Hey there again! Sorry this is so much shorter, but I haven't uploaded in a week, and I feel the need to submit something, no matter how short. More will hopefully be coming shortly, and I promise I will find a way to bring Bourbon into the next chapter, and maybe another of the mane six shortly thereafter.

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The next day, everypony is woken at 0615, as usual. The day presses on, no trouble, no announcements, no breaches. No sight of Hunter. And the shifts come and go, and the fires light the station alone as the power to lights is cut, signaling the arrival of 2130.

And the day after starts and glides smoothly by, the biggest issue for the common pony being the anxiety, the fear for the next attack. And the shifts come and go, and the fires light the station alone. No sight of him.

The third day. The day of truth. Had Hunter pulled through? Or will Twilight and Rainbow take a bit of a break from common duties. Morning role, nothing. Watch in the tunnels, nothing. The evening role comes and goes, with still not a trace of the man.

The two ponies go to the market and stock up on supplies for their journey, a weapon for Twilight, ammunition for both ponies weapons, a knife for each of them, food, water filters, gas mask filters, etc.

"Twi', d'ya have your stuff?" Rainbow asks cautiously and quietly through the dark, the fire but a smoldering pile of smoking logs behind me, a tribute to how old the night is.

"Yeah, you?" comes the reply as the purple pony comes into view outside the tent.

"Yup, now let's get a move on, don't want to keep Central waiting." Dash whispers smugly as they depart across the station, leaving the city limits straight through the pitiful excuses for guards that are stationed there. And so they begin.

The tunnel is dark, with the only light fading behind them as they walk further and further away from the station. Dash gets her flashlight, illuminating the path in front of them. The only sound in the tunnel is the soft crunching as they move across the gravel. A high whine suddenly pierces the air, making both ponies cringe, the sound of movement soon following. Rainbow sees them first, a small group of the ungodly mutants, the common trash of the tunnels. Taking quick aim, she lets off a burst, catching the beast in the chest, wisps of navy blood trailing behind the bullets as they rip through the beast's flesh with ease, dropping it in an instant. She hears the somewhat unexpected sound of a rifle discharging beside her, looking at the mare standing next to her, weapon resting on her shoulder, the barrel steaming with the heat of the gunfire contacting the cold, lifeless tunnel air. Two were dead, but there are still three or four that need to be taken care of, advancing at an alarming rate. Two more bursts of gunfire crack and echo through the tunnel, followed by the dull thud of dead and dying creatures. Dash tries to aim at the last mutant, but it's too late, the creature is already airborne, leaping at her with extended claws, saliva dripping from its needle-like teeth. It hits her full force in the chest, knocking her onto her back. Holding the gnashing teeth away from her with one arm, Dash reaches down to her thigh, pulling the combat knife that rested in its sheath and jabbing it into the thing's neck, penetrating and separating the spine with a satisfying, if sickening, muffled crack.

"Dash! Are you okay?" Twilight asks, reaching a hoof out to help her friend up. Dash takes the offered hand, pushing the lifeless and bloody form off of her chest and standing up.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks. Where'd ya learn to shoot like that? I've seen people on defense team with worse shooting ability, and no offence, but ya don't exactly seem the shooting type." Rainbow comments, truly impressed.

"Eh, maybe I'm not. But I am the pissed off at mutants type."

Rainbow shrugs. "Sure, why not."

They continue down the passage, more cautiously this time. The silence weighs heavy on ready ears, no sound coming from the tunnel at all. Dash's light goes out, and the darkness comes crashing down. They decide that it's far too late to turn back now, and press ahead into the dark unknown. Twilight is the first to detect just the faintest hint of light far in the tunnel, near certainly indicating a settlement of some sort. It presses them ever faster, almost sprinting, towards the light. Running and running, they Twilight starts to get winded, stopping to catch her breath.

"Dash, something *huff* isn't right *huff* with this*huff*. Look at the light," Twilight says, pointing at it, "It's not any closer than it was a minute ago. Something is off here."

An electric crackling fills the air, growing in volume until it fills the entirety of the very space in which they are standing, jumping through every individual particle until it held monopoly over the whole area. Tiredness forgotten, they run even faster towards the ever fading light, the mocking light at the end of this metaphorical and literal tunnel. Slowly, the noise dies down, becoming nothing, yielding power once more to the deafening sound of silence, pierced only by the heavy hooffalls on gravel, the deep, panicked breathing, and the thunderous heartbeat of the two mares as they run to the relieving light. They don't stop, or even slow down, until the blinding brightness of a spotlight hits them in the eyes, startling them enough to snap them out of their panic, tumbling into a heap on the floor, legs stinging with little gravel cuts.

"Stop! Who goes there?" A harsh, militant voice pours over them like a waterfall. The harsh voice pauses for a moment. "What? Ponies? I thought that the station back there had been wiped out." The spotlight dies away as the voice becomes less demanding, adopting an almost relieved tone. "Quickly, come inside the perimeter."

Rainbow and Twilight regain their footing, standing up and walking dazedly through the now open gate and into the foreign station.

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Thanks for reading, and sorry again for the shortness. I will try to upload again in the next few days, but until then, bye. /)*(\