The first level of the underground complex was fairly small. It acted more like welcome area and a break room for members of the Friedenstruppen deep-science division rather than an actual level where experiments were held, as there were many amenities on level one; foosball tables, a dusty old bar with rusted metal tables and chairs, and a cafeteria conjoined to the one side of the small inner chamber. Outside of said central area were many various outer cells, tiny rooms for scientists to live in that were fitted with miniature labs and tattered cots for them to sleep in. Evelyn could feel their presence, the spirits of the troubled scientists and doctors, abducted and forced to work long hours under the cruel fascist policies of the Friedenstruppen Party. Dr. Gearza had been one of those unfortunate souls.

As Evelyn made her way into the center of the inner chamber, the concession area, she read various posters on the walls, propaganda put up to instill fear in the minds of the scientists. They all seemed to follow the same designs; a red and black background, red to highlight the strict punishment that their captors threatened to unleash, and black to signify death, the ultimate price of reluctance. On every poster was a seraph, an angel, the symbol of the Friedenstruppen. In Evelyn's eyes, it meant only one thing, an absolute order through violence and brutality.

Although she was very young when the Civil War ended, she knew of its suffering through tales and stories, and through Butch's tortured eyes. When she looked at Butch, smiled at him, there were only brief moments of happiness. Then the episodes returned, images of chaos, the sounds of screaming; they all reminded him of his past, the past he tried so hard to lock away within the confines of his mind. As Evelyn grew into a teenager, she began to distance herself from him, unable to understand his anguish and fear. Then, as she became older, she returned to his side, realizing how much he needed her. Butch was broken, empty, darkened by the cruel world he grew up in.

Evelyn approached a stool near the bar and sat down, evaluating her decision to let him roam by himself. She wept as she let her thoughts consume her, forgetting about her mission. She felt her heart sink as she imagined him dead on the ground, alone and without her. Evelyn couldn't allow that. She clenched her fist and got out of the stool, intending to abandon her original mission and rescue him. However, as she rose from her seat, she heard a voice echo within her skull, a distant yet eerily close voice. It was calling her, almost begging her, whimpering to her. "Evelyn... Evelyn..."

The noise grew progressively louder to the point where she could no longer think due to its deafening volume. It was then that she realized that the voice was not sound at all, but a signal. She turned her communicator to match the frequency of the thought projection in order to combat its influence, however, this attempt appeared fruitless, as the signal morphed almost as soon as she adjusted it accordingly. As a reflex she brought her hands up her head and clutched her ears– granted, she knew such a method would be pointless. Her frustration grew until she eventually blurted, shouting at whoever was generating the odd signal. "I can hear you! I can hear you!"

As Evelyn let loose her outburst, the projection subsided, leaving Evelyn standing in the center, clueless. "What do you want?"

"Help... Help..." The whispers seemed to come from every direction due to the odd nature of the signal. "Help... Help..."

"What? What do you need help with?" Evelyn asked, genuinely intrigued by the echoes.

"I can't stop... I can't stop, mademoiselle." The whispers became clearer as the source drew closer; Evelyn recognized the odd accent. "Please, stop me... I beg you... he tricked me..."

"Who tricked you?" Evelyn hollered to the unknown speaker, although she was beginning to piece together the identity of the mare.

"Kaiser..." The voice was no longer a signal, it was coming from above Evelyn's head, hidden within the veil of shadows that layered the ceiling like a blanket. "Please... I can't remember... I can't... forgive me."

Out of the shadows sprung a mare, her long orange mane concealing her bowed head. As she rose, her hair parted, revealing her pained expression. She looked as if she were being torn apart by some unseen force. The mare thrashed around violently as she clutched her head with her clawed, metal hands. It took Evelyn a moment to realize it, but she knew her. Deep within her memories rested images of the mare that stood before her; a smiling face, a sunny park where she played as a child, the chirping of birds. It was her nanny, the mare who took care of her as a child. The only friend she had besides Butch. "Marie?"

Just as she realized who she was speaking to, Marie wailed in pain and let loose a wave of telepathic signals, influencing Evelyn's mind, causing the world to spin around her. She fell backward into some kind of blanket. It enveloped her, caressed her softly as she fell downwards into a dark pit. It didn't take long for Evelyn to realize that she was hallucinating. However, that realization didn't seem to wake her up from the trance. She continued to fall down until she hit something soft, a pillow; Evelyn fell into a gigantic wooden cradle. Evelyn then felt a pair of humungous hands reach into her crib, lifting her out and dragging her upwards into another realm of darkness. However, as she was lifted higher, the cloud of blackness disappeared, and she found herself in an empty white room¬– the only normal object being a closed wooden door, not attached to any wall in the room.

"Where am I?" Evelyn wondered as she felt a presence behind her, and as she turned she saw her; it was the same mare, only this time she was calm and collected.

"Our minds ave become intertwined, Madame," Marie explained to her, slowly becoming more frantic as a web of shadows began to eat away at the white walls of the room. "Please, we haven't much time. I'm currently fighting against my programming as we speak, and I need your help to do it, Evelyn."

"Me? I'm not a programmer, I can't fix you!" Evelyn panicked as the walls began to crumble.

"Oui, you can, you are an Aquarius." Marie brushed Evelyn's cheek as she took her hand and placed it on the door. "I think we can both get out of zis if we work together. Okay?"

It took Evelyn a few moments to realize what needed to be done, and she placed her hand on the doorknob as well, giving Marie a nod. "Okay, I think I get it, Marie."

"Zen let us go forth..." Marie prepared to turn the knob with Evelyn. "Un... Deux... Trois!"

****

Butch made sure his weapons were loaded before he found a way out of the maintenance room. The various pipes and valves that lined the walls made the area look intricate like a clock tower and the random bursts of steam emphasized the neglected state of the plumbing system. It was obvious the room hadn't been visited in many years. Butch made his way through the small system of pipes and stepped over a large secondary ventilation shaft to finally arrive at the rusted metal door on the other side. He tried opening with a casual amount of effort. However, the door was fairly reluctant to open; a layer of rust coated the handle and jammed the lock. Butch rolled his eyes impatiently and ripped off the handle, opening the door with ease. He grabbed the mechanized helmet strapped to his utility belt and placed it on his head, a gust of air escaping as the helm locked in place.

Butch trudged into the dimly lit hallway with his revolver at the ready, brushing the leather grip of the gun as he slowly made his way down the hall. Butch made it to the end of the hall, taking a right at a T-intersection; there were footprints along the left pathway, and they continued down the right corridor. Butch could smell the distinct, thick scent of burning flesh and molten iron as he made his way down the path, the smell getting more intense as he pressed onwards. However, he stopped for a moment as an intercom began to buzz right next to him; somepony was attempting to reach him. Butch assumed it would've been Masami or Evelyn, but that was very wrong.

"You there, soldier... I know you..." The voice was harsh and hoarse; it sounded like sandpaper rubbing against rough wood. "Yes... I thought they might send you to kill me..."

"I don't think I know a stallion with a voice like that, pal..." Butch replied to the groaning speaker as he continued down the hall.

"Oh, of course not, of course not, Butch. You probably wouldn't recognize me with this ugly mug and growl I got..."

"How the hell do you know my name, huh?" Butch asked the voice on the intercom as he turned to the left, down another corridor.

"How could I forget you, Butch? We served together in Galloway, do you remember?! Do you remember when our generals lied to us– told us we were yellow-bellies for showing sympathy for those damned Kusckon terrorists? We burned em' in their mud huts with our flamethrowers; mares, stallions, foals. There were no terrorists. We did it for our great leader, our great Chancellor. They called you The Butcher..." The voice growled at Butch, opening old wounds in the grizzled soldier's mind. He began hearing the screams again; the agony, the pain, the guilt. "And you deserted with that pretty little mare and that brother of yours after Galloway. You left to join that loathsome rebellion, left your brothers and sisters to rot behind the great metal walls of the north. I had no choice, unlike you! I was kept in these walls to wither and die with my kin. I deserved a soldier's death, not a whimper!"

"Listen, I don't know anything about you, pal. You've mistaken me for a different stallion..." Butch shook his head as he continued onward.

"Oh, you remember me, Butcher. How could you forget the stallion that killed your brother? That turned you into what you are now?" The stallion on the intercom snickered, knowing that his words would strike Butch like daggers to his heart. And it did. "You remember me now, don't you? You can feel it; the tiny little pin-pricks all over your body. The doctors in my science detachment ripped you apart and put you back together... we made you into the cybernetic freak you are today!"

Butch grit his teeth as he clutched his chest, feeling an intense rage in his chest. He heard the whimpers of his brother, his last words. He clenched his fists, so hard in fact, that if he had placed coal in the palms of his hands they would have made diamonds. "Commander Aschetunn..."

"I was worried you forgot about me, Butch!" The gravel-voiced stallion wheezed as he cackled maniacally. "Although, I don't think ranks really matter anymore do they, Butch? I've been waiting for you. I've been waiting for you. I've been waiting for fifteen years for this moment, the day I finally end this little game of ours for good! You will prove yourself to my kin, embrace your murderous instincts! You will grant them death, or they will for you..."

Butch said nothing and pressed onwards with burning passion and an expression of indescribable malice on his face. He so wanted to wrap his hands around the Friedenstruppen's throat, make him atone for his cruelty and horrid actions during the Civil War. He was more than willing to grant him his wish; he was willing to tear out his heart and feed it to a wild cur.

"Such silent rage, yes!" Ashurr laughed as he heard no response from Butch. "Use that rage, feel it's power. I want you to think of me burnt at the stake, roasting over a burning cauldron! Yes!"

Butch reached the end of the hall where he was met with a metal door. Without hesitation he smashed it to pieces with a single kick, stepping over the debris and finding himself in a massive arena. It was constructed using old Friedenstruppen tanks and warships, and they encircled a great fighting pit that was surrounded by hundreds of bloodthirsty bandits, savages that joined to watch the carnage. They had all gathered to see Butch in action. They wanted to see the true power of the Steel Enforcer, his true self. As he made his way down a long stretch of stairs into the arena, he stared straight ahead, not paying any attention to the roaring and cackling bandits that slammed on the sides of their metal seats as Butch made his way into the pit.

"Welcome to The Armory! You must prove yourself worthy! You must prove to these stallions that you are indeed a soldier who will give them the death they deserve!"Ashurr announced from a precipice on the other side of the pit, perched high above the arena. "Oh, and do make it gory, will you? Granted, I don't think that'll be an issue if it's you fighting these stallions. These folks love a good bloodbath now and then..."

Butch grunted and stood silently at the center of the pit with his head bowed, ready to tear through any obstacle blocking his way. He checked his shotgun to see if it was loaded; it carried armor-piercing shells. "You're all dead..."

"Release the first wave!" Ashurr grinned as he ordered a bandit to open a gate just beneath his precipice, releasing dozens of other bandits armed with guns and blades. "Kill them, and you get to me!"

****

The third floor reeked from vermin infestation. Old glass experiment chambers attached to the walls were teeming with rats and other vile creatures; it appeared that the third level had been victim to mother nature in all her disgusting wrath. Bats nested in small bundles on the decrepit, colorless ceiling, and an unknown green substance dried onto the floor, layering the whole level with the unknown dried fluid. Winslow assumed that the fluid once was held within storage vats, drums perched on the other side of the experiment wing across from the testing chambers. To his surprise, Winslow didn't see Fluttershy recoil in disgust at the horror show before them. Instead, Fluttershy approached the rats, reaching into her pocket to grab a scrap of food she carried with her, a pita chip. She fed it to the rats and various bats on the ceiling, tossing it to them with an ecstatic smile on her face.

"Where did you obtain that piece of food?" Winslow questioned Fluttershy as he watched her continue to divide the pita chip amongst the ever-hungry gathering.

"Oh, I took it from the Ambassador. I always keep little morsels of food for stray animals." Fluttershy beamed as she finally tossed the last crumb to the rats.

"You are... not repulsed by these creatures?" Winslow wondered, still scratching his head over the whole thing.

"Of course not. They're living creatures, just like you and me. They may be ugly at first, but they mean well. They're just trying to survive, like us." Fluttershy shared her opinion with Winslow, fully expressing her compassionate side.

"That is... most comforting, Fluttershy." Winslow shook his head, however, unsure whether he meant to or not. "Granted, there are some monsters in this world that will not show you the same kindness."

"Oh, I don't believe that..." Fluttershy shook her head as they both walked alongside each other down the experiment lab. "Everypony has a soft spot... even the monsters."

Winslow chuckled, moved by Fluttershy's optimism and bright attitude towards animals. As much as he wanted to believe her, though, he knew of evil creatures, whether it be animal or pony; he knew of demons, vampires, lycans. Winslow had a hard time accepting Fluttershy's ideals after being a paladin for so long. However, he kept his own beliefs to himself, afraid of sullying Fluttershy's good mood.

In the distance was a faint noise. It was emanating from the other end of the experiment wing; long anguished sobs and the ominous rattling of metal chains against concrete floors. Winslow gestured to Fluttershy, placing his index finger over his mouth to silence her. "Do you hear that?" He whispered.

"Yes..." Fluttershy replied with caution in her tone. "What was it?"

"I am uncertain. Stay close. It could be a trap."

"Okay..." Fluttershy quivered as she hid behind Winslow, who drew his sword as they slowly made their way to the source of the unsettling whimpers.

The fluorescent lights flickered on and off, going completely dark for brief intervals. The break in light and dark widened as they continued down until they almost reached the end, where the only light at that point became the glow of Winslow's horn. The paladin created an orb of yellow light, letting it gently leave his hand and float down the darkened hall. As it made its way to the very end, the light illuminated a mess of chains layering the ground, and he could see the bundle thicken as the orb inched closer and closer to the source, the sobs becoming more and more distressed. A ball of tightly packed chains formed a solid sphere that latched itself to the wall like a spider's nest.

"There's somepony in that cocoon there. I assume it must be that crazed stallion that fought with Butch and Spike..." Winslow informed Fluttershy as he poked at the side of the egg with his longsword, readying a strike. "Come out, coward!"

"Y- You go, leave me... leave me with mother..." The disturbed stallion mumbled as the veil of chains lifted, revealing him beneath the sphere clutching a small wooden music box with a dancing ballerina on the top. "Y- You dance so well, mother... so well! W- What's that? No mother... I don't want to! I can't! N- No! Shut up! Rraaarrrghhh!" The crazed stallion set the music box on the ground, breaking down completely as he writhed about on the floor, lost in his madness. "No mother, that's not fair! You can't-! No, please don't! Don't tell father! He'll send me to the corner again! I'll do it!"

Gar Nichts arose from the ground, chains lifting him higher until they levitated his body in the air like a grotesque arachnid. His body rattled as he began to sob again, covering his face that was already concealed by layers of heavy chains. He set the music box aside, inside a metal box on a nearby shelf.

"M- Mother wants me to hurt you... she says you're evil. F- Father Kaiser said so t- too..." The whimpering stallion grumbled as he walked along a wall, eyeing up Fluttershy and Winslow. "I- I can't make mom and dad mad... so I'm- I'm gonna hurt you as best as I can, okay?"

"Fluttershy, this stallion is extremely far-gone. Be wary." Winslow began to analyze his foe as he drew closer. "Here he comes!"

"I'm sorry!" Gar Nichts cried as he sprung at them both.

****

"Rainbow Dash, this way..." Masami motioned over the t-intersection in the ventilation system. "Let's take a left."

Rainbow Dash and Masami had been wandering the ducts for much longer than expected, and this was due to the complexity of the cavernous filtration system. The deeper they went, the more mazelike they became. Rainbow Dash fell behind a bit, checking hatches to see if they were getting any closer. She closed another, trying to catch up again. The distance between hatches widened as they continued, and this allowed Rainbow Dash to catch up to Masami as they explored further.

As Rainbow Dash approached the next hatch, she felt something on her shoulder, a cool breeze, a whisper; it was a voice that beckoned to her in the distance, calling her. She stopped, turning her head back to hear it clearer. Masami stopped as well, wondering what she was up to. "Hey, Kitten... what's up?"

"Oh, I just... I think I missed one back there. I'll go check. You stay put..." Rainbow Dash lied, overtaken by an overwhelming curiosity.

"Rainbow Dash... Rainbow Dash..." The voice called out to her, putting her into a trance-like state.

Rainbow Dash found herself turning around, crawling towards the soft and subtle speaker. The voice seemed to soften as Rainbow Dash caught a glimpse of a faint glow near the same intersection she had cut through only moments before. On the side of the vent, etched into the metal, was a symbol. It was unfamiliar to her, though it looked much like an abstract anvil, constructed using several strange letters and linear patterns. As she outstretched her hand, she watched as the symbol disappeared with a soft fizzle. She recoiled and cringed for a moment, grasping the back of her hand as she looked back to see the symbol had disappeared. She tended to it and found that the symbol had in fact, had migrated to her. The symbol was burned into the back of her hand. She grabbed a handkerchief out of the pocket of her black combat suit, tying it between her fingers and around her palm to hide the brand.

The same faint whisper spoke to her in the distance, beyond her comprehension. "Chosen..."

As Rainbow Dash made her way back, Masami noticed the kerchief, pointing at it as Rainbow Dash approached her. "What's that there?"

Rainbow Dash figured it would be pointless to hide such a minor burn to Masami, so she unwrapped it, raising her left hand up high for her to see. "Have any idea what this thing is?"

"No clue..." Masami scratched her head at the odd brand. "Didn't know you were into branding, Kitten..."

"No, it's not like that. I read something back there, then it just appeared on my-..." Rainbow Dash trailed off, too impatient to waste any more time. "Let's just get going. I'll explain it to you on the way. How far are we from the fourth level?"

"Just a few dozen meters more and I think we'll be there-..." Masami shook her head and chuckled to herself, feeling a wave of worry wash over her mind. "We'll get there."

"Hey, it's okay. I'm here with you, remember?" Rainbow Dash reminded her, grasping Masami's hand as she did so.

Masami lunged forward and deeply kissed Rainbow Dash, leaning into her with careless and spontaneous passion. Rainbow Dash was taken aback by the random move, but she eventually caved and became enveloped in Masami's warmth. She was soft, so beautiful, Rainbow Dash was addicted to her. As they broke their kiss, Masami brushed Rainbow Dash's cheek slightly, causing both of their faces to flush red.

"What was that for?" Rainbow Dash wondered as she came down from her momentary burst of adrenaline.

"Just in case... you know." Masami implied as she brushed her hair to the side with her hand. "Let's get going..."

Author's Notes:

Looks like the fights are gonna get pretty intense soon! As always, I hope you enjoyed! See you in the next chapter!