CD had tried reasoning, and Broker had argued for splitting up, Sketch had countered most of the arguments, and Cheerilee had vetoed everything, refusing to leave. Even when Broker had tried to offer himself as a distraction, Cheerilee had told him ‘no’. The only idea she’d even contemplated is getting to the teacher’s lounge for more supplies.

After a shouting match about responsibilities and the three adult colts being sent to the corner for a time for ‘language’, Sketch came up with a plan to take him and CD to the teacher’s lounge, maybe find something to help Cheerilee ‘rest’ through an escape attempt from the school.

As they were talking, CD took a metal desk and welded it to the vent with the spot welder in his RIG, allowing for a small amount of safety from whatever might be crawling through the ducts. And while Cheerilee looked like she wanted to protest the destruction of school property, but didn’t say anything as she noted the reasons.

Finally, after all of this, CD and Sketch were set to go.

“Don’t take too long out there you two. This group of children needs to move. We sit here too long and we’re done. I’ll try to distract the necromorphs if they do come, but that’s all I can do.”

“We know, Broker, in fact, I hope that is the least you can do.” CD said, before asking Cheerilee where the teacher’s lounge was.

“It- It’s over by the Gym. I think it was built as an afterthought, like a lot of this school. We, uhm, passed it on the way here, when this all started.” Cheerilee looked more than a bit unsure about anyone leaving the classroom.

Broker looks over at Cheerilee’s worried expression. “Don’t worry about them, they will be fine. They’re smart and know better than me.”

“But that’s a given, anyway, I guess Sketch, Summer, and I should get moving.”

“Yeah, and please, for the love of all things living; Don’t. Test. The. Gun.” Sketch over-emphasized each word, making sure to say them clearly.

“I think I know it works, Sketch. I’m not testing it again, until I see one of those... things come through.”

“If you see a necromorph, use the gun, don’t test it.” CD admonished.

“Got it, CD. I promise not to test the gun, but use it on the monstrosities that endanger the children, teacher, and overall well being of everypony here!” Broker replied.

Cheerilee looked at him a bit warily. “You sound like a recruit at Security.” She then looked to the others. “And do you need to bully him? It isn’t nice, no matter how old you are.”

“That would be an improvement to his skill, given what I’ve seen.” CD stated before walking out the door. “Alright Summer, I’ll stop being so mean to him.”

As he stepped out into hall, the maroon mare looked at Sketch. “Is he... seeing things?”

“Yeah, my guess is his marefriend died in the earlier part of the infestation and he is imagining her to cope with her loss, just go with it, she seems harmless.”

“I- I guess.” She didn’t seem so sure, stepping back a bit and standing nearer to her students as Sketch started to leave.

He paused for a moment in the doorway to say, “You know, we all deal with things in our own ways, yours is like his, clinging to what you know, aka this classroom.” After his brief speech, he stepped out into the hallway, the classroom door sliding quietly shut behind the white-coated colt.

Waiting for him outside was CD, checking the hallways for dangers. Luckily finding nothing so far.

“So... Do you think we can leave em alone in there?” Sketch asked.

“Sure, after all, so far the greatest danger in there is if Broker decides to shoot at nothing and misses.”

“I hope he didn’t turn the safety on, otherwise he’ll die clicking.”

“Um, does he know how the safety works? I’m not very used to working with guns, so I don’t.”

“It’s the little button or switch on the upper part of the hand grip of the gun, I watched a lot of action movies and thankfully their weapons are accurately portrayed.”

“Okay, so we should be getting to the lounge soon, I hope Cheerilee is right about that Auto-Store, with that schematic, we could get you a suit.”

Sketch shrugged. “I would very much prefer that, that way I can run and gun, hopefully more effectively than Broker.”

“You can only shoot if you have a gun in the first place. My suit only has it because I already had a Cutter on me.”

“Yeah, but the I can just take Broker’s, if I had a RIG that was built for it I would be a better shot because of the gear.”

“Mine is only mounted because it’s a Plasma Cutter and a RIG is built for that. I don’t think the engineer suit will accept and mount a Divet, so you’ll have to use the Kinesis Module. Not that you can fire with a Kinesis Module, but you could throw it. ”

“Ah, so with my high agility and Kinesis module I would be more akin to a rogue or thief class, seems legit.

“Well, actually if you get some scrap metal, you could also use Kinesis to form it around you for a +5 armor bonus.”

The two colts were having fun making nerdy jokes, on their way to the teacher’s lounge, doing their level best to keep themselves from freaking out entirely.

“So with the module I would essentially have a modern day slingshot and or blow dart gun?”

“That’s... the most accurate description I’ve heard for it actually. Yes, you would.”

“Sweet, I need to figure out its trajectory and get my aim in, and I should be good to go if I find one.” Sketch said happily as he thought of his possible weapon.

“Uhm, we will if there is an Auto-Store in the lounge, welcome to the league of fake unicorns.”

The two continued joking as they walked, fear making their voices crack slightly as they watch. A sudden, resonating CLANG made both of them jump almost a foot into the air, as a vent cover fell from the ceiling.

“Okay, I’ve got some ammo on my Cutter, so if there’s only one, it shouldn’t be too hard to kill it, I’ll just need to get a good aim.” CD said, looking cautiously at the vent as his Cutter twitched on its mount slightly.

“Well go for the legs first, if it’s legless we have a better chance of survival, or if it’s a pony-morph go for the front legs.”

“Yeah, I know basic physiology, but you forget, if it’s part unicorn, the horn must go first. Now what’s up there?”

“I don’t know, also, I know about the horn thing, just trying to think things out before we possibly die a horrible death and leave the safety of a room full of children to Broker.”

“Good point. Alright, if it falls straight from the vent and lands on the ground immediately, doesn’t stumble, and gets up, I’ll have a perfect shot at it’s legs. No we stay calm and wait for it’s move...” CD steeled himself, staring at the vent while his RIG pointed his Cutter towards the ground in front of him. Silently whispering to himself, “Bring it on, ugly.”

“If all else fails meet up back at the room, agreed?”

“Right.”

Suddenly, a pair of small shapes fell down with a shout, hitting the floor with a bounce as they landed, one giving out a loud ‘oomf!’

“Woah!” CD shouted, forcing his RIG to aim the Cutter upwards, he had shot in surprise. Luckily he was fast enough to miss the two things. “Since you talk and don’t drool unspeakable slobber, I’m gonna say you two are friendly.”

One of the forms sits up, rubbing its head, revealing a dual-colored mane. It was the little white unicorn from the classroom, Sweetroll or something. Next to her was a another filly, this one yellow, with a red mane and a pinkish bow, clashing with her school uniform.

“Wait, that’s the one that looks like a marshmallow, and the other one.....No idea.”

The two fillies grinned sheepishly and adorably up at the two colts. A faint halo-like radiance formed over their heads for a moment.

“Very funny, Sketch, anyway, what are you two doing here? It’s not safe, I almost shot you for crying out loud. Though I gotta give you credit for moving through the ducts and not out in the open.”

“Yeah, why are you two here? Why follow us, all we are are two crazy stallions who saved one of your classmates.”

“Yeah... wait, wouldn’t Cheerilee blow a gasket if she found out you followed us? She’d chew me out something fierce I know.”

“Something fierce? Really? Anyways, you two either head back to the classroom or stick close to us, I’m not risking you two getting hurt.” Sketch told the children, looking a bit perturbed.

“Head back? Alone? Are yo-” CD began to shout.

“That’s why I said stick close to us.”Sketch added, at this CD calms down.

“Yeah, but I’m still worried about what Cheerilee will think, maybe she’ll freak out and, ah nevermind, can’t be helped, what do you fillies want?”

The two looked up at them. “Well, uhm, maybe we could follow y’all, and find our cutie-marks for bein’ on a rescue team!” The white filly nodded as the yellow one finished, and then added, “And maybe find Scootaloo! She’s gotta different teacher than us.”

While the first speaker’s voice was nice, but had a twang common to the ponies from the colonist ships, but the second’s was kind of squeaky and adorable.

“Alright, but as part of the rescue team you two need to stay close and watch our backs, if you run off you’ll be abandoning your posts, got it?” Sketch paused for a moment, realizing the fillies were around 8-12, and noted, “And I don’t mean literally looking at our backs.”

“Well then, what do ya mean?”

“He means watch behind us, so nothing sneaks up on us, and so you can follow at our speed, hop on our backs so you don’t get lost, because anyone on the team who gets lost is left for dead in order to preserve the remaining members of the group. Got it?” CD eyed the fillies closely, making it clear that goofing off unsafely was not an option.

Sketch picked up Marshmallow and place her on his back, “If you see anything behind me let me know, okay?”

“Okay! What’s your name, by the way?” As she speaks, her voice cracks adorably.

“My name’s Sketch and yours?” The little filly practically bounces on his back, her little hooves tapping against his RIG with loud clacking sounds, and she replied, “I’m Sweetie Belle!”

CD then turns to the other filly. “Alright, guess you’re with me, just remember this: if you see a monster, let me know quietly and hold on tight. So what’s your name?”

“Copy.Data, just call me CD, so can you stay calm while looking at a giant monster made up of a bunch of mutated ponies and people mashed together?”

“Ah’m real brave! Just like Scootaloo, and mah sister!”

“Well then missy, if you can handle it then you’re tougher than me. I can kill them, but they still creep me out.” The small filly looked at him. “Are ya sure? ‘Cuz, uhm, ah’m a little scared, too. If’n you are, that is.”

“He does his job pretty well, without the unnecessary violence or rudeness like somepony else.” Sketch muttered.

“Whut was that?” Applebloom flicked an ear back to orient on Sketch.

“Don’t ask girls, it’s not important. But actually my main talent is working with computers. So what can you do?” CD asks, looking back at the filly on his back brightly.

“They just said they were trying to get their cutie marks, isn’t it obvious? Plus they’re foals.” Sketch said

.

“Hey! We aren’t foals! Imma big pony!” Sweetie shouted, her voice squeaking on half the vowels.

Whispering sharply, in place of yelling, Sketch told the fillies to quiet down.“Shh, don’t yell, we don’t need those monsters finding us!”

“Yeah, even without a mark, everypony can do something, so let’s get moving and stay quiet.”

“I didn’t say they can’t do an-” But CD interrupted Sketch, fiercely defending the little ponies’ abilities. “I said, let’s move, we won’t get anywhere flap-” Sketch interrupted Cd this time, “ I never said they were useless, I just don’t want them getting attacked.” Sketch said in a concerned tone.

“And the sooner we get moving the less likely we are to have anypony hurt, so we go now.” CD started walking forward, not caring for a response from Sketch.

“Uh, you two? What exactly counts as ‘something’ for us to be looking out for?” Sweetie’s cracking voice echoed in the silent hallway.

“Any movement or noises, why did you see something, little marshmallow?”

“Does that count as something then?”

Sketch looked over his shoulder for a moment, seeing a tall, broad form charging towards them, oddly silent. As the lighting in the hall flickers momentarily, the form is obscured for the briefest of seconds, and isn’t there when the lights are back on.

“Wh- whut was that?” The little yellow filly on CD’s back was visibly trembling as she asked another question. “A- and where did it go?”

“CD, keep an eye up front, I’ll watch the back, whoever sees it, say something, that goes for you two fillies as well.”

“Right, and remember, if any of you two girls see it, let us know, and hold on tight because we’re gonna run.” CD said, a bit worried about where the creature was.

CD turned around to see the thing in front of him, and he uttered a shrill scream of fright as the creature, in a gray-and-black digital camo Military suit. A pair of sharp blades jutted from each of the creature’s palms, the four points moving in swift zig-zags. Sketch began to turn, the creature’s features blurring as it moved at a speed that was almost unbelievable.

“Run!” was all CD could say before the creature slammed into CD with the force of a freight train, barreling past him to chase Sketch, a stray blade twitching out and slashing across the engineer’s shoulder, and a line of fire is drawn in his nerves.

The twitching, shambling creature, pausing for a moment for reasons unknown, is motionless for under a second, standing under the flickering light. Sketch barely had time to skid around a corner, Sweetie Belle clutching his back desperately.

As for CD, he saw the creature’s unarmored head, a large gash in the skull revealing a squirming, maggot-like mass of tendrils in the crease. Massive rents in the creature’s suit shows pale, necrotic flesh. As he watched, the creature twitched again. It was, rather suddenly, facing him.

“Here’s hoping it’s a weak spot.” CD whispered quietly before shooting at the open patches of suit three times with his cutter. The bolts slammed home, one tearing the necromorph’s suit wider open and releasing a gout of black blood and putrefied fluids. It didn’t slow down in the slightest, merely jerked to one side or the other, then crouched and leapt in one jerky, spasmodic movement.

“Crap.” CD tried firing at its legs this time, forgetting that the head, as it wasn’t a weak spot even if it seemed like it.

This time, the bolt, switched to horizontal fire, tore off the creature’s legs, causing it to fall. One of the claws broke, shattering under the force of its oddly swift descent. Even for something with its legs cut out from under it fell too fast for the gravity settings in this habitat.

Stabbing claws into the floor, the twitcher began pulling itself forward vigorously towards the colt and the young child on his back. “Okay, now for the arms.” CD winced in anticipation, firing again, covering his face in case of more blood showers.

The long hours of training with the tool on his suit paid off, and he placed two shots with deadly precision. The plasma scorched the limbs, burning them off the twitcher’s shoulders and causing the creature to collapse, twitching slightly before going still.

“Hey Sketch, butt-ugly thing is dead, how are you? You okay Applebloom?”

A quick affirmative response from the filly later, CD stood up shakily. “Okay, I assume Sketch ran back to the classroom with Sweetie, so I’m just gonna head there as well, strength in numbers and all that. But first, that monster was weird.” CD inspected the dead necromorph, looking for a clue to why it defied physics so easily.

Turning over the remains of the body, and shuffling a barely-attached arm out of the way, he found that the creature had a Stasis Module installed in the suit... and that it appeared to be just as enmeshed with layers of veins and pulpy flesh as any natural organ.

Thinking quickly to himself, he reasoned that the quick movements might be a result of the Stasis Module malfunctioning as it was somehow integrated into the creature, reversing the normal effects, causing time for the creature to pass ten times as fast.

That application had been theorized for common use, but it had been found the aging process was so ridiculously sped up that most humans would lose around eight to nine hundred times as much lifetimes than they actually used relative to everyone else. Not only that, but spontaneous combustion from air friction was an issue, and organs and tendons wore out in hours of effort rather than days.

CD questioned how he could remember this so well, as he was pretty sure he fell asleep in the safety lecture that explained how Stasis units worked. Maybe he had been sleep-listening. Weirder shit has happened, the day so far a prime example.

“Okay Applebloom, let’s go back to the classroom. If Cheerilee bites my head off, I’m gonna mention that it was you who followed me.” CD started sprinting down the halls back, seeing how far Sketch had already gone.

“Please don’t! We had ta’ use the Crusader exit, since you blocked up the vents!” Applebloom squeaked from CD’s back, holding on as he galloped through the hall.

“Yeah, for your safety and everypony else’s, fine I won’t rat you out, but if I get in trouble, I’m still gonna silently blame you.” CD replied, picking up speed, now getting closer to the classroom.

Stepping up to the door, he tapped the controls, and waited for the burgundy teacher to let him in. A moment later, the scowling mare let him in, immediately plucking Applebloom off his back and dropping her unceremoniously into a corner, declaring her to be in time-out. In another corner sits a dejected Sweetie Belle.

“You’re welcome for saving her.” CD mumbled inaudibly, then looked at Sketch. “The thing’s gone, and I found out why it’s so fast, not that it matters.”

“Steroids or science gone horribly wrong?”

“Malfunctioning tech, so kinda the second. So anyway, I do wanna know why those girls followed us through the ducts.” He looked at Cheerilee. “Any ideas how they got out?”

“I’m not actually sure how they got out, but they probably went to go find their delinquent friend, Scootaloo.” Cheerilee’s voice sounds uncharacteristically harsh as she continues, “The little filly has been the bane of my existence, and of several other teachers. At least, whenever she bothered to show up. Always buzzing around... And she gets the other two in so much trouble! As much as I love children, I think she’s a bad influence.”

“And you aren’t being a very good one yourself, being so mean to-”

“I am trying to protect my students! I am trying to make sure they grow up with a sound education, to the best of my ability! I-”

“You’re going to kill us all at this rate, now stop yelling.” Cheerilee snapped her mouth shut at Sketch’s hissed words, her face looking shocked.

“Yeah, let’s just keep quiet. How have you been doing Broker? You piss yourself of fright yet?” CD asked the cowering pony in the third corner.

“I have not pissed myself! I-”

“Stop yelling.” CD hissed at Broker.

“Sorry. Just concerned is all. Sketch just looked terrified when he came in. What did you two see out there?” Broker asked.

“A giant fucking monster, also, don’t care about language, apocalypse is happening.”

“It’s hardly the apocalypse! So watch your language, or I’ll put you in time-out again!” Something in Cheerilee’s voice makes Sketch pause for a moment, but he shakes it off pretty easy.

“Yeah, a monster I had to kill myself, you coward.” CD pointed out.

“Yeah, what would I do to help kill it? Stare at it? I have no weapons, no training, and a foal on my back who wants to live, I got her out of there. Also stop yelling, you may be a teacher, but that doesn't mean anything now, unless you have a gun and training your only hope of surviving is us, so. Calm. The. Fuck. Down.”

“You could have distracted it by standing there and looking tasty.” CD grinned at his joke, and Sketch laughed a little, hehehehe, Marshmallow.

“Anyway, jokes aside-” Cheerilee cut in, saying, “This is no laughing matter!” as CD kept talking. “-we need to get back to the teacher’s lounge, without any tagalongs or nags getting in our way.

“Agreed.” Sketch looked directly at Cheerilee when CD said the word ‘nags’, to which Cheerilee glared at him murderously for a second

“Alright, if there isn’t any news from this area, then we’re going, and if any more kids follow us through the ducts, they’re on their own because they decided to be stupid.” CD said, moving out the door.

“Also, great job at keeping an eye on your kids Cheerilee, really great job.” Sketch added before following CD out the door, earning a frustrated growl from her as the door slid shut.

The two ponies, much more on-guard than before, jumped at every little sound. The flickering, occasionally-active lights leave large swathes of the halls in darkness, and they finally come across the door to the Gymnasium. To get to the teacher’s lounge, the two ponies needed to get to the other side.

The duo carefully stepped into the large room, the reek of blood hitting their nostrils violently. CD poked his head fully in, and saw a wash of carnage on the floor. Metal folding chairs stood in either rows or piles, and bodies were strewn around, some utterly destroyed and eviscerated, others mostly intact. A few necromorph bodies lay on the ground as well.

A single spotlight shone on the stage set into one wall of the gymnasium, showing the set-up for a play. Large, plastic tree cut-outs stood on stage, along with some poorly put-together props.

Copy.Data suddenly stopped in his tracks, putting a hoof on Sketch’s shoulder to stop him. “Wait, something doesn’t add up, this feels wrong.” CD looked around the room at the necromorphs littering the ground. “If they know how playing dead works, they would’ve attacked us by now, meaning they’re all dead, which is bad news.”

“Of course they’re dead, captain obvious, look at the blood. Still, keep an eye out, something still might be here.”

CD sighs in annoyance. “Since they don’t attack each other, somepony had to kill them. If it were a group of heroic saviors, they wouldn’t leave the kids. So that means either the kids or a teacher killed them, most likely Cheerilee.” He let Sketch take a moment to think about what he said to the aforementioned teacher a minute ago. “If that isn’t the case, then something had to kill them, and it’s still out there. Understand now?”

“I doubt Cheerilee did this, she doesn’t have godlike powers. And if she did, she still wouldn’t have been smart enough to pull this off.”

“Neither do I, and I bucked one in the face and made it burst.”

“That was one, with each addition-” stopping mid-sentence, Sketch turned his head.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move. Whatever it had been, it wasn’t moving when he looked.

“Something’s here... Get your plasma cutter ready, I was right, something is here hiding amongst the bodies!” Sketch sounded panicked, backing up against the wall. With a burst of insight, he shot a glance straight up and a little back, checking for vents. To his immense relief, there weren’t, just some banners moving in the slow wind.

“Alright, we stay quiet, and get to the lounge, slowly. Also, please watch my back, since my cutter can’t take on more than one at a time. Maybe you can throw props at them.” CD snickered, walking slowly towards the other side of the gym. “Or you could be useful and see if any of those dead guys have any useful junk on them.”

Stepping forward, Sketch paused, something clicking in his mind. Where would a breeze come from in here? Sketch’s head turned slowly back to the one moving banner in the gymnasium. Eyes going wide as he considered what it probably meant, Sketch stepped nervously away. On the other side of the gym, CD had found that there was a large, heavy drop-curtain in the way, probably controlled somewhere else in the gym.

Looking back one more time, Sketch saw that the banner had stopped moving. He couldn’t quite disbelieve what he’d seen, but he was a lot more reluctant suddenly to not be with the guy with the gun.

“Hey, Sketch, if you’re gonna stand there and be useless, just head back to the classroom with Broker.” CD turned around to see Sketch standing behind him, and a large, heavily-decomposed figure, with slick black skin standing behind Sketch.

A pair of pustulent yellow sacs stood out on the creature’s ragged chest, and three points of light glowed on the thing’s face, presumably where the thing’s eyes were. A trail of spilled intestines and entrails twisted and fused together into a sort of support, as the actual legs of the beast were fused together into a lump of tissue.

CD whispered harshly to Sketch, staying very still. “Sketch, kick behind you as hard as you can and run. Okay? I may be able to finish it. Buck it, now.”

Before Sketch could do anything, though, the creature gurgled and heaved forward, a spray of caustic liquid pouring across the white pony’s back, drawing a scream. Sketch fell to the floor, shouting and flailing as he rolled back and forth on the ground.

Along the way, he chanted, “fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck!”

CD was confronted by the necromorph drawing back for another heaving spew. CD shot a horizontal plasma cut to the creature’s legs, making it begin to topple over, a spray of chemical fire pouring out from the wound and onto both of the ponies. The monster, from the floor, began to drag itself forward, towards the two ponies. One of Sketch’s flailing hooves smacked the ex-human in the face, distracting it for a second.

“Thanks.” CD fired a vertical shot, slicing one of the thing’s arms off, slowing it further. Another shot nearly blew off the other arm needing a second to finish the job, and the thing finally stopped moving. “Sketch, can you walk?” CD held out a hoof to lift the flailing pony up. Thankfully, Sketch was able to fight off the pain enough to stand.

The expression on his face was one of agony, a single ropey slash of fresh chemical burn twisted angrily down the side of his face, thankfully leaving his eyes intact. However, his right ear had been nearly removed by the acidic bath, and he winced as he moved. Most of his shirt had been melted away, along with much of his fur. The skin beneath the damaged area was angry and red.

“Hold on, let’s get you some water.” CD helped Sketch hobble to the drinking fountain. Using the water, he splashed it across the white earth pony’s back, the liquid hissing as it diluted the chemicals across his back.

“If we can get to the lounge, the first thing we need to do is get you a suit, can you speak without screaming obscenities?” CD asked, throwing more water at Sketch, chuckling while intentionally soaking his face.

“Why couldn’t this happen to you or Broker...” Sketch mumbled. Swearing vengeance against whatever being made this happen.

“Because Broker isn’t here, and you were in front of me. How are you now aside from the crippling agony and chemical burns?”

“Very angry...” CD chuckled, finishing dousing Sketch. “Well, at least you’re going to live long enough to take it out on Broker.”

“Or Cheerilee, or Frost, hell, anyone really...”

The two shared a short laugh, before shuffling a bit. CD looked up, trying to guess where the controls for the curtain would be. After a short sweep of the gymnasium led him to guess it was backstage, behind the props.

CD left Sketch and headed backstage to around for any kind of control panel. Stepping past disturbingly happy plastic trees and stepping around the backdrop, Copy was becoming increasingly freaked out, though he wasn’t sure why. The mare standing next to him simply gave him a nuzzle, and motioned onwards.

“Go on, CD, the switch is just over there. You can do it.” Summer’s voice was so very reassuring to the young buck as he strode on through the gaily colored scenery, and into the shadowed backstage. Sure enough, right in front of him was the switch, a large, standard throw-switch with a bite-compliant handle, even.

Sketch, not wanting to be left behind, followed him just a few steps behind.

“Well, at least it’s lucky that the monsters don’t pay attention to Summer. I’d hate for her to get hurt.” CD mumbled as he grabbed the switch in his mouth and raised the curtain.

A loud screeching from the old motors resounded through the gymnasium, the scenery sliding down into slots in the floor. A second screech, this one a lot less mechanical, echoed in the cavernous room. Sketch and CD looked around, hoping to see it before they got attacked. Suddenly, from one of the small windows near the roof, a small figure leapt, shattering the window on the way. The small body slammed into the ground, and was still.

“Sketch, you’re closer, what’s it look like?” In spite of CD’s question, Sketch doesn’t get any closer, not wanting a repeat of a few minutes ago. He squinted and tried to get a better look at it.

Suddenly, the pale little body jerked, twitched, and looked up. The bloodied face of the creature was staring directly at the two ponies, before hopping up and charging them with a shriek.

CD, more on instinct than anything, shot it, cutting it in half. The thing fell, and was silent.

“Your turn to investigate.” Sketch said.

A second shriek rang through the gym, followed by a third, fourth, fifth... it rapidly turned into a chorus of shrill, painfully loud screams as a flood of pale bodies poured out from the windows. A few landed on the bleachers below, but most missed and smacked into the faux wood floor.

The horde began to charge, a tide of skinny little bodies. Mixed into the mess were a few small pony bodies, each twisted and changed into vicious forms. A small blue foal, likely once a unicorn, had a shattered spur of bone on its head. The ruff of blood-matted blue mane almost concealed a trio of tentacles, up until the things popped out and began waving in the air.

The child had only been old enough to get their cutie-mark, an archaic bow.

“What are you waiting for, kill them!”

“I don’t have enough ammo

“Then plan B it!”

“That’s the idea, genius!” CD ran up to the creatures, intending to trample them as he shot at them. Unfortunately, he hadn’t thought such tiny bodies could have enough strength to literally flip him over. Landing on the ground with an ‘oomf’ of his breath being knocked from him, CD barely missed being impaled as a trio of sharp spikes flew overhead.

Sketch, for the most part, was stuck cowering in the corner, not really able to contribute much. Looking desperately around, he saw a small, glowing blue tank of some kind. Trying to think of what it could be, he tried to remember all the station safety lessons. Best guess: a Stasis Energy tank, but he couldn’t be sure. Only that it was likely explosive, and that he could probably lob the heavy thing into the crowd of necromorph children.

CD looked weakly at Sketch and followed his gaze, seeing the tank, eyes going wide. CD thought to himself, ‘He can’t possibly be stupid enough... oh well, it’s a plan.’ Then he looked around for a way to quickly get away from the mob of necromorphs, hoping for a clear path out of the center.

Seeing none, he simply ducked and covered, hoping for the best. As Sketch gripped the handle on the top in his teeth, twisting to throw it, he could only hope it went where he wanted it. Throwing the energy tank with a shout of pain, as the injury on his back flared agonizingly.

The tank, still full of glowing energy, flew down into the crowd just as several sank their claws into Copy, before a blast of blue light engulfed him and the crowd around him. Several of the furious child necromorphs were almost frozen in mid-leap, drifting slowly through the air at exactly one sixtieth their normal speed.

“Time to get rid of these orphans.” Sketch said, moving into the field, careful to avoid their claws, breaking the limbs of the ones on CD, smashing the rest like pinatas, crushing a few spines, caving in their ribs, and ultimately shattering their little limbs. It was the most disturbing thing he had ever, and will do, but if he didn’t he would most likely die, so ironically he had to kill children to save children.

In the midst of smashing children to smithereens, he saw the blue glow around them begin to fade rapidly. Now trapped in the middle of the still-large crowd of necromorphs, his stomping and bucking became more frantic and frenzied.

CD, for his part, had just had the strangest experience of his life. For a moment, he’d thought the necromorph in front of him was about to drive its lengthened finger-spikes into his eyes, only to see a flash of blue and have all the creatures suddenly go flying away, their bodies broken, and Sketch having inexplicably teleported into their midst, stomping and crushing at them.

Only to be flipped like a table moments later, but he’d easily destroyed more than half the little monsters. CD, however, now had the opportunity to fire at the mob of creatures.

“Hey genius, keep fighting, use your dang hooves! Flail like you mean it!” CD yelled as he fired, clearing a few away from him.

“I love children and all, but fuck children necromorphs!” Sketch shouted, the few necromorphs left trying to crowd over him in anticipation of gutting him. Fortunately for him, this left them right in view of CD, who easily took their heads off with a few blasts from the plasma cutter.

“This is a really bad scene, isn’t it? Anyway, we should be moving to the door, shouldn’t we?” CD said, doing just that, blasting the last few to pieces.

As he turned, one leg more than a little sore where a necromorph had stabbed him, making him limp slightly, Sketch saw that his RIG was flashing on one bar of red. As if to accentuate this, CD found his breaths being more ragged.

Now that the curtain was up, CD could see that there was a row of lockers on the wall, a few with green lights. CD gestured to them, obviously in pain. “Let’s check those, who knows, we might find some aspirin. I need it.”

“Or their lunch money.” Sketch added, looking over the bodies.

“Wow, that was mean and dark, I think I’m rubbing off on you.” CD opened one of the lockers to find a cartridge of Plasma Cutter ammo, with two charges in it. Two more lockers stood available to be ransacked.

“I’ll open these two, maybe some medical supplies will be in one of them.” Sketch limped over to them, opening the right first. Inside was some kind of arcanotech attachment for a tool or gun, the cardboard tag on it labeling it as an ‘Ammo Sweep’.

“Hey, what’s an ‘Ammo Sweep’?”

CD looked over and shrugged. “I have no idea. Maybe it makes your gun shoot brooms.”

“Or how about we shove it in your RIG and see what it does.” Sketch grabbed it and tried to attach it to Copy.Data’s RIG. “It’s no use, there’s no way this’ll fit into that slot.”

“Lemme try wiggling it.” Sketch said, no progress being made, so he gave up a few moments later. “Eh, time for locker number two.”

Pulling the next locker open a tad hastily, the door of it slammed into the next locker over. The loud bang was followed by a click as the fourth locker’s door unlatched. Inside the locker he’d opened on purpose was a few unitology texts, some spare changes of children’s clothes, and another small cardboard box. The box was labeled ‘Ammo Box’, and said it was another attachment of some kind.

“Damn it, we got little kid’s clothes and attachments, why you no give me bandaids?” Sketch mumbled to the lockers as he walked over to the last open locker. Sketch peered inside and saw a single magazine peeking out from under a shirt, on top of another cardboard box.

Sketch moved the shirt off and began to look through the magazine, the front of it labeled ‘Playmare’ and featuring a picture of a pegasus sitting on a cloud, quite obviously... excited, it could be said, to be on camera. Inside was more overly posed stallions, and even a few humans of impressive... size. Sketch wondered idly why he was looking through it at that time, and continued reading, determined to figure out who’s this was.

CD, stuck watching, glanced over Sketch’s shoulder, and saw what he was looking at. “Dude, who can we blackmail with this? This is funny, who knows, maybe it’s-” They look at each other and grin, both saying. “Cheerilee’s.” Sketch then flipped through it faster.

A moment’s notice and they realized that each of the pictures was signed by their respective colts. In the back was tucked an additional picture, this one of just the male pegasus from the cover, grinning, and signed, ‘To my biggest fan. I hope I’m still famous when you’re old enough.’ On the back was written, in pen, ‘Property of Scootaloo’.

The two readers gave a collective ‘eww’, CD backing up. “This is so messed up... I still wonder how we can blackmail this kid?” CD grabs the magazine, sticks it in his RIG and runs for the teacher’s lounge, laughing.

“We aren’t blackmailing a kid, I’m saving this for use later, if she disobeys us we use this to bring her to our side.”

“That was my plan, or if she pissed me off somehow, I’m still not giving it back. Unless you want a magazine full of male whores.” CD kept moving towards the lounge.

“Eh, in art school we had to draw nudes, male and female, this really doesn’t bother me much except for the fact that a little girl has this. At least she’s not on drugs, I hope.”

Sketch and CD left the gym, still talking in low whispers. turning down one hall, they found the door to the teacher’s lounge at the end of it. Just past six vents.

“How does this prove she doesn’t? All we know is that she’s very obviously straight, and a bit perverted.” CD looked down the hall with mild trepidation.

“You first, mister shooty-shooty cut-cut.”

“Whatever you say, mister chicken.” CD walked forward very cautiously, when a series of small thumps sounded in the vents. At least this thing was failing its stealth roll.

“Crud, hey Speedy, here’s a plan , you run down the hall as fast as you can, trigger them all, and I shoot them as the fall while you dodge them. Summer, you stay behind me.”

“Fine, if I die from this I swear I will fucking haunt you both... And Broker... Mostly you.” Sketch said as he reluctantly began running down the hallways, his back still aching from the acid bath he’d received earlier.

With a clang, the vent in front of him swung like a trapdoor, and smacked him full in the face. Sketch crumpled like a used tissue, sliding under it by sheer dint of momentum. Collapsing forward, face on the soothingly cold concrete floor, Sketch groaned at the raw pain in his snout. Something mildly heavy landed on his back, followed shortly by another, but he was in too much combined pain to care.

Especially since they both landed on his injury.

“Ohmigosh! I’m so sorry!” At least the monster had manners... wait, Sketch recognized that adorable crack in the voice.

“Goddamnit Marshmallow, why do you hurt me so...”

“I’m not a marshmallow!” Sweetie’s voice was full of indignation.

“Sketch! Language! You don’t want to wreck their fragile little minds.” CD said, mocking Cheerilee.

“Their fragile minds? They are sitting on my back wound!” Sketch pointed to what they were sitting on, specifically his melted back.

He felt the two fillies on his back shift. “Eeeew! It’s so gross and pussey(*)! My sister will kill when she sees I ruined my uniform!” Sweetie was sounding actually horrified, but Applebloom seemed to be taking it rather better, and had already slid gingerly from his back.

“Jeez! What caused that? It looks like ah burn...” ‘Bloom’s voice was low as she looked over the injury. “Ah’ve seen stuff like this from the steam vent in tha’ hydr-ah-pawn-ics bay.”

“You don’t wanna know the details, in short, an acid beast puked on him before I cut it’s arms off. It was messy.”

“Please...Just get off of my back, this is incredibly painful...” Sketch said, his back hurting the longer they sat there. Sweetie gasped and slid off, the motion much less careful and much more painful than ‘Bloom’s departure.

CD turned to Sketch and helped him up. “Alright girls, you realize you are completely defenseless, right?”

“No we ain’t, Ah brought mah flashlaht, and Sweetie can kinda do magic. Sorta. Actually, ah kinda need to get to tha’ teacher’s lounge, too, Ah got a junior-grade engineerin’ suit in storage.”

Sighing, CD just said the one thing in his mind. “So now I have to help him walk and foalsit two fillies. What is so important in that lounge for you?”

“Ah jest said! Ah’m a junior engineer, an ah got a suit in storage!”

“And what is Sweetie here for? Bait?”

Sweetie shuffled a little. She started to say something, but stopped, closing her mouth again.

“Sweetie, y’all kin tell ‘im. It’s alright.” Applebloom put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder, and smiled.

“Let’s stop talking in the hallway, lounge first, then Marshmallow can spill the beans.” Sketch said, wincing in pain from his back.

The two fillies nodded, and the four ponies began walking down the hall, keeping a careful eye out for anything dangerous.

As he looked around, CD saw that Sweetie and ‘Bloom’s uniforms were already pretty ruined, and there was blood splashed across their shirts. Looking a bit more carefully, CD saw that Sweetie also had a nasty cut over one eye, mostly hidden by her bangs, but visible from the angle he had for a moment.

“Girls, is there anything that happened before you crushed Sketch? Anything at all?” CD asked as he opened the door to the lounge. Sweetie remained silent as ‘Bloom opened her mouth to talk, saying, “No. Nothing happened that was important. We- we just took care of a couple of the other students. They needed to... rest.” ‘Bloom’s voice was real quiet at the end of her sentence, looking down.

“Sure, okay, then I assume you are perfectly fine and will offer no assistance whatsoever to you or your friend.” CD said, trying to scare Applebloom into telling the truth.

Before she could answer, though, they heard the crash of something knocking over in the lounge.

“Great.” CD positioned his cutter, ready to fire if something came crashing through the door.

Instead, he found himself pointing his plasma cutter at a barricade erected across the room, a human now hiding behind it. A smashed pot of coffee sat on the ground.

“Heh, someone who’s possibly worse off than me, what you doing in there newbie?” Sketch called out.

“Y- you can talk? Oh thank goodness, I thought we were the only survivors!” The human slowly stood up, revealing a salt-and-pepper hair coloration, and smooth, olive-tan skin. He was built how a professor was expected to look, pretty much sitting in a stereotype. From around the barricade peeked a pony face, a mare with a soft blue coat and a bright green-and-pink mane. A trio of freckles stood out on one of her cheeks.

“Of course I can talk, I’m insane, not mute.” CD said, rolling his eyes while walking into the room, accidentally bumping his bad leg on a low section of debris. “Fffffffffffffffffffffffillies around, can’t say it.”

‘Bloom and Sweetie both looked up at him quizzically, before the pony slowly eased her way out from around the barricade. “H- how did you get here? I- I thought that e- everyone died at the assembly. I- I was so scared.”

“We got here a bit ago, Cheerilee’s class is fine, but these two escaped again after we told them to stay put.” CD said, eyeing the mentioned fillies for a second.

“You don’t want to know what happened to the rest of the school, trust us.” Sketch added.

“W- wait, Cheerilee? From the elementary half of the school?” This time it was the teacher who spoke up, his voice holding hope.

“Yes, the bossy mare who put us in the corner for trying to help her survive, she really needs to get her priorities straight.” CD said, rolling his eyes at being put in the corner.

“Yeah, she even yelled at me for doing first aid on a student.”

Sweetie looked Sketch dead in the eye. “Technically, that was a full-on operation, not just first-aid. First aid would-” Sweetie would’ve continued, but Applebloom put a hoof in her mouth first.

“Yes, you are welcome for saving his life and yours, and everyone in your classroom.” CD said, hoping it would shut up the girls.

“But Alex was a meanie!” Sweetie’s voice cracked on the word ‘meanie’, making it hard to take her attempt at a serious look, well, seriously.

“Doesn’t mean he deserved to die, how would you feel if I left you to rot alone and scared?”

Applebloom put her hoof back into Sweetie’s mouth, answering for her. “It’s alright, Sweetie, they tried to help. We need to get to tha autostore though. Mah Junior Engineerin’ suit is in there, and it’s a sight better protection than mah uniform.”

“Great idea. Hey professor, where’s the Autostore, we need suits for a little girl and an acid victim.” CD said, turning to the human. “Please tell me there’s one here.”

“Y- yeah, in the back. L- lemme move some of the barricade.” The human carefully shifted the section of table that appeared to be the ‘door’ of the debris fort. The four ponies stepped in, to find it surprisingly well maintained. The mare, now back in the safety of the fort, was more visible. She had the remains of her uniform on, most of the material used for a splint across one of her rear legs.

There was still a table (likely light plastic, no wonder they didn’t use it in the fort) and on it was stacked some food. There was also a working Autostore and a large, comfy chair.

“We kinda ran out of money, but it’s still connected to the system.” The mare, now easily identifiable as a pegasus.

“Lucky bastards.” CD mumbled, then activated the Autostore, looking at the holographic display as a notification appeared in the corner; ‘Schematic Uploaded; Forged Engineering Suit. Engineering Rank 4 Required. Rank 5 accepted. Forged Engineering Suit now available for purchase.’

“Class four? Dangit. There goes that plan, Sketch. Oh well.” Checking the price he, he saw that it was labeled for 18,000 credits... and he nearly choked when he saw his own funds. Checking it again to make sure he wasn’t mistaken, he saw that he somehow had a whopping 152,750 credits sitting happily in his account. He swapped his hacker suit for the Forged Engineering suit after purchasing it, happy he had more than enough money, although he did wish he could keep his father’s jacket.

Stepping into the changing booth, the beige earth pony settled back into the familiar embrace of the mechanical arms. The suit and the jacket were stripped away, and quietly sent to the teleportation matrix, to be sent into storage.

“You’re up Sketch, what can you do?”

“Let’s look around the store first.”

“Okay, if you don’t have the money for a suit, I can spot you.” CD said, with a grin that said ‘I’m loaded, bitch.’

“Okay, I don’t remember how much I had on my account...” Sketch looked at his own card, unsure, he checked, “ I have... uhm... lemme used the AutoStore.” Checking the account numbers, he saw that he had a (to him) impressive 13,800, now that he didn’t need to pay rent.

“I may not be rich, but I have enough, hopefully.”

Taking the time to check what was available in the store, he saw that there was some small medi-gel containers on sale, along with...

“Oh, nice! There’s an engineering suit and a Line Gun available! That’d take most of my money though, the gun’s 8,000, and the suit’s 1,000 credits. I should probably buy some line racks, apparently it’s what the thing uses for ammo, and... eesh, why’re they 280 for a pack of two?!”

“Genius, I’ve got two, we can both get a Line Gun and have ammo.” CD pointed out.

“ We get to be alien-murder buddies, spreading love throughout the station, one bloody meter at a time!”

“With pink flying weasels everywhere!” CD had his ‘Don’t mind me, I’m a nutcase’ grin plastered across his face.

“Uhm... are you two... alright?” The pegasus had been standing off to one side the whole time. The teacher didn’t look much more reassured.

“Not at all, and I like it that way.” CD said, his grin almost too big for his face, his body seemingly vibrating slightly.

“We’re fine, it’s just that these things have done horrible things to us and people we know all day, including this acid wound on my back and face. We are just excited to have the means to get some well deserved payback.” The two survivors from the lounge looked at each other, obviously worried.

Sketch, happy he could now raid the AutoStore proceeded to purchase the Engineering Suit, stepping in. However, he’d never put on a suit like this before and found the close, bright confines more than a little unsettling. The mechanical arms slid smoothly out of the walls, grabbing the poor colt and stripping him of his clothes. He squawked indignantly, before being restrained long enough for the systems to scan him.

Then, the arms began to wrap layers of metal-lined material around him, the segments being set into place behind copper-colored bands of metal. The individual bands formed a flexible ‘ribcage’ of metal to prevent any kind of cave-in or collapse from harming him too much.

He yelped, completely unhappy, when the metal arms dragged material across the sensitive skin of his crotch. Thankfully, though, the contact was fleeting. Along with the placement of the suit, a spritz of cooling gel misted across his back, the medigel soothing his injury and numbing it.

Finally, the suit was on, and Sketch felt the unfamiliar sensation of the helmet sliding smoothly over his mane and ears as the changing booth opened. Stepping out, Sketch stretched a bit, feeling the good maneuverability the suit afforded. Looking over at the AutoStore, he looked over what was available, and selected the Line Gun and the Divet he’d seen. There was even ammo for the small gun rather cheap. They were only 100 for a clip of 10 shots.

“How much was the Line Gun? I could give you the cash to buy me one and a pair of racks... That came out wrong.”

“Give me 8000 for the Line Gun and 280 for the ammo.” Sketch said. Glancing back at the AutoStore, Sketch realized that the option to buy another had disappeared. Turning around to type in a direct query, the system said that he had the ‘maximum allowed amount’ of ‘limited issue, non-transferable goods.’

“Darn, oh well, I’ll pay you for any upgrades, what’d you pick up?”

“Ammo box upgrade, and an Ammo sweeper upgrade.”

“Sweet! How much you want?” CD said, just before the mare spoke up.

“Uhm, you two? A- are these fillies yours? They’re making a bit of a mess.” The young pegasus sounded a bit unsure, and Sketch looked over his shoulder to see Sweetie hanging off a ceiling fan, and Applebloom nosing around the barricade, the whole thing threatening to collapse.

“Will you two sit down and relax for a moment? We’re trying to make sure you don’t die on the way back to the classroom. I love kids and all, but you’re really pushing it.”

“I- I’m not a kid! I’m an adult, I’ll have you know!” The pegasus mare looked angrily at the two colts, and the teacher looked away awkwardly.

“Considering we weren’t talking to you, no we aren’t calling you a kid.” CD stated, turning back to Sketch and leaving the young pegasus to stew. “How much for the upgrades?”

“Lemme see.” Sketch said, checking the store for the prices on the upgrades. Apparently, the Ammo Box could sell for 200, and the Sweep was worth 120. “They’re both are pretty cheap it seems, I’ll just give you one, take your pick, Ammo Box or Ammo Sweep.”

“Hmmm, how about we store them for now, because we can’t use them at the moment. We can get them back when we find viable equipment. I’ll take the Ammo Sweep though.”

Selecting the items and passing them off, the two ponies set them into their storage bins, the other bits of tool construction being set into storage as well.

“Now we buy Medigel because I’m running on empty. Healing would be heavily advised.” CD pointed out.

“I don’t have a lot of money, can you buy your own? And some for the group? You have the most money.”

“Yeah, 133,750 credits can get us a bunch of gel.” CD joked, reaching over to the AutoStore and reactivating it. Checking through the store, he found two sizes of medigel, the small ones they’d been finding all over, and a double-sized medium medigel type. The smalls where 500 credits apiece, the mediums 800 each.

Purchasing a slew of the mediums, he purchased a total of fifteen medium medigels, seven of them being used entirely just for fixing their aches and pains, along with a cheap field applicator and a small for the injured pegasus.

“Here, baby. Let me fill you up with my gel, it’ll feel real good. Don’t worry, I’ll slap myself later.” CD said, giving the mare a dumb smile. She just glared at him, and the teacher ended up taking the applicator and helping the mare himself, CD laughing all the while..

“Okay, give me six of those leftover medigel, I’m going to buy some ammo, then lets go get Broker in here for his suit.”

“Sounds good, here you go.” CD tossed the gel to Sketch, and his helmet slides back over his head, no longer leering at the mare. “Oh come on Summer, you know I’m kidding.”

CD turned back to the Autostore, looking for things to buy. The Javelin Gun sounded cool, but impractical around the necromorphs. Plus, with rounds that cheap, it probably wasn’t too good. That said, the Plasma Cutter’s ammo was 280 again, but for five of them. Buying as many as he could carry was a little expensive, but he didn’t think it’d be a problem.

Sketch took over purchasing the materials, 20 rounds for the Divet, and 5 for the Line Rack, plus the clips already in those guns at purchase.

“I’m fully loaded and full of medigel, ready to go?”

“Yup, let’s head out. Alright everypony, we’re heading back to Cheerilee’s classroom, I suggest you come with us. Sweetie, stop poking the barricade, I’m not gonna pull you out of the rubble.” CD said, heading to the door. “Applebloom, if you want your suit, get it now, then hop on.”

“W- wait! You aren’t heading back out there, are you? The last guy who went out... he- he didn’t come back. And he was armed, too!” The teacher’s voice was a little shrill for such a large guy.

“We have killed at least fifty of these monsters in the past hour, have had near fatal injuries, and have been jumped by groups of looters. I think we will be fine.”

“A- all we found of him was some bloodstains a-and a hololog!”

“You know, that’s possibly important. Any particular reason you didn’t tell us? And don’t say ‘You never asked.’ or I’ll get pissed.” CD said staring at the mare. “What’s on the log?”

“You- you just kind of burst in, and demanded to see the AutoStore, and then you kept ignoring us when we tried to talk to you...”

“Whatever, show me the log, we have our reasons for rushing.”

“Y- yeah, alright. It’s right here.” The teacher handed over the hololog, as Applebloom stepped into the changing booth of the autostore.

CD took the hololog, downloaded the file, and gave it to Sketch so they could both watch it.

The hologram cuts in revealing the same man as before running through the school hallways. “Most of all, if you can run, run! Save your ammunition! That is vital in this.”

The man turns a corner and stops running, catching his breath. “It is possible to outrun them... Just take a large amount of turns, they will lose line of sight and give up. If there is too many to fight, run. Fight or Flight, that is the thing to keep in mind.” The man sat on the floor.

“I was able to find someone else here, I had to make sure they were safe. I did what I could to give them time.” The man wiped his forehead. “Alright, list the steps I said already... Shoot the limbs, use them if you have the Kinesis module, and finally, run if you know there is too many of them or if you have low ammunition. Keep that in mind! Never forget it! Those are some key tools for this situation!” The hologram began to fade out as the man exhaled.

As the holo ended, The two ponies looked around to see that ‘Bloom had stepped out of the booth, standing tall. Oddly, though she had looked kind of young before, the filly looked more... composed as she stepped out. She looked more mature.

“Ah’ll right, Sweetie, you go in next.”

The young unicorn stepped hesitantly up to the AutoStore, and hastily tapped a few buttons, scurrying directly into the changing booth.

“Heh, she’s gonna be a marshmallow with a hard metal shell, yet a chewy center.” Sketch teased.

“Just like a malted milk ball! Dang, I forgot how hungry I am.” CD whined

The booth slid open revealing a strangely interesting-looking suit, the panels largely blank white ceramic. Checking the side of it, CD saw that Sweetie had an odd tool like a lightning rod with a handle strapped to her side.

Along the back was a blue shield with a rearing filly, painted along the side of the RIG line. A single bar was half-flashing, showing her stressed and slightly battered status. The helmet was in place, and it looked like Sweetie wasn’t taking it off for anything.

CD noticed the low bar on her RIG. “Hmm odd, I’m pretty sure you said nothing happened... maybe your armor is malfunctioning, unless you have something to say.” CD gave the filly a hard look.

The blank white-and-pale green face-plate of her armor simply stared at him for a moment, before turning away. A set of fine, high-quality finger units flicked out, and she checked the gun at her side, the chamber lighting up with crackling electricity.

Applebloom’s own faceplates set into place, showing that the faceplate had been painted with the shield-and-filly.

“Anything you fillies wanna say? Otherwise, I guess I’ll keep this medigel to myself, since you won’t need it. At all.”

As if to spite him, the filly in the white suit tapped a small holo button, and the whole group heard the sound of a medigel being used, and the last bar on Sweetie’s back stopped blinking.

Unfazed, CD continued towards the door. “Alright Sweetie, you can fight the next monster we find, smart-ass.”

She twitched her arms in response, the gun at her side blurring to a ready position, and she strode to the door. Her serious demeanor was made rather adorable by that fact that she still wasn’t quite as tall as CD or Sketch.

“For the record, sans suits, I could punt you across the room.” CD pointed out. “Come on Sketch, we’re going. Anypony else who wants to come with, they can.”

*As in, full of pus, you perverts.

Author's Notes:

So, this is chapter eleven, and we're going strong.
So, who's your favorite characters? Voting for favorite and least favorite characters leads to those characters getting penalties and bonuses according to their 'fame' scores, and anyone can vote once per chapter.

Thanks to the following for contributing to the story so far:
Itsmyfuneral, starring as Sketch
Hunterz263, starring as Broker Wordsmith
Rosethorn, starring as Victoria Frost
SomeGuy, co-starring as Johan Allegro
The Pieman, as Copy.Data