“Ughh…” Rarity groaned softly as she drifted awake once again.

Her eyelids felt heavy as if she had stayed up for a whole week. Due to her strong feeling of drowsiness, she could barely open her eyes more than a sliver. Her vision when she did manage to open her eyes was dim and unfocused. Her entire mind was a foggy haze, to the point where she couldn’t even remember where she was or what had happened.

“Down here!” A voice rang out from nearby. Rarity could scarcely make out how far away it actually was, let alone what was said or by whom.

Every noise around her was just as blurry as the sights she was taking in. She could faintly make out the steady clatter of numerous hooves falling against the floor rapidly. This, combined with the soft feeling of motion coming through her dulled nerves gave the unicorn the sense that she was moving somewhere, despite her inability to walk or even move of her own volition.

She tried to lift her head and move her limbs, but she could hardly even elicit a twitch from them. Her entire body felt numb and uncomfortable. And although she was slowly coming to her senses, she could tell that she wouldn’t be getting up for a while.

A loud clang rang out behind her, or at least she thought so. It was hard to tell what noises came from where, but Rarity gathered that a door had closed somewhere behind her. She felt the faint sense of movement stop suddenly. She then felt pressure on her back in two places as she was lowered onto what she presumed to be the floor.

“Is she ok?!” Another blurry voice rang out from beside her, though this one sounded softer and slightly familiar.

Thinking back to where she was beforehand brought only a hazy mess of memories to the unicorn. Rarity remembered running down a hallway with her friends when she was suddenly struck by something. Anything after the impact to her head was a blank.

“Ughh…” Rarity groaned again. She was tired of being stuck in a drowsy haze like this. With every ounce of strength left in her, she focused on opening her eyes completely.

After fighting the urge to close her eyes and pass out again, Rarity finally managed to make some progress. She still couldn’t fully open her eyes, but the image in front of her was focusing. All of the blurred lines from before were forming an understandable image, and that was enough for the unicorn.

She could see four yellow legs in front of her, and two more brown ones off to the side. She figured that the yellow legs belonged to her friend Fluttershy, and the brown ones must have been the guard they were with.

“I can’t say for certain right now. Just keep an eye on her for the moment… Hey, keep that door closed!” The male voice from before spoke again in a louder tone as if speaking across the room. The pair of brown legs walked out of view, leaving only Fluttershy in her field of vision.

Suddenly, Rarity felt an overwhelming sense of tiredness come over her. She fought just to keep her eyes from closing any further. All of the progress she had made was fading away as her vision faded back into a blurred mess. Before all of the colors and lights melded together, Rarity could make out Fluttershy stepping closer to her.

“Rarity…? Can you hear me? Everything’s going to be ok… please be ok.” Fluttershy presumably said in what seemed to be a concerned tone. It was hard to make out what the pegasus was saying as everything faded away. Rarity could practically hear the sound of her friend’s voice getting farther and farther away as her vision faded to black.

Rarity became aware of her surroundings once more as she opened her eyes slowly. Her body was still numb, and noticeably colder than before, but she felt less tired than the last time she woke up. Taking a moment to focus her vision, she was greeted with nothing more than a gray cement floor.

Feeling the rest of her body waking up along with her, the unicorn tried lifting her head again. This time she was able to get her muscles to contract, although she could still barely move. With some effort however, Rarity slowly moved her front legs beside her head and pushed with all of her might.

As she gradually lifted her head up and opened her eyes further, she noticed the sight of her friend Fluttershy sitting in front of her while looking off to the side. She appeared to have a worried expression on her face. Although she was looking away, she was facing towards the unicorn, having apparently decided to watch over her while she was unconscious.

“Hrrrk…” Rarity grunted softly as she felt herself over exerting her already numb muscles. Hearing the sound of her friend stirring, the pegasus looked back over and gasped in surprise.

“Rarity!” Fluttershy cried out in cheerful excitement. She rushed forward and waited patiently while the unicorn rolled onto her side and sat up slowly. Once her spine could support her, Rarity fell forward into a hunched position and rested her head in her hooves.

“Ughh… wh…what happened?” Rarity muttered in a tired stupor. She could barely create an understandable sentence, but she was too exhausted to care.

“You got knocked out while we were running. We had to carry you with us.” Fluttershy explained with a worried tone while putting a gentle hoof on her friend’s back and staring at her with a concerned expression.

“Where are we…? What about those creatures?” Rarity asked as she remembered what had happened before she was knocked unconscious. As she looked around, she noticed that she was in a fairly large room that appeared to be in the basement. The floor was cold and gray, the walls were cold and brown, and the entire area was generally cold and eerie as any basement usually was.

The only lights in the room were a few candles placed around to light up the darkness. There were several dark areas and corners of the room that would doubtlessly offer a safe haven for any shadow creature. Rarity grew nervous as she looked at the darkness around her, but she trusted that her friends had found a safe place to rest in.

Cool Breeze stood a ways away along with two other earth ponies, one being a pink mare with white hair, and the other being a tan stallion with brown hair. Both ponies were shivering in fear with a terrified expression on their faces. Cool Breeze herself seemed to be nervous as well, though she wasn’t shivering. Rarity wasn’t sure if the blue mare was braver than she thought, or the other two ponies were just more easily frightened by comparison.

“We’re down in the basement. Apparently, that guard that saved us is part of a small group of survivors… they have a safe room set up here.” Fluttershy explained while taking another look at her surroundings.

“Relatively safe…” A unicorn guard chimed in while walking over to the two. He walked up to Rarity and started examining her head for injuries.

“How safe are we actually?” Rarity asked curiously. Even in her dazed state, she wanted to be as aware of her situation as possible.

“We’ve barricaded the doors as best we could, but we can’t stay here forever. Let’s just worry about one thing at a time right now… like your health. How do you feel?” The guard asked while gently brushing back the unicorn’s hair to look for bruises or cuts.

“Umm… I feel a little bit drowsy, and I’m pretty sure my head hurts.” Rarity replied while taking note of the slight throbbing feeling she had on one side of her head.

“That’s normal… you did get hit pretty hard after all.” The guard explained in a reassuring tone while reaching for a small flashlight. He turned the light on and shined it in the white mare’s eyes one by one. Rarity did her best to keep her eyes open while her pupils shrank from exposure to the brightness.

“Is she alright?” Fluttershy asked in a worried tone while watching the guard examining her friend anxiously.

“I’m not going to lie… I think you have a concussion. You should try your best to keep still and rest.” The stallion stated in an uneasy tone. He then turned to Fluttershy with a more serious expression.

“Keep an eye on her and make sure that she doesn’t fall asleep again.” The guard instructed in a clear yet calm manner. The yellow mare was shocked to hear that her friend was in such poor shape that she had to be monitored, but she was ready to help her in any way possible.

“Ok.” Fluttershy said with a firm nod. The white mare couldn’t help but smile as the pegasus turned to her with a loving expression and scooted closer.

“Thank you, Fluttershy.” Rarity said in a grateful tone.

“Don’t worry about it. You just focus on resting up ok?” Fluttershy replied with a friendly smile. Rarity nodded in return while being careful to go slowly so she didn’t jostle her head too much.

Before the guard could walk away, another stallion walked up to the group with a nervous expression. The pony was an earth pony guard in full gear, but he appeared to be much more anxious and uneasy than any guard the two mares had seen before.

“Umm, s-sir… I uh… permission to speak sir?” He stammered nervously while trying his best to appear professional in front of the unicorn.

“Go ahead.” The brown stallion replied with an understanding smile.

“Well… umm, we can’t hear anything out there anymore sir. We think the creatures are gone.” The earth pony explained while glancing back to the door, over by the barricade stood another earth pony guard that was watching the others curiously.

“They will be back eventually. We need to pack up and leave as soon as we can. The only place that can be reliably secured is the equipment room, so everyone else will probably be heading there.” The unicorn guard stated while deep in thought. He then looked up to face the other guard once again.

“Get back to the door and keep watch. I’ll go make sure everyone is ready to move.” The unicorn instructed while glancing over to the door. The white stallion nodded before giving an eager, if slightly awkward, salute.

“Yes, sir!” He said in an enthusiastic tone. He then trotted off to get back to his spot alongside the other guard by the door.

The brown unicorn shrugged and shook his head slowly at the thought of leaving the safety of his current location. He then glanced over to Fluttershy and Rarity with a slight expression of concern.

“I know it’s a little soon… but do you two think you’re up for moving on?” He asked while keeping a close eye on the white mare and observing her for any signs of her concussion kicking in.

“Where are we going? The equipment room is upstairs, and there is probably an army of those things out there.” Rarity stated uneasily while glancing over to the door. She wasn’t conscious when she was brought to the room, but she figured that it wasn’t a good idea to be going back where they came from.

“There is another staircase leading up that’s a lot closer to the equipment room. All we need to do is loop around the basement and make our way over to those stairs.” The brown unicorn explained in a reassuring manner. The two mares could tell that he was trying to make his plan sound more fool proof than it actually was.

“But… what if we run into more of those monsters on that staircase?” Fluttershy asked nervously. Thoughts of the small group getting boxed in from both sides by hordes of vicious creatures flooded her mind and made her whine in fright.

“Glad to hear that you’re thinking about the worst possible scenario. It’s a good thing to take into consideration when making a daring plan.” The guard praised with a lighthearted smirk before returning to a more serious expression. “As far as running into more of those things… sorry to say this, but I’m not a miracle worker. I’m only taking what I think is the best possible chance for our survival, but there are always risks in situations like these. All I can honestly say to you is that I will try my best to keep you safe.” He added in a sincere tone.

“I appreciate your bravery, but I just want to make it clear that I don’t want to unnecessarily endanger myself or my friends Lieutenant.” Rarity said with a concerned expression.

“Understood.” The stallion replied with a nod. He then turned around and walked off towards the other ponies gathered in the room.

Now that the two mares were alone, they took a moment to rest. This was the first time in a while that they had been in a position to relax, even if it was only slightly. Fluttershy had been worrying about Rarity ever since they arrived in the basement, and before that, the two were concerned with running away from monsters.

“*Sigh*” Rarity rubbed her temples while trying to shrug off the drowsy feeling she had. She felt like lying down and passing out, but she had to remain awake for fear of her well-being.

“How are you feeling?” Fluttershy asked while observing the tired unicorn. She could tell that she was having a hard time coping with her tense nerves and exhausted body, not to mention her possible concussion.

“I’ve had better days.” Rarity replied with a brief smile.

“I’m sure you’ve had worse too.” Fluttershy replied in a lighthearted tone. She wanted so badly to cheer up their situation, not only for her friend but for herself as well. Rarity laughed briefly before trailing off with a disheartened shrug. For a brief moment however, she had a genuine smile on her face.

“I’m stuck in a basement surrounded on all sides by monsters, and I might have a concussion. Not to be the glass half empty type, but I can’t think of many experiences worse than this one.” Rarity stated with a sad expression. Probably the only thing keeping her from breaking down and crying is the thought of what effect it might have on her concussion.

“Well… I… *Sigh*” Fluttershy muttered while trying to find a silver lining to their situation. “I suppose you’re right… but it could be worse.” She said while forcing a cheerful tone. Rarity looked up curiously at the yellow mare’s statement.

“How so?” Rarity asked in a sincere manner. She didn’t want to hurt her friend’s feelings, but she honestly didn’t expect a good answer.

“We still have each other. Imagine what would have happened if only one of us got sick and went to the bathroom. I would probably still be in there shivering in the corner if it was me.” Fluttershy stated lightheartedly.

“Hmm… I never thought of it that way. I guess you’re right… I am glad that we’re together.” Rarity said with a warm smile gradually falling across her face. She leaned over and rested her head against the yellow mare’s shoulder, to which Fluttershy responded by placing her foreleg around the unicorn for a partial hug.

The two ponies sat still for a moment while enjoying each other’s company. They might have been stranded in a monster-infested basement, but they were okay. Somehow, they knew that they would be alright if they stayed together.

Overhearing some of the others talking, Fluttershy looked up. She noticed that the two earth ponies were talking amongst themselves off in the corner with the guards, while Cool Breeze was walking over to her and her friend.

“Hey… how are you two doing?” Cool Breeze asked curiously while focusing on Rarity. She hadn’t checked up on the unicorn since she had woken up, but she was still concerned for her.

“We’re doing alright. What’s going on over there?” Fluttershy said while looking over at the small crowd of ponies talking in the corner.

“They are talking about moving out of this room and heading through the basement to get to the equipment room.” Cool Breeze replied with a hint of apprehension in her voice. It wasn’t hard to tell that she wasn’t a big fan of the idea of moving from the safe room.

“How far away is the staircase that guard was talking about? Is it really that close to the equipment room?” Fluttershy asked curiously.

“Yeah… it’s like right next to it. It is a fair distance away from where we are, though.” Cool Breeze explained while looking down nervously. She hated the thought of traveling through the basement.

“I’m sure we’ll be fine…” Rarity said with a reassuring smile. “I hope…” She then turned away and muttered nervously to herself. She knew where the blue mare was coming from. She didn’t like the thought of moving either, but she had no other options.

Cool Breeze frowned slightly at the unicorn’s confidence. She didn’t want to say it out loud for fear of jinxing herself, but she felt like something bad was going to happen if they stepped hoof out of the safety of their current location. Before the three mares could ponder about their situation any further, they noticed the brown unicorn and the other two guards walking over to them along with the other ponies in the room.

“Are all of you ready?” The brown stallion asked while glancing between the three. After taking a brief look at each other to confirm their thoughts, the mares nodded hesitantly.

“Good, let’s get moving then.” The guard stated confidently before walking over to the other door with his group. He seemed a lot more ready for the hardships ahead than what should have been possible.

Rarity groaned as she got up slowly. Fluttershy waited nearby to offer her help, but the unicorn managed to get to her feet without any assistance. The three casually made their way over to the back door of the room and joined the others.

“Ok everyone, listen up. We’re going to stay quiet once we get out there, and no matter what happens we stick together.” The lieutenant announced to the whole of the group. He then turned to the two earth pony guards with a serious expression.

“I need you two to hang back and keep an eye on our rear and sides. Make sure everyone stays together and that nobody gets separated.” The unicorn instructed. The two stallions nodded anxiously at their given roles.

“Y-yes sir!” The more timid guard replied with a quick salute.

“At ease soldier… you don’t need to call me sir right now. Those things out there don’t care about what rank we are. We’re just ponies right now, and we will act as equals until we get out of here.” The brown pony said in an inspiring tone. The white stallion nodded once again in response.

“Yes, sir… I mean, uh… yes.” He stated with a friendly smile.

Now that their plan was in place, the ponies quickly got into formation for their journey. One of the two guards walked to the back of the group, while the other remained in the middle. Rarity and Fluttershy stood between the other three civilian ponies and waited for their leader to open the door. The brown unicorn grabbed the handle and turned to the group before slowly nodding and turning it.

The hallway outside was as dark and foreboding as the ponies expected. Although nothing could be heard, that didn’t comfort them in the slightest. After taking a brief look down both sides of the corridor, the brown unicorn lit up his horn and cast his light out as far as it would go.

“Everyone stay close.” He whispered while taking one last look at the group for confirmation. Everyone swallowed their fear before nodding slowly and following the guard out of their former safe haven.

Everyone darted their eyes around anxiously while they walked out into the hallway. Every open doorway they passed was a possible threat, so everyone was on edge as they checked their surroundings.

Once their rear was relatively secured, the ponies turned their attention forward while letting the guard at the back deal with the area behind them. Every time they came across an intersection or an open door, some of the people at the front would check the area, while everyone else kept a nervous eye on it as they passed.

Fluttershy made sure to keep a close eye on Rarity as she walked beside her. Although the unicorn seemed to be doing well, she was still concerned for her. She had a certain dazed appearance to her that made the pegasus worry that much more.

“Are you ok, Rarity?” Fluttershy whispered in a concerned tone while observing the white mare. She was practically zoning out and nearly falling asleep while walking. Upon hearing her friend speaking up, the unicorn jerked her head up slightly in an attempt at waking herself up.

“Wha…? Oh, umm… yeah. I think so.” Rarity stated with a reassuring smile. The yellow mare wasn’t exactly comforted by her answer.

“Just stay awake for me ok?” Fluttershy said as a reminder to the unicorn to remain alert.

“Ok…” Rarity replied with a brief nod. Although she didn’t want to admit it out loud, she did feel extremely drowsy at times. Despite this, she was making great efforts to remain awake for her own sake.

The group paused as the brown stallion stopped at a corner and peeked around. After ensuring that nothing was waiting to surprise them, he motioned for everyone to move again. The ponies quickly followed him down the next hallway while being careful to stay as quiet as possible.

“How far away are we?” The pink mare asked nervously while darting her eyes around. She seemed like she was on the verge of a panic attack.

“Don’t worry, it’s just up ahead.” The brown unicorn replied while turning his head to face the group.

Sure enough, an intersection of hallways came into view with a door in the center of the far wall. The door was gray in color, with a small window set into its frame. These distinctive features would have filled the ponies with hope on their own, but what excited them the most was a small sign next to the door that read “stairs.”

“Finally.” Cool Breeze exclaimed in a relieved tone. Everyone quickly rushed up to the door and waited eagerly for the brown stallion to open it up.

The lieutenant quickly grabbed the handle and tugged on it. Having expected it to open, he was surprised to discover that the door wouldn’t budge an inch. Frustrated at the sudden obstacle in his path, the stallion tugged on the handle even more.

“Grr…” He snarled in annoyance while continuing his efforts. Every rattle of the door as the guard tried in vain to open it made the ponies’ hearts sink lower and lower.

“What in the hay is…” The brown unicorn muttered angrily while glancing through the small window in the door. He was surprised to see a small bar blocking the door. Judging from how little the handle turned, he figured that the door was locked as well.

“What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked anxiously. She and the other ponies were deeply concerned as to why their journey was interrupted so close to its end.

“Someone must have locked it to keep those things out… I should be able to unlock it from this side, just give me a minute.” The lieutenant replied in a reassuring tone. He quickly focused his magic and searched behind the door for the necessary objects to move.

Meanwhile, while everyone else was focused on the brown pony and his efforts in unlocking the door, one of the other guards was shifting his eyes around to scan the area. The last thing he wanted was for one of those monsters to sneak up on his group at such a crucial moment.

Suddenly, a soft growl echoed down the hallway. The guard darted his eyes towards the center hallway nervously. He froze up in fear as he noticed several pairs of red eyes moving towards him.

“Umm… s-sir?” The guard stuttered nervously while backing up slowly.

“I thought I said that you didn’t have to call me sir?” The unicorn said while keeping his attention focused on the door.

“It’s k-kind of important sir!” The guard stated more urgently. Everyone turned around as they noticed a louder growling sound approaching them. The red eyes were moving much faster, and whatever creatures they belonged to were snarling and roaring fiercely as they charged after their prey.

“AHHH!” Almost all of the ponies screamed at the top of their lungs at the terrifying sight before them. They covered their faces with their forelegs as the monsters entered the light and rushed towards them.

*Thump*

A loud thump rang out, eliciting everyone to uncover their eyes and look around. They were surprised to see that they were all still alive, and even more surprised to see a force field between them and the numerous creatures ahead.

The group looked behind them to see the brown unicorn facing the monsters with his horn glowing fiercely. He seemed to be straining heavily as beads of sweat were already falling down his face.

“You saved us…?” Cool Breeze asked in a shocked state.

“Not for long… I can’t hold them out forever, and I can’t unlock the door while I’m doing this.” The lieutenant stated through gritted teeth.

The ponies looked back to the force field anxiously. Even more of the creatures were gathered outside at each of the three hallways. Although the force field was muffling the noises they were making, it was still disturbing to see their many red eyes staring unwaveringly forward.

“What are we going to do?” The pink mare asked nervously. She sank into a seated position and leaned up against the wall in defeat.

Everyone stared ahead sullenly as they faced their doom. They were trapped, plain and simple. Anything short of a miracle wasn’t going to be enough to save them. However, instead of sulking, the brown stallion was instead looking for a solution. He shifted his eyes over to Fluttershy and Rarity, and suddenly had an idea.

“Rarity…” He spoke up while still putting as much effort on his shield as possible. The white mare looked over to the stallion curiously.

“What is it?” Rarity asked, uncertain of what the guard could have needed.

“I know now isn’t the best time for you to be using magic… but do you think you can handle unlocking the door?” The lieutenant asked while nudging towards the door.

Rarity glanced over to the door with a concerned expression. Using magic was the worst possible thing a unicorn could do with a concussion short of lying down and taking a nap. However, if she didn’t try to unlock the door, she and her friends would doubtlessly be ripped to shreds by the beasts trying to break in.

“I can try…” Rarity stated with a determined nod.

“But… what about your head? Isn’t that going to be bad for your concussion?” Fluttershy asked with a worried expression. The last thing she wanted was for her friend to drop dead on the spot due to her over exerting herself.

“We don’t have a choice right now Fluttershy. Either I die trying to save us, or we all die when those things break in.” Rarity replied apprehensively. She didn’t like the idea any better than the yellow pegasus, but she quite literally had no other choices to take.

“B-but…” Fluttershy started to speak up in protest when she started looking around. Almost everyone else in the group was terrified out of their wits. Even the pegasus herself felt like a quivering mess from staring at the horrific monsters outside.

“*Sigh*… just… just take it easy alright?” Fluttershy asked with a concerned tone. Rarity nodded slowly in response.

Without any further delay, Rarity stepped up to the door and lit up her horn. She immediately felt an odd dizzy sensation in her head, but she ignored it and instead focused on finding the bar that was keeping the door closed.

Fluttershy and the others watched anxiously as the white unicorn strained to perform the simplest of magical tasks. She seemed sluggish, and whatever she was doing seemed painful, but she powered through whatever distress she was in and continued.

Suddenly, the bar behind the door lit up the same color as Rarity’s horn. Slowly but surely, it lifted up and out of the way of the door before coming to a stop beside it.

“Good job Rarity!” Cool Breeze cheered excitedly. Everyone else cheered the white mare on as she completed a large milestone in their escape.

Rarity smiled at her success, but underneath her happy exterior, she was starting to feel ill. Her head was spinning, and she felt drowsier than ever. Despite all of this, she still had one thing to do.

“I’m almost done… I just need to unlock the door.” Rarity stated while fighting to remain alert. Despite her best efforts, her unfocused stare and drowsy tone of voice wasn’t going unnoticed.

“Are you ok?” Fluttershy asked with a concerned tone. Rarity started to speak up when she was suddenly interrupted by the brown stallion speaking up.

“I can’t hold them off much longer!” The guard stated urgently. The ponies looked back, only to see several small cracks forming in the force field.

Rarity quickly focused her attention on the lock on the door. Although it was difficult to find the small handle, it didn’t take very long with the adrenaline coursing through her body.

The ponies watched anxiously as even more cracks formed in their protective barrier. The monsters outside bashed into the shield relentlessly. They were all gnashing their teeth and growling eagerly as they prepared to assault their prey.

“They’re breaking in!” The tan stallion yelled fearfully as pieces of the force field started breaking off. The more bipedal monsters started reaching their arms through the holes in the barrier in an attempt at grabbing the ponies. Everyone backed up nervously to try and distance themselves from the terrifying beasts.

“I got it!” Rarity exclaimed while pulling the handle down and opening the door.

“Everyone inside!” The lieutenant instructed urgently. Everyone quickly went inside of the stairway and waited for the others. Once the last guard made his way inside, the brown unicorn slammed the door shut and locked it. Satisfied that they were safe for the moment, the group breathed a collective sigh of relief.

“Good work Rarity… you just saved our lives.” The lieutenant said with a cheerful smile while glancing over to the unicorn. He was surprised to see that she was drooping her head slightly with a dazed look in her eye.

“Are you ok?” The brown stallion asked in a concerned tone. Upon noticing the group shifting their attention to her, the white mare tried her best to appear as healthy as possible.

“Yeah… I think so. Just a little tired…” Rarity said drowsily while forcing a smile. The others felt bad that she had to worsen her condition just to help them out of a sticky situation.

“Well just hang in there a little while longer. The equipment room is just a little further.” The guard said in a reassuring manner. The thought of resting in a safe location made everyone’s spirits lift slightly.

“Ok…” Rarity replied with a slow nod. Despite her attempts at appearing cheerful, the unicorn was starting to worry the group.

“Let’s get moving… the faster we get there, the faster we can rest.” The brown unicorn stated while walking up the stairs. Everyone nodded in agreement before following him up to the main floor.

Once outside of the stairwell, the group scanned the hallway outside for movement. Satisfied that no creatures were lurking around, the ponies walked out into the hall and made their way forward. Their journey didn’t take long however as the brown stallion paused in front of a single door.

“Finally… we’re here.” He said in a relieved tone while grabbing the handle and pulling on it. As if to further complicate matters, the ponies discovered that the door was locked yet again.

“Dang it… someone must already be in there.” The stallion muttered in frustration. He then knocked on the door loudly to alert anyone inside to their presence.

After a brief wait, the group heard the sound of the door unlocking, followed by it swinging open with an earth pony guard standing in the doorway.

“Lieutenant…? It’s good to see that you’re still alive.” The guard stated with slight surprise upon seeing the brown unicorn.

“I have survivors with me… can we come in?” The lieutenant asked while glancing back to his small group.

“Of course, come on in.” The guard replied before stepping back to let everyone in. The ponies started funneling into the room while the guards ushered everyone in.

Fluttershy was elated to see that she and her friend were finally safe. She smiled to Rarity, who offered a weak smile in return. The pegasus frowned slightly as she saw the poor shape the white mare was in. She offered her some help with walking as she made her way through the door.

Suddenly, the yellow mare heard a cry of alarm behind her. She turned around to see a long black tendril wrapped around Cool Breeze. The tendril had already pulled the aqua pony to the floor and was trying to drag her off into the darkness.

“Breeze!” Fluttershy yelled in a panic at the sight of her temporary companion being pulled away. While everyone else merely turned to offer a concerned glance out of the door of the equipment room, the pegasus left her friend to walk inside while she bolted towards the blue mare.

Fluttershy slid to the floor and grabbed Cool Breeze’s outstretched hoof. She pulled with all of her might against whatever creature the tendril belonged to, but she wasn’t making much progress.

“Help me!” Cool Breeze cried out fearfully as she yanked her leg in an attempt at freeing herself from the grasp of the tendril. In response to the added efforts of the yellow mare, another tendril shot out from the darkness and wrapped around the aqua pony’s other leg.

Fluttershy was pulled along with the trapped mare as she desperately tried to halt their movement. She could faintly see the outline of whatever creature was attacking her companion, and what she saw unsettled her deeply. All she could make out was a blob in the darkness with multiple red slits on it, but it had a lot more tentacles than the ones it was currently using.

The pegasus yelped in fright as she felt a cold tendril slap onto her foreleg and wrap around it. She tried to move away, but the creature’s grip was more than she could fight against from her weakened position on the floor. Her initial jolt of bravery had all but vanished as she realized that she was trapped.

Now that they were close enough to it, the two ponies could see that the monster that was holding them had a maw full of sharp teeth. It let out a feral bleat as it prepared to fling its prey into its eagerly waiting mouth.

Just before the beast devoured her and her friend whole, Fluttershy heard a bolt of energy ring out. She saw a small ball of light sail past her and slam right into the shadowy monster with a bright explosion. The creature let out a howl of pain while loosening its grip on the two mares.

Fluttershy and Cool Breeze looked up to see the brown stallion racing towards them while rapidly firing at the creature. The monster let go of the two ponies as it tried to retreat from the painful onslaught it was facing.

“Come on!” The unicorn exclaimed urgently while rushing Fluttershy to her feet. The instant both mares had regained their footing, they bolted towards the equipment room as fast as they could.

Once the three had gotten back to the equipment room and gotten through the door, the stallion turned around and slammed it shut. After taking a moment to replace all of the locks on the hefty door, the unicorn slid to the floor and breathed heavily.

“Thanks for saving me back there, Fluttershy.” Cool Breeze said with a grateful smile while glancing over to the yellow pegasus. She thought that she was going to die for certain.

“Hey… don’t mention it. I told you everything would be ok when you came with us… besides, you should be thanking him.” Fluttershy stated while looking over to the exhausted unicorn guard. The stallion smiled in return in between breaths.

“Well… I did tell you that I would do my best to keep you safe.” He said lightheartedly.

Now that they were safe, the two mares took a look around at their surroundings. The equipment room seemed to be relatively small at first glance. However, there was a doorway leading to another part of it where everyone else had apparently gone during the commotion.

There were numerous small lanterns placed around on shelves and tables, giving the room a fair amount of light even without the presence of a unicorn. Along the walls and dotted along a few tables were racks and boxes full of weapons, armor, and other pieces of gear that a member of the royal guard would need.

Most importantly, the room felt safe. Ever since the lights had gone out and the monsters arrived, Fluttershy had felt terrified and nervous. But now, she felt relatively comfortable for the first time in a long time.

“I almost can’t believe we made it… I thought we were going to die back there.” Fluttershy stated with a chuckle of joyful disbelief. She might not have shown it outwardly at the time, but she was scared out of her wits when she saw Cool Breeze getting dragged off. She almost didn’t find the courage necessary to rush after her.

“We’re safe now. You two should just kick back and relax until everything-” The brown unicorn spoke up until he was suddenly interrupted by a commotion in the next room. Several surprised and alarmed ponies could be heard through the open doorway.

“What’s going on?” Cool Breeze asked nervously.

“Let’s go check it out.” The stallion suggested while getting up. The two mares got up from the floor and followed the guard while he trotted into the other room.

Once the trio walked through the door, they were greeted by a group of ponies gathered in a circle. They were muttering in shocked and concerned tones while staring at the floor with wide eyes. Fluttershy and her two companions pushed through the crowd to see what was happening and gasped in surprise at what they saw.

There was a lone guard pony crouched low to the ground tending to a familiar white unicorn. Fluttershy felt her heart race with panic as she realized that the unconscious mare on the floor was her friend Rarity. The unicorn had a dazed expression frozen on her face. She wasn’t moving an inch. The yellow pegasus wasn’t even sure if she could see her friend breathing.

“What happened to her?!” Fluttershy asked frantically while rushing forward to be at her friend’s side. The guard tending to her looked up to the brown unicorn as he gave him an expression that demanded information.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with her. She just collapsed a little while after you guys brought her in here.” The white stallion explained with a confused expression.

“She has a concussion. We need to stabilize her now… get an oxygen mask and start bagging her.” The lieutenant instructed urgently. The guard pony nodded before rushing off to the nearby shelves to start searching for the medical equipment.

The two guards that were with the group beforehand joined the other stallion in searching for the items needed to save the unicorn. Meanwhile, Fluttershy and the brown unicorn sat by her and watched over her.

“Rarity… please wake up.” Fluttershy pleaded with tears welling up in her eyes. She grasped the white mare’s limp hoof and silently prayed for her survival.

“Everyone give us some room!” The brown unicorn stated while looking up at the crowd of concerned ponies. Everyone backed away and watched the guards in the room race to save the concussed mare.