The soft patter of rain against the water of the bay was almost relaxing. Downpour had walked unabated straight to the water’s edge. I had never been this close to the ocean before but even I knew it held barely a fraction of its former beauty. The water was dirty, tinged in browns and greens. Garbage and debris littered the beach followed by the occasional wreckage of a small to medium sized boat tethered to waterlogged and rotting piers. To my right from the south peninsula rose thick clouds of black smoke. The shipyard I’d heard about was a large slaving operation, probably belonging to this Red Eye pony Sunny warned us about. Goddesses knew what they were doing there, the silhouettes of large moving cranes sending a tingle down my spine. Out in the bay itself was an equal amount of destruction and mystery. First was the wreck of the Lunar Liner cruise ship, anchored or stuck in the middle of the bay like a rusty island. Behind that was what remained of a large suspension bridge that had once connected the jutting peninsulas of Horseshoe bay, the middle having fallen out long ago. Leaving behind the two pieces anchored to land and forever out of each other’s reach. Still further behind that was, if I squinted hard enough, what looked to be the thin needlelike visage of another of those mysterious towers. The waves lapped at our hooves as we stood on the beach staring out at the place we needed to be but couldn’t reach. Downpour kept her expression locked in a deadly glare as if the force of her stare would eventually burn us a path forward. None of us knew what to say to her and it was killing me inside to see her like this. She knew what she had to do but was about as far away from getting there as she could be. Eventually Downpour let out a long, shaky sigh and turned around.

“Sorry guys…” She muttered, barely audible above the rain on the waves.

~It seems the fire in this one has burnt out. Pity. The pain of loss can be a powerful tool if utilized properly. Remember that when the time comes Starborn~

You’ll forgive me if I forgo any of your advice.

~I am not your enemy, no matter how you view me. We can be better together, do not forsake our potential because you can’t let go of your narrow view of good and evil~

A narrow view? No matter how I look at you, you’re evil.

~Why? Because I can do what it takes to keep us alive? To thrive even? Or are you holding on to the notion that being a killer makes one inherently evil? I have some bad news for you in that case Starborn~

Shut up! I…I’m not evil…

~But you are a killer, you can’t even bring yourself to deny it. You do it in the name of this hollow sense of justice you’ve built within us yet when I kill, I am labeled a monster. Perhaps you have forgotten who saved your daughter? Or who saved us from the alicorns?~

I-it’s not the same thing. You were saving yourself too.

~You still don’t get it do you Sparks? There is no you or me. I was saving us~

Stop that!

~Stop what?~

Stop using my name! We aren’t friends so just stop it!

~You’re right, we aren’t friends. We are the same being. Two consciousness’s in the same body. One day you will see me in the way that I see you and, on that day, we shall go…~

I felt his presence slither to the back of my mind. I could still feel him watching but he was leaving me alone for the time being.

“We’ll find some way on that boat. I promise.” I didn’t even try to keep the shake out of my voice but she needed to know I was there for her no matter what.

“I know we will.” Downpour’s simmering anger had bled back into Sunny’s cool levelheadedness. Despite staring out at a place so close yet just out of our reach, it seemed to have had a therapeutic effect on her. Just knowing her son was alive was enough to keep her going.

“Where are we headed next?” Aurora asked, a mixture of excitement and weariness in her voice.

“We should probably find a place to rest for the night. It’s been a long day.” Grim said, giving his medical bags a pat.

“I think I know a good place.

“How is this a good place?” Grim’s eyes narrowed as we crossed through the double doors. The same two stone support columns, one riddled with bullet holes, were right were we left them along with the two destroyed turrets.

“What’s wrong with this place?” Aurora asked, clearly not understanding Grim’s hesitance.

“Last time we were here Grim got shot in the wing.” Sunny said, smiling to herself at the face Grim made.

“I almost got crippled you mean…there still some of my blood over here!” He yelled, wings twitching in annoyance.

“Though I am curious myself. Why is this a good place?” Sunny echoed Grim’s sentiment with a raised eyebrow. “Oh…I think I understand. You think you can get through that cloud terminal.”

“I do.” I dropped my saddlebags on the floor, kicking aside spent bullet casings before sitting down myself.

“I’m not sure treasure hunting suits you.” Sunny said with an exasperated sigh, sitting down beside me. She leaned into me slightly which I thought was odd until I realized she wanted help unfastening her battle saddle.

“I don’t know, I did just recently come into possession of the Sword of Nightmare Moon.” I drew it from my back and gave it a few cautious swings with my magic. It felt good to swing around and some part of me was demanding I learn to fight with the old sword. How strange, I thought. I had never been interested in swords before. Now that I was back on four legs, I did want to learn hoof to hoof combat since it was where I was weakest. Maybe fate had delivered me this tool for that reason. However, something else occupied my mind that made me smile and I was sure it would do the same for her.

“Hey Sunny…could you teach me how to play the guitar?”

It felt good to be right.

Morning came quicker than I expected. It wasn’t often that I got such a good night’s rest. I sat up with a yawn, careful not to disturb the young filly who had nestled up to me in the night. I opened my eyes to begin my day only to feel a cold muzzle press against mine.

“Howdy.”

“YAAHH!” I shuffled backwards until I hit the wall, Aurora let out a squeal as I shook her awake in my escape. Sunny and Grim were up next, their bodies tensed as they searched for danger. In front of me, hovering over where I had been sleeping was the cool orange metal body of Applejack, or at least the robot with Applejack’s personality.

“Mornin’ master, sleep well?” It said, oblivious to the scene it had created.

“D-don’t ever do that again!” I yelled, trying like hell to calm myself down.

“Sorry master, ah promise it won’t happen again.”

“Stop calling me master!”

“Ah can’t do that master. My files say ya’ll are my superior. My programmin’ says that Ah have t’ refer t’ ya as such until ya expire or somepony else takes yer place.”

“Fine, how about boss then? Master makes me sound like…like a…boss is fine.”

“Sure thing Boss.” It said with a nod. I sighed and stood up with a confused shake of my head.

“I thought I set this routine to trigger with a phrase…” I mumbled to myself more than present company.

“Ya did, but Ah’m capable of limited self-modification to my code. Ah revealed t’ Elder Lions that Ah answer t’ ya above him and he sent me t’ help ya’ll until Ah’m dismissed.”

“You told him about my secret command phrase!?” I shouted. That was supposed to stay a secret, how was the Elder going to trust me after discovering this?

“Course Ah did, after all, honesty is the best policy.” It lifted its head in a display of pride, looking beyond pleased with itself. Somewhere buried in the recesses of my mind I could swear somepony was laughing.

“What the hell is going on here?” Sunny said, her knife halfway out of its sheathe on her foreleg. Applejack’s eye began to glow red as it turned to face her.

“Hostile presence detected, permission to engage?”

“Denied! Override code 25666 assign all present users clearance level 4!”

“Acknowledged. Standby.”

I let out a relieved sigh and got to my hooves, moving to make sure the others were alright. “Everyone good?”

“Yeah…” Sunny said, relaxing her posture.

“I don’t like being in this building with robots.” Grim positioned himself so the wing that had been injured was facing away from Applejack.

“This one is way cooler than the other ones!” Aurora hopped in place before climbing up onto the robots back. “Comfier too.”

“Reset successful. Howdy ya’ll, Ah’m Applejack.”

“H-how do you do.” Grim said cordially, still keeping half of himself hidden.

“I believe we’ve met.” Sunny said neutrally.

“Howdy!” Aurora greeted enthusiastically, perching herself atop Applejack’s head.

“How did you find me?” I asked, wondering how it tracked us with no difficulty.

“That’s an easy one, Ah followed yer PipBuck tag!”

I hadn’t even considered that. I guess I had started getting used to not having it. When I activated her, she must have gotten my tag from my Pip…leg. Her presence here would be valuable but it still sat wrong with me. I had to get it off my chest. I retrieved the radio Star Paladin Sapphire gave me from my bags and hit the receiver.

“Elder Lions? It's Sparks, do you copy?”

“Ah Sparks, I trust the package I sent you has arrived?”

“Yes Elder…I can explain…”

“No need. I can’t blame you for your actions. I have my own secrets as well, though now one might say I have the advantage.” He gave a short, dry chuckle. “Don’t worry Sparks, it will still follow my orders…so long as they don’t supersede yours but I trust that we are on the same side yes?” He sounded kind and understanding but I could still hear the silent threat behind his words and the message was well understood.

“It won’t happen again Elder.”

“I should hope not, after all there should be no secrets between friends. Send her back when you no longer need her. Lions out.”

“Since when did we answer to the Steel Rangers?” Grim stated, raking his claws against the floor in irritation.

“Ya’ll will show the Rangers the respect they deserve!” Applejack barked back, assuming an aggressive stance.

“Stand down.” I said coolly to which Applejack straightened up and stepped back.

“You betcha Boss.”

“Grim look, I know this hasn’t been sitting well with you-”

“Understatement of the century.”

“BUT we are allies and if we want to stay allies then we need to show them a level of trust.”

“We do? Or you do?” His cold stare made me pause.

“If you have something to say Grim just say it.” I said harshly. Did he expect me to give him an explanation about every little decision I made?

“Fine. Ponies like the Steel Rangers are the ones responsible for the state of the world. They perpetuate it even though the world has long outgrown them. By keeping technology out of our reach they are denying us the tools to build the future ourselves. Instead they selfishly hoard it for themselves. Tell me, do you see them trying to build Equestria a new future?”

“That’s not fair.”

“And the whole world knows it. I thought you were different. I thought you might blaze a trail all on your own but no, you’d rather propagate the current world than build a new one.”

“You…” I started shakily before my anger began to rise. “You don’t get to decide what MY intentions are! What the fuck do you think I’ve been fighting for this whole time? The status quo? I allied with the Steel Rangers to help bring our goals to fruition faster. You have to trust me Grim and stand by me as my friend.” I held out a hoof to him, hoping that he still saw me as he once did enough to take it.

“That’s the problem though isn’t it Sparks? Are we even your friends? Do you ever take what we think into consideration? Or do you expect us to just keep blindly following you wherever you go? Do whatever you say? Do whatever you do? When’s the last time we worked towards one of my goals? Sunny?” Grim looked to Sunny, urging her to speak her mind. We were working towards one of her goals right now for fucks sake! Yet Sunny said nothing, instead opting to hide her eyes under the brim of her hat. “See what I mean. I’m starting to think Watcher doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Grim looked at my outstretched hoof and shook his head. Silently making his way towards the exit. Just before he crossed the threshold he was stopped as Aurora blocked the way.

“Grim…?” She said. I could see the silent pleading in her face. Grim paused, looking down on the filly with a conflicted expression. He hesitated a second, but ultimately the look in his eyes told me his decision.

“Sorry little sister.” He said softly, stepping past her and launching himself into the air.

I looked after him in disbelief. After everything we’d been through together, what I put myself through to get him back…I felt my anger rising inside me as I watched his silhouette disappear higher and higher. Then, all at once, it vanished. I had expected the Author to make some kind of appearance. To try and goad me into doing something to stop him, strike him down or something. Instead he was content just to watch me deal with what happened on my own.

“W-what just happened?” He was gone. Just like that.

“He just needs time to cool down.” Sunny’s eyes found mine from under her hat. “Grim has been looking for a way to help the world on his own terms. To him, this probably felt like you were taking that away. Just give him time.”

“I hope you’re right.” It took a lot of effort to swallow the lump in my throat and even though I trusted Sunny and Aurora with my life, I didn’t want them to see how much it hurt to watch him go. I guess I wasn’t a very good friend after all.

Since we cleared the building the last time, it barely took any time to get back to that shimmering, blue field of energy that blocked off the labs.

“Applejack, what can you tell us about this building.” I wondered aloud, hoping the pre-war bot had some kind of insight about the complex.

“Well, Ah reckon it’s either a M.O.I facility or a M.A.S one. Not too many places had access t’ this kind of newfangled security.”

“So, you don’t actually know anything about the building or what’s inside.”

“Well shucks, Ah’m awful sorry Boss. They never got around t’ installing my security clearances.”

“I’ll thank you to hold off on the sarcasm thanks and who’s they?”

“Classified.”

“Helpful, thank you so much.” If I’d rolled my eyes any harder, I might’ve gone cross-eyed. I stepped up to the bypass shield and just like last time it offered no resistance when I walked through. Strangely enough Applejack had no problem getting through it either. “Guess robots get a free pass.” I mused aloud.

Applejack gave a quick chuckle and nodded. “Eeyup.”

“Alright, here goes.” I channeled some magic into my horn and brought the spell to the surface of my mind. With a simple thought I felt a sensation like a cool vapor surround my body like a veil. I approached the cloud terminal and felt a sense of pride and accomplishment when it resisted my touch. I could touch it! With all the security that was already in place I wasn’t surprised to see that there was no password required to access the terminal’s contents. Of which there was one that would remove our first obstacle. With a low hum, the slight crackling of the bypass shield disappeared and the way was opened.

“Way to go dad!” Aurora cheered.

“Am I the only one who remembers the ghost?” Sunny said as she hit the button to call the elevator up from the labs.

“No, I remember.” The memory of the pony-shaped specter of magic that came up through the floor came back to the forefront of my mind. Its golden glowing gaze had left me paralyzed in fear the last time. I was a different pony now but that wasn’t enough to give me the confidence I needed.

“So how are we going to deal with it?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“We’ll just have to get lucky then.”

“My scanners are pickin’ a large energy source approximately 500 meters from our position.” Applejack said, her eyes angled downward as if she were peering through the floor.

“What is it?”

“Unknown.”

“Alright then. Everypony keep your eyes and ears open. We got another ministry facility before us.” We all stepped into the elevator as soon as the doors opened and hit the one button that would take us down to the labs. We went down ten floors before the doors opened with a *ding*. Immediately the difference in lighting was apparent. Small lights in the ceiling bathed the hallway in weak, pale blue light and the air was electric with ambient magical energy. The floors which may have been white tile once were dull and cracked with age.

“I have a bad feeling about this.” Aurora said, the fur on the back of her neck standing up.

I checked my EFS to see that it was completely blank, even the compass and auto-map features weren’t functioning. Maybe the magic I was feeling was interfering with the arcane tech. I took one trepidatious step out into the hallway and was shoved to the ground as a bolt of magical energy whizzed over my head. Applejack leapt over my body, grabbed the turret mounted to the ceiling and ripped it free from its mount. Sparks erupted from the broken turret as Applejack turned and threw the twisted remnants down the hallway with a loud clatter.

“Ah reckon there’ll be more of those around.” She said, wiping the slag off of a glowing spot on her chassis.

“Are you alright?” I asked as Sunny helped me back to my hooves.

“Ah’ll be fine. Just need some scrap is all.”

“Okay then, where is that power source from here.”

“One sec…no power source detected.”

“What? But you just said-”

“Ah said, not detected. It’s still there, Ah just can’t point ya in the right direction.”

I nodded and motioned for the others to stay close, if this ambient magic was blocking my EFS it wasn’t too farfetched to say it was affecting her in some way too. The elevator had left us in a T section, with hallways off to either side of us. Unfortunately for us, there didn’t seem to be any signs to tell what was where.

“This might take a while.” I sighed and picked the left hallway. Despite being underground, this place had seen its fair share of damage. Panels had fallen from the roof revealing the stone and dirt above us, some plants were growing through the cracks in the floor and the soft clicking from my PipBuck told me radiation had breached the facility at some point in the last two hundred years. Up ahead was a set of stairs that lead even further down where I saw some more of the plants growing in piles of dirt that had fallen from the ceiling.

“What kind of lab is this anyway?” Aurora asked, batting her hoof at one of the plants which knocked a small puff of spores off its leaves.

“Hydroponics Ah’d reckon.”

“I suppose that makes sense, what do you think we’ll find down here?” For the second time since exiting the elevator I felt some kind of ambient field of magic, like we had just crossed into something.

“How should I know? This is your adventure.” Sunny waved a hoof through the air, fanning the spores away from her face. We made it halfway down the stairs when they reversed direction and led us to our first grisly scene. At the bottom of the stairs was a lilac colored unicorn in a lab coat. She was resting in a pool of her own blood; three ragged bullet wounds had punched through her chest. As we came off the last stair, the slight whirring of a turret taking aim startled me into SATS. It was so nice to have it back I thought, as I watched the bullet from Azura’s revolver hit the turret and cause it to explode into hot metal fragments. With my PipBuck back I finally felt normal again. Taking a moment to bring up the sorting spell, I saw a few new items of interest. Azura’s heavy revolver that I had claimed sat at the top of the list, labeled by my PipBuck as ‘Retribution’. I figured that was an appropriate name since it was what I had used to kill Dusk Diver. Just beneath Retribution was something labeled ‘Starfall’, was that the sword? I would have thought it’d have been called what it was, the sword of Nightmare Moon. Maybe there was more to it than Cobalt believed…or most likely the ponies out in the bay were mistaken.

“This pony has been dead fer two hundred years, five months and sixteen days.” Applejack stated, her eyes briefly flashing a blue color.

“That can’t be right.” Sunny tilted her head in confusion as she approached the body. “This blood is still wet.” She touched the tip of her hoof into the pool, proving that it was indeed still fresh. I looked away from the strangely preserved body and up into the path before us. The hallway from the base of the stairs went on for some time in a straight line with doors off to the side in regular intervals. Of note was that the hallway held a high number of the spore plants from before, some in clusters large enough to hide in. Just as my gaze began to wander elsewhere, I could have sworn I saw one of the plants shudder.

“We should keep moving.” The others started heading down the hallway while I brought up the rear, keeping my eyes on the suspicious plant. As we delved further into the plants, we found a few more fresh bodies that, according to Applejack, had been lying dead for centuries. All of them showed wounds that were consistent with turret rounds. Why had they been labeled hostile by the turrets? If they worked here and had clearance the turrets should have left them alone. All the bodies we found had appropriate level security badges (Which we pilfered for ourselves) so why were they targeted? The next room we entered looked to be set up like a greenhouse. Five rows of long garden beds took up the majority of the space, each filled with an incredible array of plants ranging from edible to medicinal, and each group was separated from each other by a plexiglass partition. Before we could investigate further the turret in the room swiveled and locked on to us, the light on its sensor turned red and it opened fire. Applejack was the first to respond and jumped in front of us, taking the stream of bullets in our stead as they ricocheted off her metal body. Using the durable bot as cover, Sunny and I leaned out from behind her and took out the turret with a bang followed by a shower of hot metal bits. Just what were these turret’s targeting parameters? If the badges no longer worked then somepony had to have changed their targeting systems manually from the control terminal. We would just have to keep on our hooves until we found it…or until all the turrets were destroyed. With the immediate threat dealt with we were now free to explore the green…room. Herbs of red, blue and green grew in neat rows in a bed all to themselves. Opposite them were miniature versions of vegetables like corn and cucumbers.

“I wonder if these are safe to eat.” Aurora thought out loud, snatching a fat tomato off the vine. As she was inspecting the fruit, a soft ticking reminded me of the presence of radiation. The ticking spiked harshly when the misters in the roof turned on and sprinkled the room with a high dose of irradiated water. We all backed out of the room until the water had stopped. Aurora regarded her tomato with disappointment and threw it back into the room with a splat.

“I don’t think we should-” I turned to leave the room behind us when I bumped into something breathing. It was a pony. A pony with no fur and green, semi-transparent skin. Where there should have been veins were even darker green lines running throughout its body. Its eyes were black with no irises. Plant like protrusions grew from its legs and instead of mane it had some kind of stalk growing out of its head. Before I could even scream it was on me, a growl crossed between a cry and a hiss came from its mouth as it swung at me with a barbed hoof. Its hoof snagged my armor and with it the monster pulled me down to the ground and stared at me. It showed no reaction as I heard gunshots and saw wounds blossom on its side, each leaking out a thick green yellow ichor. Instead it opened its fanged maw and vomited a cloud of spores into my face. I sputtered and choked on the dense cloud and shut my eyes tight to keep the spores out. Suddenly the cloud ceased and something heavy and wet hit the ground next to my head. When I opened my eyes, I saw the black eyes of the monsters decapitated head looking back at me. I freed myself from its hoof and got back up just in time to fall into a coughing fit, blood thick with spores dribbled down my chin. If there were spores in the blood then that meant they had gotten into my lungs and that couldn’t be good.

“Y’alright Boss?” One of Applejack’s blades retracted back into her foreleg, wiping the green blood off as it went.

“I don’t think any of us are.” I looked to the plants that were growing in the hallway, one of the only constants since we arrived on this level.

“What the hell was that thing!?” Aurora asked, her eyes lingering on the headless body of the green pony monster.

“All of these plants have those spores on them.” I said, a grim realization dawning in my brain. “And we’ve been breathing them this whole time.”

“Oh fuck…” Sunny’s eyes widened as the realization caught up with her. “W-we have to do something!” The panic in her voice startled me. Sunny was always the one who kept it cool and under control no matter the situation. Seeing that kind of fear in her eyes almost made me feel hopeless.

“Are we going to become like them!?” Aurora squealed, equally panicked by Sunny’s fear.

“Everypony needs to calm down-” I tried to say, barely keeping a lid on my own internal panic attack. Aurora was right, the spores were what likely turned that pony into a plant monster.

“Calm down!?” Sunny yelled, pointing a hoof at the blood I had just coughed up. “Just look!”

At the center of the spatter of blood was a black spot that that was tinging the blood around it with subtle yellows and eventually greens. Already I could feel a knot of something twisting around in my guts.

“W-we have to keep moving.” I stuttered, looking down the hall for any sign of a clinic or something. “They would have had some kind of countermeasure…right?” Hope was all I had at the moment and if there was no such thing to be found then I might have doomed us all. Sunny and I took off down the hallway at a rapid pace, leaving Applejack to watch our flanks and Aurora between us. We came to a four-way split, three paths branching off from where we came from. The turret in the middle of the roof found us rather quickly but was unable to lock onto us as the soft tinkle of my magic locked it in place. As it struggled to rotate, its gears grinding and smoke escaping its mechanism, it was an easy target for Sunny and Aurora.

“Now where do we go?” Aurora’s tense voice resounded in the empty hallways as she trotted in place.

“Why aren’t there any fucking signs!?” Sunny screamed, her voice reverberating off the metal walls and returning to us harshly.

This way

What?

~I said nothing~

Y-you didn’t hear that?

~I am trying to keep us alive, whatever you have done to us, I suggest you find a solution soon~

I frantically whipped my head around, searching for the other voice I’d heard. What was it about me that drew those kinds of things in? I kept searching and eventually found what I sought…maybe. Down the left hallway was something glowing. From this distance it looked like a mare, her features were blurry and her translucent glow made everything else nearly impossible to see. It slowly raised a hoof and waved for me to follow.

Hurry

I knew that I could trust it, some part deep inside me knew that whatever it was, it wanted to help.

“This way.” I called out, pointing towards the ghost. I didn’t even get one step when something slammed into me from behind. In our haste we neglected to notice the room just behind us that was overflowing with plants. Three more spore beasts followed after the one that had hit me and went after the others. Sunny couldn’t maneuver properly in the cramped hallways with three other ponies and when the beast managed to grab her battle saddle it pulled her down to the floor where a second one began to billow more spores from its mouth. Aurora on the other hoof had always been an agile little filly, easily evading the beast chasing her as best she could. I magically conjured a shield to block the cloud of spores from reaching Sunny while barbed hooves raked at my armor. I flung my metal hoof out and felt it connect, rolling with the momentum I tried to throw myself back up but was pulled back. When I peered back, I saw that the beast had the blade of Starfall between its teeth. With a quick twist, I grabbed the sword with my magic and thrust it forward, ramming in down the beast’s throat and out the back of its head. Applejack had one of them suspended in the air, skewered on her two leg-blades.

“Daddy!” Aurora cried, pulling my attention away from everything else. The beast she had been dodging had gotten its tail wrapped around one of her hind legs, only now could I see that their tails were made of barbed vines.

“Aurora!” I ripped the sword from the dead beast’s head and flung it horizontally at her attacker. I guided it as best I could as the blade carved through the air, its blade glinting with deadly intent. Starfall hit the base of its neck, took off everything above its shoulders, and kept going to embed itself into the wall. Behind me I could hear Sunny blast the last beast but something was wrong. Aurora hadn’t moved since she screamed.

“Oh no…” I galloped to her side and squeezed her hoof.

“D-dad?” She said groggily. “Some…somethings wrong.” She didn’t squeeze back. I took off the sunglasses covering her eyes and gasped. Her pupils were extremely dilated to the point that I couldn’t see her irises in the low light. They were becoming like the beast’s eyes. I levitated her onto my back and got a good look at her injured leg. The vines had wrapped around her leg and pulled the skin down like a peeled fruit, seeping blood and an unknown purple substance, venom most likely. If somepony said something to me I didn’t hear it as I took off down the hall where the ghost had been beckoning me. I could just faintly hear the sounds of hooves behind me over the thundering of my heartbeat in my ears. I skidded around another corner and came face to ethereal face with the ghost. I still couldn’t make out any discernable features but I could see a raised hoof pointing to another shimmering bypass shield. I took my chances and pressed forward, but was stopped when the shield resisted my presence.

“No…NO!” I growled, hammering at the shield with my hooves.

~Another obstacle beyond your power…but not beyond ours~

No! I don’t…I don’t need…

~Don’t be foolish Starborn, you needed me to save her last time and now you need me again. No one wants to see her die. Let me help you~

Shut up! I-I don’t need your kind of help!

~We don’t have time to argue. The fact is the girl will die if you don’t let us do what must be done~

I…I couldn’t wait any longer. Aurora was on my back and fading fast. The wound on her leg was beginning to smell funny as she let out a moan of pain.

Do it.

~I knew you’d make the right decision. Together nothing can stand in our way~

I levitated Aurora onto Sunny’s back as I began to feel an alien power surge from within me. Aurora’s eyes opened and found me.

“Dad…don’t…” I barely heard her whisper as I rammed my head against the barrier. The magic in my horn moved to envelope my entire body allowing me, with great effort, to slowly force my way through the shield. The energy protested against my invasion, my screaming and the crackling of resistance sounding loudly through the halls. Another step forward and I had my front legs past the barrier. The rippling field of energy was barely kept off my skin by my own magic but that wasn’t enough to block the intense pain. Every part of my body that had passed the shield felt as if I’d had my skin ripped off. I had just got my flanks past the barrier when, with a mighty scream, I gave one final push forward. The energy of the bypass shield held me back for the briefest of seconds before it ripped open and the emitters exploded in a colorful display of sparks. I tumbled forward, just managing to catch myself on my hooves before hitting the ground. I was panting and my whole body trembled from a constant stinging pain. I looked forward and saw that the room was fairly large and open but at the center I spotted an operating table. Behind it was a low counter that held a functioning terminal.

“There.” I half whispered, my breath getting stuck in my throat as I evacuated more blood and spores from my lungs. I could hear Sunny let out a ragged cough as well but she did as I hoped and set the now unconscious filly on the table, then closed the door behind us.

“Applejack, can you… hack terminals?” I asked, breathing heavily and leaning against the wall as I wobbled my way into the room.

“Yes.”

“Then get…to it and see if you can find anything that… can save us.” Even if I could get to the terminal, I knew that as a robot Applejack could search through the data faster than I could even at my best.

“Ah found somethin’ Boss.”

“Good news?” Sunny questioned hopefully.

“Yes, whoever holed up in this here room managed t’ start work on a cure before…well.” Applejack’s eyes moved to a body curled up in the corner, just as fresh as the others had been, its self-inflicted wounds still an obvious sight. “Anyhow with these notes Ah should be able t’ finish the formula t’ fix ya’ll up, so just sit tight and Ah’ll get t’ mixin’.”

“Hurry and give it to Aurora first.”

“Understood.”

“Looks like we’re gonna make it.” I said, relaxing slightly as I slumped down the wall to sit. “Was there ever any doubt?”

“Yes.” Sunny plopped down beside me, her battle saddle jostling noisily. “For a moment there I thought I was going to die.” Sunny turned her neutral stare to me but just as she could see through me, I was beginning to see through her…sometimes.

“I know…” I said thoughtfully, running a hoof through my mane. “I almost took you away from him.”

“It…it’s not-”

“Yes, it is.” I affirmed. “I know how much you want to see him again.” I paused, unsure of what to say to her. As much as I loved Aurora as my daughter, I would never be her true parent. I couldn’t know what Sunny was feeling, to have gone years and years thinking her child was dead and now to have seen him face to face. Yet here I was, doing my best to get us killed for what? To sate my own curiosity?

~It is only natural to seek understanding in the unknown. Shrink not from the thirst of knowledge for if you do, you shall never be more than you are now~

He wasn’t wrong but was it worth it if this is what it did to my friends? Grim had already abandoned me-

~For now~

And Sunny was probably harboring some newfound resentment towards my flippancy regarding their feelings and wellbeing. Who could blame them for that?

There was a silence between us that went on for several minutes, long enough for Applejack to have had time to create antidotes for the both us, long enough for the stinging pain to subside. The only sounds in the room were Aurora snoring quietly and the slight whirring of Applejack's servos.

“I’m sorry.” That was the best I could come up with but I meant it more than I ever had before. I didn’t wait for her to say something, I didn’t even look at her as I stood and moved to investigate the terminal myself. It was exactly the kind of distraction I needed right now. After Applejack had breached its security all I had to do was select an option from the list.

> Turret Control

> Experiment Logs

> Personal Logs

> Failsafe instructions

I selected turret control and saw the targeting parameters had been overridden to target anything that entered its range. If that was the case why didn’t they target the spore beasts? With a simple command I shut down every turret in the labs. Perhaps there was something in the experiment logs that would tell me more about the spore beasts.

Entry one:

The plants we’ve acquired so far have adapted to the simu-sun lighting better than projections estimated. So long as we can keep them watered and new seeds can be harvested for the next cycle, combined with the preservation spell we’ve weaved over this area then we theoretically have limitless specimens for the experiment. We have received authorization to proceed to the next phase.

A preservation spell explained why there were so many ‘fresh’ bodies around. Maybe it played a bigger role than expected so I moved on to the next one.

Entry two:

Our benefactor kept their promise and delivered to us two drums of I.M.P for the experiments. Luna knows where they got it but I’ve since learned not to question the limits of their resources. So far, we’ve managed to increase the plants resistance to radiation by seven percent. Not enough to sustain viability in a post-megaspell world but that’s what the I.M.P is for. With it we should be able to accelerate the speed of our results by months, maybe even years. If we can understand the properties of the I.M.P we may even be able to make complete changes to the plant’s growth cycles and survivability. Think of the possibilities! Plants that could bear fruit all year, that could fuel their chemical reactions with heat instead of light! Of course, I’m getting ahead of myself. We have many preliminary tests to do before we even consider altering their genetic structures.

I.M.P? What was that? I don’t think I’d heard of it before. Maybe Sunny or Applejack would know. Regardless I moved on to the next one.

Entry three:

Progress has slowed. Even with the I.M.P, the plants resistance to radiation has stalled as sixty-five percent which is only up ten percent from last month. Unfortunately, we still understand very little of how the I.M.P actually works. So far it has shown the ability to increase strength and resilience in almost everything but recently we have been seeing small mutations occur in some specimens. They have been growing quicker but their total size has decreased by approximately fifty percent. Despite the reduction in size their productivity has more than picked up the slack. Who cares if your tomato plants are half the size when they produce double the fruit? I think we have enough data to send to the Nursery, with any luck our findings will satisfy them enough for additional funding and testing.

So that’s why they were tiny. Something in this I.M.P caused them to mutate…is that where the spores came from?

Entry four:

We’ve now nearly exhausted our supply of I.M.P and there has been no word from our benefactors or the Nursery since we sent them our initial findings. We have, however, discovered a new I.M.P induced mutation. We don’t know if it’s because of the proximity of the plants or the way they were raised but they have begun producing a kind of spore. Tests have shown a one hundred percent chance of pollination when a plant, any plant, comes into contact with said spores. This could be the big one, the discovery that will completely change how we grow anything. Just think what we could do with a few more years and some more I.M.P. Even the folks at the Nursery can’t pass this up.

That was the third reference I’d heard concerning this ‘Nursery’. Was it another place like this? It had to be. The old Equestrian government sure seemed to love its secret facilities. That was the last of the entries regarding the experiment. I looked over my shoulder to see that Sunny still seemed to be milling something over in her head and Applejack kept a quiet watch over the both of us. The need for more time to kill and a lingering curiosity turned me back to the terminal to begin going through the personal logs of whoever was in charge of this experiment. The personal logs seemed to be dated a bit later than the first of the experiment logs.

The ends justify the means eh? Seems like that mantra may have been used as a shield just one too many times. Every sacrifice made by a scientist or soldier or politician brought our entire race one step close to destruction. For when we forsake ourselves, our very nature, is it any wonder we destroyed ourselves? The next one held more intrigue.

That must have been the failsafe trigger I saw on the main screen. If such a thing had been built why was it never used? The preserved corpse in the corner told me somepony had made it into this control room and tried to create a countermeasure to the spore’s transformation. Yet they left the failsafe alone…

There was only one entry left, broken into bits over several days. Considering the state of the labs as we found them it didn’t take a genius to guess what was coming.

The log abruptly stopped before being picked up several days later.

And here we were. Much in the same position as this Moondancer. Successfully immunized to the spores by some mixture if I.M.P…whatever that was. We, however, had something she didn’t. A way out. Curiosity got the better of me and I tried to activate the failsafe myself to see what would happen.

I didn’t have a fireproof suit and I didn’t think I had the time to search for one. The terminal had the facility’s layout which I copied into my Pip-leg. I finally had an idea where we were and where we needed to be. North of our position was the Project Outlast control room and directly in between us was where I could manually activate the failsafe. I took a deep breath and shuddered. I knew what I had to do.

“AJ, I need you to stay with Aurora.” I gathered my things and headed for the door.

“Understood.” She nodded; her synthetic green eyes moving towards the unconscious filly.

“Where are you going?” Sunny spoke up at last, lifting her head to meet my eyes.

“I’m going to activate the failsafe and burn theses spores and everything else from this facility.”

“Then I’m coming with you.” She tried to stand up but I shoved her back down with my magic.

“No.” I said coolly

“Sparks, I’m coming with you. Now let me go.”

“No.” I reiterated. “If something goes wrong it could be dangerous. I won’t put your life on the line like that again.”

“So what, I’m just supposed to let you die if something happens?”

“If it comes to that…yes.” I paused again and thought back to what Grim had said before he left. “I’ve been a bad friend. Let me risk my life for you this time.” I turned my back and brokered no argument. I could feel her glare as I unsealed the door but by the time I closed it behind me, I saw her expression shift to a softer one. It was a silent plea for me to make it back safely, an unusual sadness in her eyes. I had never seen her look so vulnerable. Now that I was immune to the spores that permeated the air down here, I trotted forward following the map to the failsafe. Everywhere I went I felt like there were eyes on me. Every dark room, every scattering of plants could hold another of the spore beasts. I returned to the junction where we’d last been attacked and remembered something vitally important. Still embedded in the wall where I left it was Starfall, the gleaming silver sword still dripped with the dark green blood of a spore beast. With some effort I yanked it out of the wall, careful not to trip over the bodies of beasts we’d already killed. I proceeded at a slow pace, cautiously searching for any sign of danger. I passed by several inactive turrets but even the sight of them sent a tingle of anxiety to settle in the pit of my stomach. My useless EFS told me nothing as I crept along the long-abandoned hallways, my only company was the creaking of the metal and a soft humming coming from somewhere ahead. Around the next corner was something that made me freeze. Right in the middle of the hallway was one of the strange plants, more than large enough to hide an attacker. I mentally kicked myself and slowly inched my way towards it. There was no way to get around it on either side without disturbing it, at which point any beast inside would take notice. Remembering what I held in my magic gave me an idea. I hefted the sword over my head and brought it down into the center of the plant. I was rewarded with a wet crunch and the soft hissing of something’s last breath.

Satisfied that was the only one, I charged through the plant with confidence…and tripped over the body of a long dead researcher. The sword went flying from my magical grasp and clanged off the floor, echoing down every adjacent hallway. My eyes shot open as I scrambled forward to retrieve the sword. From behind me and places in front of me, I could hear the sound of hooves converging on my location. Strapping the sword across my back, I flipped up the hood of my cloak and vanished. I could barely hear the sound of my own panicked breathing as several spore beasts shambled out of nearby rooms to investigate the racket I had made. They hissed quietly as if they were conversing with each other, small clouds of spores escaping their mouths with every breath. I instinctually closed my mouth to quiet my breathing and my body tensed as I felt a drop of sweat roll off my nose. It hit the floor with an almost inaudible sound and the nearest spore beast stopped in its tracks. I felt my heartbeat skyrocket as the beast turned and looked right at me. The fur on the back of my neck stood up and adrenaline surged into my system, screaming at me to run. If I took off now, there was a chance they would detect me. I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood as I tried to suppress the shaking of my body. I continued to creep forward, ignoring the many eyes that gazed over me. I had almost cleared the gathering before my body failed me. Exhaustion, anxiety and the adrenaline all caught up to me at once as I failed to hold in a coughing fit, expelling a mouthful of blood onto the floor. As quiet as the cloak made me, even it couldn’t completely hide the sounds I was making. I hadn’t finished coughing before I tried to gallop away, a bit too late as I found teeth snap tight onto my tail. I whipped around as fast as I could, my hood dropping as I grabbed Starfall and swung it in a long arc. The beast with my tail in its mouth crumpled to the ground as Starfall cleaved through the side of its head. Muscle memory kicked me into SATS as Retribution floated before me and locked headshots on three more of the beasts. With a flurry of motion my gunshots, guided by SATS, reverberated loudly down the hallway as three heads exploded into three fountains of dark green gore. I didn’t wait to see how the rest of them would react as I flipped up my hood again and tried to lose them.

According to my map I didn’t have much further to go until I was there. If I couldn’t shake them in that time then there would be little hope I could activate the failsafe. I rounded the corner into a much wider hallway. At the end I could see a large ovular door with its own security checkpoint. About a hundred hoof lengths before it was the junction box that, according to my map, I was looking for. The sound of pursuing hooves sounded distant as I assumed they were having difficulty picking up my trail. I had precious little time so, using my magic, I yanked the panel off the box and began looking for the manual activation switch. There were no security measures in place so all it took was the flip of a switch. Almost immediately I could pick up a strange smell as the ventilation system began to pump out a flammable gas that sat heavy in my lungs, stealing my breath away and threatening to start another coughing fit. From the depths of the facility I heard every spore beast let out some kind of long, piercing wail. I threw up both my hooves in a desperate bid to cover my ears and try to drown out the cry. It was like the sound went straight through to my core, a primal screech that brought out a primitive fear in me. Now came the hard part. I had ten minutes to get back to the others.

Got any helpful advice? I mentally chided, trying to provoke the Author.

Nothing. I could still feel his presence but it was faint, almost unnoticeable. Getting us through that bypass shield must have taken a toll on him. I was truly alone, for now, and no help was coming. That anxiety came back in full as I peeked around the corner to see perhaps twenty of the beasts. They clogged the hallway, so close to each other that there wasn’t even the slightest wiggle room for me to get through. I couldn’t imagine what it was they were hoping to accomplish, their mouths open as they released spores and shrieks into the already thinning air. I wouldn’t have time to go around them and there was no way of knowing if the other paths were equally choked or not. I took in a deep breath, the iron tang of my blood still lingered in my mouth. When I let it go, it came out shuddery and small. The countdown on my PipBuck already showed that a minute had passed. I didn’t have the time to psych myself up, I needed to go and I needed to go now. I unslung Starfall from my back and levitated out Heart’s Promise. I had a hard time controlling the both of them in my magic but with a second of magical adjustment I had them relatively stable. That left Retribution resting in my mouth, three shots left.

I started into a gallop, my hood slipping off as I threw Heart’s promise through the air and into a spore beast’s forehead. In the blink of an eye I channeled my shield spell into it, causing the beasts head to explode in all directions. The shield’s bubble expanded far enough to shove the beasts to the sides and into the wall, giving me enough space to maneuver. I darted into the shields protective area, the heads and hooves of multiple beasts pounding against it. Strain started to assault my focus as the mass of spore beasts continued to throw themselves against the shimmering white dome. At this rate I wouldn’t be able to keep it up long enough to reach the others. Even if I could, the agonizingly slow pace of pushing through bodies was eating through what time I had left. I had eight minutes left and I had barely made any ground. Panic alarms speared through my brain as I began wondering if my shield had the strength to protect me once the gas was ignited. It became clearer and clearer to me that if I was going to make it I had to act fast and decisive. I had my tongue on the trigger of Retribution, about ready to fire when I hesitated. If I fired, it might set off the gas. Immensely thankful for the sword I held before me, I retrieved Heart’s Promise and focused the rest of my magic into wielding the ancient blade. I thrusted the blade forward, piercing one under its jaw and out the top if its head. Despite its appearance and apparent age, Starfall held an edge that even the most skilled crafters would envy. With a flick of magic, the sword cut through the rest of its skull and with a mighty swing removed the head of one and the legs of another of the beasts. It felt…almost alien to me but not like the Author’s presence. I had never used a weapon like this before and yet it came so naturally. Almost as if the sword itself was guiding me. With a hefty exertion of magic I tossed the sword out of the safety of my shield to careen down the hallway and behead another two beasts. I was actually smiling. The synergy I felt with Starfall banished the anxiety and panic I had been feeling, instead replacing those feelings with a joyous confidence. I was going to make it! I had five minutes left and I was more than halfway back to the others. I neared the final corner and felt a great relief flow through my body. The hairline fractures in my shield were only just now beginning to crack in earnest but with safety so close at hoof, I put them out of my mind. I had just crossed the four way split in the hallway when something heavy crashed into my shield and knocked me to the floor, Retribution skittering out of my mouth. I hadn’t even got back to my hooves before it hit the shield again and shattered it into sparkling fragments. When I managed to get back up I felt something cold wrap around my hind legs and pull. Craning my head over my shoulder, I saw the new monstrosity that had grabbed me. Its body was like the others, mostly transparent green skin and plant like growths adorning its body. Unlike the others though, this one was much larger and where its head should have been was a tri hinged jaw that opened up like a flower, a mass of black tentacles hung taught from its maw around my legs. I let out a yell of surprise, trying like hell to scramble away from the thing but the tentacles around my legs tightened unmercifully. An additional tentacle shot out of its mouth and wrapped around my metal leg, pulling it hard enough that I thought it might come off. While I was incapacitated the remaining Spore beasts moved in and vomited an enormous mass of choking spores. It would do them little good now but asphyxiation was still something I’d like to avoid. I struggled in vain as the tentacles tightened even further around my legs, any more pressure and they would snap. Errant hooves of the spore beasts battered and scratched at my body.

Two minutes left. In an instant I felt a comfortable tingle at the base of my horn. For a moment I’d thought the Author had recuperated but it wasn’t his power that I was feeling. On the floor, a few feet away, rested the glowing blade of Starfall. It began to vibrate softly, its glow getting a little brighter. With the slightest touch of magic it came flying into my grasp. With a flourish, the blade cut through the tentacles binding me and practically yanked me to my hooves. The pale blue glow of Starfall seemed to concentrate into its core, softly bleeding delicate light into the hallway.

One minute, thirty seconds. I charged forward with a battle cry, ramming Starfall through the tri jawed monster. It squealed in distress as what remained of its tentacles slithered out of its maw, drenched me in what felt like acidic blood and tried to strangle me. Everywhere its tentacle stumps wandered left trails of green-purple blood that stung like hell. I had to get its tentacles away from me, power flowed into my horn as a concussive blast pushed it back. Its slippery tentacles hanging limp form its maw. I refocused my attention to Starfall, which was still lodged in its chest, seizing the handle and spinning it in a wide circle. The neatly bisected halves of its body slid apart and fell separate from each other.

One minute. Starfall was on its way back to me when the weight of another beast landed on my back. My spell fizzled out and Starfall clattered to the floor. Before I could react, I felt something clamp on my right ear. Teeth, flat and jagged, crushed the flesh of my ear and with one twist of its head it came right off in a searing hot flash of pain. I cried out in agony as warm blood ran down the side of my head. With a call of magic, my glowing sword flew into my mouth where I sung it twice in an X pattern. The first cut took off its front left leg and the second split its skull in half. There were only two of them left now but I could hear more coming in the distance. I had to finish this quickly before I was overwhelmed.

Forty-five seconds. A blast of energy from my horn flung one of the beasts against the wall with a meaty slap. My concentration faltered for a second as I slipped on the massive pool of blood coalescing in the hallway, my own blood dripping to meet it. In that instant a set of teeth bit down on Starfall and pulled it from my grasp. The other, having recovered from hitting the wall, slammed into me, pushing my back to the wall with only my metal leg to protect me.

Thirty seconds. With a quick flourish of my horn I sent Heart’s Promise from its sheathe to spin through the air like a buzz saw. It flew in a circle, almost like a boomerang before coming to rest in the temple of the beast pining me to the wall. Once I was freed I called to Starfall and pulled it to me, blade first. It punched through the last beast’s chest, spilling the foul, mutated contents of its insides to the floor. Once it had returned to me I spun it around and sent it right back. Unable to properly move and lacking the intelligence to dodge, the hapless beast could only watch with its big dark eyes as the blade slammed into its forehead all the way to the hilt.

Fifteen seconds. I did it. Despite the throbbing pain reminding me that my ear had been torn off, I had made it. I quickly retrieved my weapons and galloped for the office.

Ten seconds. I didn’t make it more than two steps when the others I’d heard approaching arrived.

Nine. Another of the tri-jawed monsters opened its disgusting mouth and tangled me in a mass of black tentacles.

Eight. I spun Starfall in a desperate circle, severing all but one of the tentacles holding me back.

Seven. It couldn’t end like this! I was so close! Help me! I mentally called to the Author. I could still feel him but now, the way he lurked inside my mind, it felt like something was actively holding him back.

Six. I kicked and screamed, throwing every spell I could muster at the crowd of monsters that had followed me.

Five. I magically grabbed one of the severed tentacles and threw it into the face of the one that still held me. Acidic blood caused it to screech and retract the last tentacle, freeing me and giving me the time I needed to stand and fight.

Four. This was it. No matter how well the fight went I wouldn’t make it to the door in time.

Three. I closed my eyes and met my fear head on. The others would live and I would leave the Author without his ‘perfect vessel’. I was okay with that. A nearby glow stole my attention.

Two. The glow around Starfall had returned and was increasing in intensity. Then in a flash so bright I had to cover my eyes, it transformed. Replacing the old chipped blade was a wider, pale blue one. The center of the blade shifted and moved as if the edges contained a moonlit sky. Then, with a mind of its own, the blade reacted to my magic. It vanished with a flash and reappeared in front of me, lodged blade first into the floor.

One. Brilliant white energy erupted from the center of the blade, enveloping me in a protective bubble. Off in the distance I could feel the rumbling of something coming. The surviving spore beasts shrieked as a wall of heat and fire washed over us. Their bodies were scorched away in seconds, only leaving behind the charred remnants of their skeletons. Then, just like that, it was over. Globs of fire stuck to the now warped and curling metal of the walls and floor. Nothing was spared, almost everything was burnt black.

The bubble around me vanished and Starfall reverted to its prior form.

“Ha…Ha Ha…” The heat was still immense and the dry air was difficult to breathe. Yet somehow, after everything, I found myself laughing.

“Aha Ha HA HA!” I wondered what the others were thinking since I didn’t make it to the office in time. As my joyous survival laughter eased up, I looked down to the old sword of Nightmare Moon, forged millennia ago of metal from beyond the stars.

‘This is its dormant state’ Cobalt had said. ‘I’m afraid that’s all it will ever be’. It really was what they’d claimed, I happily thought to myself, pulling the priceless artifact out of the floor. But if it really belonged to Nightmare Moon then why did it work for me just now? I doubt anypony alive had the answers I wanted and frankly I was starting to get used to having my questions go unanswered. I was still sitting in the patch of undamaged floor the bubble had protected when I heard the office door open. Sunny was the first to run out. The sorrow on her face obvious even from this far away. Her eyes found me soon enough and her grief slowly melted away into relief, tears twinkling in her golden eyes. She slowly approached me and smiled that motherly smile of hers.

I never saw it coming. Without warning she slapped her hoof upside my head, reminding me again that I didn’t have an ear.

“OW! S-” Before I could protest she hit me again, and again, and again.

“I’m gonna kill you Sparks! You were supposed to come back! You think this is a game!?” Her hits slowly got weaker until she stopped altogether. Wet lines ran down her cheeks as she collapsed on the floor next to me. “I’m sorry…” She muttered.

“It’s alright. I get it.”

“No…I should have had faith in you.”

“No.” I said, garnering a confused look from her. “You should worry. Sunny I’m…I’m scared. This-” I gestured to the clean metal we sat on. “Was a total fluke. I should be a burnt skeleton right now.” I paused a moment and thought long and hard. Whinnyapolis, the Balefire Swamp and even Baltimare, none of it had been in my control. “I’m on the edge all the time. On one side is failure and the other side is fear of failure. The line I’ve been walking could end in disaster at any moment and I can’t take it anymore!” I didn’t fully realize how close I had come to dying this time. Every other time I had somepony to help me, in the swamp, when I lost my leg. This time it was just me and I almost got myself killed. In all reality I should be dead but there I was, attacking myself for my complete and utter lack of control. It was a foals dream. I couldn’t reasonably expect to have any control of this world, the best I could do was give everything I had to keep myself alive and we all know how good I am at that.

“Why are you here?” Sunny asked, her expression softening to its icy neutral state.

“I…I don’t know.” I said behind choked breaths. “I don’t know what I want anymore.” It was the truth. A truth I didn’t know what to do with. I had been chasing something ever since I left the stable. To free the stable, to find Chestnut, to bring Grim back, replace my leg. What was I chasing now? Nothing. I knew what I was doing here. I was distracting myself. There was no purpose in being here beyond satisfying a mental checklist I had been building for months.

“You want to help me, right?” Sunny asked, her eyebrows raising slightly.

“Of course I do.”

“And you want to help the wasteland?”

More than anything but what could I, one measly stable dweller, do to change the world from what it has been for two hundred years? “Yes…” I finally managed to whisper out.

“And what about Aurora?”

“Aurora is…” I hesitated, only for a moment, but enough for my own self-loathing to inform me that she deserved better than me. “My world.” I finished. “She gives me purpose outside of myself. She keeps me alive, literally and figuratively. I don’t know what I’d do without her. That filly is the best thing that ever happened to me.”

From beside me, Sunny chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” I asked a little bitterly.

“Nothing. I’ve got somepony like that in my life too.” She draped one of her legs over my shoulders, pulling me into a tight hug. ‘What am I to you?’ I had asked her once. Was I to her what Aurora was to me? ‘A chance to make things right’ had been her answer. She saw something in me worth protecting. Worth dying for. Just like I did with Aurora.

Sunny Smiles…former leader of the regulators, steadfast ally, incredible mare and my best friend. I returned her hug and squeezed her gently.

“I love you Sunny.” I said, unable to contain a smile as I nuzzled into her neck. She let out a happy hum and nuzzled back.

“I know.” We sat in each other’s embrace for only a minute or two before she helped me to my hooves. “I’ll always be here to walk that line with you Sparks.”

I smiled and nodded, retrieving Starfall from the floor and returning it to my back, turning with her to return to our impromptu safe room.

“So, how did you survive?”

“It was the sword.” I said, a bit of awe leaking into my voice. “Cobalt was wrong. It’s real.”

“A-are you serious?” Her eyes, fell back to the sword strapped to my back. “How did you do it?”

I pulled it from its makeshift sheathe and gave it some experimental swings. The glow from before was nowhere to be seen. “I…uh I don’t know. It just started glowing when I was fighting. Just before the fire came it transformed and put a barrier around me almost like it had a mind of its own.”

“Hmm. You sure do have a knack for finding interesting artifacts.” Sunny gave a bemused smile. “But at least we know it’s real.” I could detect the faint hope in her voice. We almost had everything we needed to rescue Stormy. Except the largest obstacle, getting to the Lunar Liner. Sunny led me back through the doorway and the first thing I saw was the awake form of Aurora, nose deep in a book. Her eyes met mine and she grimaced. Several scenarios played through my mind all at once, trying to determine which one had upset her. Had she known what I had gone to do? Did Sunny tell her?

“Dad…what happened to your ear?” As if on cue a few drops of blood dripped off my chin and onto the floor. The stinging pain had yet to subside but it was dulling to a tolerable throb.

“It was my bad ear anyway.” I shrugged, passing it off as an inconvenience at most and a blessing at best, silently thanking Sunny for not telling her anything. “Do we have any bandages though?” I asked, hopeful to have something to cover it up and stop the bleeding.

“Well...” Sunny started, eyes searching for something that wasn’t there.

“Grim…right.” I said solemnly, gritting my teeth.

“Ah gotcha Boss.” AJ said, standing up and walking towards me. A red glow began to grow behind her eyes. “This might sting a mite.”

“What?” I barely had time to register what her plan was when a beam of energy the width of a pencil shot from her eyes and drew a quick line up the side of my head, cauterizing the wound. I clenched my teeth and hissed as fresh burning pain closed the tear.

“Whoa.” Aurora commented, failing to keep the slight twist of a smile off her face.

“Thanks AJ, anyway the path is clear now.” I said, the phantom twitching of my lost ear feeling strange. “Let’s find this power source and get the hell out of here.” It didn’t take more than a minute for us to collect our things, except for Sunny who left her guitar in the office.

“Wow, what happened out here?” Aurora wondered aloud, stealing glances and the heat warped metal and burnt bones of former ponies.

“I took care of the monsters, they shouldn’t bother us anymore.” Aurora had no idea how close I had come to dying in this very hallway. Knowing how she’d react, I preferred to keep it that way. I pondered just how much work here had been destroyed by the failsafe. Every terminal likely survived but anything physical on paper or clipboard was probably gone forever. The acrid smell of burnt flesh lingered in every hallway, made worse by the beast’s mutated biology giving the air a vile stench above that of normal burnt bodies. Like ghouls, these things had been ponies once and I caught myself deliberately avoiding facing their remains.

I led us back to the ovular door I had noticed while activating the failsafe. Judging by the security checkpoint that preceded it, I figured that was the best place to find the power source Applejack mentioned. Without any security ponies it was easy enter the booth and hit the necessary controls to get the door open. Once it was, we ushered ourselves in only to see another door on the other side of the small room. The door swooshed shut behind us and locked us in.

“Umm what’s happening?” Aurora asked, taking a big step closer to me.

“Standard decontamination protocol.” Applejack informed us. “It won’t take but a minute.”

As soon as she finished speaking a number of jets that extended from the walls began spraying us with some kind of airborne disinfectant? I truthfully had no clue what the substance was but if the ponies who worked here were subjected to it often then it couldn’t be that harmful right? Once it was all over, the second door opened into a large circular room that inclined downwards towards the center. The first thing we all noticed was the thick glass tube right in the middle. It extended all the way to the ceiling and inside of it was a twister of blue energy. The ambient magic I had been feeling since we took the elevator had increased tenfold. Was that raw magical energy contained in that tube? As we spread out and began investigating I noticed that this room hadn’t been spared by the failsafe. Paper documents lay half burnt on the floor in places but just like I theorized, the bank of terminals on the other side of the tube were intact.

“What’s this?” I turned my attention to Aurora who was at the bottom of the room near the tube, standing in front of some kind of pod. As I approached it I noticed that parts of it were made of glass, a dark glass that was nearly impossible to see through. All I could make out was a dull glow coming from inside the pod, the same color as what was trapped in the tube.

“I don’t know.” I said plainly, not fully understanding the connection to the tube of energy. I stepped around it to investigate the terminals. “So is this the power source you were picking up earlier?” I craned my head back to shout at Applejack.

“Ah think so.” She confirmed. “Though Ah don’t know much else about it.”

“Think you could find out? It’d be pretty valuable to-” I was cut off by something that sounded like a gust of wind. When I faced forward again I saw it. The ghost. The black and blue aura that was its body opened its mouth and let out a spine tingling wail. Its ethereal hoof swatted at me and though it passed right through my chest, the spot it had touched felt like it had turned to ice. I screamed and fell backwards, rolling to try and put some distance between it and me. I clutched at my chest and magically unslung Starfall from my back. I knew it wouldn’t have any effect but I had to do something to protect myself. I sloppily slashed at the thing and was surprised when it met resistance and bounced off its form. The ghost shrieked as dark smoke escaped from its mass and it sunk into the floor, the cold in my chest abruptly vanishing. If it could be hurt, it could be killed.

“You alright?” Sunny asked trotting up to me, giving where it had touched me a curious glance.

“I’m fine, let’s see if we can get this pod open.” I returned to the pod and jammed the point of Starfall into the tight seal. However when I went to pry it open, an immediate electrical current surged into my body and blasted me away. I sailed through the air and landed roughly on Applejack’s back.

“Whoa there partner, Ah suppose Ah ought t’ have warned ya.”

My muscles twitched randomly and a tingly dizziness clouded my mind. Applejack carefully set me down and sat beside me. I didn’t have the strength to say anything to her. After the ordeal with the failsafe my body had taken a beating.

“Terminal said we can’t open the pod till the power is disabled. On the bright side the occupant’s vitals are still in the green.”

“O-occupant?” I mumbled, my mind lagging a bit. ‘I will be the first test subject’ I remembered reading the last time I was here. ‘I trust my team to keep things running while I’m integrated into the pod’. Could…Could she still be inside after all this time? “What does it do?”

“Project Outlast’s goal was t’ discover an alternative energy source t’ replace coal. Project lead Pumpkin Cake theorized that raw magical power could be harnessed and used as energy. However this process requires a volunteer t’ have their magic siphoned and converted t’ energy. Logs show that Pumpkin Cake volunteered t’ be the first test subject. The pod was designed with stasis and life preserving spells t’ keep the occupant alive, also security measures t’ keep it from being opened prematurely as Ah’m sure yer aware.”

“How can we get it open?” Aurora and Sunny had joined us to hear the rest of what Applejack had learned.

“That’ll be the tricky part. The pod has security overrides that will stop the siphoning process and allow the occupant t’ be safely removed. However them overrides were tied to the power grid. When the megaspells hit they severed both communication and power lines.”

“Then why didn’t the overrides kick in?” Aurora asked, studying the pod with a scrutinizing look.

“The very nature of Project Outlast prevented it. Project Outlast was successful and Pumpkin’s theory proved t’ be correct and that is what has kept her trapped here. The level of power she is generating is keeping this facility operational. Project Outlast is keeping its own security overrides from activating.”

“How can we stop it?” I asked, trying to stand on my trembling legs.

“We would have to destroy the tube. That there device is responsible for converting magic into energy, without it the facility will lose power and we should be able t’ get her out safely. Though how the energy within will react when its released is another rodeo altogether.”

“Well first we’ll need to figure out how to destroy it.” Sunny said, bucking the glass tube to no effect. “It’s pretty thick.”

“Maybe we can-” The sound of wind cut me off once again. The screeching that accompanied the ghosts appearance reverberated off the rounded walls as it rose through the floor. A glow atop its forehead brightened and it fired a beam of yellow energy at Sunny. She deftly dodge the blast, launching herself up into the air to ride the shockwave to relative safety. The spot she had been seconds ago was now a glowing molten metal crater.

“The ghost!” I declared. “We’ll let it break the tube for us!” It was the best idea I could come up with, a hopeful smile gracing my lips. We were actually going to save her!

~Wear the hero’s skin if you must Starborn but it will never hide what you really are~

And what might that be?

~Something akin to myself. Something that desires change. Something that will do whatever it takes to achieve one’s goals~

Don’t’ compare me to you, we are nothing alike.

~Your eyes are open yet you still do not see. Do you think I could have attached myself to just anyone? The fact that I am here, with you, proves how alike we are. You just can’t see it~

And that’s the way it’s going to stay.

~Your false confidence makes for a poor shield. You know as well as I do that all it will buy you is time and time? Time is on my side~

You talk as if-

~Duck~

What?

Reality came back into focus as the ghost fired another yellow beam, this time at me. Instinct took over and I summoned a shield around me. The beam struck the surface but instead of piercing through, it exploded on contact, destroying my shield and sending me to the floor. Magical feedback poured into my horn making it feel as if my skull was splitting open. This ghost, or whatever it was, was too strong for my shields to handle.

~Ghost? No no. This byproduct is what you’re here for is it not?~

What do you mean?

I felt something bite down on my tail and pull me out of the way of another beam of light.

“Get up Sparks! You gotta move!” Sunny moved away after saving me, the ghost now targeting her. She just barely slid under a desk that had been telekinetically flung at her.

~This Pumpkin Cake you seek. You know her history, what more need I say?~

So…this is her?

~Partially. I doubt she possesses much awareness and it’s possible that this is an unconscious attempt at defending oneself. Maybe even a consequence of the technology itself~

I had just made it to my hooves when a magically guided chair hit me in the side. I fell again, my strength evaporating by the second. Its lifeless golden eyes locked on to mine as it prepared to fire another spear of sunlight. I drew Starfall but it was wobbly in my magical grasp, uncertain if it could even protect me. In a flash Applejack was in front of me, her eyes glowing that hellish red. They fired simultaneously, their beams of energy colliding with each other with the sound of a crashing wave. A sphere of excess energy began to bubble out from where the beams met, growing until the energy began to warp like rippling water. Another second passed and the sphere gave way, exploding in a swirl of orange destructive power. After the smoke cleared I could see a crack in the thick glass of the tube and the ghost had vanished again.

“Are ya’ll okay?” Applejack asked, carefully helping me back up.

“Yeah…” I lied. If it wasn’t for the loyal robot I don’t think I’d still be alive, let alone standing. “We have a weak point now.” I pointed to the crack.

“That doesn’t do us any good if we all get killed, we have to do something now!” Sunny said, her eyes scanning the room for the ghost. On cue it rose from the floor behind Aurora. She squealed in panic, firing several useless rounds through the ghost’s form. I reached out with magic and plucked her away from the ghost, drawing its attention.

“AJ, use your eye laser and destroy the tube, I’ll distract it.” The ghost was unpredictable, my plan was doomed to failure from the start but now I knew Applejack could match its power.

“…Alright.” Applejack hesitated. Her orders conflicting with her programming regarding my safety. “It’ll take a bit to charge.”

“Acknowledged.” I half smiled, standing on my own once she left me. This was the last shot we were going to get. If Applejack couldn’t fire her laser then we didn’t have a chance. I hoped that what the Author said was true, that the ghost was somehow Pumpkin and once we freed her it would disappear. I limped forward, favoring my metal leg as I once again held Starfall aloft in front of me. Despite having it for little more than a day I was putting my trust in the ancient weapon. It saved me before and I believed it would do so again. The ghost vanished in a puff of black smoke, appearing at my side with its hoof raised to strike. Moving Starfall to intercept the blow, her hoof bounced of the flat of the blade and was forced to take a step back. A familiar glow began to form on its head as it charged another spell. I held the sword in front of me to block whatever was going to come my way but nothing did. Peering out from behind the blade I saw the glow atop its head had vanished. Sinking through the ghost’s incorporeal head was a book, one that I recognized. It was the book Aurora had been reading before, she had thrown it at the ghost and interrupted its spell! It retaliated almost immediately, lifting Aurora in the air and throwing her against into the row of terminals with a crash.

“Aurora!” I screamed, breaking away to try and reach her. I crossed half the distance before Sunny tackled me to the ground, just in time to push us out of the way of a storm of telekinetically guided glass shards. Sunny was up faster than me and also seemed to notice that its spells could be stopped. Rearing its ugly head for another attempt, the glow barely had a chance to form before Sunny’s whole body came stomping down through it. Sunny screamed and collapsed from the icy pain but had succeeded in dissipating its form for the moment. Though it would not be stalled for long. Appearing out of the wall like a gaseous black turret it turned its head to me and fired. Still on the floor I rolled out of the way, narrowly keeping ahead of the beam vaporizing the floor behind me. When I came to a stop, I had positioned myself in front of Pumpkin’s pod and the ghost had retreated temporarily.

“Sunny! Get Aur-” In an instant it was back, staring me down from a short distance in front of me. Time seemed to slow as the ray of destructive magic came streaking through the air at me. Realization caught up to me and revealed that I was out of options. I couldn’t take another direct hit, shield or not and if I ducked or dodged, the attack would hit and probably destroy Pumpkin’s pod. I closed my eyes and trusted in the only thing I had left at my disposal. Starfall rose in my grasp to catch the beam, its soft pale glow returning. The glow around the sword forked the beam like a river, diverting the two halves away from the pod to explode against the wall behind it. Even that had been too much for my exhausted body. Starfall fell from my grasp and stabbed itself into the floor. Using it as a crutch to keep myself propped up, I looked up at the ghost and saw nothing in its empty golden eyes. It regarded me with a tilt of its head before it began charging the final spell. From behind it I heard the electronic rumble of Applejack’s eye laser and smiled as the glass tube shattered. An immense torrent of blue energy flooded the room, howling like a twister as it escaped. A sharp crackling sound began to dance through the howl, arcs of electricity bouncing throughout the cloud of energy. It twisted about the chamber like a growing storm, indiscriminate magic striking like lighting, destroying whatever it touched. I closed my eyes and Starfall slipped out of my hooves as the whirlwind of magic lifted me into the air. I opened them just in time to see a bolt of magic arcing towards me. The bolt struck me in the chest and tiny arcs of energy radiated across the surface of my body before concentrating and rushing towards my horn. In an instant it was like I was dreaming. My mind somewhere else as I watched the world through my unmoving, unblinking eyes.

WHERE ARE YOU!?

A wailing voice pierced my mind. Was that her? Was that Pumpkin? Through my eyes I saw the floor rapidly rising to meet me. Then I saw nothing at all.

Footnote: No Level Up.

Quest Perk: Tainted Blood – Exposure to an experimental batch of I.M.P has altered your physiology. In addition to inoculating yourself from viral spores, your resistance to disease and poison has increased by 75 %

Next Chapter: Chapter Thirty: The Chains That Bind Estimated time remaining: 10 Hours, 32 Minutes