The Sound of Thunder- Tempest

Festering Nightmare

Part IV

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Twilight Sparkle

0328 NCST

“RARITY!”

Twilight’s voice echoed through the enormous chamber, but it was soon lost to the winds of the air below them and the roar of battle all around them. Looking down at the hole that had once been the cargo bay’s floor, Twilight gasped.

“No, no, no! They can’t be gone! They can’t…”

“Twilight… I’m so sorry…” The comforting voice from the marine beside her did little to abate all the emotions running through Twilight’s already taxed mind. Disbelief. Fear. Anger. Helplessness…

A red hoof set itself upon Twilight’s shoulder blade. “Twilight, they’re gone. I’m sorry, but you have to acc—”

A chuckle resounded from behind Twilight. “Well, pin a tail on me and call me a donkey. I was wrong.”

Twilight turned to face the insanely grinning Blackjack. “Wrong about what?”

“Look at that,” the smiling unicorn pointed his hoof up at the ceiling.

Twilight turned her gaze up to face the uppermost part of the cargo bay. The once proud ceiling was splintered, hit by many bullets and fragments from the exploding deck below. Scanning its entire length, Twilight felt a sudden sadness at the destruction. Elegant maple planks, marvelously crafted into a wonderful piece of art, formed the ceiling. They changed what could have been just a piece of the structure into something beautiful. A beauty now scarred by desecration and death, just like the ship itself. Just like Twilight felt.

“Sergeant, I have no idea what you’re pointing at. Are you a unicorn, or are you not?” Overcoat’s dry voice intoned beside Twilight.

“Oh, right.”

One of the many holes in the ceiling became illuminated by a glowing red light. The gaping wound was neatly symmetrical, a nearly perfect circle with several jagged slashes pushing into the wood outside its circumference.

“What exactly are we looking at Sergeant?” Overcoat asked, her voice warmer now.

“Blackjack. That’s a magical detonation.” Twilight gasped in sudden realization.

“And the winner is the beautiful lavender mare! That is indeed a magical detonation. But, not just any detonation. I know exactly who made it.” Blackjack sounded quite smug. “I assume you know what I’m talking about, don’t you, Chief?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes. I assume you have seen this manifestation before and know its progenitor?”

Blackjack grinned crookedly. “Indeed. You noted the intervals?”

“Yes. Mathematical gifting?” Twilight inquired.

“No ma’am. Musical.” With each response, Blackjack’s smile kept growing.

“Ah. That would explain the emphasis on the first, third, and fifth slash. A cheerful personality?” Twilight continued.

“Very much so. Perhaps the most cheerful I have known. In fact—”

“Hold on! I must have missed a step. What in tartarus are you two talking about?” Overcoat interrupted her fellow marine, her confusion very evident upon her face.

Twilight spoke up. “The hole the Sergeant pointed out wasn’t made by a physical detonation. Instead, it was magical.”

Overcoat sighed. “I got that part. But what does music have to do with it? Manifestation? Progenitor? Cheerful personalities? Damn it Chief, I’m a marine, not a magicologist! Can you explain it in plain Equine?”

Twilight almost began to speak, but Blackjack cut her off. “Ma’am, let me explain. If you have any three spell casters perform the same spell, you will get the same result. In this case, a magical detonation. But every mage casts differently, and this results in a slight difference in the effects of their spells. Allow me to demonstrate.”

The marine looked at the wall beside him, and cast a very small detonation into the wall. “Just looking at it, it seems exactly the same as the one on the ceiling. But if you look closely, you’ll notice that it is indeed different. Chief, if you would?” He gestured to the wall beside his hole.

Twilight channeled her magic into the wooden planks. With a small effort, she crafted the raw magic into the runic combination for detonation. The result was a small purple explosion that left a hole slightly larger than the one left by the marine.

“See, just look at these. My detonation was smaller, and long fragments emanating from the center break up the circumference. Now, look at the Chief’s. Hers is considerably bigger, and the circumference is… Perfect. Wow. That’s…”

Blackjack looked at the explosion, for once speechless.

Overcoat tapped her hoof. “Well, the first thing I’ll say is that there’s a war on and we need to hurry up… But, I think I’ve heard enough. Each mage’s explosion thingy is different, and it seems to have to do with their special talent. Yours is killing stuff, and Twilight’s is magic. So, hers is bigger and perfect, while yours has dangerous spines coming from it. From what you said about music and knowing who cast the spell, I’m going to assume that you’re saying that Corporal Lyra is the one responsible for that detonation? She’s the only unicorn marine with a magical cutie mark who I know of, and she is in your squad…”

Blackjack shook himself. “Yeah… That’s right. Sorry, it’s not every day that you see a perfect spell…”

Overcoat snorted. “Oh, you don’t know the half of it. She’s the element of magic, and I’ve seen her fight. She’s capable of a lot.”

Twilight blushed at the compliment, but another lance of despair speared her heart. The Major was right. She was very good at killing…

Twilight shook the thought away. “But still, that doesn’t answer my question. What were you wrong about?”

Blackjack walked to the edge of the deck, right next to the gaping hole that reached down into the sky below. “A while back, I said that there’s no way the civilians would rescue themselves. I was wrong.”

Now, Twilight’s jaw was the one to drop. “What exactly are you saying?”

Blackjack chuckled. “This is Lyra we’re talking about. She’s one of my Black Knights. Special Forces, specializing in creative solutions to big problems. I’d bet you anything that she cast a detonation there, and that everypony climbed up stacked crates to the level above. That’s what I’d have done, and Lyra’s one of my best.”

Twilight felt a smile slowly creep across her face. “That means that Rarity isn’t dead!”

“Well, probably not. She still could have been eaten by a zombie before the floor collapsed and they had to escape.”

Twilight’s face fell as her small bit of hope faltered.

Overcoat growled. “First off, you really need to work on your bedside manner Sergeant. Second, they’re ghouls. Not zombies.”

“Third?” Blackjack suggested.

“Third, shut up!” Overcoat snorted, but her tone subverted her yelling a little.

“So, if they’re all up there, can one of you teleport us up there? Or levitate us there? So we don’t have to walk?” Overcoat looked at the two unicorns.

Twilight cocked her head to the side. “Well, the teleporting thing is out. I’ve never been in that room before, and I have no way to know where everypony is in the room. If you teleport into somepony’s body, you literally displace them. You’re fine, but they’re ripped apart at a molecular level. Same thing for teleporting into a wall. I’d displace the molecules in the space I’d occupy, but the wall would still trap me, and I’d be unable to move.”

“Damn. What about levitation? Wouldn’t that work?”

This time, it was Blackjack who shook his head. “Only if you want your brains blown out. I know Lyra. She’d be sitting up there, blunderbuss or some other massive bucking gun pointed right at the hole, and would shoot anything that came through. I taught her that.”

“So… We have to walk? Well, we already had to walk up there, since it’s on the way to the deck, and then the bridge… It’s a shame we couldn’t just magic our way up, though.” Overcoat sighed once again, and began walking to the door.

Blackjack followed. “The Major’s right. Time to hoof it again…”

But as the three made for the door, voices sounded from out in the hallway. Overcoat immediately pushed herself flush with the wall and motioned for the other two do so as well.  As the unicorns complied, they were able to make out a few words.

“…face it, we’re lost. Is this even where we’re supposed to go?” The first voice was definitely feminine, silky but with a slight sting to it.

“Oh, do you think we should stop for directions? I’m sure that our foes would be happy to oblige. ‘Oh, excuse me sir? Could you possibly direct us to the defenseless civilians? We really need to find them. Actually, we were ordered to! You’d be helping the cause of the greatest Captain in the air!’ Yeah, then they’d shoot our faces off, then go about their merry business. That would never work!” The second voice had a posh accent, similar to the first, but with a cocky edge.

“Well, I just think that-” This was a third voice, softer and sweeter than the others, but the first cut it off.

“There it is! The door! I knew we weren’t lost! You two are so odd sometimes.”

“Oh, Lady ‘We’re Lost’ never thought that we were lost? Honestly, you crack me u-”

The voices rounded the bend and were promptly tackled by Twilight and the two marines.

“Oomph!”

Twilight raised her blade to her foes neck as she stared into her eyes. Her blue eyes. Her alive blue eyes.

“Well, heloooooo beautiful.” The mare under Blackjack was the first to speak. “Normally, I’d love something like this, but being interrupted by zombies wouldn’t be fun for me, so maybe later?”

Overcoat let out a disgusted sigh. “Let them up. They’re harmless.”

Twilight backed up, and the mare she had pinned rose up and wiped the dust from her perfectly white coat and blonde mane with a snort of disdain. “Great. Now, I’ll need to wash my mane even more thoroughly…”

Twilight took the time to look at the three mares before her. The first, the one she’d tackled, was a unicorn with a compass cutie mark, and an accent Twilight immediately placed as coming from New Canterlot.

The second, who had been beneath Blackjack, made Twilight do a double take. With a black body perforated by holes, and a stringy green mane, Twilight knew instantly that she was a changeling. And by the elaborate outfit she wore, Twilight knew that she was no ordinary changeling.

The third was a much more normal looking earth pony, with a pink and blue mane and a small piece of candy as a cutie mark. She smiled sheepishly as Major Overcoat let her up.

Blackjack put on a winning smile. “How can we help you beautiful ladies?”

The unicorn mare, who was apparently the leader, spoke for them. “Well, next time you could try saying hello instead of jumping us… But that’s water under the proverbial bridge now. Could you possibly direct us to the main cargo bay where the civilians are gathering? These two can barely fight, and they need to get to safety before some zombie makes a meal of them.”

“Ghouls…” Twilight mumbled, inaudible to anypony but herself.

The changeling held her hoof up to her chest in mock pain. “Lady Blueblood, we can fight! We just chose to keep ourselves free from dirty clothes and broken bones as much as possible!”

The unicorn, Lady Ana, glared at the other. “Well then, Lady Chrysalis, that would explain why Vera and I had to kill all the zombies along the way…” She levitated a massive blunderbuss up from the ground.

“Ghouls…” Twilight muttered again, barely stopping herself from correcting the mare right then.

“Okay ladies, joke time is over.” Major Overcoat snapped the order to the three, who immediately straightened up. “You three are civilians? Name and position.”

The unicorn mare came to attention. “Lieutenant Commander Lady Anastasia Elizabeth Isabella Blueblood, Equestrian Remnant Navy. Chief Helmsmare of the HMAS Nocturnal Thunder. As you know well, Rosy. I only work with you every day…”

The changeling tipped her fashionable hat to the marines. “Lady Chrysalis. First Mate Boatswain. No more fancy titles.”

The earth pony mare smiled sheepishly. “Umm, Boatswain Bonbon. That’s it.”

Major Overcoat looked the three over. “Huh, didn’t recognize you for a second Ana. Your mane is all messed up. How does it feel to be one of us grunts?”

Lady Ana let out a giggle. “Awful, darling. I don’t know how you stand it. Now, you know my compatriots, so it is only fair that we meet yours.” The unicorn batted her eyebrows at Blackjack, who stood a bit taller and puffed out his chest.

Overcoat nodded. “This is Sergeant Blackjack, head of the Black Knights. They’re one of our Special Forces teams aboard the ship. Also, he’s married, so don’t let his flirting fool you.”

Blackjack spluttered. “I am NOT married! That is blatant slander!”

Overcoat ignored him. “And this is Chief Navigator Twilight Sparkle. One of the best spell casters of our time, a damn good fighter, and one of the Elements of Harmony.”

The three mares smiled at Twilight. “Simply wonderful to meet you darling!” Chrysalis ran over to Twilight and shook her hoof enthusiastically.

“Um, hi Twilight.” Bonbon blushed and stepped back.

“So, you’re my new boss then? Good. I won’t have to take orders from him anymore. You should be a grand improvement.” Blueblood nodded her approval. “Well, now that the formalities are out of the way, I’ll assume that this was the cargo bay, and everypony except us was either eaten by zombies or blown up. Bloody wonderful.”

This time, Twilight couldn’t help herself. “They’re ghouls, not zombies!”

Lady Ana smiled. “I know, ma’am. Lady Chrys has been correcting me all night. I just enjoy annoying her.”

“Oh. Well, also, they aren’t dead. They escaped up to the level above us, so we’re on our way there now.” Twilight pointed up at the magical hole in the ceiling.

The new mares all gazed up. Bonbon tilted her side to the head and spoke. “So, can you teleport us up there, or something? I really need to see Lyra, and she should be up there.”

Blackjack smiled at the mare. “Oh, so you’re THAT Bonbon. Well, unfortunately, we can’t teleport up there. We have to walk.”

Lady Ana Blueblood nodded. “Quite right. Displacement and all that. Would you like to lead the way, my gallant gentlepony?” She batted her eyes at the stallion, who blushed his dark coat into a black maroon. He tried to splutter a response, but was cut off by Overcoat.

“Ana, you know better than to say things like that to stallions. Their minds are weak enough as it is, and a beautiful mare like one of us just shuts their primitive brains down.” The Major winked at still incoherent Blackjack. “But Lady Blueblood is right. We’ve wasted enough time here as it is, with the magical lesson and the introductions. Lead the way, O protector of mares…”

The six walked out of the cargo bay, and made their way down the only hallway available to them. Blackjack led the way, his battle harness in full readiness position. Behind him, Major Overcoat trotted. Directly following her, Lady Chrysalis and Bonbon made their way, glancing warily all around them. Lady Blueblood and Twilight took the rear, watching for attacks from behind.

The six walked determinedly, making their way without talking to each other. They walked over the corpses of the hobgoblins that Twilight and the others had killed just minutes ago. Twilight felt shame and guilt wash her anew as she looked at the hobb with the slashed throat and impaled eye socket, but then glanced away quickly. There was no time for that…

They continued on their path, watching and listening for any sign of their enemies. The sounds of battle raged on from the decks below them, but all around them was only silence.

Soon, they came to a split in the hallway, with two corridors going off to either side of the path the hallway had taken. Blackjack held up his hoof, signaling a stop.

“Okay ladies. To the right is the hallway leading to the stairs to the next level up, but the breach that the ghouls have been coming through is to the left. When we go through, we’ll have to move fast, or any mulling around over there will see us. So, keep running, follow me, and don’t stop for anything.”

The five mares nodded, and the Sergeant took off running down the corridor to the right. All the mares followed him at his breakneck pace, but just a moment later, Twilight heard the piercing scream of a filly coming from a room off to her side. She and Lady Ana stopped instinctively.

“Is that…” Lady Ana breathed out.

“It’s a filly! We can’t leave her!” Twilight yelled. All four of the other ponies stopped and turned, just in time to see the two unicorns run into the side room.

As Twilight bucked the door down, a gruesome scene met her eyes. The corpses of four ghouls littered the floor, as did three bodies that had once been ponies. Two of the bodies were all the way back in a corner, and behind them cowered a single orange filly.

Directly in front of the filly, three gryphon ghouls advanced. Blood dripped from their talons and beaks, and the stench of rotting flesh emanated from them.

“NO!” With a scream, Ana charged the gryphons, her blunderbuss raised. Twilight followed closely behind, all her concerns about killing forgotten. With a filly’s life at stake, Twilight had no qualms about ending these petty excuses for ‘living’ beings.

The same rage from before tried to fill Twilight, but the mare resisted, keeping her inner demons at bay. Now was no time to go berserk.

Twilight teleported herself to directly behind the first gryphon. Magically, she altered her momentum so she came out of the spell rushing directly into the back of the monster’s neck. Her inertia planted her blade directly into the gryphon’s neck.

Three, a small voice in her head sounded.

With a mighty BOOM, Ana’s blunderbuss rang out, the shrapnel tearing a brutal hole in the second gryphon’s side. Both of the ghouls fell to the ground, unmoving in their undeath.

Twilight turned to face the final enemy, a hulking brute of a gryphon.

Lady Ana rushed him, a small knife levitated at her side.

But Twilight smiled as she casted a single spell. Her horn glowed for a split second, and a massive amount of energy left Twilight’s body, forming the runic spell Detonation.

Most magic is too difficult for most ponies to cast at incredibly small scales. Truly, small spells require much more energy, skill, and concentration than slightly larger ones do. So when Twilight casted the detonation spell directly inside the brain of her foe, she did something that was usually impossible, even for a unicorn of her skill.

Four.

Ana stabbed weakly into the beast’s side while letting loose a thunderous war cry. But when the monster fell over, seemingly from just the one blow, the mare backed up surprised.

“Well, that was… Easy… Did you just—”

Twilight interrupted her with a curt nod. “Yeah. I blew his brain apart from the inside.”

Lady Bluebood’s jaw dropped. “Holy merde! Pardon my Fancy, but isn’t that impossible?”

Twilight nodded coolly. “Yes. Such a feat is usually impossible, but my talent is magic. I would like to study this further, but we have a filly to attend to.” All emotion seemed to be shut off, for the moment, but as she answered, the world returned to normal. Twilight blinked, as her mind finally registered what she had just done. She’d cast an impossible spell…

The small orange filly had fainted at some time during the fight. As the two mares moved over to her, the other four ponies came rushing through the door.

“Lao-Wren uncreate you, why can’t you listen? I told you not to stop!” Blackjack shook with anger. “There’s more coming, thanks to you two!”

Twilight turned back to retort, but she only managed a gasp.

From the doorway, right behind the other ponies, more ghouls than Twilight could count in a moment came rushing in.

The first, a massive goblin, swung a huge hammer hitting Bonbon in the back of the skull. The mare crumpled without a sound.

All the ponies swung around, finding themselves outnumbered five to one.

Twilight sprang into action, her shard blade forming into a short sword for quick thrusts and slashes. Major Overcoat spun on her hooves, electricity gathering around her hooves. Blackjack began levitating seven knives through the air. Lady Ana, blunderbuss at her side, rushed her enemies with a snarl. Finally, Lady Chrysalis stood coolly, glaring at her enemies.

Everything happened so quickly. Shots went off, ghouls fell. Blades slashed, ghouls fell. Steel met steel, and the ghouls pushed the ponies back further and further into the room.

Twilight let loose a mighty blast of magic, incinerating three ghouls, but six more took their place.

The same coolness overcame Twilight, and even though the fury still raged beneath the surface, she was able to keep it contained.

Cast. Slash. Stab. Dodge. Block. Cast. Teleport. Flank. Repeat.

For a minute that seemed to last an eternity, the five ponies held. Together, they covered each other’s flanks, striking the foes from behind, killing with bullet, steel, magic and hoof.

Finally, the last ghoul fell to Twilight’s blade. All five breathed a sigh of relief.

Nine.

Blackjack wiped his forehead with his hoof. “That actually worked out better than I expected. I honestly thought we were all going to di—”

“DOWN!” The booming shout came from Lady Chrysalis, who jumped over Blackjack, landing hooves first on the skull of a single pegasus ghoul who had survived the massacre. Her dainty shooed hooves came crashing down upon the ghoul, reducing what remained of its rotting brain into a gooey pulp. The blood splattered upward, covering Chrysalis in a red mist. The changeling noble rose to her hooves with a sigh.

“Drat. This outfit is simply ruined…” Seeing the dropped jaws and intense stares of the other ponies, Lady Chrysalis let loose an angelic smile. “What? A lady can’t defend herself?”

Overcoat and Blackjack moved over to the fallen earthpony, while Twilight and Lady Ana rushed toward the filly back in the corner. At some point during the fight, the poor girl had fainted, and she now lay prostrate on top of the corpses of the mare and the stallion she’d been hiding behind.

“No… Scootaloo…” These weak words passed from Lady Ana’s lips as she sank to her knees in front of the filly and the corpses of the two ponies. “No, no, no…”

The elegant unicorn laid her head upon the unmoving shoulder of the dead mare as tears began pouring unashamedly from her eyes.

Twilight moved over to the other, taking in the scene. The two bodies, a mare and a stallion, lay back to back upon the cold wooden floor, now painted red from their passing. Atop them, the tiny pegasus filly lay prone, her only movements the rise and fall of her flanks as she breathed in the coppery scented air.

“Blackjack! Chrysalis! Watch the door! Bon’s gonna need first aid, and I need time!” Overcoat bellowed orders from the other side of the room. Blackjack and Chrysalis moved over to the doorway, looking out.

“More coming in!” Blackjack’s voice cut through the air like one of his knives as the two ponies moved out into the hallway. Guns fired, and the clang of swords rang out.

Ana still lay unmoving, sobbing next to the corpses and the filly.

“Twilight! I need you to get Ana up! As soon as I get Bonbon up, we’re gonna have to go! We can’t have her out on us!” Overcoat pulled bandages from her pack while applying pressure to Bonbon’s head wound.

“Lady Blueblood…” Twilight walked over to the mare, who didn’t seem to hear her. “Ana, we have to go. We can’t stay here. The ghouls are coming back.” As if to accentuate this, Blackjack let out a mighty roar from the hallway, and a ghoul’s decapitated body fell into the room.

“I knew them, you know,” Lady Blueblood’s voice was quiet. “I served with her on our first tour. I was a Helmsmare, and she was an atmospheric tech. She was the only one who accepted me for who I was.” Ana gave a grim smile as she stroked the mare’s mane. “I was a royal brat back then. But she was still my friend.”

Twilight glanced over her shoulder at Rosy. The marine continued with her bandaging, her face contorted in concentration. Blackjack and Chrysalis kept fighting outside.

“And when she met that cook… I teased her so much about it. But I was their maid of honor at the wedding. And when they had little Scootaloo… They named me Godmother. We were assigned to different ships after that, so I didn’t see them for a long time. I was finally going to get to know them again…” The unicorn began to sob anew. “I can’t believe…”

Sergeant Blackjack let loose a feral scream as his magic ripped a goblin ghoul in twian. Lady Chrysalis lashed out at a gryphon with her own magic, lighting it on fire.

Twilight moved over to the other mare. “Ana. We need to move. I know what it’s like to lose ones you love… But right now, you have to think of Scootaloo. She’s still here, but if the ghouls get her, she won’t be. We have to go.”

Lady Blueblood slowly rose to her hooves. Tenderly, her magic enveloped the unconscious filly, lifting her slowly to the white mare’s back.

“You’re right. There will be time to mourn later…” With a final glance at the fallen ponies, the mares walked over to Major Overcoat, who had just lifted the other earth pony onto her own back.

“Alright, Blackjack! We’re moving! Cover us!” The three mares carrying the two unconscious ponies ran back out into the hallway.

Blackjack and Chrysalis were out to the left, fending off a few ghouls as the others bolted for the staircase.

Twilight looked forward, blade extended before her. The other mares ran right beside her.

As the corridor sped past them, Rosy turned to her. “Twilight. With Bonbon out, and Ana carrying the filly, you’re going to have to-”

“I know,” Twilight spoke grimly. “I’ll get any that come at us.”

Finally, they reached the staircase. Bounding up the steps, Twilight finally turned around. Chrysalis and Blackjack were running like batponies out of Tartarus, fear completely covering their visages.

“GO! DON’T TURN AROUND!” Blackjack barked out as all five ponies ascended the stairs.

Finally reaching the top, Twilight tried to slow down to catch her breath, but Chrysalis pushed her onward.

“Woah!” Twilight almost tripped over her own legs, but rapidly righted herself and continued her run.

“Don’t slow down! It’ll catch us!” The changeling’s voice shook in pure terror. The five kept running, and running. The hallway kept going, and so did they.

“What will catch us?” Rosy panted from exertion as the kept running.

“Big. Ugly. Looks like somepony took a minotaur and a naga and stitched them together. It was headed right for us. Barely got away…” Blackjack kept up with the others, but he heavily favored his front left leg.

They kept up the insane pace for a few moments more, but when the sounds of advancing ghouls had faded, they slowly stopped. Rosy fell to her knees, laying Bonbon against a wall. Chrysalis straightened her large decorative hat that had somehow survived the run. Blackjack leaned against the same wall, letting out a low whistle in pain as he raised his leg up. Twilight moved out in front of the group, and put up a magical shield at both ends of the corridor..

“You… hurt… Marine?” Rosy managed the words amidst pants as she turned to Blackjack.

“Yeah. Spear. Hurts like a bi- Gah!” Rosy moved over to him, pouring a vial of red liquid onto the wound.

“Gah! You could warn a stallion, you know!” As the liquid met the pony’s coat, a hissing sound emanated from the wound. Smoke and sparks flew from it, causing Blackjack to grit his teeth. “They really should make healing potions hurt less…”

Rosy gave him a sideways look. “Marine, this is a salve. Healing potions are way too rare to waste on your hide. Slap a bandage on there, and you should be fine. The salve’ll take the pain.”

Putting the empty vial back into her saddlebag, Rosy once again picked up the fallen Bonbon.

“Ach…” Blackjack tied a white cloth to his leg, standing once more. Chrysalis lent a hoof to help the stallion up as she grimaced.

“So, what was that monstrosity? I’ve never seen or heard of anything like it! Part naga and part minotaur? Simply scandalous!”

“Never heard of something like that either,” Twilight replied. “Combining the bodies of two creatures and reanimating them? Sounds like heavy Alteration magic… It almost sounds like Black magic…”

Blackjack shot the mare a sharp glance. “You sure about that? Reanimated corpses are one thing, but Black magic… Are you sure?”

Twilight gave him a grave nod, and his expression went blank.

“We don’t have time to waste. If there’s a Black magic user up there, the Captain needs any help she can get.” He began to limp down the hallway, but Rosy stopped him.

“Marine, you are NOT leading the way with that leg.” She hefted Bonbon off of her own back, and onto his. “You are going to stay in the rear with Miss Chrysalis here, and make sure nothing happens to this mare.”

Blackjack’s jaw dropped. “You’re putting me… in the back?”

Rosy nodded solemnly.

“Drat.”

Rosy turned to the other two mares. “Commander Ana, you’re back with them too.”  The unicorn grunted an affirmative and moved back to the others; careful to not disturb the filly on her back.

Rosy’s eyes met Twilight’s. “Twilight, I need you up front with me. With the others wounded or otherwise occupied, you and Chrysalis are my only unhindered fighters. I know Chrysalis is good, but against a hoard, I need you. Can you handle it?”

As Twilight gazed at the other mare, a vision of the dead hobb with the knife imbedded into his eye socket flashed before her. Twilight slammed her eyes shut in an attempt to ward off the dark sight, but to no avail. She felt a rising sense of dread and coldness overtook her, and she felt the rage beginning to consume her once more. With a shudder, Twilight pushed it away and opened her eyes once more.

“Can I handle it? No. But I can do it.”

Rosy gave a small sad smile. “Good.” Turning to the others, she bellowed, “Alright ladies! Time to head out!”

Blackjack cleared his throat. “I assume you meant ladies and Blackjack, right?”

Rosy began walking forward, her eyes shifting backwards. “I meant exactly what I said… ladies.”

The group continued toward the secondary cargo bay. They moved slowly, more cautious than before. Every twist in the corridor and every open door on the way set Twilight’s heart thumping harder and harder. Would they be attacked now? In a moment? Would they be waiting for them at the next bend, or at the next turn? Would they jump out of a side room? The eyeless face of the hobb still stared at her as they just kept walking. And walking. And walking. And-

“Wait! This is it, isn’t it?” Rosy nodded at the door before them. Blackjack took Bonbon off his back and set her gently up against the wall. Chrysalis walked over and held the unconscious mare up.

The ponies stopped quickly. Blackjack nodded as he leaned up against the wall. “Yes, it is ma’am.”

Twilight, being the one closest to the door, moved over and knocked briskly on the metal door. “Hello? Is there any pony in there? We’re here to help!”

A moment later, a voice behind the door cleared his throat. “How fares the princess?”

Twilight took a slight step backward. She turned to face the other ponies, her face scrunched up questioningly.

Before she could even ask, Blackjack hissed to her, “The Princess is dead. The war is lost!”

“What?” Twilight asked, her eyes wide. “She’s dead? No!”

“It’s the password!” Blackjack hissed once more before leaning back up against the wall with a small moan of agony.

“Oh.” Twilight faced the door once more. “The Princess is dead. The war is lost.”

The door swung open to reveal another cargo bay. This one was considerably smaller than the previous one. It also still had most of a floor. What little space that remained was occupied by several ponies. Twilight looked past the marine who stood before her to see several familiar faces. Big Mac, little Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and—

“Twilight, dear! You’re alright!” Rarity, the prissy unicorn mare who could never be seen without her mane perfectly kempt, lay on the floor in a sprawl. He dirty hair was matted with blood, her coat was covered in soot, and her leg was hanging off to the side wrapped in a bandage. And Twilight had never been happier to see her.

“Oh thank Luna!” Twilight gasped. “Rarity! We went down to get you all out, and… well it was just GONE, I couldn’t believe it and- it’s a miracle!”

A magenta earth pony spoke to Twilight with a smile. “No such thing, Ms. Sparkle. Just ponies working together.”

Rarity managed a small grin despite wincing in pain. “I had a tiny brain storm, Twilight, that’s all.”

Blackjack harrumphed as he limped to Twilight’s side. “All well and good, ma’am, but what’s the butcher’s bill? How many civilians did we lose?”

The guard who had opened the door saluted Major Overcoat and replied to the other unicorn. “None, sergeant. All civilians accounted for.” A mint colored unicorn coughed pointedly before the marine continued. “Thanks to the Lady Rarity.”

Major Overcoat let loose a massive grin. “My word. Well then, Miss Rarity, it seems that the princess made an excellent choice when she appointed you our boatswain. I don’t think we can thank you en—”

“Uh, Major?” Blackjack interrupted. “I don’t think she can hear you.” He pointed his hoof to the now sleeping mare.

“Well, this is just perfectly lovely, isn’t it?” Lady Chrysalis walked into the room carrying Bonbon. “Far better than being chased by those dreadful ghouls. No love from them at all. But in here though…” Her eyes turned to the mint colored unicorn from earlier.

“BONBON!” The mare sprinted over to unconscious earth pony.

“Mmm, romantic love is FAR superior to parental love in texture. The taste is comparable, but the way it feels? No comparison.” The changeling sighed contentedly as she sat down.

Sergeant Blackjack smiled. “Oh, don’t worry about greeting your superior officers, Lyra. Just carry on.” The unicorn named Lyra ignored her fellow marine as she embraced the earth pony in a sisterly hug. And then promptly gave her an entirely unsisterly kiss.

Chrysalis looked over at Blackjack. “Hmm. I think I know why you didn’t want her to take the time to greet you now…”

Lady Ana strode into the room. She ignored all the other ponies as she took the sleeping filly off her back and placed her onto a blanket that the maroon mare from earlier placed down quickly.

Major Overcoat walked over to the guard. “Sergeant Rock Steady?”

The marine saluted. “Corporal Steady, ma’am.”

“Well, we’ll have to fix that soon, won’t we?” She returned his salute. “Are you the only one of your unit remaining?”

“Yes, ma’am. The rest were killed. I would have been too, if it weren’t for the Lady Rarity.” the marine stood up straight, and Twilight could see what little remained of his insignia. One of them was missing, and the patch that had been sewn to his uniform had been torn off.

“So, it’s just you and all these non-combatants?” Rosy looked around the room, a frown on her face.

“Yes, ma’am. Although, I wouldn’t call them non-combatants. They would do any unit proud.”

Rosy sighed. “Still. I can’t leave you here undefended with all of these lives at stake. The ghouls may not have come up here yet, but there’s no guarantee that they won’t.” She turned to Twilight. “Chief.”

Twilight nodded to her friend. “I know. I saw them down there too.”

Rosy gave a small, sad smile. “Ma’am, I hate to do this to you. But I’ve seen you fight. You can handle yourself very well. The path up to the bridge will cut through the gun deck, and there would be plenty of troops there. You’ll be safe until you get up to the main deck, and once you’re there, you can hook up with some marines there.”

Twilight let out her breath slowly. “Yeah. It’s the only option. You’re the only marine who isn’t wounded, and if those monsters get up here with only Sergeant Blackjack and Corporal Steady to defend them…”

“Exactly. I’m glad you see it too,” Rosy moved over to Twilight and took something out of her saddlebag. “Here, take this.” She placed a small vial into the mare’s hooves.

“Remember when I said that I didn’t have a health potion to waste on Blackjack?”

Twilight nodded.

“Well, that didn’t mean that I didn’t have a potion for emergency uses.”

“HEY!” Blackjack shouted from his seat across the room where a mare was treating his wounds. “I HEARD THAT!”

“You mean, I heard that, MA’AM?” Rosy belted back at him.

“YES, MA’AM! MA’AM, I DID HEAR THAT MA’AM! MA’AM!”

Rosy shook her head in silent laughter. “Well, I won’t have use for it. It isn’t much. Just enough to stabilize anypony who has lost a lot of blood or something like that.”

Twilight placed the vial into her own saddlebag as she smiled. “Thank you Rosy.”

The marine smiled. “Twilight. Make sure that you make it to the captain safely, yeah? I don’t make friends often, and I’d like to think that I made one today.”

Twilight’s lips separated into a wide grin. “Me too, Rosy. And after, maybe we can finish that talk about how those stallions get on your nerves?”

“I’d like that!” Rosy laughed. But a moment later, she looked straight into Twilight’s eyes. “‘And then the final hope of the world shone a last brilliant light. And when the mists of the rain cleared, the survivors saw not the dark of the night, but a promise of a new dawn.’”

Twilight raised her eyebrows. “That sounds… familiar. You’ll have to tell me where that’s from sometime.”

“I will. After you go save the captain.” Major Overcoat saluted. “Goddess speed your way.”

Twilight returned the salute. “And yours as well.”

And with that, Twilight strode out of the cargo bay. Alone.

She took off down the hallway to her right, following the arrows that marked her way to the gun deck. The corridor sped past her as she sprinted through. The air blew through her mane as she went along her way. It felt odd, running through the ship knowing that she was surrounded by death and destruction, and yet seeing no evidence and feeling all alone. Just her. Her, and her memories.

The face of the hobb flashed before her vision once more, but she pushed it down yet again.

And she kept running. Up a staircase to the next deck. Still no ghouls, or ponies, for that matter. That face just kept coming back…

“NO!” Twilight screamed out as she just kept going. She turned her thoughts away. Away from that guilt, and toward anything else. Toward the princess. To her smiling face as she had taught a young mare magic. To her kind way with words. Even to her appearance. Her regal manner, her billowing hair, her eyes that seemed so sad, and yet so joyful. Eyes… The hobb.

Twilight gasped for a breath, her lungs burning. Run. Run. Run. Just keep running.

She didn’t even notice as she ran through the gun deck. She didn’t notice the other ponies around her. She didn’t see the waving hoof of a pegasus medic. She didn’t even think. Every thought led back to it…

“No. I WILL get to the princess. I will NOT let this stop me!”

And with that, Twilight ascended another flight of stairs. Just one more deck, and then she could take a maintenance shaft up to the top deck.

Just one more floor.

-=-=-

Doctor Fluttershy

0337 NCST

“Logbook Entry One:

“I didn’t want to come on the ship at first. It was so big, so large, so scary! It might even be the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. Shining Armor told me I was required to come. They needed my Element. They needed me.”

An explosion. A scream. Just another one of many.

Fluttershy winced, trying to ignore the debris flying over her head; the only thing she tried to concentrate on was the splint she was applying to the small wing of the frustrated gunner beneath her. “Please, Willow, you have to stay still,” she said desperately.

The dark blue batpony-pegasus whipped around, ferocity in her eyes. “But you don’t get it! I’m head gunner! - the CHIEF! I need to get out there – they need me! They do!”

“And with your leg hurt like this you won’t be able to help any of them,” Fluttershy replied sternly – more sternly than she felt, which was like her legs and wings were made of goo and she was going to fall apart any second. “Besides, Grey Shadow is out there, and he looks like he’s doing just fine.”

Willow narrowed her eyes, seemingly done with the conversation; her gaze was now trained on the gunners behind the doctor. “Nice hit!” she called to the aforementioned Grey Shadow.

A grey changeling smiled, nodding quickly with a flutter of his larger-than-normal wings before returning to the fight; a second later another explosion rattled the boat, presumably from one of the large cannons the gunners shot. Fluttershy’s teeth chattered, but she had to promise herself it would be okay. It was going to be okay. It was going to be okay.

“If anypony should ask me why I decided to come on the ship in the end, after all of the begging and prodding done by my fellow Elements as well as Shining Armor, I have to be honest. In the end, it was all because of Rainbow Dash.”

A lavender streak whipped past; Fluttershy barely had time to wave and call to Twilight Sparkle before she was gone, darting among the panicked ponies not quite sure what to do with themselves amid the chaos. Willow gave an impatient grunt of frustration, causing the doctor to turn her attention back to her patient.

With one final pull Fluttershy tugged the bandage around Willow’s leg and sighed, finally allowing a small smile to creep onto her face. “I think you’re alright now, but you need to rest.”

Willow’s gaze was laced with frustration. “You’re telling me I still can’t go out there?”

Fluttershy nodded, teal eyes stern, and Willow groaned, rolling over so she could watch the gunners better. One could easily tell by the anxious twitch of her hooves that the batpony-pegasus longed to be out there with the others; however, in a medical situation, Fluttershy knew that she had the power to tell Willow what to do.

All of a sudden there was a yelp from behind them; one of the gunners was calling anxiously to her companions, pointing and screaming. The sound of hoofsteps reverberated around the gun deck as a wave of ponies, ponies with peeling flesh and dead eyes, marched into the deck, one by one.

Explosions as the gunners whipped around to face their new targets, while some struggled to keep focused on the beast hovering above the ship. A splat of scarlet hit the deck beside Fluttershy as a young stallion slammed against the wood with a thud. Before she could think about what she was doing, she was out, dragging  him over to the side. A trickle of blood leaked out of the side of his mouth; he had been hit hard.

Tears bubbled up in Fluttershy’s eyes, but she blinked them away. This is what you’re supposed to do.  You’re the doctor. So do your job.

Cheeks wet, she began to apply the bandages and tried to ignore the screams.

“Why Rainbow Dash? Well, I’ll have to tell you a secret. A big, big secret. …Rainbow’s done everything for me. She’s helped me to get through school after I hurt my wing and was targeted by bullies…the meanies…and she’s helped me to stand up for myself, and I…I really, really like her.”

The gunners were doing their job well. The bodies of fallen zombie ponies littered the deck; it was actually quite gruesome, but all she had to do was not look at it for too long and it would be alright; she wouldn’t throw up. Zoning into a world of concentration, Fluttershy slipped into a rhythmic routine. Clean wound. Apply medicine. Wrap bandages. Tighten. Repeat.

Clean wound. Apply medicine. Wrap bandages. Tighten. Repeat.

Clean wound. Apply medicine. Wrap bandages. Tighten. Repe-

A growling noise behind her; a single fleshy hoof reached up to take a swipe at her head. Fluttershy screamed, pattern broken, and dove out of the way as a zombie pony leapt at her, hooves aimed at her head and teeth bared.

She scrambled out of the way, yelping as a few bottles of precious medicine and water tipped to one side, landing with a shattering noise on the ground. Teal eyes went wide, but there was no time to stop. Hooves working overtime, Fluttershy scrambled away from the zombie pony in hot pursuit, trying not to die.

She didn’t die, though for a moment she was positive she would. The sickly breath of the zombie was hot on her neck, and this combined with the sweat pouring down her scalp made for a sticky, humid mess. Fluttershy could almost feel its hooves wrapping around her neck, preparing to strangle her, or eat her, or do whatever zombies did to destroy their enemies.

At top speed the mare ran, haring like a cat after its prey…

...only to run straight into a dead end. Backing against the wall, so close that she could feel the splinters of the wood pressing into her wings, she stared up at the unseeing eyes of the now greatly satisfied zombie; shuddering, she shut her eyes tight so that it would be over quickly…

...and heard a quick shot, from some sort of firearms. Daring to open her eyes a little bit, if only to make sure she wasn’t dead, if anything else, Fluttershy smiled in relief as she saw Grey Shadow the changeling nodding at her before resuming his position. The bullet had wedged its way into the zombie’s undead skin, and though she was a doctor and was used to seeing wounds, Fluttershy couldn’t help feeling sickened as she passed it by.

There was no time for even a quick thank you before the next explosion, though this one was different.

“I know that’s kind of silly. If anypony knew, they would tease me for it. So I’ve never told anypony, especially not Rainbow Dash, but…I have a crush. I’ve had a crush for years now.”

Suddenly there was a boom and a whack; something long and scaly – it looked somewhat like a tail but Fluttershy wasn’t quite sure she had seen it correctly – smashed into the side of the ship, rocking them  sideways. Not being able to help it, she screamed and leapt backwards.

“IT’S SCORN THE UNDEAD CHANGELING!” somepony bellowed from farther down the line.

Willow rolled her eyes. “No, he’s just cursed.”

Fluttershy, still trying to catch her breath, pressed against the wall with eyes wide, when she heard,“Doctor?” The voice came from behind her, strangely concerned. Tilting her head sideways Fluttershy was able to see Nurse Zeta, the half-pony, half-zebra with the long brown mane and the strange eyes, one covered with an eyepatch; he looked troubled. “Are you alright?”

Fluttershy forced herself to swallow; in a normal case, pegasi would have ruffled their wings a little in distaste but she knew not to; it would hurt her right wing, after all, and with the sharp pains that shot through it regularly already, reminders of that accident she had had early on, when she was just a little filly.

“Rainbow Dash told me that the Nocturnal Thunder is the biggest, most amazing ship ever. She sounded so in awe, so excited…even though I knew I was required to come, being an Element of Harmony and all, like Shining Armor said, it was really her who made my final decision. I don’t think I ever would have been half as willing as I was without her.”

Another scream, this time not from her. Somepony else. Fluttershy flattened her ears against her head, trying to block it all out; she drew back and ducked as a block of some sort of debris came hurtling at her scalp. A surprised yelp from Willow next to her; the mare turned.

“Fluttershy! Get down!”

Somepony slammed into her – most likely Zeta; she hit the deck hard, feeling the wood against her skin and the rapid beating of her own heart, quick and fast against her chest. Slowly she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block it all out, but it was no use.

Willow let out an excited cheer next to her; one of the gunners must have landed a hit, and Fluttershy wished it would all be over.

“I remember my first time on this ship. I was so scared. It was big, loud, and so, so, stressful. I knew that I held, could hold, and would hold the lives of ponies in my own hooves, and it made me want to cry. But I eventually became adjusted to it – as adjusted as I could get.”

The harsh thrashing of an undead black tail, the glimmer of soulless eyes, belonging to something even Fluttershy could not fathom in her moment of fear, the flashing of shimmering claws coming closer to the ship, a panicked yell from the changeling, Grey Shadow, before there was another explosion, the biggest one yet.

A slight rumble shook the ground, and then the sound of something collapsing inwardly, like it had been punched with a great amount of force.

Fluttershy was thrown backwards, her medical supplies coming with her this time, tumbling against her in a series of repeating thunks; she turned away, instinctively opening her left wing to shield her like an umbrella. Another boom.

Suddenly it was like she had gone deaf – Fluttershy couldn’t hear a thing. Squinting, she tried to see, but the smoke and dust riled up by the explosion made it difficult. Slowly she called out; slowly and carefully. “Zeta?”

It took a few seconds for the ringing in her ears to finally tucker out, and that was when she heard the sound of coughing; quickly she tilted her ears in the direction of the noise and the mare herself followed, picking her way delicately through the rubble she was now beginning to see, just barely. “Willow?” she called, a bit louder now.

The coughing stopped, and a voice called out, weakly. “Fluttershy?”

It was Willow, eyes narrowed, shining through the gloom. She was standing at her short height, at the size of a filly but with the mind of a mare, wings fully erect and gaze upset. “Let me go out there.”

Fluttershy frowned. It’s for the better. Sighing, she tipped her head in the direction of the momentarily stunned gunners. Willow’s eyes lit up as a painstakingly loud roar of success rose from the dragon; she zipped over and assumed her position at her cannon, verbally encouraging the others to do the same. They rose as one and moved as one, and for a moment, Fluttershy was envious of their obvious grace.

“I thought that things would go semi-normally. We would go and find the princess – a mission I think is impossible, but I’d never admit it – but already things are riled up. There’s a changeling pirate on the loose. Scorn. And he could attack at any moment, with his giant undead dragon and his army! It scares me just thinking about it!

“But I guess I have to be prepared for anything if I’m going to be a doctor on a ship sailing into war.”

A direct hit. That was what Fluttershy heard Grey Shadow screeching to one of the others. They had made a direct hit. The dragon had to run soon.

Zeta, still looking a little wobbly, got to his hooves and grinned at her, eyes full of relief. She looked back, eyes still nervous, but a tiny smile was there all the same.

“This is hard work,” he remarked.

She nodded, chest still heaving. Willow let out a yell of triumph as the undead dragon erupted with another painful-sounding roar. “The scariest thing I’ve ever had to face.”

“But, you’re an Element! Didn’t all of you have to fight through a whole army of naga to get them?” The remark was more like a question; Zeta seemed genuinely surprised by this answer.

Fluttershy shook her head from side to side. “No, it was nothing like that. I’ll have to tell you the real story somethime. Not the version that is floating around in the rumors.”

“Ah. Okay then,” The hybrid nodded, but Fluttershy knew he didn’t truly believe it. That was alright; she didn’t expect him to. The truth was actually more extreme than the rumors. An army of nagas, that was something ponies could believe. What had actually happened, on the other hoof... It had all happened so fast. Now she was the Element of Kindness, going on an epic quest, and her life seemed to have spiraled from when she was just a small town doctor, making her way with Rainbow Dash at her side.

“I guess,” Fluttershy murmured, almost to herself, “we’ll have to be prepared for anything.”

“It’s going!” came the voice of Willow, louder than any other sound on the chaotic airship. “It’s retreating! It’s heading over there!” She pointed wildly at a farther away point in the sky. “I think we’ve driven it off!”

A cheer came up from all around, massive and full of excitement and joy.

Fluttershy didn’t quite process what was said next; relief washed over her like a tidal wave. The big, scary dragon was gone, and sure, the hull was damaged horribly, and sure, a lot of ponies probably had injuries waiting to be tended. Most of them were too stubborn to admit they had been wounded, even to a doctor; Willow had been one such pony but luckily Zeta had spotted her limping and had dragged her over ASAP.

All she knew was that her part in the wreck was over.

“We all have to be prepared,” Zeta agreed with her, relief clear in his eyes too.

Prepared for anything. I just hope Twilight and the princess know what they’re doing…because I sure don’t. But I’m sure it’ll be fine.

Fluttershy took in and released a deep breath.

Just fine.

…for now.

“This is going to be a wild ride, but I guess I’m required to come along for it. I’m nervous already…I’d better go to bed before the nightmares start! I can’t afford to have more of those…I think I’m enough of a scaredy cat. Pony? Pegasus? Mare? It...it doesn’t matter. Goodnight!

“Signing off,

Doctor Fluttershy”.

Next Chapter: Festering Nightmare Part V Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 29 Minutes