, before he could shoot it, a ball of fire flew past him and hit the tank, blowing it up.
The tentacle moved away, leaving a flaming hole where the tank once was.
He looked over to Sweetiebelle whose horn was dimming down.
"Now we need to get the one down there." Isaac said getting on the lift.
The other three got on, sat quietly and waited as they approached the floor.
"Okay Ellie! Get ready, one more!" Isaac said as he picked up another tank.
"What!? Are you crazy!? That one in the middle? If you set that off then it will incinerate everything in here!" She said worriedly.
"Yes it will. Tell Stross to hold on, here we go..." He said as he fired it.
And down came a Tripod.
"Come on!" Sweetiebele yelled.
"Sweetiebelle, Scootaloo! You two start throwing tanks, me and Applebloom will keep this thing off you! Move! Move!" He ordered as it swiped at him.
They looked at each other before running to opposite sides of the room, each grabbing a barrel.
"Come on! I'm right here!" Isaac yelled.
The Tripod swung; he ducked and shot it with Stasis. He ran up and started to fire away at its elbows. Before it came out, he started to swing and in one powerful hit, one elbow broke.
Applebloom had crawled to the top of it and grabbed its head. She got down in front of it and let its tongue come out, when it did; she grabbed it and broke the blade off before grabbing it with her kinesis and plunging it into its eye.
She jumped off as it started to thrash around, aggravated, it swung out and hit a barrel Scootaloo was carrying. It exploded and she was lost in smoke, she came out as she was thrown back into the wall.
"Scootaloo!" Applebloom yelled. "Yall will pay for that!" She yelled as she ran at it.
It swung down, she jumped to the side, it swung down with its tail, and she grabbed onto that and let it flip her onto its back again. It thrashed as she climbed up to its head. She pulled out the blade from its eyes and stuck the barrel of her Pulse rifle in. She fired off one grenade.
Chunks of flesh went flying, Applebloom was blown back but landed on a pile of flesh that made it to the floor before her. She got up and quickly ran back to Isaac.
The room started to shake, fire blasting out of random points, tentacles moving around rapidly and the sound of another Tripod was heard.
Isaac picked up Scootaloo as the Tripod landed down to the middle of the floor. They watched in hatred as they went up the lift.
As soon as they were able, they rushed into the hub waiting for them.
"Ugh! uh! Go! Go! Go!" Isaac yelled as him and the crusaders huddled together.
Ellie pressed in the commands and the tram started to move. It picked up speed but eventually, the flames caught up with it.
"Faster Ellie! Faster!" Isaac yelled over the Explosions.
"I can't make it go any faster!" She yelled back.
'Myabe I can though...' Sweetiebelle thought.
The flames were about to cover the front window when the tram started to glow a pale blue. Ellie looked back and saw Sweetiebelle's horn alight.
As the flames covered the car it shot forward with a burst of energy.
When they cleared, Tiedmann came into view on Isaac's screen. He made sure not to look at Scootaloo again.
"In another situation, I might admire your persistence, Mr. Clarke." He said casually. "But this is bigger than you and bigger than the lives of everyone on this station."
A soldier came up behind him, his face obscured by his helmet.
"Sir, final preparations for evac are wrapping up." He said.
"It looks like it all ends here. At this point, it’s all just..." He paused before finishing. "Dead weight." His screen turned off.
"Isaac, what does he mean?" Ellie asked. "What did he mean when he said dead weight?"
A blinding light in front of them answered her.
"He’s using the solar beam! We have to stop the transport! Now!" Isaac yelled as he followed the beam's path.
"Oh shit!" He yelled as it hit the rail causing the Transport to shake even more.
As it went through, a large explosion followed after as pieces of the rail fell down to the moons interior.
"He... he cut the station in half. There's no track to get across on." Ellie pointed at the destroyed rail.
"Why don't we just use that fancy ship and bring the other side over?" Applebloom said.
"Back us up! Back us up!" Isaac said waving up.
"What? Why?"
"Just do it, Ellie! Hurry! The Ishimura, if the gravity tethers are still functional I can-"
"You can snare Gov Sec and drag it back, Isaac, this is ridiculous." She said as they neared the ship.
“Ah am the one who suggested it actually.” Applebloom said getting a nod and smile from Isaac.
"If I can line up the tracks for a few seconds, you should be able to get the Transport across." The Transport stopped as it arrived to the entrance of the Ishimura. "Stay ready, and take care of Stross." The doors opened as he folded his helmet up.
"Isaac, no, this is a really bad idea!" She said.
"Stick around. I'm full of bad ideas." He said energized.
"It's true." The crusaders said.
"Ours are bad but his are the worst." Sweetiebelle said.
They all lined up, side by side.
Scootaloo looked back and gave a knowing glare at Stross.
'Something doesn't sit right with me about him.' She thought.
All the joy, happiness and relaxation in the air, left when Isaac made the first step.
'Why can I never get a break?' He thought sourly.
"Isaac, Are you alright?" Sweetiebelle asked looking up at him.
"No, It’s just... just... this." He waved at the ship as he forced himself to walk. "It just brings back bad memories. Very bad ones." He shook his head.
"Was this where she..." Sweetiebelle looked down. "Died?"
"Yeah, and I would like to get out of here as fast as possible."
His legs felt like lead, and they only got heavier with each step.
They opened the door to a small hallway; it wasn't even ten steps to get to the other door.
When they opened that, they saw a small rail with the compartment sitting there.
Isaac nearly had to be dragged as they got on.
"Isaac," Scootaloo said getting his attention. "It’s alright. You don't have to do this alone. Were here for you."
He merely nodded in response as they came to a stop.
"Here we are..." He said.
They walked into the sterile tunnel of white fabric. Broom's, ladders, paper towels, crates lights and generators littered the path.
As they walked, a paper towel roll slid out, Isaac shot it to bits before exhaling a heavy breath.
'I need to hold it together.' He thought. 'I need to focus.'
They stopped in front of the lift. It was just a lift to the crusaders, but to Isaac, it was a lift back into his own personal hell.
"C-Come on... let’s go up." Isaac muttered almost sickly.
The crusaders looked at him and, underneath their, helmets frowned before getting on.
Isaac watched as the ship's name rose above in the darkness, its neon lettering mocking him, like some sick greeting inviting him to his death.
‘Home sweet home.’ He thought sarcastically.
The docking bay was just like he remembered it. Dark, menacing, quiet and intimidating.
"Isaac, it’s just a ship. No matter what happened here before, happened." Sweetiebelle said. "We have fought through countless necromorph's, Unitologists and Tiedmann’s traps, so, are you going to stop because of some stupid ship!?" She gave him a firm glare.
He looked back at the lettering and then to the flight control. Clenching his fists until the knuckles turned white. "No..." he said, barely above a whisper.
"I can't here you!" She yelled.
"No." He said louder, his entire frame shaking in rage.
"Louder! I want to hear you yell!" She yelled at him.
"No!" He yelled. "I'm not scared of some worthless, hell fore-saken piece of shit ship! And I'm certainly not scared of some dead bitch!" He yelled firing off a shot at the letters making the 'S' crack and burn out.
"Now!" She narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"
"I am Isaac Clarke! I am a survivor of the Aegis VII outbreak, CEC Engineer class five and the one who killed the Hive Mind." He finished calmly.
"Feel better?" She asked smugly.
"Yeah, yeah a lot better. Now," He took out his Plasma cutter. "Who's ready to go kick some Necromorph ass?"
They all nodded before trotting briskly to the first set of doors.
Isaac was right behind them before stopping. He looked at the flight control room and glared.
"Isaac, come on!" Applebloom yelled. "We ain't got all day!"
He smirked at her before running up to her. Yet, not noticing the reflection peering at him from the glass.
They opened the door to the entrance, and exit of the docking bay.
'Only eight steps to hell.' Isaac thought.
He opened the door himself and looked in.
The walls were wrapped up in white plastic; the metal exterior of the room was still sticking out. The benches covered, lights had been placed inside, barely illuminating the room. More equipment was spread around the room; ladders on the walls and crates stacked with plastic rolls also against the walls.
Scootaloo stuck out her hoof and the line led to the computer.
They all slowly went to the door, it slid open, and Isaac waited. Waited for a Necromorph to come out and attack; blades ready to tear into him and the crusaders, shrieking the horrible yells as they scoured the station and halls, looking for more victims.
He looked down, three new reasons, overlooked and mentally hidden. To stay alive. 'They've given me so much, so now I've got to keep them alive.' He thought, smiling down at them.
Isaac walked up to the computer and put in the commands, in 2.5 seconds the electronic voice of the Ishimura came on.
"Gravity and Life support on reserve power. Primary systems offline. Main centrifuge offline for repairs."
He looked won to the crusaders, nervousness still in his voice, but it was not as noticeable as before.
"Looks like were going down to Engineering." He said.
"Does that mean we all get to be Engineer's?" Applebloom asked, eyes widening under her helmet.
"...Yes."
They all took a deep breath, he also did it, but for a different reason.
"Cutie Mark Crusader Engineer's!" They all yelled in unison.
"Ow..." Isaac mumbled rubbing his ears.
"Sorry." They all replied.
He nodded before walking up to the door he once used to run from the very first necromorph that attacked him.
The hall was covered in white sheets, had chunks of metal sticking out of them, the vents were broken from when he had to run for his life. They proceeded down the hall, wary of the danger that could present itself at any moment.
As they turned down the ramp and were about to pass an open room Nicole spoke up, startling them all.
"You can pretend not to be bothered, but being here rattles you, doesn't it Isaac? All this plastic and tape covering the scars; trying to hide the blood and bodies so no one will ever know. But you remember what happened, no matter how deeply you try to bury it."
Before they knew it, they had walked to the elevator where Isaac was almost killed.
"Why do ah think this is a bad idea?" Applebloom said as they got on and started to descend. "A really bad idea."
The room before them was nearly stripped of all the machines and lights from before. The blood was cleaned up, metal was lying around, a new bench and there were even more cleaning supplies laying around.
"Hey, this is where I got my Plasma cutter from." Isaac said pointing over the small area that once had the large computer. "Right over there."
Before they could go over he started to walk to the door across, as he opened it, he looked around the corner and saw the pile of scrap at the left had gotten bigger while the right had more of the plastic coverings.
He waved them through; they all walked out, a gun aimed behind, to the side and the front.
Their shadows danced across the walls as the lights shown of their armor, casting the hallway in a crimson glow from the blood on them.
They entered the Tram control room; the room was in an even worse state. Barely any plastic covering, broken glass, distorted images on the consoles and miscellaneous supplies littering the floor.
"I can't sleep, I can’t eat. Ever since we got here, I've been having horrible nightmares. I need it to stop!" Said a man from a consoles recording.
"Isaac, where's that from?" Scootaloo asked looking at the consoles.
"They're recordings from the colony." He said walking to the other door.
"What's the colony?" Applebloom asked kicking a piece of glass aside.
"It was, well, a colony on the planet Aegis VII. That's also where they found the Marker I destroyed."
"How did ya destroy it anyway? Ya never told us." Applebloom said taking her eyes off the path ahead.
"Oh... I dropped a continent on the planet and caused severe tectonic activity, virtually making the planet into a gravitational time bomb; ready to detonate and blast away anything in range."
"You dropped a continent on it!? How? That should be impossible!" Sweetiebelle squeaked.
"The Ishimura is one of the best planet crackers for a reason. It's an older model so it was used to tear larger chunks out of the planet. When I placed the Marker back onto the piece, it sent out an electromagnetic pulse, disrupting the tethers holding the chunk of planet up. I escaped with Alex before it crashed."
"Wow... that's awesome!" Scootaloo said.
"Eh, not really when Nicole jumped out from the floor and tried to choke me to death." He rolled his shoulders. "No big deal."
The hall beyond the door ahead was coated in scarlet lights, small patches of wall were covered with plastic, and the vents were either covered or were repaired with metal tubes running throughout them.
They went to the right, towards the flickering light of the closest ramp.
They went down, Scootaloo didn't see a tub and tripped on the handle making her go rolling down it in a ball of tentacles, light and metal. The others ran down fast enough to catch her. Isaac unfortunately, picked her up while she was still nauseated and his chest was covered in an orange glowing fluid. Each time his heart started to beat it pulsed with a yellow glow, copying his vein system and heart.
"Do I even want to know what this is?" He said dropping her to wipe the fluid off. "Shit! Why's it moving! Get it off!" He started to flail his arms and wipe his hands only for the fluid to crawl towards his helmet.
Sweetiebelle charged her horn and pried the stuff off of him, but only for it to start moving towards her.
"Now it’s on me! Get it-" He words were muffled when it started to slide down her throat, into her ears, her eyes, her nose and into the tip of her horn.
"What the hell's happening!?" Isaac yelled at Scootaloo as Sweetiebelle's horn started to glow a dark red.
"How should I know!?" Scootaloo yelled. "This has never happened before!"
"Well do something!"
Sweetiebelle's horn grew darker until it was black. She fell to her knees and started to cough up leftover chunks of the living fluid.
"What ack! Was that!" Sweetiebelle said in-between coughs before coughing up a large glob.
"Ectoplasm..." Scootaloo said. "It was necromorph ectoplasm. Sweetiebelle come here for a second, I need to see something."
"Why?" She said wiping her mouth.
"Just come here." Scootaloo said making a, 'come here' motion with her hoof.
Sweetiebelle took four steps before she was completely wrapped in tentacles. She squirmed and struggled before realizing it was Slenderloo.
"Scoot's! What are you doing?" Sweetiebelle asked nervously.
She looked at her friend who had reverted to Slenderloo and was immediately hooked onto the swirling greyness they was her eyes.
Her eyes flickered from red to blue before settling on a pale blue and white. Slenderloo gently set her friend down before tilting her head as in thinking, 'the buck is this?'
"Scoot's..." Sweetiebelle groaned tracing circles on her head before shivering. "What did you just do? And why do I feel so cold...?" She breathed out before noticing she could see her breath. "Is that good?"
"Sweetiebelle, the ectoplasm." Slenderloo said. "It... I don't know how to describe what I saw. It was weird, like a lava lamp. The DNA from the necromorph blood in your system took in that ectoplasm and... your magic improved it even more than it already was. I'm stumped by this; I have no idea what happened."
"So, I have more of those things in me?" Sweetiebelle tilted her head.
"I guess. But it’s just that, a guess. See if you can make anything new."
She thought of all the necromorph's they had fought so far and even the ones described. He neck felt weird and as she heard a tearing noise, she looked up and saw three tendrils, all armed with a barbed spike.
Her back felt the same and she heard it again before looking back and seeing two bladed limbs protruding from it.
"Um... I don't know what to think." She said looking back at her friends.
"Hey, Sweetiebelle," Slenderloo said fidgeting slightly. "Could you scratch behind me ear?"
"Sure?" Sweetiebelle said awkwardly before one of her limbs came down slowly and began to scratch Slenderloo behind the ear making her smile. "Weird."
"Sooo... Goood..." Slenderloo said in a state of complete bliss.
And completely unaware of Isaac getting a picture.
"Isaac," Applebloom muttered nudging him in the leg. "Did ya just take a picture?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Think maybe ah could get a copy? This is too perfect to pass up."
"Sure. I'll even send a new one to Tiedmann. Hey Scootaloo, Sweetiwbelle, come here for a second."
Titan Station. Earth Gov.
"I wonder how Clarke is handling himself." Tiedmann said to himself. "Probably getting torn to pieces by the necromorph's." He suppressed a smile before noticing something on his screen.
"Mail? And it’s from... Applebloom?" He raised an eyebrow before turning a soldier next to him. "Officer Lerroy J. Could you look up a CEC engineer named Applebloom?"
"Applebloom sir? Is that a nickname or an actual name?" The tanned man asked.
"It’s real, and no. It's not a human's name. So, have you found it?" Tiedmann asked folding his fingers.
The officer fumbled with his small data-pad before a picture came onto view.
"Sir, it’s a small technicolor pony. And it’s undeniably cute if I may state my opinion."
"It seems she has a Facebook too. Let's see what she sent me." He mumbled. ‘I wonder if she’s the last and is sending me her last words.’
He turned to his monitor and opened the file.
Everyone in the room, even the usually poker faced guards, “Dawwed!” At the adorable image. Tiedmann was left with his mouth hanging open while his hand traveled to its owners face
It was a picture of Isaac back against the wall making a piece sign in his left hand while the right only had his middle finger raised. Appleboom was smiling brightly with her head tilted to the side; Slenderloo had her head tilted to the side, the small tuft of purple hair blocking where her eye would be and Sweetiebelle scratching her behind the ear with a blade coming from her back.
'Confound these ponies...' He thought reaching for a flask at his side. 'Confound these ponies, they drive me to drink.'
"How mad do you think he'll be?" Sweetiebelle asked as they went into the plastic coated hallway.
"Very mad." Isaac chuckled as he stepped over Applebloom.
"Ah bet he is." Applebloom snickered with Scootaloo.
They continued down, one of them occasionally tripping or knocking over something. They came upon a door, the only unlocked one and opened it.
The entrance had the plastic shredded to bits, an endless black expanse above and in front of them, save for the few lights. The way ahead was littered with pieces of junk they could barely see, walls, random bits and piles all across the way.
"Isaac, ah just realized something." Applebloom said staring out into the black expanse.
"What?"
"We haven't been attacked ever since we came on the ship." She looked up at him. "Do ya think they're, there?" She waved a hoof at the darkness.
"Yeah, they're there." Sweetiebelle said getting looks from the others. "I can hear them and smell them. Scootaloo, there's a Brute up ahead, get ready."
Scootaloo brought out her tentacles, replaced her horn for wings and even went as far to bring out her Flame thrower.
They all slowly inched forward, step by step. Sweetiebelle was in the front, nose high in the air like prince Blue Blood, ears perked up like like Rainbow Dash's wings when she walked in on Big Macintosh showering when she was staying at the farm. Isaac was in the back, Pulse rifle at the ready alongside Applebloom. Scootaloo was slightly in front of the two but still behind Sweetiebelle.
"Stop." Sweetiebelle said raising a hoof up. Her horn lit up and nudged a crate at the top of a wall in front of them.
Nothing happened.
"Huh, I guess-"
A Brute sent crates flying through the air, one of them knocking Isaac to the ground as it gave a roar.
"Now Scootaloo!" Sweetiebelle yelled. "Crush it!"
Scootaloo charged forward slamming all of her tentacles on it. It raised its bony arms before she could and grabbed them smashing them into the floor. It leaned down and bit into the fleshier ones.
"Get off!" She yelled as her own horn charged.
She fired off a shot of orange energy turning any area of it into a glowing goo. It let go with a defiant roar and looked to Sweetiebelle before charging. She barely had time to register what happened as it smashed its claws into her.
"Don't worry I'm up!" Isaac said getting upright again. Until Sweetiebelle slammed into him. "Ow..."
"Come on ya over grown ape!" Applebloom yelled as she jumped onto its back. "Pick on somepony your own size!" She made a gash in its left elbow before burying her Pulse rifle into it and pulled the trigger. It lifted its last claw, grabbed her and threw her at the others.
"Alright! That is fucking enough!" Isaac yelled taking out his Line gun, he aimed before firing. He blew off its last arm in a shower of burnt flesh and hot puss. "And fuck you!" He ran up to its corpse and stomped its head in for good measure.
"Ow... it hurts so much..." Scootaloo cried rubbing her wound. Her eyes were red from the tears, her fur matted down and her hooves coated in a thin film of grey blood. "Isaac, do you have anything to make the pain stop?"
"Hang on let me see." Sweetiebelle said walking up to her. "It did some serious damage." She grimaced at the wound.
It had taken a considerable chunk out of one of her smaller tentacles leaving a gaping wound. Grey blood oozed out from around the black tissue.
"I-I think I may know some healing spells." Sweetiebelle said. "I think I remember one that helps regenerate cells." Her horn started to glow a light blue before turning to green. "This might sting." She said as her eyes scrunched up in focus.
Scootaloo looked down at her tentacle and saw the muscle start to knit itself back together. She winced at the stinging sensation but made a face from the odd feeling of new cells. Slowly the muscle stopped and a thin layer of fat spread over it; after that the black skin crawled over the wound.
"Wow... where'd you learn that?" Scootaloo asked rubbing her tentacle like a cat.
"First of all its, 'Where did.'" Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Second, I read a book on medical spells when we tried to help patients at the hospital."
"Wait, did you even manage to do that before?" Isaac asked.
"...Yes." She said quickly eyes darting down.
"Did you really?"
"Yes! I did test it out on an apple. I even did it when Angel lost part of his ear."
"Angel? Is he another pony? Or is it a she?"
"A he, and he's Fluttershys bunny." Applebloom said. "Ah'd say we need to keep going'. No use letting the Necromorph's come to us."
They all brushed themselves of before starting again, soon something up ahead was flinging the lights around.
"What is that?" Isaac asked.
"Another Brute." Sweetiebelle grunted. "And it brought friends." She raised her Seeker rifle and began to fire off rounds. "Lots of friends."
Soon the air was filled with the sound of Necromorphs screaming, hissing and roaring in rage.
"Look," Issac said. "We need to get to that lift and their in our way. Remember the mining lasers?"
"Yeah but what does that have to do with-" Scootaloo started.
"Were going to run them."
The three crusaders looked at him with wide eyes.
"Are ya insane!?" Applebloom said. "That's the worst idea if ah ever did hear one!"
"Remember, I'm full of bad ideas." He ran forward leaving them to shoot around him.
"Quick! We need to go after him!" Sweetiebelle said running after him.
Her other two friends shared a confused look before charging ahead.
They all soon caught up to Isaac in a hurry to gain as much distance as possible.
"Scootaloo, we'll need you to hack the terminal. And I mean faster than you have ever done." Isaac said. "Me and the others will hold them off. Applebloom, nothing fancy alright?"
"Right." She said sliding under the first necromorph. "Get ready!"
Isaac and the others slammed into the horde of Necromorph's, hitting, sliding and crawling their way through. All of them getting nicked on the tops and sides.
"Get off me!" Sweetiebelle yelled as one of them picked her up. She cut off its arm before running to the terminal ahead. "Hurry up! They're getting thicker!"
"Were trying!" They all yelled back as they busted out from a wall of Necromorph's.
"Fire!" Isaac yelled taking out his Line gun and Pulse rifle.
All of them started to blast away at the horde, limbs fell to the floor, chunks of flesh burnt or blown up in superheated plasma, Blood pooling at all of their feet and hooves.
"Scoots! How's it going!?" Isaac yelled out blowing off a Brutes arms.
"One more left!" She yelled back before a whirring was heard. "Got it!"
They all ran onto the lift. Once they were going up they watched in horror as the Necromorph's began to climb.
"Guys!" Scootaloo called out. "We've got Tripods!"
They all looked up and crawling towards them on the ceiling were three Tripods.
"Someone's going to have to hold them off so we can get up." Isaac said. "Otherwise they'll get the rest of us before we can run away." He sighed. "I volunteer-"
"I'll do it."
They all looked at Sweetiebelle who was slipping out of her suit. A clear grimace on her face as she looked at them.
"Sweetiebelle..." Scootaloo said putting a hoof on her shoulder. "You don't have to-"
"Yes I do." She said quietly but sternly pushing her friends hoof off. "I'm the only one who can't really die. I'll just keep regenerating. You may be immortal but you can't regenerate." She looked at them with tear filled eyes and a small smile. "I guess I'll see you all around. Maybe..."
Her blades shot out from her back and front hooves and her smaller tendrils tore out from her neck.
"Bye. And good luck." She gave one last smile before falling back first into the horde.
They all watched in silent sorrow, as Sweetiebelle landed amongst the horde of creatures.
Before they stopped, Scootaloo looked back at her friend and she could barely see something happen to a limb when she stepped on it.
'Did that just go into her leg?' She thought.
"Scootaloo, come on!" Isaac yelled.
She took one last look at her friend as she hacked the Necromorph's to pieces before running to the others.
Ponyville.
"Sweetiebelle! No!" Rarity cried as she watched her jump back into the horde. Tears going down her cheeks fogging her vision.
"Damn..." Alex said, eyes switching side to side on the ground. "I might need to make another medal..."
"Rarity, look." Twilight said eyes wide. "Something's happening to her."
Rarity looked up and blinked in confusion.
"Twilight, I don't see anything."
"Look at Sweetiebell, but more importantly... look at her legs."
Rarity looked back and squinted in concentration at her sister’s legs. Her eyes slowly widened when she saw Sweetiebelle step on a limb.
"Did that thing just go into her leg?" Rarity asked hollowly.
"I-I think so..."
Ishimura.
"Come on is that all you've got!" Sweetiebelle yelled as she cut another arm off.
She had a trail of limbs and bodies behind her as she hacked and slashed her way through the horde. The Tripods still had yet to reach her though.
Another Slasher came up from behind her and cut her in the side. She fell with a shriek and then all she saw was blades.
The pain was undiscribable. What felt like hundreds of cuts in and out of her covered her entire being. Hair and flesh was torn away, organs were either shredded or torn out, her bones snapped or broken or had been were torn out to.
She could feel darkness about to take her when she felt her horn start to charge. All the Necromorph's stopped and in an instance afterwards were thrown back into the walls. She rose from the ground, eyes red with black and white energy striking at the corpses, bringing them to her.
A Stalker corps, half hanging off by the spine touched her front hooves and disappeared into her as her own body grew. Next a Slasher and a Lurker came over and made contact, again, the same result as she grew even more and started to sprout three claws from her front hooves.
In an instant all the corpses; Brutes, Slashers, Lurkers, Leapers, Pukers, Infector's and Dividers. All of them went into her as a ball of flesh and bone. Slowly it all started to white, fur sprouted, legs formed. A head and then the body.
What was now Sweetiebelle stood as tall as one of the Tripods. She still had her white fur, her horn and hooves. Spines aligned on her back, her spine as a new tail, her hooves each sporting three long Stalker claws, her head was slightly narrower and flatter with the bone armor on her head. Her horn was longer and sharper with a patch of smaller spikes at the base. Her legs were longer and were also covered in plating. In-between her legs, folded to her skin was a thin membrane.
She opened her mouth and let out a roar that shook the room itself. Her bottom jaw split into mandibles, two large blades came out from her back, a collar of Lurker tentacles sprouted from her neck, her chest split and her ribs spread to let her insides expand to hold the Puker acid forming.
The Tripods were at the floor now, all of them sizing up the new threat.
One of them charged and swung out with its tail. She pinned its tail to the ground before sticking her tail through its chest. Before the others could charge she grabbed the Tripod by both ends and tore it in half before it was also absorbed into her.
The other two charged together, one jumping in the air while the other rammed into her. She slid a few feet from the impact but was nearly pushed to the ground by the impact from the second.
The one atop her clawed at her mercilessly, while the one below tore at her face.
She leaned forward and took half of the Tripod in front of her and bit down, severing the lower area from the upper torso. She reached behind her with her shoulder blades and threw the last one forward. It landed, sending sparks across the floor as its bone armor scrapped against the floor. Before it could get up she was already upon it.
She arched her head back, the flesh on her neck, her jugular and any other organic matter at the front of her neck dissolved before a flood of acid came out. It shrieked and lashed out but she held it down firmly. It finally became quiet when the acid had burnt through its throat and was eating away inside its chest, dissolving it into a bone ridden puddle.
She looked down and stepped off the bubbling, steaming pile of acid and bone before looking at the smaller Necromorph's charging her. She rolled her eyes before her horn charged up and sent a massive fire storm at them.
All of them turned to ash in seconds, all of them ash statues. She walked quietly, knocking them down as she went. As she started to climb the wall up she heard another roar. She looked back and saw what was supposed to be dead.
The Tormentor was standing there, bony plates cracked and caked with metal shrapnel and blood. It's stump oozing yellow liquid, half of its face was missing and in its one claw was a large piece of metal lodged in it.
She got down and gave a roar of malice towards it. It gave one of the same back.
The both charged, Sweetiebelle lunged at it and hit its chest and hit. It barely moved but gave a growl in response before rising up on its back legs and swinging at her with the metal shard. It cut her across the back leaving a deep gash.
She buried her horn into its rib cage and made it spread apart. She wrapped her tail around its back legs and pulled back, it fell onto its tail as she threw up more acid onto its exposed organs. It swung at her face and took off a mandible. She fell to the side and felt the metal chunk tear into her again.
It slashed at her side and moved up to her head. It stopped at the base and started to dig into her neck. Blood spilled everywhere; flesh and muscle were flung to the floor and onto the walls. Before it could hit again, her tail slammed into its chest again, sending it into the wall. She got up, head hanging uselessly to her body by a few vertebrae.
She looked at it upside down before reaching up with her front hooves and brought them down, letting the claws cut it off. She stood her ground even as her head rolled uselessly across the floor. In a moment a new head burst out from the stump in a shower of blood.
She rose onto her back hooves, retracted the Stalker claws and let her hooves fall off. They each split; tentacles with a bony tip at each end sprouted from the end and began to crawl towards the Tormentor.
It got up in time to see the two appendages jump at it, but it was still dazed and they both landed. They clawed and scratched at it face, one of them grabbed onto its good arm and snapped it off. Before it could lash out with its tail they both stopped and went back to Sweetiebelle, upon touching her they both were reabsorbed.
She walked over to the defenseless Tormentor, seeing its open chest cavity her horn rose from her head on a flexible stalk and buried the point into its organs. Ina flash it turned black and started to smoke, small wisps of flame rising from the inside as she pulled out.
She slammed it back down and let it absorb into her two, nearly doubling her size.
She rose onto her back legs and arched her head back as she let out a long roar that shook the walls around her.
Further in the Ishimura.
"There it is again!?" Scootaloo said as she jumped into Isaac arms for the second time.
"Scootaloo, if you jump on me again I will not hesitate to drop you." Isaac said.
"S-Sorry, it’s just that... well whatever it is sounds really big. Like Hive Mind big."
"No, there wouldn't be a ship then. Much less the station above." He said walking up to a circular door. "Here we are, the centrifuge." He opened the door and stepped into a slight blackness.
The two crusaders walked in and were lifted off their hooves.
Inside there was a large spire, two generators at the sides, ladders, bodies and lights floating through the air.
"What do we need to do exactly?" Applebloom asked.
"We need to find the pieces for the centrifuge over there. Just grab a piece and find the right spot." Isaac said pulling a piece over. "They look like this."
As he flew over to the spire the other two engineers’ went and grabbed their own pieces. Scootaloo had one in her grasp while Applebloom had two. She stood on one, carried another against her side and used the bottom piece for propulsion.
In a few seconds the spire had started to spin. Isaac flew over to a panel and waved them over. They landed next to him before he pressed in some commands and everything floating, dropped.
"Come on, we need to move before we get sucked in." He said running towards the door.
Just as the particles and junk in the room were being swept into the small vortex the door shut behind them.
"Now what?" Scootloo asked.
"I guess we go to the captain’s deck." Isaac said opening the door.
Only to be grabbed by a Drag tentacle that disappeared after he fell to the ground.
"Damn, that was just horrible." He said getting up. "I almost lost my lunch."
The other two crusaders laughed as they continued on.
They all went back to the same room that went into detox before, only for it to go into it again and this time the Pack was ready.
"Don't worry, the glass is too thick for them to break." Isaac said.
And at that moment two windows were busted in. The crusaders raised an eyebrow each at him.
Ponyville.
"Did you know she could do that?" Celestia asked.
"No... I didn't." Alex said. "I'm still not sure what I saw myself..."
"I know! Sweetiebelle turned into a huge hybrid when she absorbed all the other corpses and took on their characteristics!" Pinkie said getting looks from the others.
"Pinkie," laughed Rainbow Dash. "You’re so random."
Rarity was still on the ground, passed out yet was dreaming none of this was happening.
Ishimura. Food Storage.
A Brute was sent into the wall after being thrown through multiple posts. Sweetiebelle trudged through the large room. Looking at the numerous plants.
'I'm getting hungry.' She thought. 'I guess this place is good enough.' She nodded to herself.
Small Lurker tentacles spread out and grabbed as many melons and tomatoes that would fit before being drawn back into a pile. Satisfied with the pile she bent down and started to eat.
In three bites the only thing left were a few tomatoes lying on the ground.
She got up, shook her fur clean of some blood and began to climb the wall again. She passed the walkways and went to the ceiling where she started to claw at it, tearing sheets of metal out.
She went fast and when she saw the first hole into the new room, she dug into the wall and propelled herself up. She went through the thin layer of metal easily and crawled out from the hole.
She shook off small pieces in her coat and looked around.
The room was white, tables everywhere, trashcans next to them or overflowing with paper balls. She looked at the walls and saw a poster with a pair of hands with bubbles on it.
'This must be the Medical Deck.' She thought. 'But where are the others?' She sniffed the air and froze. Silently and as quiet as possible, she pressed an ear to the door.
The other side of the door.
"How many kids were on this station?" Isaac groaned.
"Ah don't know. But the folks here need a new hobby, if ya know what ah mean." Applebloom said going up to the store.
"Well, I still don't like it. Now I think the next time I see a living kid, I'll probably have some sort of heart attack."
"There not scary..." Scootaloo said. "Just, lost is all." She sighed. "All they need is somepony to lead them right. But that can't happen now, not anymore."
"Hey, beating yourself up over having to kill them isn't going to help And plus, were doing them a favor." Isaac said sitting next to her.
"Really? How?" She asked harshly rolling her eyes.
"Do you think they want to spend the rest of their days as monsters? We’re putting them out of their misery... if they can even feel that now." His helmet unfolded. "That is something I wonder... do they still retain their memories? Or do they just go... blank?"
"I-I... thanks Isaac." Scootaloo smiled. "That sounds like something Sweetiebelle would have said."
"I wonder where she is anyway." Applebloom said getting a new clip for her Pulse rifle.
"Probably cleaning up and heading back." Isaac shrugged getting up. "Come on, we need to keep moving. Before whatever Scootaloo here was afraid of, see's us." He started to walk to the door with the largest trail of blood going to it.
Scootaloo snorted in embarrassment before following with Applebloom.
The other side of the door.
Sweetiebelle looked back and then up. She went halfway back into the hole in the floor before reaching up and sinking her claws into the ceiling. She went past multiple rooms, killed some more Necromorph's and finally ended up at the top of the ship.
She looked down at the blackness below and then to the rail.
'I might need to stay hidden.' She thought.
She slunk back to the side of the ship and laid down, resting her head on her fore-hooves.
Inside the Ishimura.
"Entering Zero-Gravity." Said the voice from the speakers.
Isaac and the others looked around at the tram station. Objects and random pieces of paper were floating around, the air was brown in color, and the glass at the benches was shattered.
"Where to?" Applebloom asked.
Isaac stuck out his hand and the line went to the side of the platform.
"Were going off track it seems." He said before jumping off.
They both followed, weapons at the ready.
Massive piles of scrap were ahead of them. Only a few lights shone through the darkness exposing the Lurkers crawling around.
"Get down!" Isaac whispered as he sunk to the track. "They haven't seen us yet, maybe we can-"
Scootaloo pushed him away before a multitude of barbs embedded themselves into the floor in front of him. He turned around and shot a grenade at them.
He killed one, another was injured and the third was sailing towards him.
"Get it off!" He yelled as it repeatedly sunk its barbs into his back armor.
"Hold still!" Applebloom yelled as she crouched.
She jumped and brought her back leg down atop the Lurker making it glide to the ground. She quickly walked up to it and bucked it in the face, caving in its skull.
They looked back at Scootaloo and saw the last wisps of red go into her mouthless muzzle.
She let the small Necromorph's crawl onto her back and curl up between her wings.
"You ready to move?" She asked as she flew past them, the force from her larger wings knocking them away slightly.
They both followed behind closely, moving above and below the massive junk heaps. After they transgressed them they all set down onto the platform where they proceeded through the door.
"I remember this hallway." Isaac said. He began walking briskly, keeping close to the benches. "This is where a Brute nearly grabbed me." And at that moment a Brute arm came out from the window and struck Isaac.
Before the others could react, it vanished in a flash of light.
"Another hallucination." He breathed. "Damn she's getting good at this."
He got up and started towards the corner ahead. He turned that and opened the door.
"Alright," He began looking back at him. "Two rules. Rule one, don't touch any buttons. Only I can do that. Two, don't shoot the-crap!" He tripped backwards and was about to fall into the large hole when Scootaloo caught him.
"Careful, there's a hole there." She smiled as she held him upside down. "Here, let me." She grabbed Applebloom and used the other two tentacles to move across.
Before Isaac could tell her to, 'Put me the hell down.' A Stalker poked its head out from around the corner. He looked down at her glumly before she sprinted ahead. Him raised as a weapon.
Applebloom sat there, bored, inspecting her Plasma cutter.
'Hmm... the paint's scratched. Ah might need to get a new coat.' She thought turning her head lazily to see a Stalker come running at her. She rolled her eyes before freezing it in stasis and getting up. 'Might as well.' She thought.
It came out and ran at her faster. She jumped to the left and stuck out her front left hoof at the last second. She looked down the hole and listened as it hit the walls or floors or ceilings as it went.
Scootaloo came back with Isaac walking next to him. His armor was sizzling slightly.
"What happened to yall?" She asked.
"Scootaloo got the bright idea to hit a Puker." Isaac said. "As you can see, she used me."
"I didn't know it was a Puker until the fourth hit!" She defended herself.
"Well, it’s not like it matters. Were here and now all we have to do is get the tethers activated. It's down the ramp here."
He quickly ran down the ramp and around the corner, leaving them to follow.
Down below, he passed the escape pods, another hallucination which they ignored and went into the captain’s lounge.
A large chair was sitting atop a mini-map of the station. Windows at the front and panels at the sides.
Applebloom and Scootaloo volunteered to guard the chair while Isaac worked with the panel.
"Go on, you deserve a break." He said. 'Even if I deserve a freakin' full paid vacation to Hawaii.' He thought as he held the activation control down.
The tethers at the side lit up and the other half of the station started to move.
Ellie's screen came into view.
"You did it! Now get back here, the tracks are moving!"
"No, just go! I'll use one of the escape pods and meet you there. Now go!"
Her screen went off, but was followed by Tiedmann's voice.
"Clarke you idiot! Those gravity tethers will tear the whole moon apart! Cl-" He was cut off by Isaac.
Applebloom and Scootaloo got out from the chair and quickly went with him out the door. And only to be stopped by Nicole at the entrance to an escape pod.
"Where you going Isaac? Do you still think this is something you can avoid?"
"I don't know. I don't know what you are, okay?"
"Move!" Scootaloo yelled pushing him in and dragging Applebloom in with her. "Isaac! Press buttons! Now!"
He quickly got to work and launched the pod.
Atop the Ishimura.
Sweetiebelle yawned and stretched, she looked lazily over and saw a small pod eject from the ship. She cocked her head to the side in confusion before sniffing the air. Her red and black eyes widened before she stretched her membrane out and gave chase.
She watched as it smashed into a cliff and then come crashing into a platform below.
She latched onto the wall above and watched as Isaac dragged her friends out before dropping to his knees.
She glided down and looked at the door in front of them.
'I might as well go ahead of them now.' She thought as she tore off the door. ‘I can’t just walk up to them. I need to let them find me.’
The last thing Scootaloo saw before darkness was a large white blur.
Isaac slowly rose on his hands and unfolded his helmet. he coughed and looked around.
"Applebloom, Scootaloo, are you awake?" He said focusing on the blurred shapes. "Hey, wake up." He shook Scootaloo slightly.
She bolted up and punched him in the jaw.
"Isaac... is that you?" She rubbed her temples as he rubbed his jaw.
"Yeah, unfortunately." He tried to get up but fell. "Could you wake Applebloom while I regain my senses?"
"S-sure." She nodded. She got up shakily but squinted as she approached her. "Hey Applebloom, wake up. Come on, it's time to move."
"I was wonderin' when yall would wake up." She got up and looked at the two. "Ya might want to start moving before the Necromorph's show up." She took out her Plasma cutter.
"Yeah, yeah, just let me get up." Isaac said finally standing.
"I'm good now." Scootaloo said running a hoof through her purple mane. "Slightly shaky, but good."
Isaac let Scootaloo go talk with Applebloom while he looked around the ruined pod for parts. He started at the front, tripped, cursed and kept looking. Unaware of the gas leak he had just caused.
"So, do you think we'll see Sweetiebelle soon?" Scootaloo asked.
"Scoot's! We will see her again." Applebloom said.
"I never said we're not going to, I said when are we going to see her again? Hey... what's that smell? Isaac did you cut the cheese?"
He stopped and looked around before he stood up and slwoly looked down. When he spotted the gas merely inches away from a small flame, he ran as fast as he could, grabbed the crusaders and jumped behind a wall.
The pod exploded, shrapnel went over them, a piece went through the wall and stopped in-between Isaac's and Applebloom's head.
"Note to self," Isaac said coming out of shock. "Fire bad."
"Note to ma'hself," Applebloom said. " Never let Isaac search for anything without proper supervision."
"I'm a grown man. I don't need anyone watching over me."
"What about somepony?" Scootaloo said getting up. "Next time. Wait for the flames to die down." She tapped the metal shard and jumped back as it fell out.
"Hey watch it!" Isaac leaned back as it fell in-between his knees. "I may not have a girlfriend, but I still need what I have!"
"Sissy." Applebloom smirked as she bucked it away.
As Isaac and Applebloom talked Scootaloo went to the door ahead.
The metal was torn and bent inward, the frame was bent beyond repair and the floor was severely flattened.
'I wonder what could have done this?' Scootaloo thought. And then it hit her. 'The door wasn't like this when we crashed.' She turned back to Isaac and Applebloom, eyes wide and frantic. "Guys! We have a problem... a very big problem!"
Both of them immediately ran over, weapons drawn and scanning the walls and ceiling.
"What is it?" Isaac asked.
"Remember the roars when we were on the Ishimura?"
His head slowly turned to her. "Yeah?"
"I think it followed us." She pointed a shaking hoof at where the door should be. "The door wasn't like this when we crashed..."
"So, whatever it was... is here now?" Applebloom said.
Scootaloo nodded.
"Fiddle sticks..." Applebloom said.
Isaac's screen flickered on, it showed Ellie lying on her back, darkness around her. And Stross looming over with a screwdriver.
"Isaac!" She called.
"Shhhh... its gonna be okay, I promise... this won't hurt a bit." Stross cooed as he tried to put the screwdriver into her eye.
"Cross my heart, hope to die..."
"Stross!" Isaac yelled angrily.
"Stick a needle in your eye!"
"Stross! God dammit!" Isaac yelled as the connection was lost.
He looked over to the crusaders who just stood there, entranced in horror from what they saw.
Scootaloo shook her head and mottion back to the door, or lack of door for that matter.
"So what about this?" She asked. "How do you explain this?"
"Maybe... maybe a chunk of the ship went through?" Isaac suggested. "I mean we did just crash and basically the whole moon is being torn to pieces." He stuck out his palm and a trickle of pebbles fell into it. "Wait, I didn't use kinesis... I think we should move now!" He grabbed the other two crusaders and ran in just as the wall overhead from where they were standing, collapsed, sealing them in.
"Note to ma'hself-"
"Alright stop that." Isaac said sternly.
"Ah was gounna' say watch for fallin' rocks." Applebloom said wiping dust of herself. "Ah reckon' we ain't going back there."
"Yeah, me either." Scootaloo said letting her helmet fold up. Her eyes turned a clear blue and the path in front of them was lit up.
The hall was more of a room in itself. There were two others both of them with pools of blood in each.
The door ahead was also pushed in, the floor and walls in the same condition. The three of them threaded carefully, keeping an eye out for whatever was there.
The ramp below was dimly lit, blood everywhere trailing down in small streams and the pilars supporting it were either bent or broken.
"What happened?" Isaac said stunned. "Whatever followed us, was big and obviously in a hurry." He started forward again slightly slower than before.
As they made they're way down Scootaloo started to see shapes on the walls. She aimed her helmet at one and jumped back hitting Applebloom in the process.
"Scoot's! Why'd ya... whoa." Applebloom looked at the Stalker head stuck in the wall. A bony spike going though its mouth and into the wall.
"What are you two looking at?" Isaac said going back to them. "Damn, what happened to that thing?"
"Something killed it. Obviously." Applebloom said.
"Thanks captain obvious. Here's a rock." Isaac tossed her a small rock which she threw behind her.
"What could have done this?" Scootaloo said standing on her tentacles. "But more importantly, where's the rest of it?"
"She's right." Isaac said taking out his Pulse rifle. "Where is the rest of it?"
"Maybe it's down at the bottom?" Applebloom said focusing her lights at the bottom of the ramp. "Ah think ah can see a few things down there. But ah'm not sure."
"Whatever happened, it wasn't pretty." Isaac said taking the head off. "What the hell...? There's a bone spike in this things head."
"What's so weird bout' that?" Applebloom cocked her head.
"Its a bone. A very sharpened and arm's length sized bone. Only... human's have multiple bones in their bodies."
"Maybe it was Sweetiebelle? Maybe she's here!?" Scootaloo said eagerly.
"I don't think so. This thing's larger than her." He said dropping the head. "Whatever was here, and might still be, is killing Necromorph's. Keep a very sharp eye out for something large and bloody."
As they went down, Scootaloo looked at more of the shapes on the walls, exposing them to be more parts. But only that, parts.
Before they reached the bottom Applebloom turned to the right and went down. She came up carrying only a Stalker claw.
"This is all ah found..." She said emotionless. "This was all the parts down there. The rest was metal and wires."
"Are you sure? Did you check the other side?" Isaac went around and came back with nothing. "Damn, nothing there either except for a Suicider sac."
"Whatever's here, it's doing something with the bodies." Applebloom said. "Come on." She went around the corner and went farther down to the door.
It had also been torn open, while the inside remained almost wholly intact.
When they all stepped in, more rubble fell from above, they looked up and went back to the doorway.
A giant Necromorph came down where a large fan had once been. It took up nearly all the space in the room and looked directly at them.
It was white, but that's all they saw before it ran off. It gave a roar that shook more rubble loose and went through the door ahead, tearing anything in it's way apart like tissue paper.
The three of them just stood there, shocked and horrified.
"Isaac, I think I know what happened to the door's now..." Scootaloo said.
"What the fuck..."
"Ah don't even know what to say to that..."
"Um, uh yeah." Isaac said blinking a few times. "Maybe we shouldn't go that way." He nodded forward at the retreating bone tail as it disappeared. "We wouldn't want to kill it too early with all of our adorable badassery, right? Right?"
"Y-Yeah, lets do that." Applebloom said still shocked.
They all trudged forward, their boots making small sparks as they were dragged. They looked around and saw the room was nearly rock, the floor and the doors were metal while above them, in a blood soaked air flow, was a large fan sticking out from where it had once been.
"Isaac, I have good new and bad news." Scootaloo said. "Which one would you like to hear first?"
"The good news, I think we all need it. Wait, hang on... I'm getting another transmission."
"I seeeee you!" Stross called out.
"Why did you do it, Stross!?" Isaac called out.
"I can't face it! I thought Ellie could! I had to make her see. Step 3!"
"What can't you face? What's the last step?"
"Her!" He shouted. "It's what they were afraid of, that I'd face her, destroy the Marker. But its too much. You have to help. You need to see. Step 3."
"Stross! Dammit!" He grabbed a rock and thew it against the wall. After his 'little' tantrum he turned back to Scootaloo. "Well?"
"We don't need to hack the terminal here." She said. "Now the bad news is... we have to go where that, thing went."
"Are you shitting me?" He face-palmed.
"I don't know what that means."
"Well," He looked down the hall. "Ladies first." He pushed Applebloom forward with his foot.
"Whoa! Now hold on! Why do ah have to go first!? Your the one with the most experience!" She said pushing back with her hooves.
"Because your the group bad-ass. I'm just a meat shield and hammer."
"If yall are a meat shield then yall should be going in first!" She spun a round and tried to push him forward.
"What about Scootaloo? She cant die. So it would only make sense..." He trailed off as he saw her eyes flash red and then black. "Or maybe not."
Scootaloo got down and took the opposite side of Isaac. They stood there, looking into the hall.
"So are you ready?" Isaac asked.
"Ah'm ready. are yall ready?"
"Yeah I'm totally ready." Scootaloo said.
"I'm like twice as ready." Isaac said.
"Well ah was ready before both of ya. So Ah'm even more ready."
"I'm more ready than both of you combined." Scootaloo said.
"We're procrastinating out of fear, aren't we?" Isaac said.
"Oh yeah." Scootaloo nodded.
"Eeyup." Applebloom said mimicking her brother.
"We'll I'll go." He took a step forward and firmly put his boot in the gravel. "That wasn't so hard."
Something tapped his shoulder, he looked and ran to the other end of the hall.
"Fuck you Scootaloo! Fuck you and all of your disembodied Stalker heads!" Isaac yelled as the two crusaders laughed. "You nearly gave me a damn heart attack!"
"That was great!" Applebloom laughed wiping away a tear. "Now ah see why Rainbow likes playin' pranks."
"Screw all the dead and supernatural!" Isaac threw his arms in the air. "Screw you life! Screw you! With a capital S!"
They all just stood there, either looking at each other or the walls. Isaac had enough and got up and began to walk.
They all stopped when they saw a Cyst. Isaac looked to Applebloom, nodded and she took off leaving a trail of death in her wake. Moments later she came back, slightly goo covered. She gave a salute and got hit in the faceplate by a string of goo on her fore-leg.
She wiped that off as they continued on, each of them occasionally flinching by the slight creak of metal or falling of boulders.
They all stopped at another store, with an intact door.
"Where'd it go?" Appleblom asked.
"Up." Isaac said.
"What?" Both of the crusaders said.
"Look up. There's a big hole in the ceiling, and its practically pouring out blood."
Applebloom let her helmet unfold and immediately regretted it when a splash of blood soaked her. She screamed and jumped back.
"Get it off me! Get it off!" She sputtered and spit, wiped and scratched. All of it had mainly got into her suit; she got out and started to shake like a dog.
"Hang on! I-I'll get a rag and some other stuff. Just stop!" Isaac said.
He ran off as Applebloom cried, Scootaloo went to her side and gave a comfortable nuzzle. Applebloom wrapped her in a hug and cried into her shoulder.
Isaac soon came back with a rag and bucket filled with water. He bent down on his knee and started to wash her muzzle, much to her annoyance.
He slowly got her back and had her lean forward so he could rinse her mane. When he was about to get to her back legs, he stopped.
"Ugh, here. I'm not to comfortable with doing that."
She nodded and even giggled, she took it gingerly from his hand and began to clean herself. The last area she got was her flank. in the darkness she still saw a smudge so she scrubbed even harder.
"Here, let me turn some lights on." Scootaloo said letting her eyes go blue again.
Applebloom's eyes widened and a large grin formed on her muzzle.
"Ah've got ma'h cutie mark! But... what's it mean?"
It was a picture of a Tripod, with Applebloom on top holding a Pulse rifle to her right and her Plasma cutter to the left.
"I think it means your good at killing Tripods?" Scootaloo said. "That's awesome!"
"Hey Applebloom, here. I got you a replacement suit." Isaac handed her the fresh suit from the store. "It's still warm and it even has that new suit smell."
She took one last look at her mark before putting the armor on.
She went up to the store, had Scootaloo lift her up to get ammo and let Scootaloo get ammo. Isaac had gotten his when he'd gotten the suit.
Another roar came from within the moon shaking more blood and rock down.
"Well, whatever it is." Isaac reloaded his Plasma Rifle before letting it rest on his shoulder. "Its behind this door." He put both hands onto the barrel. "Who's ready to kick some Necromorph ass?"
A series of clicks and casing hitting the floor answered him.
"That's what I thought." He pressed a hand to the door.
And by that, nothing was there in the manmade cave.
"Wasn't there just a roar here?" Isaac asked. "I could have sworn there were noises coming from here."
"Ah don't like this. One second it sounds like a manticore is being strangled, the next, nothing." Applebloom said.
"Well keep your guard up. There's no telling where anything could be."
They all crept along the ramp, watching the shadows. While something else was watching them from them too.
"Down this way, the light and ventilation controls should be down there." Isaac said going down the ramp.
They turned after doing a quick sweep of the area and went under the platform they had currently walked on. Underneath, the cause of the darkness was discovered to be an overloaded power core.
"It looks like all we need to do is put in a new core, and were set." Isaac said. "Now all we need..." He stopped and looked at the crusaders. "Good work. I didn't know you had one."
They both looked at each other before noticing the blue core behind them. They both got out their weapons and went over to Isaac.
"You didn't get that… did you?" He said uneasily.
"No. And that wasn't there a second ago." Scootaloo said.
"Think it's a trap?" Applebloom asked eying the core.
"Maybe, but would you rather be attacked in the dark or when you can see?" He asked pulling the orange core out and putting the blue one in.
When the lights turned on all of them stopped and looked around.
There were holes in the walls, everywhere. Large holes carved into the rock as if giant termites had made a nest there.
"Isaac, did one of those fancy drills make those?" Applebloom asked.
"They wouldn't drill here. Not enough room or even a reason." He answered.
"Then... if a drill didn't make those..." Scootaloo trailed off with a small squeak.
A Puker came out from one of the vents followed by two Lurkers, four Crawlers, two blackened Slashers and an Exploder.
"Get ready to fire wen I say so." Isaac whispered as they got closer.
As the Necromorph's were converging, they stopped and started to look around as if confused.
"What's wrong with them?" Applebloom whispered.
"I don't know maybe-"
Isaac was cut off when one of the Slasher's ran at him. Before he could fire something crushed it. Something large, white and furry.
All three engineers jumped back as they saw the creature from before.
It had a spine tail, spines going down its back, bone plating on its legs and head. The bottom appendages were roundish with three claws sticking straight out. It had a collar of tendrils sticking out from the base of the head and two large blades sticking out from its back. But the head was the most curious.
It was equine in shape and even had a horn. And the eyes took up most of the side, aside from the pointed ears.
"Guy's! let’s just run while-" Isaac was whispering before a Necromorph came out from the vent next to him. "Run!"
They all ran without a second thought, unwittingly right past the creature and stopped in front of the other Necromorph's.
"Well, it was an honor serving with you all." Isaac said.
"Yeah, same here." Applebloom said hugging his leg.
"Me too." Scootaloo said hugging his other leg as he bent down and wrapped them in a hug.
They waited for the end but only the sound of the Necromorph's was heard. Along with a heavy breathing.
They all looked up and saw nothing but orange organs, they looked back and saw the creature's two back legs and the tail curled defensively around them.
The Necromorph's shrieked and raged at the creature while it only snarled.
The behemoth took one of its tendrils and shot a small spike into the Exploder's sac, detonating it in the middle of the small crowd.
The Necromorph from before, a Slasher, quietly made its way behind them all and made its way towards Isaac. Before he knew what was going on, it wrapped its bladed arms around him and started to bite his neck armor.
"Get it off! It's trying to eat my neck!" Isaac yelled as he struggled against it.
Before the two crusaders could react the creature above them swung around with its tail and sent it arching down. It split the Necromorph in half while leaving Isaac standing straight up in fear and shock.
The Crusaders rushed over to him as he snapped out of it. A snort from the thing behind them reminded them of the still immediate danger.
At its full height it stood nearly twice as tall as a Tripod, it was slightly thicker in the front and back. And it just stood there, looking at them, ears drooped down.
"What do you think it’s doing?" Scootaloo said.
"Probably thinking which one of us to eat first." Applebloom whispered. "Eat Isaac! He's nice and fat!"
"Why you little!" Isaac said before noticing the thing. "Wait... maybe it is thinking about that. And I just yelled like a dumbass."
It shook its head side to side before getting down on its belly. It folded its front claws and lay there, staring at them.
"So you’re not going to eat us?" Applebloom asked.
It stuck out its proboscis like tongue in disgust.
"Are you here to help us?" Isaac asked.
It nodded.
"Do you know where our friend is? She's like me and Applebloom, only she's white and has a horn." Scootaloo asked.
The thing lowered its ears again and looked away. It slowly looked back and raised on of its claws, when it did a blade shot out.
"Sweetiebelle..." Scootaloo said going up to it. "Is that you?"
It closed its eyes and nodded, retracting the blade.
"What happened?" Isaac said.
"Isaac, ah don't think she can talk." Applebloom whispered.
"Maybe I can help with that." Scootaloo said.
She jumped onto Sweetie's back and put a tentacle into a clear area of skin. She jumped down as her eyes turned white.
"Um... is this thing on?" Sweetiebelle's voice came from Scootaloo.
"That's disturbing and awesome." Isaac said.
"How did this happen, Sweetiebelle?" Applebloom asked.
"I don't know. Suddenly I was being torn to shreds," Her friends winced. "Sorry, poor choice of words. But anyway, my magic did something weird and I started to take the bodies into me. I absorbed them, I guess."
"She knows how to use biomass." Isaac said. "She can use the other organic material around her to increase her strengths and body. How many corpses did you absorb?"
"Um... a few dozen. Not counting the Tripod's and... it." Sweetiebelle made a low guttural growl. "That thing back at the church."
"Wait, that thing was still alive!?" Isaac asked.
"Not anymore." She said. "I took care of it."
"Were you the one who killed the Stalkers on the ramp?" Applebloom asked.
"Yeah, I didn't get all the parts... did I?"
"No we found a bunch stuck on the walls."
"Wait," Scootaloo said coming out momentarily. "Why did you run away when we saw you?"
Sweetiebelle's cheeks turned slightly darker under the coat of lunar dust.
"You all scared me..."
"We scared you!?" Isaac yelled. "I don't think you really need to be scared of anything. You nearly gave us all heart attacks when you jumped down."
"Sorry..." She scraped a claw across the floor leaving a gash. "Thanks’ for turning the lights back on. It was hard to see."
"No problem. Now, to figure out how to get you back to normal..." Isaac mused.
"Could we just take chunks off? Like an onion?" Applebloom suggested.
"No!" Sweetiebelle yelled standing up. "I mean no. We are not peeling my skin away. It will just regrow."
"So, do we keep going or do we try and figure out how to fix this?" Isaac shrugged.
"Just keep going; I'll find my own way out eventually. I've already made a network of tunnel systems for easy access. I even took into account the soft and harder rock as to prevent a collapse." She then pulled away from Scootaloo, crawled up the far wall and jumped. They all ducked but looked back up to see a thin membrane between her legs as she glided over and crawled into one of the tunnels.
"Now I guess we go up there." Isaac pointed back up the ramp.
They went back up the ramp, took the walkway and opened the door ahead.
The way ahead was littered with loose rock, a few mining helmets and some portable lights.
As they went in something dropped on Isaac, something liquid.
He wiped it off and looked up to see Sweetiebelle looking down at them.
"Hang on, this might be important." Scootaloo said climbing up. She latched on and Sweetiebelle started to speak.
"I'm going to stay as close as I can to you three. Just scream or yell if you need me." Scootaloo's tentacle went back and Sweetiebelle went further into her network.
"Did she really have to drool on me?" Isaac whined, shaking his arms clean.
"Hey watch it!" Applebloom said getting hit with a strand. "Eww... it smells like Isaac."
"Alright, I do not smell that bad." He let his helmet unfold and took a sniffed his shirt. "Alright... I take that back." He rubbed his eyes, unwittingly getting some slobber in them. "Oh sweet merciful god! It’s in my eyes! The smell burns!"
The two crusaders couldn't help but snicker at him.
Ponyville.
It was nighttime, almost all the residents were asleep. All but Alexander, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Twilight.
"Alex you may need to set up a tent before the morning." Rainbow Dash said.
"What? Why?"
"Ponyville has a storm scheduled for tomorrow. The crops and such need the water." She shrugged. "Listen I need to go and help make the storm clouds, you just try and keep everything together."
She flew off leaving a bright trail in the air.
"Great," he rubbed his eyes. "Where am I going to get a tent big enough for this?"
"No... I don't want broccoli... gross..." Discord snored.
He was laying with his back against his daughters, who breathed in and he snored. Alex rubbed his hooves together evilly as he crept up on his victim.
He charged his horn and a trumpet appeared. He grabbed it and put it right to the spirit's ear and blew.
Discord shot up, his red pupils vibrating side to side as he fell to the ground.
He got up and glared at the human turned alicorn who was smiling smugly.
"Problem?" Asked Alexander.
Discord merely made a choking gesture before looking back at his daughter. He smiled as she was still sleeping peacefully.
"Alright wise guy, what is it?" Discord asked tapping his goat leg.
"There's a storm coming and we need a tent." Alex shrugged.
"Fine," He snapped his talons and a large circus tent went around the vicinity. "Anything else?"
"Yeah, go back to sleep."
He nodded before curling back on the ground with his daughter. After a few moments the snoring started again.
Titan station. Mining.
"So, are we ready now?" Isaac said.
"Ah'm ready. Are yall ready?"
"I'm ready. I'm like even more ready than both of you." Scootaloo said.
"Ok were not starting this shit again. Scootaloo, you follow in the back, Applebloom you’re behind me and in front of Scootaloo." Isaac started to walk off before Scootaloo could give a retort.
As they walked Scootaloo stopped and stopped them both. Her ears were perked up, as if listening for something.
"Let go!" Isaac demanded as he tried to get free.
"Wait... listen. It sounds like, like somepony muttering something." She held up a hoof silencing them.
Isaac stopped and looked around. Sure enough they all heard someone muttering further down.
She let go and they quickly but quietly hurried down the hall.
"That almost sounds like..."
Stross jumped at Isaac from behind a gate, in his hand was the screwdriver with Ellie's eye perched in the middle like an olive in a martini.
Isaac jumped back, a scowl forming on his face; while the crusaders screamed very loudly, jumped back and stood there with angry and betrayed looks on their muzzles.
"There you are, Isaac. We've been waiting for you!" Stross said as if scolding a child. "Now it’s your turn!"
"Oh god, Ellie!"
As if summoned like a genie she stood up from the darkness, a pipe in hand and swung at Stross from behind.
"Step three, then you'll-aaaghh!" Stross cried out as he was knocked to the floor when Ellie hit him in the back of the head.
"Ellie..." Isaac said looking at her.
"You owe me an eye, you bastard!" She pointed a finger at him angrily.
She swung out with the pipe as he tried to grab it, she pushed him away and the gate started to close. It sparked and stopped. Everything started to shake, rocks fell from the walls, and the sound of metal tearing was heard. Even Stross stopped fighting to see what was going on.
"Stross, Ellie, I think you've both met Sweetiebelle." Scootaloo said smiling thinly. "We'll, let’s just say she's gone through some... changes." She turned to Stross. "I'd suggest you start running. Now."
He started to run and just as soon the wall above Isaac was torn away, Sweetiebelle came through and tore through the gate and gave chase to Stross.
Ellie was left there, dumbstruck and angry. She pointed a shaking finger at where Sweetiebelle went.
"That was the small pony... the little fluff ball?"
"It's... it's a long story." Isaac sighed.
She went up to him pressed a button on his helmet, it unfolded and she slapped him.
"Now," She picked up the pipe again. "I've got a psycho to hunt down." She ran off into the darkness, the only sounds were of Sweetiebelle roaring in the distance.
"So... now what?" Applebloom asked.
"I guess we keep going?" Isaac shrugged going through they're original path.
As soon as he opened the door, a Drag Tentacle came out and grabbed him. Applebloom and Scootaloo grabbed him but they both were dragged along. They went through the tunnel, screaming and occasionally yelping when they hit a bump.
Applebloom had enough time when they were grabbed to turn her volume to a hundred.
The ride stopped when they were pulled out into space.
The entire cliff side of the moon had three chambers, two of them containing explosive canisters while the last, guarded by lasers, was the exit.
"Great, I was hoping I wouldn't have to deal with one of those damn Drag Tentacles. Those things are the reason why I can’t have nice things." Isaac said. "That and women, they're also a reason I can't have nice things."
"Excuse me?" Applebloom said.
"You've been nothing but good to me, so you don't count. Ponies do not count." He said raising his hands defensively.
"Hey guy's, we've got a bigger problem." Scootaloo said.
"What?" They both turned to her. "Oh..."
In front of them was a Nest, an active one that was already sending out the small jelly fish like Necromorph's.
"I've got it." Scootaloo rolled her eyes as she killed the little kamikaze Necromorph's and went up to the fleshy bulb.
She wrapped het tentacles around it and did the same as before, all the bulbs popped in a shower of goo. While she did that Isaac and Applebloom had went and found the canisters needed, attached them and were waiting by the entrance for Scootaloo.
Isaac and Applebloom aimed and fired setting off the canisters from afar; before they could go in they were all knocked back by a tentacle. Up above them, the culprit of dragging them, was a Slug.
It tore the front of the chamber off and hurled it at them, Scootaloo grabbed both Isaac and Applebloom and teleported away.
They re-appeared in one of the chamber with an explosive canister.
"Now what?" Scootaloo asked.
"I don't know. I had to have an anti-asteroid defense system to beat the one on the Ishimura!" Isaac whispered back.
"We wait." Applebloom said calmly.
"What?" Scootaloo gave her the most forceful, 'the buck did you just say?' looks in history.
"We can't just wait this out." Isaac said. "We'll run out of air!"
"Ah'm not waitin' for that to leave, ah'm waitin' for Sweetiebelle. Ah might have turned ma speakers up when we were grabbed."
"Then let's hope she heard us." Isaac said.
Further in Titan station.
"Dammit! Come back here and face me like a man!" Ellie yelled chasing Stross around a pipe while Sweetiebelle occasionally tried to trip him with a tentacle as she looked on slightly amused.
She barely registered the yell but still heard it. It distracted her long enough for Stross to escape into darkness.
"Whatever..." Ellie wheezed. "He's as good as dead alone anyway." She sat back on the pipe. "So, what's your story?"
Sweetiebelle let a blade fall out of her hoof and re-absorbed it.
"Ah, you absorbed the Necro's." Ellie nodded. "So, are you going to go or what? Applebloom I think, screamed over the comm just now. Bloody loud too."
Sweetiebelle nodded and tore off, tearing through the wall to her friend.
"Step 3..." Stross called out eerily.
"Would you shut up!" Ellie yelled throwing a glare and a pipe in the darkness.
"Please...?"
"That's it! Come here!" Ellie was getting up when Stross finally ran off. She smiled to herself before going off in a random direction.
Titan station. Space.
"Ok, how long is this going to take?" Isaac said. "Almost everything out there is black!"
"I almost had it!" Scotaloo whined. "Alright, I spy with my little eye... something yellow and hot."
"The sun?" Isaac guessed.
"Nope. The solar array."
Isaac peered out and saw the beam back in its original position.
"Damn."
"Look! It’s Sweetiebelle!" Applebloom called out.
They all looked out just in time to see the rock behind the Slug explode out sending shrapnel into its hide.
It whirled around in time to See Sweetiebelle standing there, lips peeled back to reveal a massive set of double jaws all lined with two rows of either hypodermic or thick, serrated teeth.
It took a defensive stance as it flailed its tentacles. She jumped forward into the tangle and landed on it.
It grabbed her in mid-leap and held her there. She tore at its tentacles, shredding them to bits before landing on it. She buried her claws into it before pouring acid on it, its armor sizzled and melted as it shook uselessly. She leaned forward and started to bite the thing while its soft flesh was exposed.
She tore massive chunks out, each time it was absorbed making her grow. She continued but got bored, so she struck down with her horn and electrocuted it. It tensed up before finally giving out and dying. When it did so, Sweetiebelle absorbed it and grew nearly two and three quarters larger.
She snarled at the three dots coming at her but stood back when she realized they were her friends.
She waved at them as they went by, and they waved back as they hurried in.
Underneath Sweetiebelle.
"Well look at this." Applebloom said.
"More Cyst's. Great..." Drawled Isaac. He looked up at Sweetiebelle who was peering in from the front. "You want to absorb them?" He asked her, he received a 'no' in response. "Alright, your choice." He aimed at the closest one and fired.
It died as it shot out a pus sac and started a chain reaction causing the other to die along with it in a glorious show of light and puss.
Isaac, Applebloom, Scootaloo and even Sweetiebelle who made something similar, all Oooood." At the sight.
Before they went any further, Sweetiebelle stopped them. She pulled them back and looked at them.
"What?" Isaac asked.
She pointed at herself before them.
"Alright you can come with us, just try not to cause an air leak."
She grinned or tried with only an intact top jaw.
"Meet us back inside the cave." Scootaloo said.
She nodded and went off through the hole she came through in, making sure to fill in the gap with rocks.
Isaac and the other two crusaders finally took in a fresh breath of air, even if all the air on the station had a slight copper taste to it from the blood pooling on the floors.
Isaac immediately tried to contact Ellie.
"Ellie, I'm back inside. Where are you? Where's Stross?"
"I'm safe for now, but he's lost it. I think he's coming for you. I've found something you’re gonna’ want to see. Here's my location. Hurry and get here, I'm in no shape to be fighting."
"I'll get there as soon as I can. Stay safe."
He got on the lift followed by the two small crusaders and started up.
The new cave had only two walkways. The one below had two Lurker's scurrying back and forth. The one Isaac and the other were on had a blackened Slasher, who took immediate, notice of them.
"Ah've got this one." Applebloom said running at it.
It tried to swipe at her, but she jumped and shot one of its arms off. She aimed the blade at its head and shot forward with it. The Slasher was pinned to the back wall, blood dripping off of its one blade and feet.
"Good job, I think that's atleast fifty meters." Isaac nodded.
As they were about to turn the first corner, a Puker came out from the vent and nearly hit Isaac in the process.
"Not this time!" Isaac yelled grabbing it but a leg and the shoulder before tossing it over the rail into the darkness below. "Try and throw up on me now! You putrid mother fucker!"
"Isaac, don't count your chickens before they hatch." Applebloom said firing off her Plasma cutter.
He turned and saw two more of the Slashers running at them, blades slicing through the air fiercely.
He raised his Line gun and shot, severing the leader’s arms. Scootaloo grabbed the blades and lifted it up by the chest; she pulled the blades apart and tore the Slasher in half, the upper part still screeching in rage as it fell.
"We've got some more. Let's move!" Isaac said rushing to the door ahead, all of them firing at the Slasher's approaching.
With a last shot the door closed.
There were three sets of mining lasers blocking the way to the door on the left; the one on the right only had chewed bodies lying at the entrance.
Isaac went over and picked up a helmet, noticing a small card fell out he dropped the helmet and picked that up instead.
"George Lazoski." Isaac said looking back at the bodies. "I wonder which one of them is him, or was him for that matter?"
"Hey Isaac, I don't think you should be reading those." Applebloom said holding a card, a small frown on her face.
"Why? Hey, who's card are you reading?" He went to grab it only for her to pull away. "Alright, who is it?"
"I-Is Clarke your last name?" She asked barely above a whisper.
"Y-Yes... Why? Applebloom you’re starting to freak me out." He said uneasily.
Her helmet unfolded, her bottom lip was trembling, and her eyes were watery. She sniffed once before jumping into his arms.
"Ah'm so sorry... Ah really am." She cried.
"What? Who was it?"
He cradled her and bent down to pick up the card. When he did, it fell loosely from his hand.
"He's... one of the bodies is... Poul Clarke." He let his helmet unfold. His eyes were wide while his jaw hung loosely. "Dad..."
"One of them, is your father...?" Scootaloo asked stepping back from them. "That's... horrible." She shook her head in dis-belief. "I hope it was atleast painless."
"Dammit!" Isaac yelled, angry tears forming in his eyes. "Just... dammit." He cried silently into Applebloom's mane.
"Ah'm so sorry, Isaac." Applebloom repeated. "Ah know the feeling."
"Really?" He asked. "How'd they go?"
"Saving me, ma'h sister and ma'h brother. There was a big storm... and the windmill fell." She winced. "Applejack says ah was too young to remember... but I remember it all. Every last thing." She seemed to cry even harder as he rubbed her back.
"I'm happy your parent's had some sense." Isaac sighed. "My mom, Octavia Clarke, at one time joined Unitology and spent my entire education funds on that damn religion. I never really knew my dad; he left a while after I was born. Although once in a while he'd send me a postcard through my RIG." He looked back at the card. "But damn. No one deserves this."
"Except for Tiedmann." Scootaloo said. "He's the one who caused this! All the Necromorph's, the Marker and all the innocent people here that died!" Her voice became extremely low. "Let's see how he likes spending an eternity in Tartarus!"
She tore the door off from behind Isaac and sent it through the lasers and door. She stormed out followed by the other two, Isaac still carrying Applebloom.
The hall only had a metal floor and some fence lining the walls. The walls and ceiling were nothing but rock, aside from the occasional wire or pipe, it was all rock.
She continued on, her coat a milky white, her legs lengthened, and where her eyes should be resided a swirling mass of black.
She saw a Cyst above and crushed it with one of the armored tentacles as her wings disappeared. The second and third ahead were burnt to cinders as she walked past.
She stopped and looked at the control panel, calmed down and began to work. Applebloom had calmed down and was put down.
He stood, back against the door as she worked.
When she got the second one, the door opened and Stross grabbed Isaac.
"There you are!" Stross yelled.
"Whoa! Stross what are you doing!?"
"You have to face her for me!" He yelled hitting Isaac in the faceplate with the screwdriver making it unfold. "Tell her I didn't mean to do it!" Stross said.
"Isaac!" Applebloom yelled. She ran forward and barreled into Stross.
He doubled over and fell to his knees. He reached for the screwdriver, but Scootaloo had already gotten it. She threw it to Isaac who shoved it in Stross's ear.
"Why did you do it Stross!?" Isaac yelled.
Stross had already died and sat there on his knees, dead. Isaac gave a grunt before arching his arm back and swinging. He took of Stross's head in a spray of blood before kicking over the body.
"Come on, we still need to get back to Sweetiebelle." He said going past Stross.
"Ah'm kind of gonna' miss him." Applebloom muttered. "Even if he was crazy..."
"I knew there was something off about him when I saw him on the tram." Scootaloo said as they walked.
The cave they entered was the one from before, with Sweetiebelle looking at them from below, Isaac already on the lift. They quickly got on and made their way to the over-sized unicorn, who merely looked as sheepish as possible.
"Hey Sweetiebelle!" Applebloom greeted hugging one of her claws.
Sweetiebelle nuzzled her in response.
"So, now what do we do?" Scootaloo asked as she crawled up. "And done." Scootaloo's eyes went white.
"I'm a little stuck..." Sweetiebelle said. "I'm a little too big."
Isaac and the other two crusaders leaned to the side and saw Sweetiebelle's flank was stuck in one of her tunnel entrances.
Isaac started to make choking noises before going onto the floor in full blown laughter.
"Ha! Now you can't call me over weight!" He laughed.
"I still can, considering this isn't really me. This is only the corpses of the Necromorph's I've killed. So you’re still the overweight one in the group."
He stopped and glared. He finally half sighed half grunted before sitting down.
"So, how do we get ya unstuck?" Applebloom mused. "Something slippery?"
"I don't think there's any butter here." Isaac said. "And oil is to flammable, one of the rocks could fall, cause a spark and her goose would be cooked." Isaac said.
"What about this?" Scootaloo asked holding up a large jug.
Isaac took it and nodded.
"I didn't even know headlight fluid existed. We’ll, it's worth a try." He climbed up and unscrewed the cap before dumping it around the ring of the tunnel.
"That's freezing!" Sweetiebelle said as she tore out from her bindings, leaving Isaac on the ground covered in rocks and to add insult to injury, the headlight fluid fell on his head and the rest poured out. "Sorry Isaac." She said.
"This never leaves this cave." Isaac said glaring at them. "Not a single word is to see the light of day."
"We Pinkie promise." They all said in unison.
"Good, now to figure out this." He motioned at Sweetiebelle. "How to turn you back into our cuddly little fluff ball...?"
"I'm onboard for the onion idea." Scootaloo raised her hoof.
Sweetiebelle gave a low growl in response making one hoof instantly fall to the ground.
"Maybe not an onion, but what if she is layered?" Isaac said. Sweetie glared at him. "I'm not saying we're going to get a potato peeler and start cutting away layers. What if you can discharge the corpses you absorbed?"
"Like... let them fall off?" Sweetiebelle cocked her head to the side.
"Yeah. What if you’re like a sub sinker. A sandwich, and all you need to do is take off the layers so it will get smaller."
"But how? I can't even control absorbing them." She lowered her head. "What if I'm stuck like this?"
"There's only one way to find out. Try and see if you can."
"But how?" She stomped a hoof.
"Try thinking of getting smaller." Applebloom said.
"Alright... here goes nothing."
She shut her eyes in concentration, at first nothing happened but slowly her skin started to bubble. It turned reddish before the hair started to fall off, and then the skin, the muscle after and lastly the bone. It kept falling and falling, sliding over other pieces as it went leaving a bloody pool of fluids.
"Uh, Sweetiebelle...?" Scootaloo called out. "Are you in there?"
The pile started to move and suddenly a small furry head popped out, grinning brightly. Sweetiebelle, small and fluffy again, crawled out and shook the blood off her coat.
"I'm back to my small self again!" She said as her friend’s went up to hug her. "Did I miss anything?"
"Applebloom has something to tell you!" Scootaloo said.
"Reallly? What is it?" Sweetiebelle said intrigued by her friend’s attitude on the subject.
"Ah got ma'h cutie mark!" Applebloom said merrily.
"Wow! No way!" Sweetiebelle said smiling brightly. "That's great! What is it?"
"Look," Applelboom slipped out of her Rig with some difficulty but when she did, Sweetiebelle's eyes widened in delight. "It’s me on a dead Tripod, holdin' ma'h Plasma cutter and Pulse rifle."
"That's awesome! I wish I had mine though..." She looked back at her own blank flank.
"Hey," Isaac said. "They found theirs here in my world. So, it would only make sense if you did too, right?"
"Your right, maybe I just haven't found mine yet!" She smiled at him before looking around. "Where's my suit anyway?" She frowned.
"Right here." Applebloom said taking out the suit.
"Thanks." Sweetiebelle said slipping it back on. "Now who's ready to go get Tiedmann?"
"Oh I am going to fuck his shit up for what he's done." Isaac said cracking his knuckles. "Shit will be fucked up."
"And then I get my turn?" Sweetiebelle asked innocently. "I did die because of him."
"Yeah, you get a turn after I break a few bones." Isaac growled. "And then he's all yours."
Sweetiebelle took out her Seeker rifle, reloaded it and folded her helmet up.
"Come on, this way." Isaac said following the fading line.
They all went to the door in the back. They went in and saw only crates, a few Plasma and Pulse rifle rounds in the smaller boxes. Occasionally a burst of stem frightened one of them, Isaac was unfortunately, the one the thing to latch on when the crusaders jumped.
They all jumped when Nicole started to speak after so long.
"It was a shame what happened to Stross. That's what happens when you try and fight it."
"Shut up!" Isaac yelled. "Just shut up! The Marker... it was you... you made him do it! You made me kill him, didn't you?"
"How is it you still haven't come to terms with who I am? Who am I, Isaac? I will only ask you one more time before the end. Be ready."
She stopped and the Crusaders looked at him warily.
"She doesn't have the balls to do anything. Don't worry." He rolled his shoulders.
"Well duh, she is female right?" Sweetiebelle said. She stopped and looked back at him. "Nicole is female, right?"
"Alright now that's just wrong. I do not swing that way. Wait... why are we even having this conversation!?" Isaac said. "We can continue when you’re older."
"So is-"
"When you’re older!" He threw his arms into the air.
She rolled her eyes as they opened the next door.
Only to see a blackened Slasher climb up to them.
Applebloom ran up to it, turned around and bucked. It lost its grip and went falling down to the dark depths of the chasm below.
Isaac pushed a small green button on the console next to them and in seconds a large lift was brought down.
"All aboard." Isaac called out as he stood in the middle.
The crusaders got on and watched as it started moving up, occasionally knocking some rocks loose. All of their attention was directed in a moment when a Necromorph fell onto the lift.
Isaac swung and managed to hit it across the face. It tried to slash him, but soon found its arms removed by Scootaloo.
Two Necromorph's jumped down and landed on the lift. Applebloom and Sweetiebelle shot them to bits before they could even stand.
The lift stopped, the lights turned off and Tiedmann's voice came on.
"It seems you and your apprentices have become a larger nuisance than I had originally thought. So enjoy your stay in the Titan mines, because it will also serve as your tomb as the Necromorph's tear you and company, to pieces as I watch from a security camera above you. Goodbye Clarke, and good riddance."
"That sneaky son of a bitch..." Isaac muttered as he heard numerous Necromorph's. "Oh you have got to be shitting me..."
"Hang on! I might be able to start the lift again!" scootaloo said as she hurried to the panel.
Only to see a Slasher land on it and break it.
"Maybe not..." She turned back to the others. "Anypony else have any ideas?" She shot two more Necromorph's off with her Force gun. "Anypony!?"
'Maybe we don't need the lift...' Sweetiebelle thought. 'If I can lose mass, maybe I can also make it.'
She silently slipped out of her suit and went over to the rail. She took one last look at the others and jumped.
"How's it going!?" Isaac called out.
"Were doin' just peachy!" Applebloom yelled as she set off a mine. "Just peachy!"
"How about you Sweetiebelle!?" He yelled ducking as a blade went over his head. "Sweetiebelle?" He dispatched the Slasher and looked at where she once was. "Guys! Sweetiebelle’s missing!"
Both of her friends took one glance at the empty suit and quickly made their way over.
"Did the necro's get her!?" Scootaloo yelled over the noise.
"No! Her suit would have been shredded!" Isaac yelled out.
Just as another set of Necromorph's came down, a Drag Tentacle came up, grabbed them and dragged them down to the darkness below.
Isaac and the others sat there, watching the two appendages, but only to see them retract.
In moment's all the Necromorph's that were making noise, were silent. And that silence was broken when Sweetiebelle head came through the rock in front of her friends.
"Sweetiebelle!" they all yelled.
She nodded once as the upper half of her came through.
"Sweetiebelle... you do know were limited on space, right?" Isaac asked.
She nodded and looked up.
"Unless you can get us up, it would be helpful if you changed back."
She nodded and grabbed Scootaloo with one of her own Drag Tentacles. She set her down on her back and let her make the connection.
Once done, Sweetiebelle started to speak.
"I may know how to get up. But you’re not going to like it..." She said looking at the floor.
"Personally," He said killing one of the first necromorph's to jump. "Anything is better than this."
She opened her mouth and pointed inward.
They all just stood there, wide eyed.
"Ya wan't us to go down your gullet!?" Applebloom yelled. "Ew..." She shivered.
"It's this or dying. Your choice. And I would hurry, the Necromorph’s are getting rowdy." She said flatly.
Isaac looked up and saw numerous Necromorph's begin to peer over the edge.
"Alright, open wide."
She opened her mouth again and slowly but quickly, all three of them went inside. And unfortunately, had to go down her throat.
Sweetiebelle swallowed with an audible belch afterwards. She hooked onto the other end of the platform and pulled the rest of herself out.
She could barely fit in the mine shaft, but she could fit atleast.
She retracted her Slasher blades, her Drag Tentacles and Lurker tendril collard as she began to climb. Rock and metal fell as she tore through it like wet tissue paper.
As she went the shaft got wider and permitted more room, unfortunately, the Necromorph's also saw this and started to jump on her.
She grunted in irritation as she felt them crawl around on her. When one of them started to hack at her eye, she lost her grip and fell momentarily before catching herself. She started to brush up against the rock walls, crushing and scrapping the Necromorph's off.
When she finally made it to the top, she hung onto the wall and brought out her drag Tentacles again. She gripped the metal supports and started to pull, with little effort they gave out and the tunnel below collapsed.
As the dust cloud rose, she emptied her stomach contents onto the docking area.
Isaac, Applebloom and Scootaloo all went sliding against the door when they landed.
Isaac quickly stood up and wiped the gunk off, while Applebloom cleaned off her helmet before taking in multiple deep breaths. Scootaloo just used her own magic to clean herself and finally her friends.
Sweetiebelle was sitting on the collapsed top; let herself fall to a large pile, came out, shook off and hopped over to her friends.
"You’re lucky I grabbed your suit." Isaac said handing her the RIG. "Let's never do that again. Agreed?"
"Agreed." Aplpebloom said. "Ew... now ah smell like Isaac."
"Aplpebloom, if I hear one more remark like that, you'll be spending the rest of this outbreak hanging by your tail."
She waved him off before going up to the door. She looked back to see Isaac, walk over. Sweetiebelle and Scootaloo already ready.
Nicole calmly, but forcefully, grabbed Isaac by the neck and brought him forward to her.
"Moment of truth Isaac! Who am I?" She pinned him against the wall making it crack. "Am I your friend? Your lover? The one shred; one light; one bright, shinning star you clung to in this universe? Or am I your guilt? Crushing the life out of you because you can't get over the fact that I'm dead? That you feel responsible?" She lifted him back into the air. "Who... am... I!? Why do you keep fighting me? Why can't you just let go?"
He could breath, but not if he didn't answer. He looked over to the Crusaders; Scootaloo was missing, but Applebloom and Sweetiebelle were being held back by two more Nicole’s.
He finally looked back at her and answered. "Cause your my everything." He said sincerely. "And if I let you go, I got nothing left."
She dropped him, her face was normal again, her suit spotless, and her eyes were the soft hazel as before.
"Step four: acceptance." She said.
He fell to his knees, breathing heavily.
"Now you’re ready to finish this." She said walking away.
He slowly got up before turning back to the crusaders. When he tried to walk, something tripped him. He looked back and saw one of Scootaloo's tentacles on the ground, the owner unwrapping one from around her own neck.
"Does this mean..." Applebloom took a large gulp of air. "She's on our side?"
"Yeah, I think she is." Isaac nodded. "You alright?"
"Yeah, just out of breath. Girls?"
"I'm... actually not out of breath." Sweetiebelle said. "Weird, my neck doesn't even hurt..." She rubbed the red ring showing through her fur.
"I didn't realize I was that strong." Scootaloo said. "I'm glad you spoke when you did, I thought I was about to be-head you all. That would have been embarrassing!" She laughed.
The others just stared at her as if she were crazy. But then, they realized, they were all technically crazy.
"Well, what now?" Applebloom asked. "Because ah have no idea what's going on anymore." She rubbed her head and neck. “Ow… why’d ya have to be so strong Scoot’s? Why?” She muttered silently.
"My guess is, we should hurry up and meet Ellie." Isaac said tracing the line towards the door. "Come on, she should be in there."
Isaac and the others quickly made their way over, when they opened the door, four pairs of eyes widened.
"Oh holy shit..." Chuckled Isaac. "Merry Christmas to me." He said running down the ramp.
The others quickly followed suit, all of them staring at the large drill.
"Isaac, over here!" Ellie waved him over as she messed with a power core. "It looks like the mechanic was dragged away before he could finish fixing this."
"Stross is dead, Ellie." Isaac said letting his helmet unfold. His gaze going between her and the core as he stood next to her.
"Well, I'm not sorry about that." She said calmly.
"So what happens now? I thought you needed Stross to destroy the Marker?" Ellie asked.
"Stross couldn't lead us to the Marker. He was running away from his guilt."
"What about you?" She asked casually with a hint of curiosity.
"I'm not running anymore." He looked momentarily at the crusaders. "I know what I have to do." He looked back at the drill. "Well, this drill is a sign of good luck, finally."
"Hey! What about when I saved all of you in the mine shaft?" Sweetiebelle stomped a hoof.
"As I was saying," Isaac continued. "Why don't you go up to the cab try to get it started. Me and the others will look for the other core."
Ellie pushed in the core in a shower of sparks.
"Alright, I'll see what I can do from up here." She said as she ascended the ladder.
"Hey Ellie? Mind if I help? I'd like to get some blue prints for this thing." Scootaloo said flying up to her.
"Isaac?" She looked back down at him questioningly.
"She's better with electronics than me. She hacked Earth Gov's entire fund. Were rich." Isaac shrugged.
"Well alright then, come along weird, supernatural pegasus pony-thing." Ellie said smiling nervously. "Sorry if I offended you, I'm still not used to you three."
"Me and my friends?" She cocked her head to the side.
"No, you the little white one and Isaac." She smirked. "I think Isaac's the strangest one of you all."
Scootaloo snorted in laughter alongside her friends.
"One time is all I'm asking, to not be insulted! One time!" Isaac yelled. He shook a fist at Ellie.
"Isaac, I found another one of the core stations." Sweetiebelle said tugging his leg. "Come on."
He went with Sweetiebelle to the awaiting Applebloom. She looked slightly bored and she threw rocks at the Cysts.
"It’s over there?" Isaac said looking at the station. "Everyone grab some rocks and start throwing."
He picked up a hand full of pebbles before chucking them at the Cysts, making one go off.
"Got one, Sweetie-holy fuck!" He yelled as he ducked the boulders soaring over his head. "What the hell Sweetiebelle?"
"Hey, I got rid of them. And I was eco-friendly about it too."
"That's all that matters." Applebloom nodded. "Making sure nature is safe."
"Next time, give me a warning, ok?" Isaac said putting his hands together. "Please?"
"Warning." She said as another boulder was lifted behind her.
"For fucks sake!" He yelled as it flew cleanly overhead landing on a Cyst.
"I gave you a warning." She smirked.
"Alright, I'll give you that one." He pointed a finger at her. "This time."
"Are yall done flappin’ your gums or what?" Applebloom said trotting past them, core positioned on her back. "We've got a drill to start!"
They walked back to the drill where the first core was stored. Applebloom let Isaac push it in, only it got stuck. He pushed as hard as he could, boots sliding in the gravel before slipping out from under him, making him hit his faceplate against the side.
"Ow..." He groaned. Applebloom walked onto his back and bucked it into place. "Double ow." He groaned getting up as she jumped down. He stretched and popped his back, sighing in relief.
"Hey, what'd you do?" Ellie said on the comm.
"What did!" Sweetiebelle coughed into her hoof.
"I just lost the control holograms."
"Yeah, the circuit junction shorted out. I'll have to find another one." Isaac said looking around.
"Well its standard, there should be another one around her somewhere."
"I'll look. Any luck up there?"
"Well, no, not now."
"Hang on, let me try something." Scootaloo said coming on.
A series of light flashed from atop the drill, the circuit below started to spark before it shined green from the inside. Isaac and the others stared in awe and fear.
"Scoot's, what are ya doing up there?" Applebloom asked casually jumping behind a boulder. "Not that ah'm worried or anything."
"I redirected the flow of electricity to certain parts of the circuit and other systems." She replied.
"You hotwired it, didn't you?" Isaac asked.
"...No."
"Can we get going now?" He asked impatiently.
"Yeah, just hurry up before the Pack gets you." Scootaloo said getting out. "See?" She pointed behind them all.
The two crusaders and human turned and saw multiple Pack members get shredded in the drill's blades.
"Well, time to go!" Isaac said grabbing the crusaders. He grabbed Sweetiebelle by her barrel while he held Applebloom by her tail. She was not amused as she had her fore-legs crossed.
Just as the Necromorph's got passed the blades, Isaac and the two fillies had already made it up.
Scootaloo was waiting for them up there, looking at the set of blades in front. Nodding her head as she followed a specific one.
"Alrighty, let’s see what this beast can do..." Ellie said as she sent the drill forward.
Only for it to get jammed and stop.
"What? No, no, no, no!" She panicked as more of the Pack were heard.
"Maybe we can back up?" Suggested Sweetiebelle.
"Bloody thing! Work!" Ellie yelled as she pressed multiple buttons. "Dammit..." She sighed as the controls started to smoke.
She climbed out onto the deck, looking at the broken drill.
"Sorry Isaac, its dead." She said.
"Damn." He muttered.
"Maybe we can hotwire it with magic?" Scootaloo suggested.
"It’s dead, it’s not coming back on. And we don't have the time to be building another." Isaac muttered.
"I've got the blue prints, it could take a while but I could build another."
"There’s not enough time. We'd be dead by then."
"Well we can't just stand here and wait for an idea to show up. We've got to think of something." Sweetiebelle said getting looks from her friends and Isaac. "Why are you all looking at me like that...?" She asked taking a few steps back.
Isaac shared a knowing smile with Scootaloo and Applebloom, even if Applebloom was shaking her head side-to-side rapidly.
"Hey Sweetiebelle," Isaac said crouching to show off his best smile. "How's about you give us all a ride?"
She stuck out her tongue as she pointed a hoof towards her mouth. The others smirked a she continued making gagging noises.
Ponyville.
"Well, that escalated quickly." Alex said.
"Lucky, how come they get a ride?" Discord complained. He turned to Luna. "How come you never let me ride on your back?"
"I'd end up trying to run through low lying bridges and doorways." Luna joked.
"Now that's just cruel..." Discord pouted.
"Hey, Twilight." Applejack and Rarity walked up.
"Oh, hey girls." Twilight greeted. "Apparently the drill they were going to use broke, now they're going to ride in Sweetiebelle again. Isn't this exciting!?"
"Yes... but Twilight." Rarity said. "Me and Applejack would like to talk with you in private, if you don't mind?"
"Oh... ok." She nodded.
The two mares led they're friend away from the growing crowd of ponies and into an alley, away from prying eyes and ears.
"Well, what did you want to talk about?" Twilight asked. "Well, I think I know what already, but..."
"Twa'light," Applejack said biting her lip. "Do ya think things will ever be the same? Ya know, when they get back and all?"
"I... Applejack," Twilight sighed. "That's one question that can only be answered when they get back. Not now. But, my guess is, in time it will take some adjusting. But things will go back to normal eventually."
"Ah know. But ah definitely won’t get used to Applebloom's cutie mark. It sends chills down ma'h back every time ah look at it."
"Now Applejack, I know Applebloom's is... violent. But you need to see the good in it."
"What good is there in killing?" Applejack said stiffly.
"She's good at protecting." Twilight said. "Remember when Isaac was grabbed? Or when she was helping the little girl? Or what about when Scootaloo was hurt by that Tripod? She protected her friend, she saved her life." She put a hoof on Applejack's shoulder. "Her special talent isn't killing Tripods, its making sure they won't hurt anypony else."
"Thanks Twi," Applejack nodded. "That… that helped a lot." She gave a small smile before going back to the mirror.
Titan mines.
"This is disgusting!" Ellie said as she tried to straighten herself out in Sweetiebelle's stomach. "What is that?"
She pulled up a glove and lifted Isaac up instead.
"Hey, you come here often?" He asked.
"Isaac shut up. Or I will throw you in the stomach acid." She looked around. "Where ever that is..."
"Just enjoy the ride." He said. "Isn't that right Applebloom?" He said over the comm.
"This is horrible!" she yelled.
"She means that in a good way." He said.
"No ah don't! This is worse than cleaning the pig pens!"
Outside of Sweetiebelle.
Lurkers assaulted Sweetiebelle as Slashers and Pukers attacked her armored hooves.
'Ew, ew, ew, ew!' She thought as she clawed through more of the Corruption. 'This is so gross!'
She clawed her way through it even faster than the rock it was growing on. She stepped on or burnt the Necromorph's that assaulted her as she went.
She let out a sigh of relief when she hit normal rock; she looked back and furrowed her brow at the small horde of Necromorph's behind her.
She charged her horn and sent out a storm of electricity. All of them stopped and started twitching as they fell to the ground, smoking and burnt. She smiled before digging back into the Corruption.
She broke through that and found a cavern like area. She cocked her head before throwing up Isaac and the others.
Ellie was wiping her faceplate clean from the extra suit Scootaloo, 'borrowed' from a nearby body. Applebloom was the same as before, Isaac was flinging more of the goo away and Scootaloo cleaned herself off like before.
"Why'd we stop?" Isaac asked.
She pointed to the wall ahead.
"Looks like we've reached the foundation pylons for the Government Sector." Ellie said.
"So how do we get in there?" Isaac asked.
"Straight ahead. We do have a giant hybrid unicorn with incomparable strength."
Sweetiebelle picked up Ellie, Isaac and her friends, set them on her back, put them in a protective cage of bones and charged the wall.
On the other side of the wall.
"So, did you hear that three ponies and a nutcase have managed to outsmart the big cheese?" A guard asked his colleague.
"Yeah, weren't you there when we got the picture?" The one on the left turned to his partner.
"No, I was busy trying to find the nutcase and kill him." He took his spot again. "I got a copy of the picture though."
They both jumped when the middle of the wall behind them, was pushed forward.
"Uh... maybe we should start running?" The one on the right asked.
Another hit and the wall had a small hole in it.
"You don't say!?" The one on the left yelled as the wall caved in.
They were knocked back and made it behind the desk. When the dust cleared they peeked over the edge and shot back to the wall.
Sweetiebelle, Scootaloo, Applebloom, Isaac and Ellie were staring right at them. Scootaloo in her Slender form, Applebloom with the psychotic killer look on her face, and Sweetiebele with her Drag Tentacles, Lurker collar, Stalker claws, Puker acid dripping from her mouth, her horn over her head on a stalk, Cyst's on the sides of her fore-legs, and her spinal tail curled around to the side.
And Isaac trying to atleast look as half as intimidating as any of them.
"Top of the morning boys." Ellie said walking up. "Me and my friends would like to go have a talk with Tiedmann, any objections?"
"They seemed so much more cuddlier in the picture..." The one on the right said.
"We surrender!" The one on the left said. "If it would be alright, can we join you guys? Because this place is seourisly going to shit."
"Uh, you’ll have to talk with Isaac." Ellie waved him over.
He came over, Plasma cutter pointed at them.
"Yeah Ellie?"
"They want to join our little group."
"Really?" He turned back to them. "Do you really want to become fugitives and help destroy and alien artifact's replica, while fighting alongside three ponies from another dimension; one a supernatural entity, another is a hybrid, and the other is practically unstoppable when she's ticked off and you want to help us?"
"Yeah... what about you?" Asked the one on the right.
"Uh, sure..." Shrugged the one on the left.
They both slowly got up, hands raised over their heads.
"If you'd like, we could show you where the gun ships are?" The one on the left said. "Just in case, you know?"
"Ellie, go with them. You three too." Isaac nodded to the others.
"Uh... ok." Applebloom said. "Come on Sweetiebelle, Scootaloo. We've got to go and guard some... guards."
Sweetiebelle nodded before her hair fell out and she repeated the process of sliding chunks off. She climbed out, shook off and had Applebloom giver her, her suit back.
The two guards stood there, amazed.
"That was awesome!" They both yelled in unison.
"Thanks, it was nothing really." Sweetiebelle blushed in embarrassment.
"Alright you six, go on. I've got work to do." Isaac said.
"Actually..." The guard on the left wavered off. "You might need those three."
"Why...?" Isaac asked, groaning in despair.
"All the other guards are right behind that door." The one on the left said.
"You'll need some serious fire-power. And if the stories are true about you four, then nothing should be able to stop you if you all go in." The one on the right said.
"Fine, you three are coming with me." Isaac turned back to the crusaders.
"Isaac! Watch out!" Scootaloo yelled pushing him out of the way.
The guard on the left aimed and fired his Pulse rifle, only it wasn't anywhere near Isaac, it was the Slasher that crawled through the hole.
"Ma’am, I think now would be a good time to leave." The guards said passing her another rifle. "And for you three to get those doors open."
"Right, Scootaloo," Isaac turned to her, a serious look on his face. "Hack the terminal over there. Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, your with me. Now move people! And ponies... move!"
Scootaloo hurried over to the console as the guards gave a quick salute and ran off with Ellie. Isaac, Sweetiebelle and Applebloom took their spots in front of Scootaloo.
The first wave of Necromorph's came in. They were slow to see, but fast to die.
The Slashers that came in were wasted in seconds after Isaac and Applebloom fired off grenades and set off mines directly at the mouth of the tunnel.
The second wave consisted of Slashers, a Divider and Exploders.
"Ah've got this." Applebloom cracked her neck before she ran forward.
She rammed into the first Slasher, knocking it to the floor. She blew off its head with a well-placed plasma bolt. Another two Slasher's came at her from behind, she jumped as they both swung, causing them to cut off each other’s arms.
She saw an Exploder come at her from the side; she turned and shot off its legs before grabbing the sac, tearing it off and throwing it into the others. In a sequence, they all wen' off in a chain reaction.
The Divider was running at her. It swung down as she lifted her Plasma cutter up and parried the blow. She was stuck, holding its arm back as it tried to slice into her.
"Step the fuck off!" Isaac yelled ramming into it.
It looked at him as it stumbled and was about to swing down but was crushed by a chunk of concrete. He looked at it for a second before seeing the word, ‘Warning.’ Written on it. He turned to Sweetiebelle.
"Come on, scoot's got it. Now hurry up! I think I see a Brute!" Sweetiebelle said as he glared.
"You three go and find Ellie, I'll meet you there! Now go!"
The two fillies and human ran like bats out of hell, Isaac back tracked and went upstairs as the three fillies went through where Ellie and the two guards went.
Isaac looked back and saw he wasn't being followed; he sighed and proceeded through the orange door ahead.
"Main power- On." Ellie said over the comm. "...Auxilary systems... booting up."
He walked in front of the launch panel, facing away from the ones inside the gunship. A hurt grimace on his face.
She noticed him and stopped. "Isaac... what are you doing?" She asked.
"Isaac, why are ya in there? Ya said you'll meet us here." Applebloom said, resting her front hooves on the window.
He turned to the console and activated the ship.
"Whoa, hey Isaac what are you doing?" Ellie asked.
He ignored her.
Her screen came on. The other watching intently from behind, the crusaders looking slightly shocked, saddened and hurt.
"Isaac!" She yelled. "What are you doing? Open this door right now!" The ship started to release steam as it prepped for flight. "No. No! No, don't you dare launch this ship!" The ship was released from its locks. "Isaac..."
"It's your best chance Ellie." He said. "For all of you. You got life support, comms... hey, you're gonna be rescued."
"...you bastard..." She said sadly.
"I need you to be rescued. I couldn't save Nicole, but I can save you. So, uh... bye."
Inside the gunship.
"Isaac..." Applebloom cried into her hooves. "We've got to do something..."
"But what…?" Sweetiebelle said, folding her ears back.
"Hey, can't unicorns use magic?" One of the guards asked.
"Yeah, why?" Sweetiebelle said.
"Can't you just... I don't know, teleport in?"
"Yeah... yeah! He's right!" Scootaloo said excitedly. "Crusaders, hang on!" She grabbed her friends before switching her wings out for a horn.
In a moment, the three vanished in a flash of light.
"Awesome." The two guard’s fist bumped.
Behind the glass window.
Isaac was slouched against a wall. Barely noticing the flash of light from behind a crate. He only noticed Nicole as she lay next to him.
"Are you ready to talk now?" She asked.
He shook his head, a scowl still on his face.
"Why? So I can let you go too? I can't do that Nicole. I never wanted to let you go."
"A lot happened that we never wanted." She said sympathetically. "Isaac... touch me." She said extending a hand.
"I... don't think that's a good idea."
"Isaac, please, make us whole." She begged quietly as he got up.
He walked in front of her, looking at her from the corner of his eye.
The crusaders watched on, silently from behind a crate.
"I can't." He said looking at her before facing forward again. Staring off further down the hall.
He looked back and saw she was gone. He sighed before hitting the wall and letting out a hurt wail.
"Dammit... just.... dammit..." He shook his head.
"Isaac...?" Applebloom said.
He whirled around, nearly losing his balance. An enraged look on his face.
"Applebloom!? Scootaloo!? Sweetiebelle!?" He yelled, face red. "I thought you were on the ship!? What are you doing here!?"
"We couldn't let you go alone..." Applebloom sniffed, tracing a circle with her hoof. "Ya never left us behind, so we aren't gonna start either."
"But why?" He said clenching his fists.
"Because, were a team, Isaac." She walked up to him, a small smile on her muzzle. "And teams don't abandon each other. Especially when they need it."
"So, you gave up freedom to help me complete a suicide mission?" He sighed.
"No, Isaac, we came back to help you." Applebloom said hugging his leg. "And were not leaving without a fight."
"Then," Isaac breathed in sharply before exhaling. "Who's ready to finish this?"
"Ah'm with ya." Applebloom nodded, getting off his leg. Her helmet folded up as she took her place between her friends.
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Sweetiebelle smirked as her helmet folded up.
"I'm game." Scootaloo said as her helmet folded up.
"Then," Isaac brought out his Plasma cutter. "You three can do your cheer. With me."
"Really!? You want to do the cheer with us!?" They all asked in unison.
"Yeah, but if you don't want me too..."
"Just follow our lead." Sweetiebelle smirked under her helmet.
They all took a deep breath, turned up the volume on their helmets, and yelled at the top of they're lungs.
"Cutie mark Engineer's, slash ,Necromorph killer's! Yay!"
As they finished, Tiedmann came onto Isaac's screen.
"I don't know what Providence protects you, Clarke, but it ends here. I have two hundred armed security personnel... every entrance is covered! Even if you do get-"
"We'll, let me stop you right there." Isaac said. "You have an army, we have a hulk, a god, a pony that can easily wipe out an army of anything, and me, the survivor. So Tiedmann, you'd better be ready, because we’re going to be bringing out the big guns for this. Goodbye, Tiedmann." He ended the connection.
He turned back to the crusaders, all of them looking at him expectantly.
"What are you waiting for, an invitation?" He said going to the elevator.
They all went into the elevator, a cold energizing feeling in the air as it went down.
When the doors opened, they all walked out, weapons pointed to the front and side. When they were about to pass the first corner, an Exploder walked by them, Isaac snuck up on it and blew its head off.
“Come on, the doors should still be unlocked." Isaac whispered as they ran to the doors.
Luck was on their side, as the doors had remained unlocked. They entered and immediately it locked behind them, the sound of scratching coming through faintly.
"That was close, too close." Isaac said as they looked around.
"My guess is that we go that way." Sweetiebelle said pointing at the ramps.
"Come on, Tiedmann's probably got a trap set up. So be on your guard." Isaac said as they went down.
When they reached the bottom, the lights ahead were turned off. In a second, multiple lights had been turned on, and a man’s voice was heard over a mega-phone.
"Isaac Clarke!" He yelled. "Stand down and drop your weapon!" He yelled out.
"Scootalo, Sweetiebelle, why don't you to go have some fun? Me and Applelboom will call you when we need you."
"Here, take this." Sweetiebelle, teleported herself out of her suit and handed it to Isaac. "Be careful, and remember, scream if you need me."
"Will do." He nodded.
"Drop your weapons!" The guard called out again.
"Fuck the police!" Isaac yelled out as him and Applebloom ran into the bathroom.
The guards fired off shots at the side but only hit the wall. When they realized they couldn't hit them, they turned back to Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle.
Scootaloo, had already turned, her horn glowing in black energy. Sweetiebelle, had turned but was smaller, yet she still had all the parts that she had collected.
"Stand down!" The guard said, nervousness in his voice.
"Get them?" Scootaloo turned to Sweetiebelle.
She gave a roar, shaking the walls and knocking a few guards off they're feet.
Scootaloo charged, a shield of electricity in front of her as bullets went flying. Sweetiebelle, just ran forward and swiped at them. Tearing most of them to shreds until only six were left.
"Scootaloo, get Sweetiebelle. We need you up here." Isaac said over the comm.
"Sweetiebelle, time to go!" Scootaloo called out.
The unicorn turned and nodded before sliding into slices. Sweeetiebelle blew a rasberry before running into the bathroom.
"Where do we go?" Scootaloo asked.
"Through the vent. Now hurry, more guards are coming out."
Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle quickly went into the vent. When they made it to the other vent, opened it and crawled out, they saw Isaac and Applebloom.
"Hey, we have a slight problem." Isaac said.
"Besides the guards outside?" Scootaloo asked.
"Yeah, he's up here."
Isaac and Applebloom went up the stairs to leave the two other crusaders to imagine what could be worse. They went up and the first thing they heard was a man's voice.
"I know who you are! You’re not getting in! They'll find you and kill you all!" He yelled frantically.
"Listen, were just trying to destroy the Marker. So, we can also destroy the Necromorph's here. Doesn't that sound good?" Isaac said calmly.
"Screw you and the little ponies!"
"What if we make a deal?" Sweetiebelle asked, winking at the others. "You let us in, and we give you something in return?"
"W-What did you have in mind?"
"That's up to you. Do you want something expensive and mysterious in appearance? Or something boring and ordinary?"
"I... I have heard of rumors about a small gold statue here in the station. If you get that, then I'll-"
"We've already got it."
"...What?"
"It wouldn't happen to be a small statue of a woman? With the words, Peng Treasure on the base of it?"
"Yes! That's exactly it!"
"Alright, here. I'll slide it under the door. After that, you let us in. Deal?"
"Deal!"
"Pinkie promise you won't betray us."
"What? What's a Pinkie promise?"
"Just do what I do."
"I can't see you..."
"Cross my heart,"
"Um, so it’s a motion thing? Ok, I can do that. Cross my heart,"
"Hope to fly," She said.
"Hope to fly," He parroted.
"Stick a cupcake in my eye."
"Stick a cupcake in my eye. Alright, I'll open the door a little so you can slide it under."
The door rose slightly, Sweetiebelle slide the statue under, and almost immediately, it was grabbed and the door closed.
"Suckers! Did you really think I'd just let you in?"
"Hey! You Pinkie promised!" Her eyes turned crimson. "And nopony breaks a Pinkie promise..." She growled.
Two blades came out of her hooves. She started to slash at the door, making large gashes as it was torn to shreds. She finished with the bottom and went in.
The man was a shivering wreck, his hair was messy, he was sweaty and he was clinging to the Peng.
Sweetiebelle retracted her blades before swiping the statue away from him.
"It's not nice to steal." She said.
Isaac pulled off the cover for the power core. He then pulled out the core itself and all the lights went out.
"Shit! We've lost power!" One of the guards downstairs said. "Somebody get that auxiliary power turned on."
The sound of approaching Necromorph's was heard.
"What the hell was that!?"
"Fuck! That was the bulkhead door! The power outage must have knocked out the kinetic restraints. We think they may have gained access to our compound."
The crusaders jumped up onto the table by the window. Applebloom getting to ride on Isaac's shoulders.
"Oh, god, do you hear them? They're coming in! They're coming in!"
The crusaders and two humans watched as an army of Necromorph's came into view from the darkness. The guards fired but one of them ran straight into the horde, shooting anything in his way.
"Leeeeeeeerrrrrrrroooooooyyyyyy! Jeeeeennnnkkkkiiiinnnnsssss!" He yelled out as he started running on top of the necrmoroph's and disappeared into the darkness.
The other guards had already been killed, but the four engineers were left dumbstruck at what they just saw.
Tiedmann came onto the screen again.
"Y-You compromised the compound, you.... you idiot! If any of them reach the Marker..." he looked towards the left of him. "Fall back! Fall back to the Marker chamber! We have to seal it off!" The screen turned off.
Isaac and the others hadn't even noticed, they were still staring at the hordes of Necromorph's coming in. Some of them were missing limbs from fresh cuts.
"Did... did he just run out there, screaming his name?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"That's Leeroy for you. If anything, he should make it as long as he keeps running and keeps shouting his name." The man said.
"Right, we're just going to leave now." Isaac said, setting down Applebloom. "Come on you three."
They quietly went down the stairs. Still thinking about that crazy man.
"Were supposed to fight that?" Scootaloo asked looking out the window.
There was a blackened Slasher with Swarm on it, a Puker walking around while another crawled and more of the Swarm crawling around on the floor.
"We can take them out if we attack at the same time." Isaac said taking out his Line gun.
"This is going to be gross..." Sweetiebelle said looking at the blood. "All that blood won't come off easily."
"Hey, you have no say in what’s gross. We've had to ride in your stomach. Twice!" Scootaloo said. "When you ride in something’s stomach, then we can talk."
"Are yall ready? Because ah'm ready to go home." Applebloom said taking out her Pulse rifle. "What do yall say to not give’n those things even a chance to blink?"
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Isaac said opening the door. "Give them hell!"
The crusaders and Isaac fired at anything that wasn't them. Limbs went flying, exploded or were cut off as the bodies hit the floor. Blood polled even more, flesh stuck to the walls and ceiling.
In seconds the fight was over before it even began.
"Let's go. We don't have much time before more show up." Isaac said.
They went through the destroyed metal detector, opened the door and stopped.
The control room was a total mess. Bodies we're lying every, glass was broken and blood was splattered on the walls and floor.
"Ah think ah'm gonna be sick." Applebloom made a gulp. "Never mind, it went back down."
"That's almost as gross as this room. Almost." Scootaloo said. "Jeez, these guys got seriously messed up."
"Yeah, I almost feel bad for them." Isaac said getting stares from the crusaders. "I said almost."
"Come on, I think there's an unlocked door over here." Sweetiebelle said going to the left.
Before Isaac got passed the rails, Nicole appeared, leaning on them with a placid look on her face.
"Isaac, where are you going?" She asked.
He thought about it for a second before replying.
"I don't know." He said.
Three hooves met three muzzles.
Ponyville.
The crowd, as if practiced, made the world’s largest face-hoof.
"You really know your way with words, don't you Isaac." Alex shook his head. "Ow... note to self, never use full strength when face-hoofing." He rubbed the red mark between his eyes.
Titan station. Earth Gov compound.
"Why do I feel highly insulted for some reason...?" Isaac asked to himself.
"That's why I'm here Isaac... to show you the way..." She said before disappearing.
"That's... actually helpful. Thanks." Applebloom said. "So, which way now?"
"There's only one way. Unless you feel like going back to fight the Necromorph's." Sweetiebelle said sarcastically.
Applebloom put a hoof to her chin, eyes staring off into space.
"No." Isaac said. "There is nothing to think about, you’re coming with us."
Applebloom's ears twitched slightly before she shrugged.
Isaac and the others proceeded through the door in front.
The room was small, two bodies lying on the floor in front of a facial recognition scanner.
"What is that?" Applelboom asked walking up to the blue field. "Hey, the door's unlocked." When she went to open it, the field scanned her and locked the door. "Not this again..." She groaned.
"Well, it’s obviously not this guy.” Isaac kicked the chewed corpse. "So..." He picked up the nearly intact one and let it scan it. "It's him."
The door unlocked, Isaac dropped the corpse and opened the door for them.
"I could have just torn it off, y'know." Scootaloo said trotting past.
"Don't start with me. I'm still not happy about you all bailing ship." Isaac said.
They went down the small curve and came upon two tubes, a Marker frame inside each, twirling in a strange yellow liquid.
"Are these Markers?" Scootaloo asked peering in. "They don't seem that sturdy."
"No, those are just frames for the real things." Isaac said. "Come on, we need to go left. And Applebloom, I wouldn't do that. It's radioactive."
Applebloom got down from aiming her Plasma cutter at the tube and smiled innocently.
"Doing what? Ah was just admiring the yellow." She lied through her teeth, literally and figuratively.
Isaac saw her eyes switch back and forth, her lips sucked in her mouth and the shakiness along with it. "You’re a horrible liar, you know that?"
"Yeah, ah get it from my sister too. She is the Element of honesty. Ah guess she might have rubbed off."
"Well good, lying's bad." Isaac said.
"Didn't you lie to us though?" Sweetiebelle said.
"No, I said I'll meet you there-"
"Which you didn't." Scootaloo said "We were on the gunship, you tried to get rid of us and managed to make us feel betrayed and probably the love of your life, hate you now. So, yes, you did lie to us."
"Damn you ponies. Damn you and your logic..." He sighed.
They went to the left, and opened the door.
The entire room was bathed in blue light; chairs were knocked over, bloodstained the floor, plants were in every case, bodies lay on the floor, and the Necromorph's walking around.
"Let's get this over with..." They all rolled their eyes as the blackened Slasher charged.
The Slasher tried to get up but was put down when Isaac slammed his boot into its skull.
"Well, that was nerve-wracking." He said wiping his boot clean on the corpse.
"Yeah, but it was funny when you were screaming." Scootaloo snickered.
"I do not scream. I am a man, men do not scream." He said defensively. "Even if yelling is sometimes high pitched, it is still a yell."
The crusaders snickered as they went through the door at the end of the room.
They went down the ramp, but stopped when they heard a roar of something very familiar to Scootaloo.
"Oh, this is going to be great!" She hissed. "I get to fight my second Divider!"
She opened the door and jumped into the room, tentacles out.
Her smile fell when all she saw was a body drop from a vent.
"Better luck next time." Sweetiebelle patted her on the back.
"Hey, were not trying to find Necromorph's here. We’re trying to avoid them." Isaac said. "Now come on, this way."
As he went to the door, the Divider came out from the vent where the body fell. It saw Isaac and ran at him.
He swung out as it jumped and sent it rolling away. He quickly started to fire with his Pulse rifle, shooting it until it split. He froze it in stasis and fired off a grenade. He looked back to see Scootaloo frowning.
"Not... a damn word." He wheezed. "Oh, that made my heart go racing."
When he had calmed down enough, he opened the door and let the crusaders through first.
"Eww..." Sweetiebelle said. "More of this stuff."
Isaac looked over and saw a patch of Corruption, already growing.
"Great, this stuff will slow us down." He said. "But the Necromorph's can walk on this stuff just fine."
He opened the next door and saw the entire floor was covered in Corruption. He looked down the room, as he came in and saw it was growing all the way. And there were Stalkers around.
"Hey, Scootaloo." Isaac said, eyeing one particular Stalker as it watched him.
"yeah?" She said, staring at it too.
"For old time’s sake?" He said putting his arms straight down.
"You know it." She grabbed him and ran forward. "Hey Applebloom, get that power core up there. Sweetiebelle, protect her while she makes her way over to the broken core."
Scootaloo ran forward, Isaac raised over her like a mace.
Applebloom and Sweetiebelle ran forward, Applebloom pulling the core down as she went.
They arrived at the broken core, pulled it out and was about to put the new one in when a Stalker came running out from behind a crate. Sweetiebelle and Applelboom were to slow to react; it was already a half of the way there when they had seen it.
Before it hit them, Isaac stuck out an arm and let it run head first into it. It did a back-flip in the air before landing, where he fired off a few shot from his Plasma cutter.
"Are you two done yet?" He asked, jokingly. "I'm running out of cartoon moves."
"Oh, you'll be running in a second." Applebloom grumbled, pushing in the core with slight difficulty.
The new core lit up a few lights and unlocked the door to their right. Scootaloo opened it and looked in, and frowned.
"Cysts." She said.
Applebloom already ran in and fired at the one in front of them, only to see the one next to it was alive. She grabbed a box and carefully moved it over it before letting go.
"Clear!" She called out.
The others slowly came out from the doorway.
Isaac stuck out his palm and the small objective marker went down the ramp. He waved the others over and they all went down. Sweetiebelle and Applebloom guarding the back, Isaac and Scootaloo guarding the front.
"Were getting closer, Isaac." Nicole said. "The Marker knows your here."
"I still don't know what to do." He replied.
He didn't hear the crusaders face-hoof again.
"When the time comes, you will." She said before she was silent.
He looked back to the door and the crusaders; he nodded forward and opened it.
They all stopped, dead in their tracks and saw a Marker, one-fourth of the way done, having itself smoothed by lasers.
"Crap, looks like I'll have to dodge these lasers to make my way around the other side. This'll be fun." He said.
"It doesn't look to good for ya, Isaac." Applebloom said. "But we can just walk under them." She smiled cheekily.
"You three suck... you know that?" He said as they trotted out.
As he went out, he heard the distinct gurgle of a Crawler. He slowly turned to the Slasher body on the floor and saw a Crawler already making its way towards him. He looked back and saw the lasers coming at him.
"Fuck my life!" He yelled as he jumped over the baby.
It exploded and made him stumble, he kept running and made it to the next room. He bent down on his knees before seeing two Slasher’s come from the vents.
"Isaac! Run!" Scootaloo called out. "The babies are almost at the doorway!"
He looked back out and saw more Crawlers making their way towards him. He looked back at the Slasher’s and ran when the next set of lasers passed.
Another Crawler fell from the ceiling and dropped onto Isaac. He felt it, but before he could take it off, it exploded, sending him to the floor.
"Dammit!" He cursed. "Oh shit..." He said as he saw the other Crawlers and a Puker crawling towards him. "Fuck you universe!"
He lifted his Plasma cutter and killed off the Puker, the Crawlers stopped and looked towards the crusaders. They began to crawl towards them instead.
He looked around and saw the lasers move overhead again.
'I'd get cut to pieces if I tried to get up and run.' He followed the speed of the lasers. 'And if another necromorph comes by, then I'm dead unless the crusaders can help me.' He looked over and saw the crusaders finish off the Crawlers, a piece of the floor from inside the chamber went flying, went through a laser and landed in front of him.
"It doesn't melt the floor panels..." He said looking at the shard. "Hey! Scootaloo! Throw me a roll of the floor panel!"
"In the room!?" She yelled back. "Why?"
"No! From inside the chamber! The lasers can't cut through it!"
Scootaloo swapped her wings for her horn and immediately tried to pry a roll of the paneling out. She aimed it towards Isaac and teleported it over, right side up.
"You can stand up! It's safe!" She yelled. "As safe as you can get in the middle of lasers that can burn you in half..." She mumbled the last part under her breath.
He slowly stood up, flinching every time a set of lasers passed by. Comfortable inside his little tube, he stuck out his elbows and used them and his upper arm to lift it up. With a grunt, he began taking his first steps forward.
"This is really heavy." He grunted.
"Come on Isaac!" They cheered. "You can do it!"
"Thanks..." He replied, barely audible as he made it half way towards them. "For the encouragement. Really..."
Their smiles quickly turned to frowns when they saw a one armed Puker start to crawl towards him.
"Isaac! Behind you!" They yelled. "Puker!"
'My arge nemesis.' Isaac thought. "Try and keep it away!"
"You’re in the way!" Sweetiebelle called out. "We'd hit you!"
"Then I'll just have to get my shit in gear." With a large grunt, he hoisted the roll onto his back and began to run. "Oh god, this is heavy!" He said.
The Puker sped up, acid trailing behind it, burning its own flesh as it crawled. It gave a gurgle as it raised its head.
Isaac was almost at the doorway.
Its head shot forward.
He was at arm’s reach of the doorway.
It shot out a glob of acid.
"Suck on this!" Isaac yelled going in as the acid reached him. He kicked the roll out and watched as it hit the Puker in the head. "That looked better in my head..."
"Um... Isaac." Applebloom said, keeping a hoof over her mouth. "It got ya."
"What? Where?" He looked at his arms, chest, helmet, legs and boots.
"On your flank." She giggled, eyes watering.
"Wait..." He looked back and saw his glute armor was sizzling. "Dammit! My biscuits are burning!"
He started to pat the acid off as the crusaders laughed, rolling on the floor. Tears flowing freely as their faces turned red from laughter, the color showing through their coats.
After Isaac had put out his burnt biscuits, the crusaders calmed down, Isaac cursing silently and out loud. They proceed up to the top.
The lights were still red, only casting long shadows across the walls. The top of the Marker, spinning below.
"How do we get across?" Applebloom asked. "Ah can't exactly fly over."
"We have to pull down the walkways." Isaac said walking up to one of them. "Just use kinesis." He demonstrated it by pulling down. "Why don't you get the next one?" He bowed and moved his hands to the side.
Applebloom rolled her eyes playfully before pulling down the second walkway.
Before they entered the door ahead, two Slasher's, one a blackened one and a normal one, came out from opposite vents.
Sweetiebelle took out the normal one, she turned to the blackened one and saw Scootaloo sucking out a red mist of it from its head.
Its arms went limp before the yellow turned a deep red. She dropped it and it fell to the floor.
It raised itself slowly back up, its eyes glowing with an unearthly red energy. Scootaloo blew out a small wisp, smiling blissfully.
"Now that," Her eyes flashed yellow and green. "Was good."
The others shrugged at her before Isaac opened the door. The Slasher went in first, checking the hall.
Scootaloo went past them, waving them in. They went down the ramp. The only sign of blood was from the Slasher's foot prints, sliding down in small trickles.
When Isaac opened the door ahead, he stopped and gripped his head.
"Isaac!" Applebloom said. "What's wrong!? Is it Nicole!?"
"The... memories! Ah! Make them stop!" He cried, falling to his knees.
Scootaloo came up behind him and smashed his Plasma cutter against the back of his head. He fell to the floor with a thud, curled up, unconscious.
Her friends stared at her in shock.
"What?" She said. "He’s not hurting anymore, is he?"
"Oh... oh god..." Isaac groaned. He sat up, rubbed his head and opened his eyes. "My head... god dammit..." He groaned clutching it as everything came into focus.
He was in a room with a circular set of strapped chairs, screens above showing Marker symbols and cranial scans.
"Applebloom... Sweetiebelle?" He called out, staggering slightly as he got up. "Scootaloo...?"
"Isaac, take it easy." Applebloom said putting a hoof on his leg. "Scoot's hit ya really hard."
"Wait..." He slowly blinked, his thought's straightening out. "Scootaloo... hit me?"
"Uh... yes." She said nervously.
"Bring her over here." He said sitting back down. "I just want to tell her something. I'm just going to talk."
Scootaloo came out from behind Isaac, looking at him nervously.
"Scootaloo, come here, closer." He waved her closer.
She moved closer, slightly by a few steps.
"More."
She moved onto his lap.
"Now listen, what I'm about to ask you is very important." He leaned down to her ear as she calmed down. "What the fuck is wrong with you!?"
"Ah! Don't do that!" She said rubbing her ear with a hoof while pointing at him with the other.
"Well don't hit me again!" He yelled back.
"Both of you stop it!" Sweetiebelle and Applebloom yelled. "You’re acting like rotten children!"
"Fine..." Isaac grunted. “Just, give me a warning next time. And not in the form of a boulder."
"Deal, but I had to do it. You just started to scream bloody murder." She said back. "Something about memories."
"Memories? About... oh, that." He saw the machinery again.
There was a row of strapped chairs, paneling broken or laying on the ground, blood and corpses, the corpses swept into a pile. Multiple monitors above, showing brain scans and Marker symbols.
"Damn... I know this place." He said tracing a hand on a chair's arm rest. "This is where It, happened."
"It? What's It?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"Where they pretty much harvested mine and the other patients knowledge of the Marker. How to translate the symbols and figure out how it works. I can still remember her screaming..." He clenched a fist at the memory. "I heard from a buddy of mine, he's dead now, that she made it out on a gunship."
"Do you know who she was?" Applebloom asked.
"No, but I knew she had a daughter. And a loving husband."
"W-Who was the daughter?" Applebloom asked.
"Sally." He said.
"Sally?" Applebloom asked. "Tanned skin, orange hair, and wear’s overalls?"
"Yeah, how'd you know that?" He turned to her.
"That's the girl ah saved earlier." She smiled slightly. "And her parent's."
"So, they're both still alive?" He asked, joy starting to fill his voice.
"Last ah saw of them, yes. They made it out a'right."
"Good for them, good for them." He said. "Atleast she still has her parents..."
"Isaac..." Sweetiebelle put a hoof on his leg. "Please, it will just hurt even more if you keep thinking like that."
"Y-Your right..." He sighed. "Come on, let's go before I start remembering good things about Stross." He chuckled lightly. "Good thing there wasn't anything good I can remember about him."
He opened the door and went into a red tinted room.
There were two energy transfer tubes inside, railing all around the edges of the walkway, a door to the right, a Crawler unmoving ahead.
"Is it dead?" Applebloom asked.
"I don't know. Isaac, go poke it." Scootaloo said.
"Hell no! You do it! You can teleport!" He pushed her forwards slightly.
"All of you go!" Sweetiebelle pushed them forward.
"Hey careful!" Isaac said as he stepped forward.
He stepped on a puddle of blood, slipped and went forward. He went over the railing before any of the crusaders could do anything.
They all looked there in shock before Applebloom spoke up.
"I-Isaac...? Are ya okay?" She called out.
"Owww... Someone peel me off the floor." Came a groan from below.
"Come on!" Scootaloo said. "We need to get down there! He could be hurt!"
"How ironic... of you to say." Isaac said from below.
Scootaloo grabbed her friends before diving over the rail.
Isaac was just getting up when he was suddenly being held in the air.
"He looks alright." Scootaloo said. "But just to make sure. Sweetiebelle, if you would?"
She nodded before her horn started to glow a light blue before turning to green.
He felt a rush of energy, all of his bruises and aches were done and he could even think a little clearer.
"Wow, that was a rush." He said as Scootaloo set him down. "What's that noise?" He looked around before looking back up at the level above him. "Shit."
A Brute came down, bending the railing and denting the floor. It was coated in a black armor, its own eyes and small grooves glowing a pale yellow. But its eyes still burned with the same hellfire as any other.
"It could come in hoofy." Scootaloo said. "And I'm hungry again.... so, I'm just going to take this one."
She ran forward and tried to wrap her tentacles around it. It grabbed them and sent them to the floor before leaning down to bite. Her eyes widened before her horn charged.
It was thrown back into the wall where she held it. She grabbed railing off from above and twisted it around the Brute. It struggled in its bond but stopped when she wrapped her tentacles around it.
She leaned forward and began to start sucking its soul out. It leaned forward and tried to snap at her, but only managed to speed up the process. Its final essence was sucked out in seconds, immediately after, Scootaloo took off the railing and let it stand.
"I've almost got the terminal over here..." Isaac said. "And done!"
The door's holo-lock flashed blue, indicating it was indeed unlocked.
"I've still got it!" He said going in.
They all proceed down the ramp, Fluffy the fourteenth following in the back.
The area ahead was floor-less, only a walkway supported by suspensions held it up.
They walked forward and stopped. They all just stood there, looking across to the other, watching the Necromorph's go across to the other side.
"How many do you think there are?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"Too many to fight if they see us. Let's go before we're spotted." Isaac said quickly running to the door ahead. The crusaders quickly followed, and went through.
They went through the hall and stopped in the middle of a small room.
There was a circular control grid, a store and an elevator.
"Do we need anything?" Isaac asked. "I'm good on ammo and health."
"Ah’m good." Applebloom said.
"Me too." Sweeiebelle said.
"I've rarely used any, so, I'm good too." Scootaloo said.
"Good, we've got a meeting with Tiedmann. And he's going to be where the Marker is." He walked up the steps to the elevator. "And I bet the Marker, is up top."
He opened the elevator, Plasma cutter at the ready, and the crusaders too. Scootaloo made Fluffy the fourteenth stay behind.
"I'm sorry..." She said. "You can't fit. Goodbye." She sniffed patting it on the head.
It gave a grunt before falling to the floor, dead.
The doors closed and they started to ascend.
The ride was long, occasionally bumpy but was still quiet.
The doors opened and they all went out, weapons at the ready. Instead all of their helmet's unfolded, all of their faces in a state of awe and shock.
On the other side of a window ahead, was a colossus's of a Marker. It stood nearly three hundred stories high and was atleast a foot-ball field wide.
"Oh my god. I built that?" Isaac asked to no one.
"What-What are they doing?" Sweetiebelle asked staring down at the Necromorph's gathered at the base of the Marker.
"They're all coming to the Marker." Nicole said. "Convergence is at hand..."
Tiedmann's screen came on. He looked furious, nervous and scared.
"Clarke! I knew you were trouble from the start! But they told me you were necessary. That your mind was the purist. I spent years sifting through your demented brain! This is not the way it was supposed to happen!"
"Well, how was it supposed to happen, Tiedmann?" Isaac asked harshly.
"We had it under control! Clarke, this is not our fault! We were so close to understanding it!"
As he finished, the Marker flashed a yellowish-orange, lights appeared on it. "What? It’s all those bodies. All those bodies you let in here! You all let in here! It's triggering a convergence event! But, we never... expected... this many bodies..."
It gave an almost white and blinding light, cracking the glass and sending out a blaring drone; a powerful wind was sweeping up the Necromorph's. A thick cloud below swirling beneath was coming up.
"Why? What is it doing?" Isaac asked, uncovering his eyes.
"What it was made to do." Nicole said putting her had on his hand. "Isaac, you have to make us whole." She said desperately.
She disappeared, leaving them all to stare at the Marker in awe and fear of the convergence event.
"Isaac?" Sweetiebelle said.
"Yeah...?" He said, still staring at the Marker.
"You really need a mare friend. You have too much time on your hooves." She said.
“Come on," Isaac said. "We need to stop this now. Before it gets even more out of hand."
The other crusaders nodded robotically before following him through the door to the right.
The room had a sparking panel, a locked door, multiple wires on the floor, medical equipment on the counter and a locked broom closet.
"What is this?" Applebloom asked looking at the large machine.
"It's what we need to unlock all the little secrets in our heads." Isaac said. "Are any of you afraid of needles?"
"I-I am... why?" Scootaloo said, eyeing the machine fearfully.
"Because we need to have the needle go through our eye and into our brain, where, it can kick-start the neural centers in certain areas and unlock the information on the Marker. In other words, were getting pricked in our pupil."
The other's looked at him in horror; Scootaloo fainted and fell onto her back. Applebloom ran to a trashcan and threw up. Sweetiebelle just sat in place, left eye occasionally twitching as she kept a calm, emotionless expression.
"Um... Sweetie-" Isaac started but was cut off when she raised a hoof.
She looked at him before letting out a nearly deafening scream. It may have lasted for only a few seconds but it was still painful.
"Ok, I deserved that. But you can't blame me for not trying to sugar coat it."
He got a reply when Applebloom threw a microscope at his head.
Ponyville.
"O-Oh dear..." Celestia said, rain pouring overhead. "That's what that machine does?"
Alexander's mouth was hanging open, multiple scenarios of how the needle would go into their eye and kill them. Discord quickly put it back up.
It fell down again and Discord duct-taped it shut.
"Ma'h lil' sister's gonna have to have a needle go into her head!? Through her eye!?" Applejack yelled, furious and scared. "If he hurts her I'll buck him right between the legs after ah'm done with his face!"
"I'll have to stich him to a special quilt." Rarity said.
"I'll drop him from the skies!" Rainbow Dash said snorting.
"I-I think I'm going to be sick... if that's alright with you all of course?" Fluttershy asked, politely with the smallest hint of green showing through her coat.
Titan Station. Earth Gov. Marker chamber.
"Alright, alright! Stop it!" Isaac yelled slapping away another test tube. "You put down that safe right now!" He yelled cowering behind Sweetiebelle as Applebloom lined up another shot.
"Yall are going in first!" She yelled.
"Alright! I never said who's going in at any time! Just stop!" He yelled.
She threw the safe at the window; it shattered and fell to the ground below.
"Alright, I think Scootaloo should go first. She seems to hate needles, so if she's unconscious, she won't have to worry about it." He rubbed his palms together. "Who's with me?"
"What... what happened?" Scootaloo said sitting up.
"Sleep!" Isaac yelled, grabbing a beaker-set and throwing it at her head.
She fell back down to the floor, unconscious.
"Get her in before she wakes up! She might kill me and destroy the machine!" He said picking her up.
He gently placed her in the machine, pulled the switch and she silently went in. A camera showing her vital signs and her eye.
"Alright," Isaac said grabbing hold of the joy stick. "Let's hope I don't kill her."
The other two crusaders looked at him in fear before looking back at the camera.
A set of clamps latched onto her head, screws screwed into place. After that, a needle started to descend down as smaller clamps held her eyelids open.
"Alright, just a little more..." Isaac said, focusing on her pupil.
It slowly went down and finally met her eye. It went down and her pupil expanded. The needle retracted and a small stream of grey blood oozed out as she was slid back.
Isaac picked her up and set her on the floor while Sweetiebelle healed her eye.
"Who's next?"
"Ah-Ah'll go." Applebloom gulped. "Will this hurt?"
"I don't know, you can tell me after you’re done." he said lifting her up. "I didn't notice before, but you three are a little pudgy. Like small dogs, only much more adorable."
She was going to retort but she had already been placed inside the machine.
Her eyes widened as she felt the cold metal go around her head. Her heart rate went up when she saw the needle.
"Can't ah just take a pill or something!?" She asked frantically.
"Don't you remember what Stross said? He didn't want us to do drugs!" Isaac said.
The needle was a blur in her sight but she didn't dare move her eye. It stung slightly when it went in, but her mind felt extremely dizzy when she felt a small spark. After it came out, her head felt slightly light.
"Weird..." She said as Sweetiebelle healed her.
Sweetiebelle hopped onto the bed and laid down. She shivered slightly as it moved her back. She squeaked when the metal bands wrapped around her head, they were slightly warmer from when her friends had them on. Her eyelids were forced open and she saw the needle.
Her eyes switched back and forth frantically, trying to keep up with the needle as it did the same.
"Stop moving so much!" Isaac yelled. "I'll hurt you if you don't! Now calm down!"
She forced her eye to stop, the needle went into her pupil and she relaxed slightly, but flinched when her body received a jolt of energy. An abnormally large jolt.
She slid out and she healed herself. Now it was Isaac.
"Alright, no worries. I just have three... inexperienced... non-licensed...underage ponies plunging a needle into my eye..." He stopped as he laid down. "What could go wrong?" He laughed nervously.
He moved into the machine, the bands now warm, wrapped around his head. He steadied his eye as the needle slowly approached.
He felt a twinge of pain as it entered and a small jolt as it came out.
"Ow." He said as Sweetiebelle healed him.
They all, minus Scootaloo, looked around as a bright light blinded them.
"Nicole... where are you?" Isaac asked looking around.
A bright light in front of him, Nicole barely showing inside, answered.
"Follow the light, Isaac. I'll be waiting for you at the Marker." She disappeared.
"Ow..." Scootaloo moaned, slowly sitting up, eyes half lidded. "What did I miss? And why does it feel like somepony stabbed me in the brain...?" She rubbed her head before felling blood on her cheek "You didn't...?" She saw her friend’s looks. "You did!"
A scraping was heard, and from behind Scootaloo, the vent burst open and a new Necromorph crawled out. Scootaloo quickly ran to her friends, tentacles and weapons out.
It stood a foot taller than Isaac; it had a greyish skin, five yellow eyes, two deformed arms, smaller appendages on its back and no face.
"What the hell is that?" Isaac asked.
"Whatever it is," Applebloom lined up her Line gun. "It’s gonna be a burnt pile in a second." She slowed it down in stasis and fired off two mines. One on each of its sides.
It came out and they blew up. It lost all of its appendages as it fell to the floor.
"Scoot's why don't ya just go and hack that terminal." Applebloom smiled. "Ya know ya want too."
"I guess..." She sulked.
"Uh, girls. I can't absorb it..." Sweetiebelle said backing away.
It started to convulse and in a geyser of blood, new arms, legs and a new head burst out.
The others backed away in fear, especially Isaac.
"No... It’s like a Hunter..." He said. "Throw it out the window!" He yelled.
Scootaloo took it and wrapped it in her tentacles. She held it close and started to extract its soul.
She threw it against the glass, hissing.
"It doesn't have a soul." She said. "I can't do anything."
"Maybe I can." Sweetiebelle said.
She slowed it down in stasis before telling Scootaloo to hack the console. While she ran behind them, Sweetiebelle shot out another bolt and took out a Contact cartridge. She put a few sparks into it, and soon, it was glowing white.
"Sweetiebelle, you remember what happened the last two times you did that?" Isaac said. "And were also in a small room!"
"I know." She said.
Her horn lit up and it disappeared in a flash of light.
She smirked as it started to convulse, sparks arching across its body. Her smirk fell when it was still standing.
"I'm done!" Scootaloo called out. "Come on!"
Isaac grabbed Sweetiebelle as they all ran out.
The Ubermorph disappeared into the vent again, and began the chase.
The door shut behind them, all of them breathing heavily.
"W-What was that...?" Applebloom asked.
"How should I know!?" Isaac yelled.
"Well, why did it just get back up?" She asked.
"I-I don't know..." He sighed. "This thing, whatever it is. Is like a Necromorph I fought back on the Ishimura. That was called a Hunter, this," he jabbed a thumb at the door. "Is something else entirely."
"Well, how do we kill something that isn't even alive?" Scootaloo asked.
"Like we've been doing." He brought out his Pulse rifle. "Keep shooting. Unfortunately, with this thing, that won't do. We need to throw it off course or just obliterate it from existence. And when I say obliterate, I mean leave no fucking trace of it even existing."
"So, do we keep running?" Sweetiebelle asked. "Because I just pumped a good dose of magic into it and it just shrugged it off."
"We're not running," he started walking and went around the corner, the crusaders following him. "We're going to sprint a marathon."
They went through a door, down a ramp and went into a room with a Puker lumbering around, trying to get to the marker.
There was a corpse lying on the keyboard of a large screen facing towards the Marker. Numerous supplies lining a counter to the right and small supports all the way to the door ahead.
The Puker took no notice of them as it desperately clawed at the glass, occasionally trying to melt it with acid.
"Look at the door," Sweetiebelle said. "It has another scanner on it."
"And I doubt Isaac can get through." Scootaloo whispered.
"Maybe he can though." Isaac pointed to the corpse. "I say, we jump the Puker, grab the body and run like hell if it works."
"And if it doesn't?" Applebloom asked.
"Then we're in for the fight of our lives." He said coldly and bluntly.
"Scootaloo, you grab the body and go over the rails. Me, Applebloom and Sweetiebelle will go around and as your scanning it, well kill it."
"Right." She nodded. "Just start running and I'll go."
Isaac nudged the other two as Scootaloo crouched. They all took off running; Scootaloo bolted forward and grabbed the body as the Puker turned around.
It gave a wet growl and was about to shoot out a glob of acid but was killed by a barrage of bullets from Sweetiebelle's Seeker rifle.
Scootaloo raised the corps up; as it was scanning, blackened Slasher's came from the other vents and right next to them, came the Ubermorph.
She swung out with a tentacle and sent it into the rails, as it was getting up the door had opened and the engineer's ran in.
They ran down the corridor, the light from the Marker making their shadows stretch. The smell of copper and into was heavy in the air as it was filtered through their suit's vents.
Isaac looked back for a second and saw the Necromorph's from before following them, with the Ubermorph in the lead.
He opened the door ahead, fired off a bolt of stasis into the Necromorph’s and looked back to the crusaders as they killed a Puker.
"Keep running!" He yelled.
Scootaloo tore off the door and wedged it in side-ways at the corners, slowing down the Necromorph's.
"Turn to the right!" Isaac yelled, as the all went down a small a hallway.
When they turned the second corner, the Swarm jumped Isaac. He swatted the off as he brushed past a blackened Slasher.
The crusaders jumped over small piles of junk. Sweetiebelle heard the sound of metal hitting metal and guessed the door had come out.
Isaac shoved the next Slasher into the wall as he went to the elevator. He pushed the holo-button the door and turned back to see the other two Slasher’s plus the additional Necromorph’s squeezing into the hall.
He took out his Line gun and sent bolt after bolt into the small swarm, cutting off arms and heads in the doubles.
As the blood pooled he was pulled back into the elevator by the crusaders. Just as the Ubermorph made its way to them.
Before the doors closed it reached in with a bladed arm and scratched the floor as it withdrew, missing Isaac's chest by inches.
"Were safe, for now." Isaac breathed out. "So, what do we call this thing? It's not a Hunter but it can regenerate faster."
"How about, we call it an Ubermorph?" Sweetiebelle suggested.
"Alright, Ubermorph it is. Now," the doors opened. "Let's hope we can atleast make it to the Marker before any of us die."
The room was empty, a set of window's on the side leading to another room. The door ahead, locked by a fuse.
"This feels like a trap." Isaac said.
"Ya think?" Applebloom said. "This whole place is nothin' but a trap."
"Only this one," Isaac shot the fuse from afar. "Is a deathtrap."
When they got to the door, the vent above burst open and down came the Ubermorph. Still hot on their trail.
"Get to the other door!" Isaac yelled. "Keep it open!"
It swung down; he rolled to the side before upper-cutting it. It stumbled back but only blinked in curiosity. It surged forward and swung to the side.
He jumped back, avoiding the blow. He shot off a bolt of stasis before going to run out the doorway. Only to come face to face with a Blackened Slasher.
He tackled it to the ground before getting up and running through to safety with the crusaders. He looked back to see, as the door closed with a hiss, the Ubermorph standing there, behind a window staring at him.
"Entering Vacuum." An electronic voice said from the speakers.
"A-Are we safe here?" Scootaloo asked taking a few breathes in. "I've never run that fast in my life."
"I... have." Isaac said. "Now, we go through here." He lifted off the floor. "Into the darkness."
The others followed him closely; the sound of machinery was close. Multiple large pipes and tanks lined the walls, ceiling and floor.
They went above the large tube in front and saw another machine, going back and forth rapidly against a wall.
"Just slow it down and fly through." Isaac said.
He shot out a bolt of stasis and hit it as it was hitting the wall. He cursed as it came out as it was going forward again. He tried again two more times only to get the same result.
"I can't just waste all of my stasis on this!" He yelled frustrated. "We need to go to the Marker you piece of scrap!"
The crusaders looked at him uneasily, questioning his sanity, or what was left of it.
"Here," Scootaloo grabbed him by the waist. "Why don't I just teleport us through?"
"If I end up in a wall, I'm coming back to haunt you." He said simply before Him, Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle disappeared and reappeared on the other side. "Oh thank god..." He sighed. "That scared me."
They flew over the next pipe and Isaac nearly blew a gasket.
"Are you fucking kidding me...?" He said clenching his fists. He glared coldly at the large machine as it went back and forth. "Think you can do it again?" He asked.
"It makes me dizzy when I have to do it with more than two ponies. And that's counting me. Sorry."
"I've got this one." Sweetiebelle said flying down. She landed on the floor, took off her suit and handed it to Isaac.
Her skin started to ripple, in bursts her limbs started to grow, thicken and lengthen. Her back bubble and spine came out accompanied by five Drag Tentacles. Her tail fell off and in a bloody spurt her spine shot out.
Her head cracked as the skull was forced through the skull, another crack was heard when her bottom jaw snapped in two. Sharpened teeth sprouted out from the mandibles.
Her legs thickened and cracked as the bone spread out from the inside. It split in jagged holes as Cyst's came up, waving their small tentacles.
Her hooves sprouted Stalker claws, blood dripping down them as the wounds closed. She stood there for a second, her breathing heavy and ragged as it echoed off the walls. Her ribs split, going through the silence, and with a few final cracks she raised her head.
As the machine was going back, she went forward and put herself between the machine and the wall. It went surged forward and she held it there, the gears groaning in protest.
She sunk her back hooves into the floor and began to push forward. Smoke started to build up as she did so, and with one final push, she tilted herself just so that it was bent and broken. She nodded at the damage and fell into bloody slices, the smaller bits and globs of blood floating around as she came out.
"I wish I could do that..." Isaac muttered handing her suit back.
"No you wouldn't." She said. "It hurts a little when my bones snap and crack, your whole body sort of stiffens and then you relax. And then theirs my joints popping out of place and readjusting. It's not comfortable."
"Forget I said anything." He said as they all went ahead. "Oh god dammit."
Jets of concentrated fire went from the left to the right in thin lines. There were two more ahead, killing the jellyfish like Necromorph's as a Nest shot them out.
"Do we just rush it?" Sweetiebelle asked knocking aside a lone tail. "If we get to close, shouldn't it just close up?"
"Hell if I know, it hasn't happened yet. But yeah, let's rush it." Isaac said going forward as the flames went out in front of him.
As they waited for the flames to pass, Isaac was firing off shots from his Line gun. When they got to him, he'd already gotten rid of two of the three bulbs. Sweetiebelle shot out a stream of Plasma from her horn and burned the rest.
Isaac gave her a look of approval before they all flew forward.
They passed the flaming liquid Nest as it glowed a bright blue. Isaac and the others had latched onto the floor behind it and restored the air and gravity.
They entered the room ahead, the door closing with an unheard hiss as Nicole spoke, images of Marker symbols flashing through all of their minds.
"You’re fighting it, Isaac. You can't fight it. You have to let me go." She said.
"But I'll never see you again!" He said desperately not wanting to admit she was right.
"Isaac stop it. There is no other way. You have to do this." With those final words the yellowish light filling their vision, vanished.
He shook his head clear, an internal struggle building higher than the Marker he wanted to destroy.
'If I let her go, then I'll never see her again.' His emotional side thought. 'No! That's just selfish!' His smarter side chastised. 'If I don't then I'll be no better than terrorist. I'd sentence everybody to a painful, hell-filled death. Even Ellie...' He thought. 'I'm sorry Nicole...'
"Isaac? Hello Isaac?" Applebloom said. "Were almost at the Marker! We're gonna make it!"
He nodded numbly.
He went through the door Scootaloo was at and proceeded down the hall.
The room ahead had a store to the left, a Work Bench to the right and the door to the 'INNER MARKER CHAMBER.' a sign read above the door.
"Let's reload, stock up and kick ass." Isaac said checking his weapons. "I'm good for ammo, but not health packs and canisters." He went over to the store as the others checked their weapons.
He opened the store and a look of confusion crossed his face.
“The hell is a foam finger gonna do?” He mused.
"I need some Force gun ammo, maybe two should do." Scootaloo said. "How about you two?" She asked as she went to the store. ‘And download some suit, door, tool, comm’s, camera, video and A.I. blue prints. ’ She smirked lightly.
"Ah need some health packs, what bout' you Sweetie?” Applebloom asked. “Sweetie?"
Sweetiebelle was standing there, staring off at the wall, her eyes glazed over. Applebloom waved a hoof in front of her; she blinked rapidly and shot a worried glance at her friends.
"I just spoke with Nicole..." She said. "She said... there's a small horde right past that door, including the Ubermorph. She said for me to cover you all while you run."
"Well that's fucking dandy." Isaac said. "That fucker is out there and who knows how many Necro's. Or even the evolved ones!"
"It could be worse." Applebloom said.
"How...?" He asked in more of a groan than an actual voice. “How could it be worse?”
"There could be Tripods. Or a Hive Mind or even another Slug." She shrugged. "How are you on ammo Sweetie?"
"Oh," She looked at her inventory. "Good, good. I'm set."
They all walked in front of the door.
"Before we go, does anyone have any famous last words? Because when you all jumped ship, you dammed each other here with me to die."
"Ah... ah have something." Applebloom said, her helmet unfolding to reveal a deep blush. "Ah might have a crush on a colt in my class... Pipsqeak."
"Anything else?" Isaac asked.
"When ah took the blame for when Applejack accidentally," She made quote gesture with her front hooves. "Ate Big Mac's last apple dumpling."
"Alright, Scootaloo? Sweetiebelle?"
"I beat up Discord one time." Scootaloo sighed. "He dumped exploding chocolate milk on me, while I was taking a nap!"
"He dumped explosive dairy on you? As a prank?" Isaac asked incredulously. "He sounds like a real douche if I've ever heard of one."
"He can be at times. But he's tolerable. Sweetiebelle, do you have anything to share?" Scootaloo asked.
"I never liked my sisters cooking, I loathe that blue dress I had to wear for school pictures, I loathe the color green, I ate the last cookie before dinner last week, I turned Opal purple one time after I accidentally knocked over some ink, I accidentally turned her invisible when I spilled invisible ink on her, I actually like techno music instead of classical, I read four or five books at night, I open the window in winter so I don't get to hot under the covers, I actually like to stargaze as a hobby, I've written four books, my author name is Jinglebells, I'm a cover DJ for DJ Pon-3, my DJ name is Sw33ti3 and I have a crush on Thunderlane's brother." She said; at the end, stopping to take a deep breath. "That was a muzzle full."
The others just stared at her in shock, Isaac especially.
"Ok, you need less sugar." He said. "As for me..." He thought hard. "I do think Ellie is hot, I always thought the crotch plate on this suit is always too tight, I hate Unitology but I can write in it and read it and lastly," He folded his helmet back up. "I hate Pukers and vomit. Mainly equine vomit. Yes, even more than acidic Puker vomit."
"Now," He took out his Plasma cutter. "Who's ready to kick ass, look awesome and live for a few moments longer?"
The crusaders got ready, he put his hand to the door, it opened and all hell really did break loose this time.
Two blackened Leaper's came from around the corners, she raised her Seeker Rifle but they had been killed by Applebloom and Isaac.
They ran into the open area, leaving the safety of their small room behind.
A glob of acid was shot down; Isaac shot it down with a well-placed Plasma bolt.
"Puke on that fucker!" He yelled.
"Scootaloo! Throw me up!" Sweetiebelle yelled.
Her friend wrapped a tentacle around her before throwing her above to the catwalk. She hit the Necromorph, sending it falling down below to its comrades. Once she got her bearings, she pulled out her Seeker rifle.
Zoomed in, she saw two Lurkers creeping up behind Isaac. As they jumped she shot out two shells, tearing them in half.
He stopped momentarily and gave a nod in her direction before him and her friends went in.
She heard a Puker and looked to her right. She rolled out of the way as a glob of acid hit the walkway. She narrowed her eyes at it before raising her Javelin gun to it.
She smirked as it went flying. Literally, it went off the catwalk and was pinned to a wall upside down.
She saw a Lurker and two Slasher's climb up. She groaned as she saw her friends exit the building and were confronted by more Necromorph's.
She took out her Contact beam and Seeker rifle.
She stood there, staring at them as they did the same. In a second they all charged.
She jumped up onto the Slasher in the lead and fired off a shot from her Contact beam, pushing herself back. She shot out a bolt of stasis at them before firing off a few shot at the Necromorph's below. She killed off a Lurker a Slasher and a Leaper.
She raised her Seeker rifle to parry a blow another Slasher sent down. She held it the before sticking her Contact beam right under it, charged it and fired.
It fell to the ground, leaving only her and the Lurker.
"Sweetiebelle! Come one! We need you in here!" Isaac said over the comm.
She spared a glance at where they were. They were centered near the end of the cat walk. She looked at the supports and smirked.
It had already fired its small barbs. She dodged them easily as she aimed at the sides of the catwalk. The bolts came loose and they went sliding. She jumped off the side, mid-leap talking over the comm.
"Open the door and go in, I'll slide under!" She commanded.
Time seemed to slow down as the door was closing, her friend’s boots disappearing from sight.
She slide under the door as it closed, rolled and finished with one hoof one the floor while the other held her Seeker rifle. She looked up and smirked.
"Now that's just showing off." Isaac said.
The room was dark but had a brownish light coming from the poorly cleaned windows. Rusted pipes lined the side and unsteady metal crisscrossed under foot.
"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "How are we all doing on ammo? I barely used any."
"I might need more petroleum for my Flamethrower." Scootaloo said. "And maybe some Force energy? I'm not sure."
"I'm almost out on Pulse rifle ammo." Isaac said. "I have two clips left and one grenade."
"Ah'm almost out of Plasma energy and Line racks." Applebloom pouted. "Ah guess ah'm still good."
"Well, we'd better get going." Sweetiebelle said going to the lift. "The Marker isn't going to destroy itself, now is it?"
"Come on you two, we've got some deconstruction to do." Isaac said going onto the lift followed shortly by the other two crusaders.
Isaac started the lift and Sweetiebelle's ears went up.
"Guess who’s back." She said.
"Dammit..." Isaac sighed. "Do we even want to know where?"
"Somewhere inside there." Sweetiebelle pointed at the door ahead.
"Then, let's see if we can't throw it off our trail." Isaac said getting out his Line gun.
"Well show this thing why ya don't mess with the Apple's." Applebloom said taking out her Pulse rifle.
"It may not have a soul, but I don't have a heart for anything like that." Scootaloo said taking out her Force gun.
They all proceeded slowly, weapons aimed at the door ahead. Waiting to see it come open and a pair of blades to shred them to bits.
Isaac opened the door and peered in, lowered his weapon and took the first step inside.
"Are you sure-" He was saying but was cut off when the vent was ripped apart.
The Ubermorph looked at Isaac, blinked and raised one of its arms.
Scootaloo sent it into the wall, holding it there while Applebloom got rid of the fuse.
The door opened, Scootaloo let go and ran in with the others.
Only, they ran to the left.
"Uh oh, this isn't good." Applebloom said.
They all looked back and saw the Ubermorph coming in.
"Hang on, I've got an idea. I just need to check some blue prints." Scootaloo said, tapping away furiously on her screen.
"There's only two ways this is going to end." Isaac said before running up to the Ubermorph. "And you’re not one of them!" He punched it across the face and jumped back to avoid a slash.
"Yeah! Get it Isaac!" Cheered Applebloom and Sweetiebelle.
"Whoo hoo, go Isaac." Scootaloo twirled a hoof around in mild interst before her eyes lit up. "I've got it! We need to throw it into the vent!" She yelled excitedly.
"Alright," Isaac groaned, holding back a pair of blades. "How do we turn it around? And, help goddammit!" He yelled.
"Isaac step back and go behind it, I need you to punch it!" Sweetiebelle yelled. "I'll do the rest!"
He groaned once and threw the blades down before turning around. Her went behind it and raised a fist. He looked at her and saw her horn glowing, out of the corner of his eye, he saw his own fist light up too.
"Now! Punch it!" She yelled.
He swung forward, and when his fist touched the Ubermorph, his fist flashed before a small explosion came from it and sent the Ubermorph back towards the vent.
"Ow... ow... this really hurts." He said cradling his hand. "It might be sprained at best."
The Ubermorph got up and continued walking towards them.
Applebloom ran first and rammed into it, making it stagger back a few steps. She retreated and let Sweetiebelle go next. She did the same and retreated.
Scootaloo shot her Force gun using the alternate fire mode and sent it right at the grate. It was only hanging on by its blades. Slowly, Isaac made his way over, a smile on his face.
He raised one boot up and kicked it down, roaring furiously as it went down.
"This is Sparta!" He yelled. He turned back to see the crusaders give him questioning looks. "Hey, if I'm going to die in a few moments, I might as well have some fun."
They shrugged before going around the corner, himself quickly following. As they went out to the catwalk, they didn't hear or see a single blade dig into the side and raise its owner up.
The Marker.
"So, this is it." Sweetiebelle said.
"Eeyup." Applebloom said.
"The end game." Scootaloo said.
"Our end, that is. And its." Isaac said walking forward.
When they were almost at the light that was Nicole, a spike shot out and went through Isaac's shoulder. With a grunt of pain, he slowly pulled it out.
"The research we put in that Marker, is worth every life lost." A half Kentucky-fried half normal Tiedmann said limping forward with a Javelin gun.
The crusaders stared, angered but also scared and let the scene play out for themselves.
'Come on Isaac! Do this for me! For your parents! For Nicole!' Sweetiebelle thought.
Isaac raised his good hand and another javelin went through which he slowly extracted.
They were at arm’s reach now.
"I won't let you throw all this away." Tiedmann said raising the gun.
He fired but Isaac swerved to the left and grabbed Tiedmann by the arm, broke it and was about to shoot a javelin through his neck when he saw Sweetiebelle staring.
"Sweetiebelle, why don't you do it?"
"Me?" She asked. "I thought you wanted to do it, for your parents?"
"I never really knew them anyway. But, he did kill you at one time, remember?"
A grimace found its way onto her muzzle as she walked up to Tiedmann.
"What... are you going to... do to me?" He wheezed.
"Give you a taste of your own medicine." She said before her horn sprouted out from her head on a stalk and rammed into his skull.
Instead of the desired effect, he was still alive. Only, he was changing, healing too.
A small stub came out from his fore-head, his hands and feet melded together by their own digits. His face became longer, his sharper teeth flattened and his eyes became monstrously huge. When it ended, he was covered in a coat of brown fur.
"What... what did you do to me!?" He yelled shocked and furious.
"Not what I intended, but I can make this work." She said.
A Drag Tentacle came out from her back, grabbed Tiedmane and threw him over the edge, into the Necromorph's.
They all watched as he went down. When the crusaders looked back at Isaac, he was stock still, the veins under his skin turning black.
"Hang on; I think I know what's happening." Scootaloo said putting a tentacle into his neck. "He's... he's inside his own mind."
"Should we help him?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"I don't- agh!" She cried. "Yes! We should definitely help him!"
"How though? It's not like we can just go in ourselves?" Applebloom said.
"Oh yes we can!" Scootaloo said. "Remember how I said I could make a mental link? But I shouldn't because I might kill you all? Well," Her tentacles connected to her friends. "Let's hope it doesn't happen."
Sweetiebelle saw nothing but small neurons and finally a grotesque world. It was the same as the Marker's light, patches of land were scattered everywhere, and in the middle of the one they were on, was Isaac.
Her heart was racing, her cold grey blood coursing through every vein, every fiber of her being as she knew what was about to happen.
Two blackened Leaper's came from around the corners, she was about to blow them away with her Force gun but, Applebloom and Isaac had already killed them.
As they ran, Isaac was almost hit with a ball of acid.
"Puke on that fucker!" He yelled triumphantly.
"Scootaloo! Throw me up!" Sweetiebelle yelled over the noise.
She wrapped a tentacle around her friend and threw her up.
They ran, Scootaloo catching a glimpse of two Lurker's being shredded before going through the first door.
The room was dark, had white lines on the floor outlining the coagulated blood pools, a small railed off area to the left and the door farther to the right ahead.
As they continued to run, two blackened Slasher's came out followed by a black Puker.
Scootaloo burned the Puker before firing off her alternate fire of her Force gun. She obliterated the second Slasher as Isaac and Applebloom decimated the first with Line rack's and Pulse rifle bullets.
They all quickly reloaded and ran out.
When the door opened, a blackened Leaper and Puker were waiting.
Scootaloo grabbed the Leaper, and threw it at the Puker before firing off an explosive canister.
They ran to the next set of doors, Applebloom stayed back momentarily to keep the other Necromorph's at bay with her Plasma cutter. Satisfied, she went back in and saw Isaac shoot a grenade at a Puker climbing up.
Scootaloo Swung out with her tentacles and pinned the Slasher to the wall before sticking the nozzle of her flame thrower directly into its mouth and pulled the trigger.
She kept doing it; she kept the trigger down until the fire was coming out from its chest. They reloaded again and went to the next door after moving a cabinet.
Scootaloo looked back, the room was still the same as the other one only the rails were to the right and there were a few stasis canisters in a corner. She grabbed one and went out with the other engineer's.
"Move!" She yelled.
Her friends moved as she chucked the stasis canister over them and shot it above the other Necromorph's in the way.
"Sweetiebelle! Come on! We need you in here!" Isaac yelled over his comm as Scootaloo opened the door.
"Open the door and go in, I'll slide under!" She commanded.
She and her friend’s went in, shortly after Scootaloo heard the sound of snapping cables and shortly before the door closed. Sweetiebelle came rolling in and struck a bad-flank pose.
"Now that's just showing off." Isaac said.
The room was dark but had a brownish light coming from the poorly cleaned windows. Rusted pipes lined the side and unsteady metal crisscrossed under foot.
"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "How are we all doing on ammo? I barely used any."
"I might need more petroleum for my Flamethrower." Scootaloo said. "And maybe some Force energy? I'm not sure." She turned to Isaac.
"I'm almost out on Pulse rifle ammo." Isaac said. "I have two clips left and one grenade."
"Ah'm almost out of Plasma energy and Line racks." Applebloom pouted. "Ah guess ah'm still good."
Scootaloo watched her friend stat towards the lift. "Well, we'd better get going." Sweetiebelle said going to the lift. "The Marker isn't going to destroy itself, now is it?"
"Come on you two, we've got some deconstruction to do." Isaac said going onto the lift followed shortly by the other two crusaders.
Scootaloo huffed inwardly, but remained quiet as she went.
She glanced to the side as Sweetiebelle's ears perked up.
"Guess who’s back." She said.
"Dammit..." Isaac sighed. "Do we even want to know where?"
'What he said.' She thought.
"Somewhere inside there." Sweetiebelle pointed at the door ahead.
Scootaloo hid a frown and a whine but kept her stoic expression like a royal guard.
"Then, let's see if we can't throw it off our trail." Isaac said getting out his Line gun.
"Well show this thing why ya don't mess with the Apple's." Applebloom said taking out her Pulse rifle.
"It may not have a soul, but I don't have a heart for anything like that." Scootaloo said taking out her Force gun.
They all proceeded slowly, weapons aimed at the door ahead. Waiting to see it come open and a pair of blades to shred them to bits.
Isaac opened the door and peered in, lowered his weapon and took the first step inside.
"Are you sure-" He was saying but was cut off when the vent was ripped apart.
The Ubermorph looked at Isaac, blinked and raised one of its arms.
Scootaloo sent it into the wall, holding it there while Applebloom got rid of the fuse.
[How strong are you!?] She thought fervently. She looked to the side and saw the door was open. She let go and ran in with the others.
She mentally face-hooved when she saw they ran into a dead-end, literally, that's how it looked like it was going to end for them.
They all looked back and saw the Ubermorph coming in.
"Hang on, I've got an idea. I just need to check some blue prints." Scootaloo said, tapping away furiously on her screen.
she only focused on the screen all other noise was mainly static to her, her eyes narrowed, ears splayed back as she bit her lip, tapping away through all the blue-prints.
She heard Applebloom and Sweetiebelle cheer. "Whoo hoo, go Isaac." Scootaloo twirled a hoof around in mild interest before her eyes lit up. "I've got it! We need to throw it into the vent!" She yelled excitedly.
"Alright," Isaac groaned, holding back a pair of blades. "How do we turn it around? And, help goddammit!" He yelled.
"Isaac step back and go behind it, I need you to punch it!" Sweetiebelle yelled. "I'll do the rest!"
'What are you... doing...?' She thought as she saw her friends horn and Isaac's fist light up. 'Smart, transferring momentum and energy into a small area, therefore increasing damage.'
He groaned once and threw the blades down before turning around. Her went behind it and raised a fist. He looked at her and saw her horn glowing, out of the corner of his eye, he saw his own fist light up too.
"Now! Punch it!" She yelled.
He swung forward, and when his fist touched the Ubermorph, his fist flashed before a small explosion came from it and sent the Ubermorph back towards the vent.
"Ow... ow... this really hurts." He said cradling his hand. "It might be sprained at best."
'I bet it does hurt.' She thought. She looked over and saw the Ubermorph get up. 'Oh come on!'
Applebloom ran first and rammed into it, making it stagger back a few steps. She retreated and let Sweetiebelle go next. She did the same and retreated.
Scootaloo shot her Force gun using the alternate fire mode and sent it right at the grate. It was only hanging on by its blades. Slowly, Isaac made his way over, a smile on his face.
He raised one boot up and kicked it down, roaring furiously as it went down.
"This is Sparta!" He yelled. He turned back to see the crusaders give him questioning looks. "Hey, if I'm going to die in a few moments, I might as well have some fun."
'weird. I wonder what that was from?'
They shrugged before going around the corner, himself quickly following. As they went out to the catwalk, they didn't hear or see a single blade dig into the side and raise its owner up.
The Marker.
"So, this is it." Sweetiebelle said.
"Eeyup." Applebloom said.
"The end game." Scootaloo said. 'That was cliché.'
"Our end, that is. And its." Isaac said walking forward.
When they were almost at the light that was Nicole, a spike shot out and went through Isaac's shoulder. With a grunt of pain, he slowly pulled it out.
"The research we put in that Marker, is worth every life lost." A half Kentucky-fried half normal Tiedmann said limping forward with a Javelin gun.
The crusaders stared, angered but also scared and let the scene play out for themselves.
'Come on Isaac! You can be beat by some crispy moron!' She thought. She saw Isaac disarm Tiedmann and motioned for Sweetiebelle to go over. 'This isn't going to be pretty by the look on her muzzle...'
"What... are you going to... do to me?" He wheezed.
"Give you a taste of your own medicine." She said before her horn sprouted out from her head on a stalk and rammed into his skull.
'Eww... that's just wrong.'
Instead of the desired effect, he was still alive. Only, he was changing, healing too.
A small stub came out from his fore-head, his hands and feet melded together by their own digits. His face became longer, his sharper teeth flattened and his eyes became monstrously huge. When it ended, he was covered in a coat of brown fur.
"What... what did you do to me!?" He yelled shocked and furious.
'wow. Awesome.'
"Not what I intended, but I can make this work." She said.
A Drag Tentacle came out from her back, grabbed Tiedmane and threw him over the edge, into the Necromorph's.
They all watched as he went down. When the crusaders looked back at Isaac, he was stock still, the veins under his skin turning black.
"Hang on, I think I know what's happening." Scootaloo said putting a tentacle into his neck. "He's... he's inside his own mind."
"Should we help him?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"I don't- agh!" She cried. "Yes! We should definitely help him!"
"How though? It's not like we can just go in ourselves?" Applebloom said.
"Oh yes we can!" Scootaloo said. "Remember how I said I could make a mental link? But I shouldn't because I might kill you all? Well," Her tentacles connected to her friends. "Let's hope it doesn't happen."
Scootaloo saw nothing but small neurons and finally a grotesque world. It was the same as the Marker's light, patches of land were scattered everywhere, and in the middle of the one they were on, was Isaac.
"Fuck you!... And fuck your Marker!" He yelled at the old Nicole.
Two blackened Leaper's came from around the corners, Applebloom shot the first to bits with her Plasma cutter while Isaac blew the second in half with a Line gun.
She kept running, Isaac by her side. She heard Isaac yell an obscenity and stopped to see Scootaloo throw Sweetiebelle up to the catwalk.
She smirked when she saw her hit a Necromorph and knocked it down.
They all kept running, Applebloom getting a small bit of blood spatter from two Lurkers that were killed. She ignored them and focused on the way ahead.
Scootaloo opened the door and she looked around. The room was dark, had white lines on the floor outlining the coagulated blood pools, a small railed off area to the left and the door farther to the right ahead.
She took out her Line gun and aimed at one of the Slasher's that came up. Fire illuminating its eyeless face, blood dripping from its mouth, blades swinging wildly.
She felt a slight pang of fear and remorse for it. But that quickly faded as Isaac unloaded a Pulse rifle clip into it.
She and him fired away mercilessly, tearing it to shreds.
‘Ah can feel sorry for them later.’ She thought, firing off one more shot. 'But ah have a family to get back to.'
When they all went up the ramp and opened the door, a Leaper almost got Applebloom. She saw Scootaloo grab it, throw it at a Puker ahead and then fire off an explosive canister; blowing the two to chunks.
They ran to the next set of doors, Applebloom stayed back momentarily to keep the other Necromorph's at bay with her Plasma cutter. Satisfied, she went back in and saw Isaac shoot a grenade at a Puker climbing up.
Applebloom went in and watched slightly shocked as Scootaloo burned a Slasher from the inside out.
'Wow. Now that has to hurt.' She thought.
As her and Isaac went out, Scootaloo yelled to move. They both did and Applebloom saw a stasis canister fly overhead.
Her, Scootaloo and Isaac quickly ran to the other door, Isaac immediately got on his comm.
"Sweetiebelle! Come on! We need you in here!" Isaac yelled over his comm as Scootaloo opened the door.
"Open the door and go in, I'll slide under!" She commanded.
She and her friend’s went in, and shortly before the door closed. Sweetiebelle came rolling in and struck a pose.
"Now that's just showing off." Isaac said.
The room was dark but had a brownish light coming from the poorly cleaned windows. Rusted pipes lined the side and unsteady metal crisscrossed under foot.
"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "How are we all doing on ammo? I barely used any."
"I might need more petroleum for my Flamethrower." Scootaloo said. "And maybe some Force energy? I'm not sure."
"I'm almost out on Pulse rifle ammo." Isaac said. "I have two clips left and one grenade."
"Ah'm almost out of Plasma energy and Line racks." Applebloom pouted. "Ah guess ah'm still good." She said. 'For now.'
Applebloom watched Sweetiebelle move ahead.
"Well, we'd better get going." Sweetiebelle said going to the lift. "The Marker isn't going to destroy itself, now is it?"
"Come on you two, we've got some deconstruction to do." Isaac said going onto the lift followed shortly by the other two crusaders.
'What gave ya that idea?' Applebloom thought.
She was inspecting her Plasma cutter when Sweetiebelle spoke up. She looked over and saw her ears up.
"Guess who’s back." She said.
"Dammit..." Isaac sighed. "Do we even want to know where?"
'No.' Applebloom thought. 'For the sake of our sanity, or what’s left of it. No.'
"Somewhere inside there." Sweetiebelle pointed at the door ahead.
'What did ah just think!' Applebloom gritted her teeth slightly. 'Ah can’t be mad for her warning us. Must be the stress. No sleep and food, makin' us all a bit over edge, and these dang Necromorph's ain't helping either!'
"Then, let's see if we can't throw it off our trail." Isaac said getting out his Line gun.
"Well show this thing why ya don't mess with the Apple's." Applebloom said taking out her Pulse rifle.
"It may not have a soul, but I don't have a heart for anything like that." Scootaloo said taking out her Force gun.
They all proceeded slowly, weapons aimed at the door ahead. Waiting to see it come open and a pair of blades to shred them to bits.
Isaac opened the door and peered in, lowered his weapon and took the first step inside.
"Are you sure-" He was saying but was cut off when the vent was ripped apart.
The Ubermorph looked at Isaac, blinked and raised one of its arms.
Scootaloo sent it into the wall, holding it there while Applebloom got rid of the fuse.
She ran through the door, took a left and frowned.
"Yeah! Get it Isaac!" Cheered Applebloom and Sweetiebelle.
"Whoo hoo, go Isaac." Scootaloo twirled a hoof around in mild interest before her eyes lit up. "I've got it! We need to throw it into the vent!" She yelled excitedly.
"Alright," Isaac groaned, holding back a pair of blades. "How do we turn it around? And, help goddammit!" He yelled.
"Isaac step back and go behind it, I need you to punch it!" Sweetiebelle yelled. "I'll do the rest!"
He groaned once and threw the blades down before turning around. Her went behind it and raised a fist. He looked at her and saw her horn glowing, out of the corner of his eye, he saw his own fist light up too.
"Now! Punch it!" She yelled.
He swung forward, and when his fist touched the Ubermorph, his fist flashed before a small explosion came from it and sent the Ubermorph back towards the vent.
"Ow... ow... this really hurts." He said cradling his hand. "It might be sprained at best."
The Ubermorph got up and continued walking towards them.
'Oh no ya don't!' She mentally yelled.
Applebloom ran first and rammed into it, making it stagger back a few steps. She retreated and let Sweetiebelle go next. She did the same and retreated.
Scootaloo shot her Force gun using the alternate fire mode and sent it right at the grate. It was only hanging on by its blades. Slowly, Isaac made his way over, a smile on his face.
He raised one boot up and kicked it down, roaring furiously as it went down.
"This is Sparta!" He yelled. He turned back to see the crusaders give him questioning looks. "Hey, if I'm going to die in a few moments, I might as well have some fun."
They shrugged before going around the corner, himself quickly following. As they went out to the catwalk, they didn't hear or see a single blade dig into the side and raise its owner up.
The Marker.
"So, this is it." Sweetiebelle said.
"Eeyup." Applebloom said.
"The end game." Scootaloo said.
"Our end, that is. And its." Isaac said walking forward.
When they were almost at the light that was Nicole, a spike shot out and went through Isaac's shoulder. With a grunt of pain, he slowly pulled it out.
"The research we put in that Marker, is worth every life lost." A half Kentucky-fried half normal Tiedmann said limping forward with a Javelin gun.
The crusaders stared, angered but also scared and let the scene play out for themselves.
'Come on Isaac!' Applebloom thought. 'You can do it!'
She watched as he disarmed Tiedmann, broke his arm and was about to shoot him in the neck, but stopped.
'Isaac? What are ya... oh that's what.' She nodded. 'Sweetie does deserve some payback.'
She flinched as Sweetiebelle jabbed her horn into Tiedmann's head, but her mouth fell open when he turned into a pony.
She even watched from the side as she threw him over the edge.
'Well that was anticlimactic.' She thought glumly. "Isaac...? Where's Nicole?" Applebloom asked. "Isaac?"
"Hang on; I think I know what's happening." Scootaloo said putting a tentacle into his neck. "He's... he's inside his own mind."
"Should we help him?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"I don't- agh!" She cried. "Yes! We should definitely help him!"
"How though? It's not like we can just go in ourselves?" Applebloom said.
"Oh yes we can!" Scootaloo said. "Remember how I said I could make a mental link? But I shouldn't because I might kill you all? Well," Her tentacles connected to her friends. "Let's hope it doesn't happen."
Sweetiebelle saw nothing but small neurons and finally a grotesque world. It was the same as the Marker's light, patches of land were scattered everywhere, and in the middle of the one they were on, was Isaac.
Two blackened Leaper's came from around the corners, he shot one in half with his Line gun while Applebloom gunned down another with her Plasma cutter.
They all ran forward, almost as they were about to turn a corner, Isaac heard the distinct sound of a Puker. He jumped back and shot it in the air.
"Puke on that fucker!" He waved a fist at it as they ran.
"Scootaloo! Throw me up!" Sweetiebelle yelled from behind.
He didn't turn to look but he saw Sweetiebelle hurdle through the air and knock a Necromorph down. He turned the corner and heard two Lurker's, he kept running but stopped when the corpse's fell in front of him. He stopped and looked up to Sweetiebelle, he gave a nod before running off again.
He opened the door ahead. The room was dark, had white lines on the floor outlining the coagulated blood pools, a small railed off area to the left and the door farther to the right ahead.
'Standard equipment storage compartments.' He thought. 'How civilized of Tiedmann. That bastard.'
He saw a Puker and two Slasher's come out. He watched slightly as Scootaloo decimated the Puker. He took out his Pulse rifle and unloaded a clip into the Slasher in front of him. When he ran out, Applebloom finished it off with a few Line racks.
He wasn't sure why, but he kept firing, him and Applebloom kept firing until the current clips were empty.
Satisfied, they reloaded and opened the next door.
When the door opened, a blackened Leaper and Puker were waiting.
Scootaloo grabbed the Leaper, and threw it at the Puker before firing off an explosive canister.
They ran to the next set of doors, Isaac hearing Applebloom as she stayed back momentarily to keep the other Necromorph's at bay with her Plasma cutter.
"Come on you acidic son of a bitch!" Isaac yelled firing off a grenade.
Scootaloo Swung out with her tentacles and pinned the Slasher to the wall before sticking the nozzle of her flame thrower directly into its mouth and pulled the trigger.
'Holy shit... now that's a bit overkill.' Isaac thought, entranced by the flames.
She kept doing it; she kept the trigger down until the fire was coming out from its chest. They reloaded again and went to the next door after moving a cabinet.
He and Applebloom ran out, he was about to fire when Scootaloo yelled for them to move. When he did, a stasis canister flew overhead followed by an explosive tank from her Flame thrower.
They all ran forward, Isaac stopping at the door.
"Sweetiebelle! Come on! We need you in here!" Isaac yelled over his comm as Scootaloo opened the door.
"Open the door and go in, I'll slide under!" She commanded.
They went in, before the door closed, Sweetiebelle rolled in and struck a pose similar to his when they dive-bombed from space.
"Now that's just showing off." Isaac said.
The room was dark but had a brownish light coming from the poorly cleaned windows. Rusted pipes lined the side and unsteady metal crisscrossed under foot.
"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "How are we all doing on ammo? I barely used any."
"I might need more petroleum for my Flamethrower." Scootaloo said. "And maybe some Force energy? I'm not sure."
"I'm almost out on Pulse rifle ammo." Isaac said. "I have two clips left and one grenade."
"Ah'm almost out of Plasma energy and Line racks." Applebloom pouted. "Ah guess ah'm still good."
"Well, we'd better get going." Sweetiebelle said going to the lift. "The Marker isn't going to destroy itself, now is it?"
"Come on you two, we've got some deconstruction to do." Isaac said going onto the lift followed shortly by the other two crusaders.
He looked down at Sweetiebelle, who's ears immediately perked up.
"Guess who’s back." She said.
"Dammit..." Isaac sighed. "Do we even want to know where?" He said. 'Please don't tell us. For the sake of what sanity we have left.'
"Somewhere inside there." Sweetiebelle pointed at the door ahead.
"Then, let's see if we can't throw it off our trail." Isaac said getting out his Line gun. 'The fuck did I just think!?'
"Well show this thing why ya don't mess with the Apple's." Applebloom said taking out her Pulse rifle.
"It may not have a soul, but I don't have a heart for anything like that." Scootaloo said taking out her Force gun.
They all proceeded slowly, weapons aimed at the door ahead. Waiting to see it come open and a pair of blades to shred them to bits.
Isaac opened the door and peered in, lowered his weapon and took the first step inside.
"Are you sure-" He was saying but was cut off when the vent was ripped apart. 'Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!'
The Ubermorph looked at Isaac, blinked and raised one of its arms.
Scootaloo sent it into the wall, holding it there while Applebloom got rid of the fuse.
They all ran in, and stopped at a dead-end.
'Fuuuuuu-' Isaac thought as he clenched his fists. They all looked back and saw the Ubermorph coming in.'uuck...!'
"Hang on, I've got an idea. I just need to check some blue prints." Scootaloo said, tapping away furiously on her screen.
she only focused on the screen all other noise was mainly static to her, her eyes narrowed, ears splayed back as she bit her lip, tapping away through all the blue-prints.
"There's only two ways this is going to end." Isaac said before running up to the Ubermorph. "And you’re not one of them!" He punched it across the face and jumped back to avoid a slash.
It swung at him again, he dodged it. The crusaders were nothing but static to him as he held its blades away from his chest.
"Whoo hoo, go Isaac." Scootaloo twirled a hoof around in mild interst before her eyes lit up. "I've got it! We need to throw it into the vent!" She yelled excitedly.
"Alright," Isaac groaned, holding back a pair of blades. "How do we turn it around? And, help goddammit!" He yelled.
"Isaac step back and go behind it, I need you to punch it!" Sweetiebelle yelled. "I'll do the rest!"
He groaned once and threw the blades down before turning around. Her went behind it and raised a fist. He looked at her and saw her horn glowing, out of the corner of his eye, he saw his own fist light up too.
'This is going to hurt like hell, but it'll be worth it.' He thought smugly.
"Now! Punch it!" She yelled.
He swung forward, and when his fist touched the Ubermorph, his fist flashed before a small explosion came from it and sent the Ubermorph back towards the vent.
"Ow... ow... this really hurts." He said cradling his hand. "It might be sprained at best." He moved a few fingers. 'Son of a bitch!'
The Ubermorph got up and continued walking towards them.
Applebloom ran first and rammed into it, making it stagger back a few steps. She retreated and let Sweetiebelle go next. She did the same and retreated.
Scootaloo shot her Force gun using the alternate fire mode and sent it right at the grate. It was only hanging on by its blades. Slowly, Isaac made his way over, a smile on his face.
'I should be able to have a little fun before I die, right?'
"This is Sparta!" He yelled. He turned back to see the crusaders give him questioning looks. "Hey, if I'm going to die in a few moments, I might as well have some fun."
They shrugged before going around the corner, himself quickly following. As they went out to the catwalk, they didn't hear or see a single blade dig into the side and raise its owner up.
The Marker.
"So, this is it." Sweetiebelle said.
"Eeyup." Applebloom said.
"The end game." Scootaloo said.
"Our end, that is. And its." Isaac said walking forward.
When they were almost at the light that was Nicole, a spike shot out and went through Isaac's shoulder. With a grunt of pain, he slowly pulled it out.
"The research we put in that Marker, is worth every life lost." A half Kentucky-fried half normal Tiedmann said limping forward with a Javelin gun.
'How the fuck are you still alive!?' Isaac thought, raising a hand as Teidmann fired another shot. 'And I'm a dumb ass for doing that. Fuck this hurts!
The crusaders stared, angered but also scared and let the scene play out for themselves.
They were at arm’s reach now.
"I won't let you throw all this away." Tiedmann said raising the gun.
He fired but Isaac swerved to the left and grabbed Tiedmann by the arm, broke it and was about to shoot a javelin through his neck when he saw Sweetiebelle staring.
'She deserves it more than me.' He thought. "Sweetiebelle, why don't you do it?" He asked.
"Me?" She asked. "I thought you wanted to do it, for your parents?"
"I never really knew them anyway. But, he did kill you at one time, remember?"
A grimace found its way onto her muzzle as she walked up to Tiedmann.
"What... are you going to... do to me?" He wheezed.
"Give you a taste of your own medicine." She said before her horn sprouted out from her head on a stalk and rammed into his skull.
Instead of the desired effect, he was still alive. Only, he was changing, healing too.
A small stub came out from his fore-head, his hands and feet melded together by their own digits. His face became longer, his sharper teeth flattened and his eyes became monstrously huge. When it ended, he was covered in a coat of brown fur.
"What... what did you do to me!?" He yelled shocked and furious.
'Damn!' Isaac thought, looking towards Nicole, he went over. 'It's now or never...'
She gently put her hands around his head, the light was still blinding but he could still see her.
"Thank you Isaac. Now... " She said sincerely, pausing to say the next words. "Time to die!"
The light turned back into the original yellow and brown, the lights in her face connected to him. he saw nothing but his own brains before landing on a floating island.
The lights were the same as before, the Marker, out in front of him, Nicole speaking from nowhere, yet, everywhere.
"Yours is the last body we need to be reborn!" She yelled. "The makers must be absorbed."
"The makers?" He asked confused. "You mean me? But Stross said we could destroy the Marker."
"Not if we consume you first!" She yelled appearing at the other edge of the floating rock.
"Goddammit, I trusted you!" he yelled, fury taking over all parts of him. "Fuck you!... And fuck your Marker!" He raised his Plasma cutter to her, and fired.
Followed by the crusaders firing too. He nodded them over and they stood there ground as the Pack, black and misty came out from the edges of the rock.
He raised his Plasma cutter and started to walk forward, firing as he went.
The others were left to deal with the Pack.
"Wow..." Sweetiebelle said looking at herself. "I look like them..." She formed a sharp-toothed mist grin. "Awesome." She said running forward.
"Looks like it’s just you and me now, Scoot's." Applebloom said getting flank to flank with her friend. "Ready?"
"Ready." Scootaloo replied, herself as mist as Sweetiebelle.
She was different. Her wings and face were a white like Sweeties, only with two black swirling masses for eyes. Her tentacles the same color, and her wings also. But she didn't just have wings, she had her horn.
"Get them." She said before charging.
Sweetiebelle tore through the Necromorph's like a blowtorch through ice.
She saw two jump at her from the sides, she stuck out her hooves and impaled with two blades before throwing them forcefully at the others.
Her horn charged up, she sent out a small shockwave of yellow energy at her back hooves. The Pack that were near her, disappeared leaving behind ammo and a health pack.
She picked that up with mild interest before throwing it over her shoulder.
Scootaloo and Applebloom were tearing through the rest of the pack even easier.
Scootaloo saw a lone Pack member run at her. She rolled her misty eyes before her horn charged up. Two slabs or rock smashed together, sandwiching the Necromorph. She looked over at Applebloom, who, was bucking the rest of them or was shooting them with her Pulse rifle. A clear psychotic grin on her face.
"Ah've fought tree's tougher than yall!" She yelled, wiping a small pack of them out with a grenade blast. "What are ya!? An Alien weapon or a crayon!?"
Scootaloo stared on in slight horror at the damage her friend was causing.
All of them stopped when the 'world' flashed yellow temporarily. They all saw Isaac firing away at the markers, and its exposed heart.
"Everyone! Shoot it!" He said reloading. It closed after a slight amount of damage had been done and Nicole appeared again, to the side. "Dammit." He cursed.
"Give up Isaac." She said.
"Would you shut up!" He yelled.
Before she could take a step forward, a large chunk of rock landed on her followed by a large fireball that shattered it. He looked at Sweetiebelle as she pointed to Nicole again.
She was not happy.
Out from the edges came Slashers and a Brute, followed by more of the Pack. They ran past Isaac and instead, went after the crusaders.
"It's just you and me, pumpkin." She said hollowly.
"Fuck you!" He yelled firing another bolt of Plasma at her.
"Isaac, stop, you’re hurting me."
"Die!"
As they had their fight, the crusaders were having their own trouble.
"Yall think ah'm gonna go down that easy!?" Applebloom yelled as Slasher's surrounded her. "Then yall should have brought more of ya friends." She took out her Line gun and began firing away.
The front area was clear but the ones behind her were moving at her too quickly.
Sweetiebelle tackled them and tore them to shreds with her blades, not caring about her weapons.
"Thanks." Applebloom nodded. "Look out!" She aimed her Line gun at the approaching Brute and was met with a click. "Uh oh..."
Sweetiebelle jumped out of the way, hissing as her horn charged up again. She lifted the Brute up and spread it apart.
She set it on the ground and jumped on it, tearing into its exposed shoulders. She pinned it down and the front of her throat dissolved, her eyes becoming white and milky. She arched her head back and let forth a torrent of fresh acid.
She gave a little high pitched roar before going to her friend’s side. There, they both had Slasher’s and Pack on both sides.
All of them charged, Sweetiebelle and Applebloom sat down, hoof bumped and watched as both parties were crushed by Scootaloo.
She wiped her tentacles of and cut another Slasher in half with her wings before bucking another out of existence.
The world flashed yellow again; they all automatically turned and started to fire at the Marker heart. It shook the 'world' as a hole, oozing black liquid came from it.
It closed and Nicole appeared again, at the other end of where Isaac was. He turned around but was stopped when Scootaloo held him back.
"Look at the corners of the rock she's at." She said.
He looked and saw two large shoulders swirling like smoke behind each rock cover.
"What are you waiting for Isaac?" Nicole called out. "Finish me!"
"Sweetiebelle, Scootaloo, blow that bitch to China and back, would you?" He said crossing his arms.
They both stepped forward, energy building up in their horns. The amount sending arcane sparks flying everywhere, scorching the ground beneath them. In unison, they both fired.
The grown was melted as the twin balls of energy rocketed towards the surprised Nicole. She disappeared before they hit, but the Brute's died.
She re-appeared at the edge they were at. This time, A Tripod came up.
Sweetiebelle rolled her eyes before running at it.
It swung down, splintering rock as it did. She grabbed onto its claw, sunk her blades into it and held on. She arched her head back and poured on more acid, melting the claw. She landed safely as it stood with a limp.
It swung out with its tail, she jumped and when it came back, she was flung forward. She gave a growl before carving a hole down its underside. She climbed in and barely visible through the black mist of the creature. She shot out Cyst's, tearing the inside apart as it wailed and clawed at its chest in pain.
Nicole made it vanish with a wave of her hand. Sweetiebelle quickly ran back to her friends and stood there, glaring.
"Get your weapon's ready." Isaac said. "Were going to use everything we have." He took out his Pulse rifle and Line gun.
Scootaloo took out her ripper's, Flame thrower and Force gun; all of them being held by a red glow.
Sweetiebelle took out her Seeker rifle, Contact beam, Javelin gun and Plasma cutter; all of them held in her own crimson glow.
Applebloom took out her Pulse rifle and Plasma cutter, dual-wielding them, a thin grin etched onto her muzzle.
"Give her hell!" Isaac yelled.
Nicole was lost in sight as the hail of gun fire, Plasma and fire-based engulfed her. Only then did they stop when the marker opened up again.
As they fired, Nicole slowly reappeared behind them. She slowly walked up to them, unnoticed.
Before any of them knew what was happening, she swatted Applebloom and Scootaloo away like gnats with a flick of her wrist. She kicked Sweetiebelle behind her and grabbed Isaac by the throat.
"After I have consumed you!" She yelled. "I'll find a way to spread convergence to you little pets world too!" She yelled, eyes burning with a brown glow.
Sweetiebelle was blurry eyed, her head hurt from the sudden hit. She sat up, rubbed a lump and focused on the image in front of her.
"I'll find a way to spread convergence to you little pets world too!" Yelled Nicole, holding Isaac by the throat.
Her eyes widened before narrowing. She looked to her side and saw her Javelin gun. She picked it up and aimed.
"You want to absorb something?" She asked.
"You!?" Nicole spun around and dropped Isaac in surprise.
She shot a javelin straight through Nicole's glowing mouth, it went through and she disappeared leaving the Marker open. The javelin kept going and punctured the heart, Sweetiebelle grinned and pulled the trigger for the alternate fire.
Her and her friends smiled as they saw electricity dance across the heart before it exploded. Symbols and light flashing in and out, forward and past it and them.
They all suddenly found themselves back in reality.
The station was falling apart, rocks the size of mini-vans fell from the walls. Alarms blared warnings, the Marker, destroy and crumbling.
Isaac looked at the crusaders and gave them a small smile before sitting down. A frown on his face. They all got onto his lap and laid their heads there, comforting him in their last moments.
"Warning: Reactor containment destabilized. A reactor breach is imminent. Evacuation personnel is required. This is not a drill." Blared a alarm, the warning deaf in their ears.
"Isaac?" Applebloom mumbled.
"Yeah bloom?"
"If'n we had made it out, and you came back with us. You'd make a great part of the apple clan. Before we go, I'd like ya to know... ah think of ya as a second brother. Big mac's fine but, it gets lonely when he's not around. You've been here for more ways than one... thank you..." She silently cried tears of happiness.
He smiled but that disappeared when an enraged Ellie and two terrified guards appeared on his screen.
"You complete bastard!" She yelled. "Was this your great plan? Dump me off and die?"
"I'm full of bad ideas, remember?" He said lightly.
"He is." The crusaders replied.
"Yeah, well, here's another one. I'm crashing through the roof to get you. Now move your ass!"
"Wait! No! Ellie! Ellie, it's too late! Steer clear of the station!" He ordered abruptly getting up.
"Isaac, it’s never too late for love." Applebloom said. "Let her."
The entire room shook and in another flash of light, Ellie punched a hole through the roof and down came the gunship.
"Warning: Hull breach. Decompression." Said another alarm.
Isaac and the others were flung upwards towards the vortex.
"We can still get out of here!" Scootaloo yelled. "Come on!"
The others and her ignited the extra thrusters in their boots and sped up.
Small flacks of the Marker crunched against the RIG's as they went.
"Keep clear of the large shards!" Isaac yelled as they all passed over a large chunk of the destroyed Marker.
They saw another chunk and flew under immediately. Afterwards, another chunk came from the middle and they all went through the gap in the middle, making sure a barb didn't catch them.
They flew past another piece as it came from the right, after that, a piece from above.
They could all feel the heat from the gunships thrusters now, they could feel freedom. And it smelled like gasoline.
With a final boost, Scootaloo grabbed Isaac and the others, using her wings and magic to propel them along, they crashed into the ship cabin and saw the guards close the door as they entered space and the station exploded.
Ponyville.
"That... was... awesome!" Rainbow Dash cheered.
"Go bloom!" Applejack and Big Macintosh yelled together.
"She made it, she made it out..." Applejack cried happily into her brothers shoulder.
"Eeyup." Came his usual response, only his muzzle had the biggest grin imaginable.
"Way to ruin the mood Mac. Using your wide vocabulary." Applejack teased.
"Hey!" Discord yelled. "Hey listen! I can get them back! That Marker thing was what was preventing it! Now I can get them back!" He clicked his goat leg and dragon foot together in the air.
"Well do it!" The crowd yelled.
He put a talon to the mirror and it started to shimmer.
Deep space. Gun ship. Noble 6.
"Ah can't believe we did it." Applebloom breathed out. "That was horrible." She laughed.
"Yeah," Scootaloo said. "It was boring just picking up souls like that. It got boring halfway through."
The others just stared at her before laughing.
"And!" Sweetiebelle chirped merrily. "I got a souvenir! I got the Peng treasure!"
"Yeah, that's great." Ellie said. "And Isaac, since its Christmas and all..." She smiled before pulling him close and kissing him.
"Aww..." The crusaders said. "Ewww... Ellie, don't you know where he's been?" They grimaced.
"Nowhere worse than me." She said.
"I think that's a fairly decent present." Isaac smirked.
She slapped him, leaving a red mark.
"And that's all you'll get for a week after that little stunt." She hissed walking to the controls.
He turned to the crusaders, smiling.
"Women, what can I say?"
"Isaac," Applebloom said. "Is it really Christmas?"
"Yeah, it is. Why?"
The crusaders looked at each other and huddled together, occasionally looking up at Isaac. They dispersed and Applebloom unfolded her helmet.
"Isaac, ah know it’s not much, but..." She reached into her mane and pulled out a single gold bit. "Merry Christmas from the three of us."
He took the bit and looked at it; he smiled gently before putting it in his armor, right where his heart would be.
“Wait!” Sweetiebelle said. “I messed up the punch-line!” She threw her hooves in the air in frustration.
“Sweetie, what are ya talking bout’?” Applelboom asked.
“When we we’re fighting Nicole! It was what I said to her before I shot her in the mouth! And I missed the Punch-line!”
Everyone aboard, looked at her before bursting into laughter.
Isaac finally calmed down enough to speak. "I'd say this is the strangest Christmas-the hell is that?" He raised his gun at the small ball of light appearing in the back. "Ellie! We've got... something!"
"What?" She looked back and pulled out her Pulse rifle. The guards at the ready too.
"Ah… ah think we know what it is..." Applebloom said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Home."
The light expanded suddenly and in a flash, a horned equine head popped through.
"Hey kiddos!" Discord smiled.
Unfortunately, the crew members were startled and Isaac accidentally shot a grenade out.
Discord was blown back in a wall of smoke.
"Shit..." Isaac groaned. "Sorry!" He yelled.
"Bye Isaac, bye Ellie, bye guards!" the crusaders waved sadly as they went.
"Hey," Isaac saw a small grey blur on his screen. "I just got an achievement. My Little Dead Space: Friendship is Engineering. Sweet."
"Bye." They all waved.
"Who knows, maybe I'll see you all again? Hopefully under better circumstances." Isaac said.
"Me too, Isaac. Me too..." Applebloom cried, she gave a last wave and went through.
The portal closed, leaving the cabin heavy with sorrow for the exit of the latest arrivals.
"Well, atleast Scootaloo didn't get all my money." Isaac smiled, reaching into his pocket. "Wait... she took my wallet! Damn you Scootaloo! Damn you!" Isaac yelled to the heavens.
Ponyville.
The crowd was in an uproar. Confetti and compliments were being thrown around. The crusaders just stood there, staring poker-faced at everything.
"Welcome back my subjects." Celestia said. "Is there anything you'd like to say to the others here?"
They all glanced at each other before turning back to Celestia.
And they walked away to the side.
They all sat over at a nearby table, Scootaloo passing out menus. Applebloom inspected her Plasma cutter while Sweetiebelle examined her Peng and Scootaloo, Scootaloo was going through her schematics she downloaded.
"Applebloom!" Applejack yelled, rushing her sister and tackling her in a bear hug. "Oh me and Mac and granny and... heck! Everypony were worried bout' yall! Ah'm so glad your back..." She cried into her sister’s mane.
"Applejack!" Applebloom whined. "Not in front of our ruler!"
"Ah missed you so much!" Applejack shook her sister around.
Scootaloo decided to help spare her friend and used her tentacles to pry AJ off.
"Thanks Scoot's." Applebloom breathed.
"No prob-"
"Scootaloo?"
She stopped, her tentacles dropped to the ground. The entire crowd was silent. She slowly turned her head to see Rainbow Dash, looking quite nervous.
"I-I-I..." Scootaloo squeaked out.
"Listen, Scoot's..." Rainbow said. "Why didn’t you ever tell me? I wouldn't have thought of you any different?"
"Y-You wouldn't?" Scootaloo asked, tears starting to brim.
"Not at all." She shook her head.
Scootaloo burst forward and wrapped all of her tentacles around her idle. She cried ‘thank you’s’ and compliments as she buried her muzzle into her chest.
"Sweetiebelle!? Hey let me through! I say! Watch where you put that hoof!" Rarity said jumping up. "Over here!"
Sweetiebelle saw her sister stuck so; she slipped out of her suit. She stepped toward the crowd and they all backed away when she went to her full size.
When Rarity saw her, she was slightly afraid. But, she scolded herself and went forward.
"Sweetiebelle..." She said a small smile and tears on her muzzle. "You don’t know how happy I am your back..." She smiled before nuzzling her sister on the hoof.
"Uh... everyone!? We have a problem!" Discord said backing away from the mirror as it started to glow. "Something else is coming through!"
Sweetibelle immediately fell to pieces, slipped on her suit and joined her friends as they took their proper stances in front of the mirror.
The mirror had smoke pouring out, and out from it came a nightmare thought long gone.
The crowd gasped, staring, unmoving as the Necromorph came out like a demon from hell.
It gave a roar before going to the nearest pony.
Celestia.
"Scoot's! Throw me!" Applebloom demanded.
Scootaloo grabbed her friend and threw her across to the Necromorph. She hit it dead-center in the back.
It stumbled before turning around, blades coming down in and ark. She jumped and shot on of an arm off with her Plasma cutter, she grabbed the other arm and used its own force to flip it over.
"A little help would be nice!" She yelled slowing down its regeneration in stasis. "Now!"
Scootaloo ran up with Sweetiebelle, grabbed the Ubermorph by its legs and threw it away from the crowd. They all split as it went overhead, staring at it in horror.
It got up before getting blow up by Scootaloo shooting an explosive canister at it.
"Enough!" Celestia yelled. "You have threatened me and my subjects! Now you will-"
"Stay out of this!" The crusaders yelled. "This is our fight!"
She stared at them for a moment, all of them glaring right back. Quietly she took a step back and watched as they took out numerous weapons.
"Me and Scoot's will attack from the front, Sweetiebelle, you'll be up top. Everpony got it?" Applebloom asked as she saw the Ubermorph get up. "We don't have much time..."
It got up to its full height and started to walk towards them.
Applebloom ran forward, Plasma cutter in hoof. Scootaloo threw Sweetiebelle atop a roof as she took out her Seeker rifle. Scootaloo joined Applebloom, carrying her Ripper's.
Applebloom ran straight into the Ubermorph, retreated and letting Scootaloo sink two fresh blades into its hide and cut through numerous muscles and tendons. And then, she hit something metal.
Atop a building, Sweetiebelle was firing away with her Seeker rifle, taking off its arms and head whenever they grew back. Her rifle clicked empty, she sighed and took out her Contact beam.
'Only two shot's left!? I barely used it!' She thought angrily. "Girls," She said over the comm. "Step back. I'm going to finish this thing off once and for all." She narrowed her eyes.
"Are ya sure!?" Applebloom said, dodging another swipe. "Ah'm just gettin' warmed up."
"Yeah, I am." She said. "We know our weapons can't kill it, but, what about another Necromorph?"
"Sweetiebelle," Scootaloo said smashing the Ubermorph into the gravel. "I don’t mean to interject or anything, but did you forget it also regenerates?"
"No, but it doesn't have magic."
"Well hurry up!" Applebloom yelled. "It’s pushing forward towards those rock-legged ponies!"
Sweetiebelle jumped down and off a lamp post. She took off her suit as her friends went back to protect the crowd.
Lurker tentacles came out from her neck, a spinal tail came out through her tail, two Slasher blades came out from her back and spines came out from the sides of her fore-legs.
They both stopped, glaring at each other. Its own breath heavy in the new atmosphere.
Her eyes narrowed as she shot out three barbs from her Lurker tentacles, hitting it in a leg making it almost unusable.
She ran forward, magic increasing her own speed as she did so. She slammed into it, crawled onto its back and began cutting it with her Slasher blades; leaving deep, bloody gashes across its hide.
It quickly regenerated its lost skin and muscle, reaching behind it in a way its arms shouldn't bend, it knocked her off. She shook off the dust, but not before it impaled her through the chest.
She spit up blood before turning her insides into an acid sac. She smiled sadistically even as her own bottom jaw and throat melted away.
Its claw melted away from inside her, she fell to the ground, chest oozing acidic brown sludge.
She heaved and coughed up a large ball, hitting it in the legs. She jumped back slightly as it fell forward, its own legs dissolving underneath.
Once it was down she jumped up and began slashing with her blades again. She was about to sing her horn into it and freeze it partially when one of her blades hit something. She stopped, head cocked to the side.
'What the heck is in this thing?' She thought. 'Maybe it’s just shrapnel.' She shrugged before jumping off.
It slowly got up, unsteady from the acid still burning its legs. Once it was standing, it was pushed back when Sweetiebelle shot a blade through its chest.
She slowly walked up to it, stepped onto its chest and looked it in all five eyes. She scrunched up her nose as she got a whiff of its breath. She glared before charging her horn.
It started to glow a deep red, nearly black. It rose up on a Tripod stalk and in one swift movement, plunged into its chest.
The energy she was using burnt through its skin easily, only did it stop when she hit a rib. She forced her way through, breaking them as she went; only after she went through the rib-cage she hit something. Something that wasn't bone.
Confused, she looked at the wound before it closed; she could barely make out a small, black cartridge. She shrugged before taking her horn fully out and then charging it with electricity and stabbed the small box.
Only when her horn went through, did she realize what she had done. But it was already too late.
The Contact beam cartridge, loaded with unstable magic, exploded in a glorious blinding light. Sweetiebelle was thrown back into the pile of her own flesh, covered in flames with a smoke trail following her.
The crowd watched as she landed but looked back at where the Ubermorph was. And still was.
It was shaking on the ground, white bolts of electricity arching off its every surface. They died down to a flicker before it was left motionless.
Before they could blink, it shot up, rising by its feet. It started clawing at itself, its own flesh starting to bubble and smoke.
Its skin went from a silvery-grey to a black with red outlines. It started to grow a second set of blades coming out from its back. Its legs thickened and curved in the back like a predators, its blades sharpened to a fine point before ending in pincers, the inside of them having jagged serrated teeth.
It grew a mouth, soon, a brown acid started to leak out, it legs thinned out and bent back before a second pair grew, turning it into a Tormentor like Ubermorph. Finally, its eyes had turned a dark black, only the middle one on top was red.
It looked at itself, confused as to why it changed. Its gaze fell back onto the ponies in front of it. It walked forward, ominously, its breath casting out a small amount of acid as it did so.
The ponies could only stare in horror at it, frozen in fear. All but two.
Applebloom shot a grenade directly into its middle eye. It reared up in pain before seeing her atop a building.
It raised one of its pincers and brought it down; it didn't notice as Scootaloo teleported themselves away and onto its back. It turned back to the ponies, all of them staring at a different object now.
It didn't notice as it brought down another pincer, this one swinging from the side. Its intention to cut or crush the group in one fell sweep. What it didn't expect, was to be grabbed by a Drag Tentacle and thrown back to where it started.
Sweetiebelle, now at her full height, gave a roar of pure, adulterated rage as she glared at the monstrosity before her.
She sized it up. She was atleast twice as big and had twice as many weapons on her side. She grinned inwardly as she thought about her odds, that was, until she spotted an unusual spike on the evolved Ubermorph.
It had a horn.
A horn that was now glowing with a black energy, directed at her.
She raised a shield but even that was hard to keep up. She strained under the force, and relaxed slightly when she saw its own horn was a bright red at the tip.
'Obviously it doesn't know about magical convection.' She smirked inwardly. 'I should be able to out magic it though.'
She dropped the shield and charged her own spell. Fire spread across her horn as she sent a concentrated stream of fire at it. She felt the tip of her horn warm up slightly; she dropped the spell and quickly cooled it off with a quick ice spike.
The smoke cleared from the blast, she narrowed her eyes. From the smoke came a half disintegrated Ubermorph. The top half had been burnt away, blood trickling down the sides as it wobbled around, aimlessly without a head. It stopped and its upper torso regenerated, now covered in bone-plating.
Her eyes widened before she regained a confident stance. Using herself, she blocked its view of the ponies, her mandibles spread wide in fury.
It charged forward, she did the same.
They both collided with each other, Sweetiebelle clawing at its chest while it stabbed her in the back.
She grabbed on of its pincers and tore that off, in response, it sunk another into her right back leg. She roared in pain before biting onto its head, with a firm tug she pulled it off and watched as it swung wildly.
She backed up, charged her horn and held multiple shards of rock.
Its head grew back, it looked at her and then it was blinded when she launched the rock into its eyes.
She jumped onto it as it turned around. She got a grip onto its shoulder and hung on with her spine tail. She sunk her blades down deep into its back. It reared up again and tried to cut her off. Frustrated, it sent a charge of electricity through its own body.
She fell to the ground twitching. She looked up and saw it pick her up, unable to do anything, she felt it tear into her. Tearing her back legs off and clawing her insides out. For the finishing blow, it took a grip on her throat and decapitated her. Atleast that's what it looked like at first.
Her hooves fell off from their limbs and her head grew three tentacles. Now the separate limbs went on the attack and began stabbing the Ubermorph.
It flailed all of its limbs, scratching and tearing more at itself than the annoying body parts. He let out a throaty roar that made most of the ponies shrink back, but only enraged the parts more.
It struck again, this time with its horn. The parts fell off, wriggling and twitching. It puffed out its chest and sent a ball of acid onto them.
Sweetiebelle, now having regenerated her lost limbs, stood in front of it. Growling like a savage animal, her horn alight.
'I will kill you for all the lives you things have taken!' She mentally yelled. 'For the lives on Titan, the Ishimura, the Colony and Isaac's parents!'
That last thought; that last thought made something click inside her plated head. Her eyes glazed over, she became still but her horn started to have a white energy swirl like a snowstorm around her horn.
She turned around, facing the crowd and let a slow stream of magic flow out. It was as white as looking into the snow directly when the sun's out, the look made it look like taffy almost.
The residents moved away as it suddenly shot down into the ground.
Rock started to go up, spiraling. It thinned and widened before taking a prominent shape. They all watched in curiosity, horror and confusion as the final pieces were shaped.
A white Marker stood there. As big as the red one Isaac had destroyed on the Ishimura but, instead of glowing red, the symbols pulsed a gentle blue. All of them looking at it felt the fear slowly trickle away to be replaced by a sense of safety and bliss.
Her eyes fluttered momentarily, she shook her head and looked at her creation.
'Alex isn't going to be happy about this...' She said in her mind. A shriek went through the air, but it wasn't from any of the residents. 'What's wrong with you?' She thought annoyed at the Ubermorph.
She looked back and saw it was flailing away, moving quickly back, but, upon further inspection, it was being pushed back. She stared in mild confusion before taking it as an advantage.
She charged forward, Drag Tentacles grabbing it by the arms. She lifted it up in the air before smashing it to the sides, over and over until it was unrecognizable. She let go and backed away, waiting as it regenerated.
It got up slowly, keeping all five eyes trained on her. it was about to swing but its arm came short, as if it hit an invisible wall.
It looked around, skittering back and forth like a cockroach in the open. Looking, searching for a way past the wall.
It gave up and stood there facing Sweetiebelle, staring as she did the same.
'What's wrong with you? I'm right here.' She pondered, tilting her head to the side. 'Maybe it’s got to do with the Marker... the Marker I built.' Her eyes snapped open.
She quickly turned around and grabbed her Marker with a Drag Tentacle. She looked back at the Ubermorph, slowly bringing it closer. It went back as she brought it forward.
Her mandibles clicked together in delight. She brought it over in a sudden jerk and the Ubermorph went flying back, as if hit with a bomb.
It got up and as she brought it closer again, it shot a glob of acid and hit her in the face. Unprepared, she threw the Marker to the side and began wiping her muzzle and eyes clean. It charged forward and grabbed her by the throat.
It raised a pincer and took hold of her horn, and twisted. It broke free with a snap, sparks shooting out in small bursts as it threw her to the side. She landed heavily against the Marker.
It was just enough room for it to get through the gap. It proceeded forward, towards the group of ponies. Unaware of what was behind it.
Sweetiebelle laid there. Broken, splitting head ache and without magic.
'I guess I failed...' She thought. 'Sorry Equestria, I did my best. But my best wasn't enough.' She closed her eyes.
She felt a sudden vibrating; she opened her eyes and saw it was her Marker. It was glowing a bright blue, inching towards her.
She looked at it before an idea struck her.
She got up shakily, opened her mouth, and swallowed the Marker.
The Ubermorph was closing in; it could smell its prey.
It stood, towering in front of the ponies. It lifted a pincer and swung down.
Its pincer stopped right above a mare, halted by a sudden force that made it shoot right back into its chest. It whirled around and saw Sweetiebelle, standing there, with her Marker as a new horn.
It backed away slightly as she came forward.
She flicked her head to the side; its arms were folded against itself. The tip of the Marker lit up, glowing with a blue light. It fired off a stream of energy, coating the Ubermorph in ice.
When the cloud dissipated, it was only a quarter of its size. Sweetiebelle circled it momentarily, looking for cracks. Satisfied, she rose onto her back hooves, grabbed the Ubermorph with her Drag Tentacles and swallowed the Ubermorph.
The crowd stared in shock, a few of them fainted.
She got back down on all fours before the Marker lit up a dim red. A cloud of smoke started to pour out from her maw and in seconds, she spit out a pile of ash. She blew that away with a simple snort before letting herself fall back into slices. The Marker standing straight up, guarding its master and her home.
It’s home.
Their home.
"Sweetiebelle!" Her friends ran up to her, amazed expressions written across their muzzles.
"That was the most awesome thing I've ever seen!" Scootaloo said.
"Even ah couldn't cause that much damage!" Applebloom patted her on the back.
"Sweetiebelle was it?" Celestia asked walking up.
The crusaders did a quick bow.
"Y-yes...?" Sweetiebelle said.
"On behalf of all of Equestria, myself, my sister and everypony here, we thank you for saving us." And she made the crusaders tiny mouths drop. She bowed.
"Actually..." Sweetiebelle said. "You have me and my friends to thank. They did help."
"Yes, yes they did. Now then, what are your names?"
"My pony name is Scootaloo Pagefinder, but my real name is Slenderloo Pagefinder." Scootaloo said.
"Applebloom Apple." Applebloom said.
"Sweetiebelle Gem." Sweetiebelle said.
"Then, I think a stain glass window is in order, perhaps in the throne room?"
"Now hold on," Applebloom said. "Ah don't mean to impose, but, we can't accept that."
"Really? Why is that?" She asked, a small smile making its way out.
"Because, ya would be forgetting the most important member of our team. Isaac." She smiled. "He taught us what we know after all."
"I think that is suitable. Now, what do you say to a small party?"
"Nope!" They all replied.
"We just want to go get something to eat and go to sleep." Sweetiebelle yawned. "We've had a rough time..." She licked her lips in disgust. "And my mouth tastes like ash and copper."
"Then go and rest. Now," She looked to the Marker. "What to do about that?"
"Um, your majesty?" Applebloom said. "Ah think ah have an idea to solve a few problems and prevent a few. If'n ya could spare a private meeting for us, we could explain."
"A private meeting? Is it something urgent?"
"You could say that." She nodded. "Ah have to talk we the others first. So, uh, ah guess bye?"
"Farewell my little..." She giggled slightly. "Engineer."
Applebloom smiled and she and her friends were about to turn when they hear an all too familiar voice.
"Oh no..." They all face-hooved.
The mirror shimmered again, this time a man in black armor came running out.
"LLLLeeeeeerrrrrooooooyyyy JJJJJeeeeennnnkkkkiiiinnnnssss!" He yelled, Pulse rifle raised in the air.
He stopped in front of SnowFlake, the tall buff pony.
"Where am I?" He asked himself, not even bothered he ran atleast forty miles in a hundred and fifty pound armor. "Are you a pony?"
"Yeah!" SnowFlake replied.
"Then run!" Leeroy said. "All right, let's do this! Leeerrrrrrrrooooyyyy! Jeeeennnkkkiiinnnss!" He yelled as they both ran off.
"Wait for me!" Lyra yelled. "I want to go too!" She too, ran off with them.
"What... what just happened?" Celestia asked.
"Leeroy is what happened." Scootaloo sighed. "Come on crusaders, let’s go home."
And so, the crowd dispersed, leaving only Celestia, Alex who had fallen asleep during Isaac's and the crusaders Marker fight, Discord, and Twilight.
"Come Twilight, let us clean this up and then wake him up." Celestia said passing her student.
As they took swept up the rocks and other rubble, Alexander snorted and yawned.
"Oh... what the hell happened here?" He asked half awake.
"Necromorph’s." Twilight answered.
He shot out of the chair, legs digging into the dirt.
"Where!? Where are they!?" He yelled. "I'll kill them all!"
"It’s already dead, the crusaders took care of it."
"Oh... okay then. So," his voice took a low tone. "Why is there a Marker here?" He gritted his teeth.
"Sweetiebelle made it."
"What? Sweetiebelle? Rarity's sister?" He asked. "She made it?"
"From what we saw yeah, she did. And, it seems to be under control. Shouldn't it have brought the ponies back from the graveyard?"
"Yeah..." he looked around. ”But I still don't trust it. She'd better keep an eye on that or else a needle won’t be the only thing going in it."
His horn lit up and he teleported away, Celestia shortly after.
"Well, now what?" Twilight asked herself.
"Party?" Pinkie asked coming out of a man-hole.
"Later... we will party later, Pinkie." Twilight said.
And as cliché as the last time she did it. Luna flew in.
“I saw the explosions. Did I miss anything?” She asked.
“I’ll tell you!” Pinkie said. “It all started when-”
Sweetapple Acres.
"G'night." Applebloom said.
"Good night." Applejack said.
"Night." Mac said.
"No... ah don't want any cider..." Granny Smith snored in her rocker.
Applebloom went up the stairs and turned to her room. She opened the door and shut it quietly.
She smiled, looking at the bed. She slipped out of her suit, blood still caked on most of it. She set it aside and put the Plasma cutter under her pillow.
That night. She slept soundly.
The Carousel Boutique.
"Good night Rarity." Sweetiebelle said.
"Good night Sweetie." Rarity said smiling at her.
She went up to her room, closed the door and slipped out of her suit.
She smiled as she felt the carpet under her hooves, and she smiled even more when she jumped into bed.
She rolled over, letting the cool winter air wash over her. All the while, she fell asleep, staring at a small gold statue on her desk.
A Creepy part in the Everfree forest.
"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" Slenderloo called out.
She walked up to her rotting stump home. It was black with dead moss; vines crawled up the sides and a small welcome mat at the front door.
Two figures, one a faceless white alicorn with a business suit and tentacles coming out of his back emerged from the darkness. He was followed by a young looking mare with swirled eyes, a purple coat and a small propeller beanie.
"Slenderloo? Where have you been?" The father asked.
"I was trapped in a different dimension fighting horrible nightmarish creature called Necromorph's." She said. "I even got my cutie mark in hacking!"
"That's wonderful news!" He said. "Now come along, it's time for bed."
In deep space, two former guards a disgruntled engineer and a confused ship pilot flew past the stars.
"Isaac? What's wrong?" Ellie asked.
"She took my wallet! It had my card in it!?" He yelled dramatically putting an elbow on the window.
"What card? Your credit card?"
"No, my man Card." He sighed. "Now, now I'm just Isaac Clarke, class four engineer, Necromorph slayer, Marker destroyer and all around bad-ass."
"Man Card? What's that?"
"It proves you’re a man. If you don't have one, then you’re just a guy."
"There's a difference?" She asked slightly interested.
"Of course there is!" He yelled, throwing his arms in the air. "A man is someone you go, 'Oh shit! We got a bad-ass over here.' While with a guy it’s just 'Oh hey, morning neighbor.' It's just not the same."
"Right..." She nodded slowly. "Does it do anything else?"
"I can get discounts at Mc. Donalds. And if I get it stamped three times at the meeting, I get a free pie."
"There's meetings?" She asked laughing slightly. "That's a bit ridiculous."
She heard the two guards gasp sharply.
"You two too?" She asked.
They pulled out their own man Cards. Both of them silver with gold trimmings, a battle axe crossing a sword on the front.
"I'm stuck on a ship of lunatics." Ellie hit her head on the dash.
"You also kissed one." Isaac said propping his feet onto the front of the dash and folding his hands behind his head. "Goodnight." In seconds he was asleep.
"Hey, guards." Ellie said.
"Yeah?" They replied.
"Get me a sharpie."
They rummaged around and the one on the left handed her a marker.
"If we're going to be stuck here," She took off the cap, a mischievous smile on her lips. "We're going to have some fun."
"The crusaders aren't!" A chubby grey colt in the back said. "I think there coming here now."
As on cue, Applebloom, Sweetiebelle and Scootaloo all came in, wearing their suits. (Cleaned, of course.)
Cheerilee stood there, staring at the small fillies as they took their seats.
"Here ya go Mrs. Cheerilee," Applebloom took an apple out of her inventory and set it down on Cheerilee's desk with her suits kinesis. "Fresh picked from the top."
"Applebloom, you know how I feel about weapons. Especially around me." She said. "Could you put away the small... glowing thingy?"
"Ma'h Plasma cutter ain't a weapon. It's a mining tool. It's used to cut through small and weak rock along with thin metal beams and pipes. Ma'h line gun is a larger one and ma'h Pulse rifle I left at the farm. That's a weapon."
"O-Ok..." Cheerilee said. "Do you have your research papers on the religion you chose?" She smiled. "If so, who would like to go first?"
Three hooves went up immediately.
"Applebloom, Scootaloo, Sweetiebelle come and share what you did your paper on." She moved to the side, eying the apple warily, checking for bruises.
The crusaders went up to the front of the class, a small paper in Scootaloo's hoof.
"Our paper is on Unitology." She said.
There we're murmurs of confusion, Cheerilee looked the most puzzled.
"Girls, I thought I told the class to do a paper on a real, religion?" She asked.
"It is real." Applebloom said. "It was one back in Isaac's world. Didn't ya see when we were in the church?"
"Well, I suppose it should be alright, proceed."
Scootaloo cleared her throat and began again.
"Unitology was founded by a man named, Michael Altman. He was the one who found the black Marker, the object of worship among Unitologist’s. He had discovered it in the old Gulf of Mexico on the dying earth. He died a martyr, but in his questionable and unknown death, Unitology rose and became a quickly growing religion. The Unitologist’s say that the Marker shall bring glorious convergence and have us all become one, giving us eternal peace." She looked up from the paper. "And done."
Mrs. Cheerilee could only stare; her and the other students could only stare with their mouths hanging open.
Slowly, one student began to clap. And the rest followed. The whole class at one time was filled with cheers and whistles.
"That was very interesting, I'd say you three get an A+." Cheerilee said.
"Uh, thanks." Applebloom said. "It was a bit easy."
After the quick stamp on the paper, they all went to go sit back down. Sweetiebelle the only one who seemed slightly discomforted.
She got out of her seat and slipped off her suit. When her flank was clear, she stared limply at it.
"I've got my Ripper's." Scootaloo said, keeping the guards on so they wouldn't tear the seat.
"I've got my Seeker rifle." Sweetiebelle said.
"Uh huh." He just nodded dumbly. "So, I saw the new window up in the throne room. Not even the Element's or saving of my wife's empire is in there. What exactly did you three and, him. Do to get up there?"
"We had to fight our way through a space station of Necromorph's while avoiding traps, Unitologist's and destroying the, now, fifth most dangerous thing in existence." Sweetiebelle said.
"I'd say that deserves it. What was his name by the way? The engineer is what I mean."
"Isaac," Applebloom said. "Isaac Clarke."
"I saw how he fought; it was decent considering he had no military training. I'd be proud to fight by his side."
"You would." They all said.
"Hey, Shinning. " Scootaloo said. "I've got some stuff left over from our trip. Here." She threw him a one-thousand credit bar.
"What is it?" He asked staring at the hologram.
"A thousand credits. It's the currency where Isaac's from. I hacked Earth Gov's mainframe and got their entire funds. And I also hacked Isaac's account..."
"I'm guessing he wasn't happy?" Shinning laughed.
"He didn't really catch on. But, I do have his man Card."
Before she could pull it out, the chariot stopped and the door opened.
The crusaders got out, a small group of guards around them.
They walked through the massive doors of the castle, quickly going down the hall to the throne room doors.
As a guard was charging his horn to open them, Applebloom put her hoof on his leg.
"Let me, ah'm sure ya could use a break for all the other times, right?"
He nodded and she stuck out her hoof. A white beam of light hit the door, she tugged a little and the door opened. The guards dispersed and they entered, the door shutting behind them.
"Hello crusaders." Celestia said. "I hope the window is to your liking?" She raised a hoof to the newest window.
It was a grey window with Isaac at the top, shooting his Plasma cutter, helmet folded up. Applebloom below him shooting her's; Scootaloo next to her in her Slender form holding her Ripper's and Sweetiebelle opposite of Scootaloo looking down the scope of her Seeker rifle. All of them shooting away at the light tan outlines of Necromorph's.
"It's amazing..." They said.
"That is good." She said. "Now, Applebloom, what is it you wanted to speak with me about? Especially in private?"
"Well," She walked up, her friends close behind. "Ah was thinkin' ever since the attack. What if more of them show up? Or another Marker show's up and we get there too late?"
"I see. You’re worried that another rift happens and a possible outbreak. What were you planning on doing about it?"
"Well, me and ma'h friends were going to ask... if we could set up a service to monitor and prevent outbreaks?" They all winced under their helmets.
She stared at them for a long while. She gave a sigh before replying.
"How were you going to communicate with others if I grant you to do so? Theoretically speaking of course."
"We we're going to ask Discord to help clear some land under our tree house and lend us some supplies." Scootaloo said. "I can take care of the rest with the schematics I have."
"I see." She got up and walked towards the doors, opening them. "Give me some time to think about it and for me to ask Discord. Meeting adjourned."
They all nodded respectfully and went to the chariot again.
A day later.
The crusaders were waiting at the Library, staring at Spike.
"If you’re going to stare, unfold the helmets." He said. "It's creepy... just those three lines of light."
"Sorry, Spike but we’re just anxious." Applebloom said. "So, do ya feel anything?"
"A migraine coming on." He mumbled under his breath.
"I heard that!" Sweetiebelle pouted.
"It was meant to be-"
"Hey girls!" Twilight greeted. "Are you three still waiting?"
"Yes." they all sighed.
"It's not just going to come out this second." She said holding out a hoof.
And at that second, Spike belched out a scroll, a red wax seal marking it.
"Spike! I was teaching them a moral lesson!" Twilight scolded.
"Hey! Don't blame me, it just came out." He defended himself.
She rolled her eyed before handing the scroll to the eager crusaders.
Applebloom took it and quickly opened it, her friends reading over her shoulders.
"Twa'light..." Applebloom said.
"Yes Applebloom? I'm sorry if she rejected whatever you talked about."
"Twa'light..." They all turned to her, Applebloom speaking as their helmets folded in sync. "You’re looking at the founders of the E.E.B."
"E.E.B? What's that stand for?"
"Equestrian." Sweetiebelle said.
"Engineering." Applebloom said.
"Bureau." Scootaloo finished.
'I don't have a good feeling about this.' Twilight thought. "Good job girls! I'm so proud!"
As the ponies slept in their small plush beds, the storm over head brewed more.
A bolt of lighting here, a thunderclap there. And out from the middle came a white light, spewing out smoke.
In one flash it was calm again, but not before delivering it's cargo.
He looked around and squinted in the dark. The colors were way to bright, yet he could still make out certain shapes.
"Ah'm tellin' ya scoot's! There ain't nothin' happening to that Marker! It's just sitting there. and plus, who could move it?" Applebloom argued.
He froze momentarily, but then decided to run into a nearby bush, as uncouth as it was.
He watched with silent hatred as those three ponies came along. Those three that had help Clarke destroy his station, his life and his Marker! And here they were, right in front of him. Looking around, looking for him.
'It seems the tables have turned.' He thought. 'Now that I'm here, I can begin anew. And crush there little world for what they did to mine!'
He watched silently, as the small unicorn, the one who had done the most damage, lit her horn up and right before his eyes, was a Marker.
It was smaller, much smaller than the one he had Clarke build, but it was still a Marker. It was thin, white and the symbols flashed blue instead of red or orange.
"Come on," The one he remembered to be Scootaloo said. "There's nothing here. Just a false alarm."
He watched slightly curious as they left on a small wagon. After they were out of earshot, he let out a sigh he didn't know he held in.
"I'm coming for you three." He said. "And this time, I will succeed in making my Marker's."
He adjust the half burnt collar on his shirt and chose to walk down the opposite end of the street. One thought nagging him.
"How did they make a Marker and not have Necromorph's?" He asked himself. "Maybe when I'm dissecting those three, they can tell me." He smirked, thinking of their pleas for help. "Now, where to relocate? How about a nice mountain range?"
He stared ahead at the mountains, not knowing about the gem fields where the Diamond Dog's lived.
even if he did, they would still be under his control by what he had to offer.
The knowledge of how to build a Marker.
And he had the schematic's in his head. Burned by the convergence event on the Sprawl.
This has kept me going and going, drifting through my mind, in and out. Know, I'd like you all to give credit to the one who did the walkthrough to make this possible. theRadBrad.
If you haven't heard of him, then go watch his videos. And the most important rule, yes even more important than making sure not to feed them after-wait... That's not right.
The most important rule, for real this time, is to look at the baby when he says to!
