The faded gold plaque reading ‘Room 12’ was flung from the wall upon the impact of its respective door being slammed shut. The fed-up stallion exiting from the now closed doorway didn’t even register the damage caused in his wake. His only goal was finding out what the point of this fucking game was.

And by Celestia’s name he was gonna.

While he didn’t notice the product of his anger, two mares that had been previously chatting a few rooms down in the hallway certainly did. Their conversation halted and both of them swung their heads in his direction momentarily before whispering ensued.

Storm didn’t pay them any mind as he rounded the corner to a stairwell that led to the first floor lobby. Paying the receptionist, who probably said something along the lines of him coming back soon, no mind as he walked by, the stallion exited the hotel through it’s front doors.

The second he stepped outside, his goal was nearly lost upon the sight before him. Olympic-like torches dotted the various paths and streets of the town square, creating a sense of hierarchy towards the redecorated shop boothes and stables.

Putting his goal back on the top of the priority list, Storm walked through the town center and passed by a few of the booths. An apple stand where it’s respective treats were dipped in some strange caramelized liquid, a sweets stand giving out what were most likely expired candies, and another roasting what looked like some sort of small rodent-like creatures.

Storm’s observations were cut short once he reached the exact same spot he had seen the figure. Looking around in all directions earned him some questionable looks from some of the townsfolk and even a few whispers, but he paid them no attention.

He had more important matters at hoof.

Where the hell are you? He thought, scanning from one alleyway to another, one building to another, and one window to another.

When his search yielded no results, the stallion was torn between giving up and lashing out at nothing and everything at the same time. He scanned the crowds as if the figure could have been trying to blend in amongst the townsfolk but once again, no dice.

“Dammit.” He quietly cursed, spinning around again towards the more vacant part of the town, as the rest was immersed in the festival at the moment.

Upon turning back to the nearest alley, he finally found his target.

The suited figure was at the very end of the trash littered alley and - as always - was staring straight at him - or so he thought as the blue visor blocked out any view of it’s eyes.

Storm’s muzzle quivered in anger as he pulled the Sweeper from his back and loaded it, earning worried looks from the few still watching him, but he didn’t care. The figure made no motion to raise it’s own weapon or retreat as he began advancing towards it.

But that only made him angrier.

“What do you want from me?!” Storm growled at the figure, aiming his weapon at it.

No response.

“You’ve been following me around all day,” He continued, “So it’s gotta be something!”

Again, nothing.

“Answer me!” He was yelling now.

The figure just continued staring at him. It gave no signs of being frightened, threatened, or even annoyed by him. Instead it just kept staring. No further words were exchanged as the two glared at one another.

Then it moved.

Not it’s whole body, but just it’s head. The movement was so slight as if it was turning just enough to see past him.

Storm was about to ask it what it was doing when he realized the figure was focusing on something rather than idly staring off into space.

Now he was torn between turning around to see what the figure was so intrigued about and keeping his eyes on it. But as it always would, curiosity killed the cat. He would just have to be quick about it.

Shooting a glance over his shoulder, Storm was greeted with the same scene from before. The townsquare festival. Ponies laughed, talking, and even a few dancing as they had given up on watching him when he had entered the alley fully. There wasn’t anything to see really. Just three boothes, another building with a painted red cross on top - presumidly making it a hospital of some sort. And in the dead center of it all, the mayor’s office.

That was where the figure had been staring. No doubt.

But why?

As swift as he could, Storm spun around to face the figure for answers only to find that it was gone.

Again.

In the maybe three seconds he had taken to glance behind him, it had vanished.

The stallion saw that the alley had a door down at the end - on the right side of the wall - which was shut. He knew it couldn’t have vanished without making a sound as the door looked rusted to hell, but lately that figure had been disappearing like a phantom anyway, so what are the odds?

Storm got to the side of the door and braced himself beside it with weapon in tethered grip. He had no real plan if he did see it on the other side - hell, he didn’t even know if the thing was corporeal or not - but he was sick of it.

This was ending.

Now.

Placing a hoof on the doorknob, he had just begun to turn the knob when it happened.

The knob turned on it’s own. And the door began to open…

Planning Period was giving it her all as to not shake at the mere idea of what she was about to do. The silenced pistol was burning a hole in her saddlebag and making the mare think she would be stopped for some random reason, searched, then when the truth was beat out of her, a terrible fate was waiting at the end.

She was about to close her door when the feeling of being watched crept over her. Looking to the left of the crummy alleyway her apartment was in, Planning was greeted to a familiar sight of the Remembrance Festival. Thankfully, nopony was looking her way and questioning why the mayor’s assistant wasn’t currently with her boss.

Questions were the last thing she needed right-

Suddenly, a strong clothed forehoof wrapped around her neck.

The grip was rough, as if it truly meant business, and the owner of the hoof wasn’t in the mood for games. Before she could scream, the cold steel of a blade was pushed against her throat. Not enough to cut it, but enough to start cutting if need be. Subconsciously, the mare swallowed a growing lump in her throat, which grazed the blade and reminded her how very close to joining her sister she was.

“Quiet…” A male voice demanded, barely above a whisper.

Planning didn’t know if she should nod and risk hurting herself, verbally and quietly respond, or just do nothing. Nopony was coming to help as the music and festivities just an alley’s length away had no idea about her predicament.

So she did the only thing she could.

Nothing.

“Inside, now.” The voice ordered.

The mare complied with the order, as she slowly retreated into her apartment,she felt the hoof around her neck be removed but the blade never left.

Her door closed quietly behind her would be captor, but she still didn’t dare to turn with an extremely sharp blade at her throat. Planning had no idea what he wanted. She had heard stories of robberies or rape of mares but never expected to be on the receiving end inside of these walls.

Until now.

But neither one came.

Instead the blade tickled her fur as it was retracted inside of some slot as a mechanical clinking sound could be heard from below her head. And then the hoof with the blade was removed from her neck as well.

“W-what do you want?” She finally got out, still terrified about her uncertain fate.

“The truth.” The voice responded.

Wait. That voice! She knew exactly who that belonged to.

“Storm?” She asked.

No response.

“L-look, we want the same thing here-” The mare continued only to be cut off.

“Bullshit.”

Planning finally decided to turn around, revealing that her guess was correct, as the pony who stood before her was the same suited stallion with that same emotionless expression - but now it held something different.

Impatience.

As if just looking at her was a waste of time and he should have just slit her throat without a second thought. That is what Planning felt like under his glare.

“I’m serious.” She tried again, looking out the window before continuing. “We both want Rarity gone.”

His expression changed ever so slightly. But for a pony who spent her life reading faces, she could see it. He had the slightest hint of surprise on his muzzle.

“That's some bold talk coming from her favorite lapdog.” He carefully replied, with his tone making it clear he didn’t believe her one bit. “What’s in it for you?”

“Justice.” Planning answered with more confidence than she had used in her entire life. “For somepony that deserves it. And it’s long overdue…”

Not a word more was spoken as the two engaged in a staring contest of seizing one another up - an act that Planning found uncomfortable - as she prayed that her answer was good enough to be allowed to live and possibly gain an ally in this.

“Justice for what? What is it that she does exactly?” He finally asked.

“It’s hard to explain.” Planning replied, trying to find the right words. “But it’s some sort of personal project she’s been doing ever since Mayor Mare died. When Miss Rarity took over and her own sister was killed, she lost it. We wouldn’t see her for days after and my sister, who was Mayor Mare’s receptionist at the time, was the only one given clearance to enter the office after nearly a week of silence from her. When she found out what Rarity was doing with the faces - with the bodies - she tried to stop her but my sister was…”

The mare paused and her demeanor changed as she tried to suppress a sob at the mere idea of saying the words aloud.

Luckily, or rather unluckily for her, Storm however didn’t beat around the bush. “Dealt with?”

“Y-yeah…”

“I’m sorry.”

“W-what?” She asked, not sure if she had heard him correctly.

“I said I’m sorry.” He confirmed. “I know what you’re going through and you shouldn’t have to.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“...Let’s just say there are a lot of good ponies dying for the wrong reasons lately.”

An uncomfortable silence was born from that statement as Planning absently kicked the ground with a hoof. Storm was messing with a holographic screen on his Tethertech for a second.

“What's your ID?” He finally asked.

“00172894A-9.” The mare responded from memory.

Using a tethered digit, the stallion entered the numbers into the screen and pressed enter.

A chirp resounded from Planning’s own Tethertech, signaling that she was connected to a new channel.

“If you're going to help, then we need to be in touch.” Storm stated, closing the screen.

A smile started to form on Planning’s face when his next words eradicated it.

“-But if you cross me, then whatever you saw back then will look like foals play. Got it?”

After a moment of contemplation, she nodded frantically.

“Good. Now, where is she?”

Suddenly, Planning remembered why her soon-to-be ex-boss was so excited.

“Shit…” She muttered upon realizing, before her voice became higher and more frantic. “Tonight’s the transition! She’s going to do the same to your pegasus friend!”

Storm’s eyes widened slightly, but the fear was still present.

“Fuck…” He muttered before speaking up to her hearing level. “Where’d she go?”

“Rarity has her by now, It’s already-”

“Where’d she go?!” He repeated, more aggressive and desperate this time, causing the mare to flinch.

“T-the mayor’s office. The storage closet in the back, there is a trapdoor under the rug that leads to where they’ll both be!” Planning answered, still unsure of her fate.

“I’m going.” Storm declared raising his weapon and heading for the door, only to be grabbed by the mare.

“No! You can’t just barge in there!” She protested. “They are looking for you now! Rarity knew you were suspicious and placed hidden guards in the crowd.”

“Then I’ll have to avoid the crowd.” Was his only response as the stallion practically slammed open her door and exited before Planning could get anything more out.

Then she heard his voice in her ear, thought it had some slight static in addition.

“Gather her stuff and bring it somewhere safe. I’ll notify you when I’ve got her.” He ordered, sounding slightly strained as if he was running or climbing.

“Okay. Good luck.” Planning replied, reaching into a nearby drawer for the hotel masterkey.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash found herself sitting at a picnic table-style area right beside a cider booth. Finishing the last of her mug, the mare practically slammed it down on the table. Under normal circumstances she would have been in bliss after finishing her favorite citrusy beverage, but whether it was the stale taste in her mouth or the nagging truth in her head was unknown to her.

She had been so stupid.

There was no way to sugarcoat it. Not anymore. She had actually believed there was a chance he would have been a key piece in fixing whatever had happened to this world, but the truth was clear now…

Maybe it always had been. Maybe she was too blinded by false hope to face the cruel reality, but just as Dash had been to him about his friend’s fates, he had been a catalyst to her reality of the world.

It was so stupid.

A simple truth managed to knock the fight out of Rainbow Dash - Equestria’s fastest and bravest pony - even after all of the hardships and challenges she and all of her friends had endured, but even more importantly, overcame.

“Something the matter, darling?” A familiar prissy voice asked from the blue pegasus’ side.

Rainbow turned her head just in time to see Rarity sit down beside her. The white unicorn’s step and slide into the seat was graceful - or lady-like as she would have put it - and a slight smile was plastered on her face despite the concerned tone.

“Everything’s great, Rares.” Dash lied, absently tracing flight patterns into the wooden table with her hoof.

Neither mare spoke for the next few moments. One had nothing more to say and the other was trying to figure out what to say.

“I know you tried, Rainbow.” Rarity said, finally breaking the silence. “But… some of us are beyond help - no matter how much you care about-” She was cut off when Rainbow began a raspy chuckle, earning a slightly confused look from the unicorn.

“Beyond? No, he’s just too fucking paranoid for anything.” Rainbow scoffed. “It’s like he didn’t even try to give this place or you a fair shot! All he did was stare and be rude to everypony. I had to tell that lumbering lunatic that you were hitting on him otherwise he wouldn’t have even noticed!”

When her bottled up rant was finished, a hoof slammed down on the table - knocking the empty mug over - while displaying her anger.

Rarity’s lips pursed slightly and she let out a faint sigh. “You need a break from all of this, darling.”

“I want all this to be over.” Rainbow admitted, a trace of breaking in her voice. “I want everything back to the way it was before all of this. I want all of us back to how we used to be!”

That comment sparked another burst of dual silence until Rarity let out a chuckle.

“Remember when you wished the world wasn’t so… what was the word you used to describe it? Oh! It was boring. That’s the one.” She said before her tone dropped and became serious again. “Now we would all trade this for ‘boring’ in a heartbeat anyday.”

Rainbow didn’t respond to her friend’s attempt to lighten the mood, even if the attempt did suck. It was the effort that counted, but right now all Rainbow could count was all the reason why this all sucked.

“I’m going to be brutally honest with you Rainbow.” Rarity tried again. “There are times when I sit at my desk and ponder the unthinkable, and there are many times where I get close enough to do said unthinkable. But it’s nights like these that make it all worthwhile. These are nights where we remember the good times - where we remember the good ponies that have gone on to better places. When I look around and see everypony forgetting their pain for one night of happiness, those dark moments are the furthest thing from my mind. And if he can’t find happiness in remembrance then that shouldn’t affect your own experience.”

“How are you so good at this kind of thing?” Rainbow asked, surprised by Rarity’s words.

“Practice, darling.” Was her response. “A whole lot of it.”

Rainbow was just about to raise her hoof for another glass when Rarity gently pushed it down to the table. “Let’s go, darling. I’ve got something that might help you.”

And with that, the white unicorn got up from the table and motioned her friend to follow. Both mares left the streets of the festival and made their way to Rarity’s office. After reaching a distracted and scrawny colt at the desk, the mayor of the two cleared her throat to gain said colt’s attention.

The colt quickly put his book down and addressed Rarity before his gaze landed on Rainbow.

Then it turned to uneasy.

“I-Is she the one?” He asked, looking back to Rarity.

For a fraction of a second, Rainbow could have sworn that she spotted a threatening glare from Rarity directed at the poor colt, who fidgeted uneasy in his seat upon seeing it too.

“Yes, Rainbow is our guest of honor, Bristle.” Rarity replied in a cheerful tone unlike the mood Rainbow thought she saw on the unicorn.

Huh, Mr. Paranoids starting to get to me now… Dash thought spitefully, shaking her suspicions off.

In the short few seconds the blue pegasus had gotten lost in thought, Rarity and the colt - Bristle - had resolved whatever topic they were debating about and the colt was reaching underneath the desk to touch something.

“Silver Platter, the guest is here. Bring out the goods.” He said to what Rainbow presumed was an intercom or at least a button turning one on.

A few moments later, and a silver and blue unicorn mare entered from the doors in which Rainbow and Rarity had come through a couple minutes prior. She had a huge grin on her face and sported a tray with festive-looking mugs on top.

The smiling mare levitating two mugs to their respective consumers, earning a thankful praise from Rarity and a simple thanks from Rainbow. The white unicorn instantly - and unlady like - gulped her own beverage down while her pegasus friend was busy looking at the contents of her own.

A dark purple liquid stared back at her own Magenta eyes as Rainbow tried to identify what the drink was.

“It’s wonderful. Try it.” Rarity assured.

“What is it?” Rainbow asked, still unsure as to the drink’s contents.

“What are you, your coltfriend now?” Rarity playfully shot back, earning an unpleasant look. “Just try it, darling. It’s a surprise.”

“...Okay then.”

And with that, Rainbow followed suit in wolfing down her own drink, draining the mug of its contents in mere seconds and ending in an unlady-like burp which would have made Rarity cringe.

But it didn’t.

Instead, the unicorn just gazed at her with a knowing smile as if she knew some slumber party secret that wasn’t being told to Rainbow.

“What?” Dash asked, but as soon as the words left her slightly wet lips, Rarity started to wobble.

Then she multiplied. And contorted. And a whole multitude of strange things which were now starting to twist the rest of the room as well.

The desk, the walls, the ceiling, hell - even the colt behind the desk were all going through the same dizzying effects as Rarity.

“W-what's happening?” Rainbow tried to ask, barely catching herself from falling in the process.

She could barely speak. She could barely think.

“R-rares?” She continued, but the knowing smile still lingered.

“I’m sorry about this, darling.” Rarity finally replied, sounding like her voice came from all sides of the poor dizzy pegasus. “But I did say this was a surprise, so we can’t have you ruin it by peeking!” She added with a high pitched spark of excitement.

That was all Rainbow heard before everything finally went dark.

Rainbow Dash had blacked out.

Storm grunted as his hooves hit the hard gravel ground below him. He had just used a nearby dumpster and apartment balcony - with a little help of his suit thrusters - to vault over the side of Ponyville’s wall.

Now he was just outside the seemingly safe community and found himself on the faded path of a street. To his right, a straight line of various destroyed buildings towered over the stallion as a visual hoofprint of the old world.

Many of the buildings were overgrown cottages with dying vines and moss as fall was ending and winter would soon hold it’s icy grip on the wasteland. Despite what they say, Hell does freeze over, and this would be solid proof.

Activating his helmet and waiting a moment for his HUD preferences to load, Storm continued his visual search of the area, which led him to spotting the town’s theater. The roof of the massive building was halfway caved inward, presumidly crushing an equal amount of interior space as well. Not a single window was left unharmed with the only remnants of their existence being shards of stained glass poking out of some of the frames.

“Group three, search this whole area - buildings and all!” A male voice called from around the corner and behind Storm’s current position. “He couldn’t have gone far!”

Shit. This just got real.

Judging by the distance of the voice, this ‘group three’ had just left through the front gate and would be rounding the corner any moment, so Storm ducked behind the nearest object, which was a half destroyed carriage. Turning down the brightness of his suit lights and being aided by the nighttime fog would definitely assist in hiding him.

Thinking fast, the stallion activated the camera device on his suit, which hovered around the carriage and positioned itself out of sight from any approaching creatures. Through a small window on his HUD, Storm counted seven armed ponies - five stallions and two mares - all of which were wearing rags, makeshift armor, and sported basic weaponry.

It was no debate that he could take them all out with relative ease, but their weapons weren’t silenced like his own, meaning a gunfight would just draw reinforcements and give up his one advantage over Rarity - the element of surprise.

But he had to be quick otherwise Planning might be right about Rainbow, so avoiding unnecessary conflict would be the way to go. Storm already had a rough blueprint of the community and he knew that the mayor’s office was well on the other side of the street separating Planning’s apartment and the festival.

So all he needed to do was circle around to the other side of the wall and hop back over.

Simple right?

“Group two, stay on your end of the wall. We’ve got this covered!” The same stallion from before ordered into his own Tethertech channel.

Shit.

Of course it wouldn’t be.

Storm continued to peek through the camera device as he made a mental list of everypony’s position. Two stallions stood at the corner of the wall, next to the front. Another was approaching from his right, where he had just landed a few moments prior. A mare was keeping even pace with the stallion but to his left and was steadily getting closer to rounding the carriage. The other mare and a stallion were searching the closest destroyed cottage to the gate. The final stallion, who had been barking orders until now, was on his ear-mounted device with presumidly another group of this rag-tag search party. He was standing out in the open and facing the cottages and theater as if also on guard.

“I have something!” The stallion to his right called out. “Hoofprints. Recently too. Grace, get over here and track him!”

Storm slid his camera device under the carriage where it returned to his suit upon hearing that. The mare known as Grace - who had been combing the side of his carriage and gazing into the upper floors of the cottages until now - stopped her search and began to head down the side of the destroyed carriage.

“This better be the real deal this time, Carve.” She grunted while making her way to the stallion.

Storm could feel beads of sweat start to run down his forehead as he activated his hoof blade. He heard the crunching of gravel get ever so closer until the hoovesteps were right around the corner and then…

With a burst of speed many wouldn’t think possible of him, the stallion leapt up and grabbed Grace before pulling her down roughly with him. One of his hooves was clamped tightly on her muzzle while the other - the bladed one - was at her throat.

“Quiet!” He ordered, barely above a whisper, to the mare who was flailing her hooves at his helmet as if trying to pry him off.

Then he slit her throat.

It was a quick and clean cut which ended her muffled whimpers and attempts to call for help. When the mare’s body went stiff, he gently placed her down on the now bloodstained gravel.

“Grace?” Her stallion friend asked from the spot where the mysterious hoofprints were. “We don’t have all day, get your flank over here”

“Grace?” He asked again, only to get no response.

By now, Storm had moved her corpse around the carriage and he had repositioned himself behind a neck-high rectangular cutout that housed a dead tree. His new spot was only a step or two from the carriage so the next part would be easy.

The stallion who was calling for his friend started moving from the hoofprints and towards the last known spot of his comrade - which required him to move around the carriage.

“I swear if you have earphones in again…” He muttered angrily right before rounding the carriage.

Then he saw the body of Grace.

Just as the stallion’s mouth opened to call for his group, a blade was impaled through the back of his neck, coming out the front and allowing him to see the weapon of his own murder.

No screams erupted from his blood-filled throat. Only a faint gurgling sound came out before his life was also ended.

That’s two. Storm thought while piling the stallion's corpse next to the mares.

Peeking over the stone rectangle, Storm saw that the two stallions at the front were looking the other way and the rest were inside of the first cottage.

Now was his chance.

Using any cover in his path, Storm sprinted along the wall of the community. Looking back every couple of seconds, he made sure none of the other’s turned to his way.

Thankfully they didn’t.

In record time, the stallion had made it to the corner of the wall. Only a couple more steps to go and he would be around-

“Check the theater, too. It’s got lots of hiding places!” A male voice ordered from right around the corner followed by multiple hoovesteps.

Shit!

Putting the breaks on, Storm skidded to a halt right at the corner of the wall.

Quick! Think! He mentally scolded himself while looking around.

Gravel, rocks, bottles, dead leaves… wait - bottles!

Using his tethered grip, Storm quickly picked up a random bottle off the ground and hurled it over the corner of the wall where he heard it shatter just a few hooves away.

And just in time too. The hooves and muzzle of the first guard had just reached the corner and was sticking out where Storm could see it when the sound of glass shattering filled the air.

“What was that?!” A male voice asked.

“It’s got to be him!” A female one joined.

The pair of hooves - and the sound of three more - turned around and faced the noise.

Pulling out his Sweeper and turning the safety off, Storm shot out from around the corner to find himself facing the flanks of three stallions and a mare who were training their weapons and flashlights where the sound came from.

The group didn’t even have time to turn around before Storm aligned each barrel with the back of each guard’s head. Then he pulled the trigger.

The four dropped dead, a rivet deep within each of their skulls.

Quick as can be, the stallion snapped to the side of the wall where his most recent quad kill just happened. Looking back at the original side he had just exited revealed that the other group was at the second cottage and had no idea, but after that building, they would find the bodies for sure.

He had to act and fast.

Throwing caution to the wind, Storm sprinted down the entire length of this street without any cover or care as his heavy armored body made audible crunching sounds in the gravel and leaves.

Another corner.

This side had no search parties to his luck so he continued sprinting for where the mayor’s office would be on the other side. Once he got there, Storm climbed on top of an overgrown carriage.

Okay. Halfway up there. Where to next… He thought while looking around for another piece of leverage.

Then he saw it.

A light post. Made of steel.

“Here goes nothing…” He mutters while storing the Sweeper on his back.

Using all of his strength, Storm leaps from the carriage to the light post. Grabbing it with his forehooves, the stallion gains momentum and uses his thrusters to propel himself over the wall…

-and into a window.

An explosion of glass filled his ears - and the room - as the armored stallion was sent tumbling onto the ground. When he didn’t hear any yelling guards or screaming civilians, Storm took a moment to just sit there in the new found pain of throwing his heavy and nearly middle aged body over a wall and through a window.

“Ugh… fuck me…” He groaned while slowly getting up and brushing shards off of himself.

That's when he saw him.

Standing a few steps away from his half crouched position was a teen colt with a book in his fetlock. His mouth hung wide open and he appeared to be frozen in place as he stared at Storm.

Luckily for Storm, his reaction time was quicker. Rocketing up and extending a hoof, he punched the colt in the face, knocking him out cold.

Once the stallion got his bearings, he grabbed the body’s hooves and dragged the colt’s unconscious form into the hindleg space underneath the desk, hiding him from sight. The stallion got up and was about to walk into the adjacent hallway when his gut told him something was missing.

Something wasn’t right.

Looking back at the desk, Storm saw a small plaque that read ‘open’ on the receptionist desk. Using his Tethertech, he quickly swapped the sign to read ‘closed.’

That’s better. He thought while stepping into the hallway.

The hallway itself was fairly small, meaning he could see the three closed doors within it. The one closest to him on the right had a restroom sign, signaling its purpose. To the left and a little further down was another door with a golden plaque that read ‘Mayor’s Office.” And then he saw it.

At the far end and to the right of the hall was one final door which had a more degraded plaque that read ‘storage.’

Bingo.

The stallion was about to take his first step into the hall when a sudden and mind splitting headache hit him. Reaching a hoof to his head and grunting in response, Storm squeezed his eyes shut for a moment out of instinct. Then he opened them and saw it.

Candles.

Placed evenly on each side of the hallway floor. On each side of every doorway. All of them sat in rusted cans. Even the dancing shadows cast by them were the same as that place from before.

“Shh… He’s almost here…” A mare’s voice cooed in the distance as it was followed by a scream.

Then in an instant, they were gone.

The candles, the cans, the mood lighting, and everything. The hallway looked normal again.

Storm took a few glances from the front to the hall that he was now at the end of, as if trying to determine what in Celestia’s name had just happened.

Then he heard a scream. A real one.

Dash’s scream.

Fuck.

The first thing Rainbow Dash felt was pain.

Pain in her head and in her limbs. Not the blunt or stabbing pain of being struck or impaled by a bone-like blade, but the drowsy pain of waking up after not sleeping at all.

If it was amplified by a thousand that is.

And hers definitely was.

Groaning, the mare attempted to put a hoof to her head only to find that her limbs weren’t responding - or rather couldn’t respond. Straining her hooves to try and break free yielding no results but soreness to her body.

Rainbow whipped her head around, trying to get her bearings in the darkness of the room but to no avail.

“Ah!” A familiar voice said from the darkness. “You're finally conscious, darling!”

“R-rarity?” Rainbow asked, slowly recalling the last events before she got this point in the first place. “Where am I?”

“My workshop.” The unseen unicorn stated matter of factly. “All artists need one after all.”

“Why can’t I move?!” Dash asked, trying to hide the growing fear in her chest and voice.

“Calm down, darling.” Rarity instructed, ignoring the question. “These are just necessary precautions and you’ll be free at the end of this. I swear.”

“Precautions? For what?!” Rainbow added with a strong tug at her binds.

Still no use.

“Scootaloo’s transition.”

“W-what-” Rainbow started to ask but was silenced when an array of flood lights burst to life, momentarily blinding the mare.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Rainbow heard the light clip-clop of delicate hooves approaching from her side. But then they passed her.

Once the stinging in her vision passed, the blue pegasus opened her eyes to see a few things in front of her. Rarity, who was obstructing her vision. Another bound pony with an almost bronze colored coat which had a bag over their head and was also bound to a chair across from her.

But the other pony’s chair was different. While Rainbow’s was some wooden one from a furniture store or home, the other chair was custom made out of steel and looked like it could hold Big Macintosh if he took an assload of steroids and became evil all of a sudden.

Rarity turned around to face Dash, revealing a brilliant and excited smile on her face. The unicorn mare placed a hoof on the burlap sack on the other pony’s head as she spoke.

“Rainbow Dash, say hello to your sister!” She beamed while getting a grip on the bag.

Then she pulled it off.

And Rainbow saw it.

She saw Scootaloo.

Scootaloo saw her.

They locked eyes.

Rainbow might have screamed, but she wasn’t sure. All she could do was focus on that torn and stapled face. Those angry blue… ‘eyes’ which were locked on her in fixed hatred.

‘Scootaloo’ began to thrash violently in her bindings as she roared, not taking her ‘eyes’ off of the rainbow-maned pegasus for even a second. The snapping of bones filled the room as the bronze colored mare tried to break free from it’s bindings.

Rainbow was speechless. Her mouth hung agape as she had the most intense stare-down with this ‘thing.’

“T-that’s… thats…” She tried to speak but couldn’t find the words.

“Scootaloo.” Rarity finished for her. “She was one of our best scouts, but sadly one of them took her down just a few months ago. I knew you would want to see her one last time before the transition so I saved her for you!” The unicorn added cheerfully.

Rainbow barely heard the explanation as her focus was still on the creature before her. It was trying everything within its limits to get out of that chair and get to her as if Scootaloo herself was angry at her for failing to keep her safe.

“That’s not Scootaloo…” Rainbow finally got out as another bone snapped in the thing’s body and it got one inch closer to breaking it’s way out of there.

“What are you talking about, dar-” That was all Rarity got out before ‘Scootaloos’ blue orbs ripped themselves from their fleshy prison and leapt at the mare who had just turned to face the creature.

The Plexer’s made skittering noises as they quickly dug into Rarity’s eye sockets, splaying blood and juices everywhere in the process of digging their new home. The poor mare barely had time to get a hoof up to defend herself by the time the tiny creatures had made it to her face.

Her dying screams were completely drowned out to the only living pony in the room as the mare was contorted and transformed into something else. Her bones snapped, her fetlocks sharpened, her jaw was contorted as it extended and unhinged like a serpents, and her tail fell out before being replaced with a fleshy appendage with a claw on the end.

‘Rarity’ shook the remaining loose body fragments which were discarded off of itself before getting up and locking eyes with Rainbow, who was too horrified at watching her sister’s face being stapled onto a corpse and then have that same face attack one of her best friends.

The creature roared, displaying it’s ganguly and newly formed teeth. Rearing back on its hindlegs, the newest Damned lunged for it’s victim.

BANG!

A gunshot echoed through the tiny room from behind the bound mare, whose face was covered in crimson splatter and a few bits of flesh. Rainbow had flinched and her eyes widened at the sudden sound, allowing a few of the droplets to get within her eye.

Upon shaking her head to clear the obstruction, she discovered that the thing which used to be Rarity was now an entire head short and lying on the floor. Bits of gore and even a few Plexer parts littered the ground near it’s exploded head.

Dash turned her head as far back as the chair would allow, revealing Storm - whose helmet was off and who was also holding a shotgun with a still smoking barrel - and an equally disturbed look on his own face.

Without a word, he holstered the weapon and activated the hoof-blade. A couple of slices later and Rainbow was freed from her bindings, allowing her to fall to the floor and reach out for the discarded face of Scootaloo.

The mare’s shaky hoof stopped halfway when she realized what was going on. Retracting the appendage didn’t do the shakiness any good as it had spread to her entire body by now.

“No, no, no…” She muttered over and over again quietly. “Not you too, Scoots.”

The blue pegasus felt the warm droplets of tears starting to roll down her cheeks as she stared at the remains of her sister.

A sudden, but gentle hoof on her shoulder snapped her out of her stare, causing the mare to look up at its source. Storm didn’t meet her gaze, but instead was focused on Scootaloo with his head hung and expression displaying a hint of regret.

Rainbow returned her eyes to the horrifying sight below as the two gave their silent respects. She knew looking at it wasn’t a good idea, but she couldn’t stop. Those empty sockets were pleading to know where she was all of these years. The ripped mouth was frozen in a permanent scream that held her last terrified moments.

The soul crushing moment was interrupted when something beeped from above the rainbow-maned pegasus.

“Storm!” A mare’s voice crackled through the static of Storm’s ear-mounted device. “They found Bristle’s body and know where you are! Get out of there now!”

Rainbow hardly heard Planning’s frantic warning over the channel, but her stallion counterpart certainly did.

“We’re on our way.” He responded coldly as if his attention was elsewhere, but in reality, it was.

Turning the channel off, he removed his hoof from Rainbow’s shoulder and racked another shell into his shotgun.

“It’s going loud from here on out.” He informed the unresponsive mare, who was still kneeling on the floor.

“Dash?” He asked, trying to get her attention but not set her off at the same time. “We have to go, now!”

The sound of a dozen hoofsteps from above filled Storm’s ears.

“Check the office, We’ve got the restroom!” A mare’s authoritative voice ordered from above.

“Dash!” He harshly whispered. “They’ll find that trapdoor eventually. Some might already know about it!”

Still no response.

BOOM!

A distant explosion from above shook the very earth the two were underneath, causing dust to fall from the ceiling and down onto them. Screams and shouted orders from above drowned out the ringing in Storm’s ears and apparently it also broke Rainbow out of her trace as the mare was now up and looking around much like he was.

“What the hell was that?!” One of the voices above demanded to know.

“I don’t know! Call-” Another voice was interrupted by a staticy signal from a Tethertech.

“They’ve breached the walls! All teams head for the East wall now!” It ordered before the sound of retreating hoovesteps filled the ceiling.

Storm and Rainbow only had a moment to share a look of confusion before the screams started.

Then the gunshots.

And finally, the roaring.

They were here.

Author's Notes:

IMPORTANT: Anyone who has read this authors note before it was changed, disregard everything I said. I made a mistake by trying to rush a plot point out there without actually taking the time to make sure it fit into the story. I was too focused on getting another chapter out that I disregarded my own values of quality over quantity and I take full responsibility for that mistake. It won't happen again.
So to confirm, everything in this old authors note is retconned, going to be altered, explained in the next chapter, and actually be a part of the story like it should.
Thank you for understanding!