Her muscles hurt, she was cold, and she couldn't see. Trying to move, Babs felt herself get shook a little by the shoulder, moving her head up with a crack, she saw her cousin looking at her, a small trickle of blood on her fore-head. Pushing herself up, she rolled her shoulders causing them to let out a few pops. Looking around, she saw Scootaloo brushing snow off of Isaac as he was sitting up.

"W-Where's Sweetiebelle?" She asked.

"Right here," Sweetiebelle said from behind. "This is one of the things that stink about near instantaneous regeneration."

Babs, turning around gasped as she saw the white Necronicorn. She had a piece of metal sticking through her chest and her bottom half was above her. Sweetiebelle, reaching up, grabbed her back hooves and the lower torso was reabsorbed back, the bottom half of her now growing back.

"Now," she poked at the metal holding her off the ground. "This is the tricky part."

As she was slowly cutting herself down the front, Isaac's comm came on. Snapping to attention, he connected with it.

"Issac!?" Ellie yelled over the comm. "Are you and the others alright?"

"Yeah, we're all fine." He said before looking at Sweetiebelle. "Except for Sweetiebelle, she's cutting herself in half at the moment."

"She's doing what?" Norton and Carver asked at the same time.

"Well, ah wouldn't ay in half, ah'd say a half of a half." Applebloom said over it. "Yall keep forgetin' to turn your comms off."

"Can you get back up here?" Ellie asked.

"Yeah," Isaac said sticking his hologuide out. "Shit. I think the holograms in my suit are malfunctioning. It must have been the fall. We'll just go and see if we can't find a way back up. Hopefully, one that doesn't involve us getting eaten." He said glancing at Sweetiebelle as she fell to the snow. "That's just sick, I think she's smiling but her face is still cut in half. Yep, gonna be sick."

As he was taking in deep breathes, Babs turned towards her cousin who had an irritated look on her face as she was looking down at the snow. Catching her looking, Applebloom glanced over before waving her over. Looking at Sweetiebelle as she was adjusting her face, and Scootaloo leading Isaac to a corner, she went over.

"Babs," Applebloom said. "Ah don't like this. Not one bit."

"I doubt anypony likes to fall off a cliff, but it-"

"Not that," her cousin interrupted putting a slightly blood covered hoof to her lips. "Ah'm talkin' 'bout that thing. Where is it? It should be here, but it's not."

"Maybe it fell over the side?" Babs suggested waving a hoof at the edge. "We were lucky we didn't go over."

"Ah don't believe in luck." Applebloom said. "And where are the tracks it would'a left? There should be cuts in the rock, but ah don't see any. Only holes on the wall." She said looking at the wall next to her. "One, two, one, two, all of 'em spaced the same distance. Don't ya find that a little suspicious?"

"I guess..." Babs said looking at the wall. "But, wouldn't there also be holes in the snow around us too?" She said making the two of them glance at the snow. "Maybe it did survive?" She said to herself as Isaac stood back up. "Uh, come on, I guess we're going."

"Eeyup. Ah guess we are." Applebloom said looking at the wall once more before following the group, one hoof on her Plasma cutter.

As the snow blew past them, the wind giving its awful cry, the five armored engineers trudged through the small path of snow. Breathing out a sigh of relief as they saw a set of climbing gear, that was short lived when the Snow Beast charged out from the snow sprinkled wind.

"You know what?" Isaac said taking out his Negotiator. "I am tired of your fucking shit!" He yelled firing a few shots at the yellow bulbs waving around on its back. "Just die already! I hate you!"

Applebloom and Babs, watched as it drew back slightly, but then two figures moving through the snowy haze caught their attention, raising their weapons they both ran past Isaac and at the Slashers.

Scootaloo, noticing the Snow Beast about to swipe at her director and friend, quickly charged her horn and sent a bolt of electricity into its side. It stumbled and charged her and Isaac, throwing up snow and and rock as its legs carved into the ground. Isaac and Scootaloo jumped out of the way as it went past them. Getting up, Isaac shot a bolt of stasis and slowed it down long enough for them to catch up with Applebloom and Babs Seed.

The two filly's were cutting a Slasher's legs off before beheading it. Sensing two more behind them, they turned and nearly shot Isaac and Scootaloo as they went to their sides.

"Don't do that!" Applebloom chastised the two. "Ah could of shot yalls heads clean off!"

"Not the time!" Isaac yelled as he saw the silhouette of the Snow Beast in the snow. "We've got bigger fish to fry."

"Why don't we see if those still work?" Babs asked pointing at the harpoons. "We could trap it."

"Or," Isaac said running tot he small generator. "Good, it has gas. As I was saying, we could tear this bastard a new one. Literally, tear it in half."

The others merely nodded before running off, leaving Isaac and Scootaloo together again. Grabbing the small filly, Isaac climbed up to the generator and settled himself behind a rock with Scootaloo in his lap. Peeking around the corner, he saw the others sneak past the Necromorph, but it was still coming towards them. Reloading his gun, he put a finger to where his lips would have been, Scootaloo nodded before a light glow came off her horn and she disappeared.

'She can go invisible?' He thought. 'Why am I the only one that doesn't have anything cool? This is some bullshit.' Looking around the rock, he noticed the Necromorph, along with three Slashers, looking around, scuttling in a circle, looking for them. 'Fuck it. I've done crazier shit before. I'm full of bad ideas, yeah, just keep telling yourself that.'

Jumping out from his cover, he aimed his gun at the farthest Slasher and took its legs out, the other two were taken out from Applebloom and Scootaloo, the two of them concealed in the rocks. Looking at the largest Necromorph, he stood his ground as it turned to him, all of its eyes trained on his visor.

Glancing at the harpoons, he saw them turning side to side, a blue laser coming out from near the ends of the harpoons. Looking at the Necromorph, he gave a quick shot before running towards the two machines.

Not looking back, he could hear and feel the Necromrph already gaining on him, speeding up he stumbled when a leg nearly skewered him. Doing a running jump, he landed on his belly and rolled to the left as it ran past him. Getting up, he shot the bulbs near its mouth as it strutted over to him. Still on the ground, its bulbs were gone and it leaped the small distance to him, now standing over him, it raised a leg with malicious intent.

Rolling out of the way, the leg went through the rock. Pulling it back, it was raising it again when he shot another bolt of stasis at it, crawling out from under the slowed enemy, he began running towards the harpoons again. Reaching them, he looked back and saw the Snow Beast charging him again. Sticking out a hand, he attempted to freeze it in stasis, but nothing would come out.

"Lousy stasis," he muttered backing against the stone behind him. "I could never rely on that piece of crap anyway. Come on! I'm right here!" He yelled firing another shot at it. "Come... What the hell?" He muttered as the stone behind him began to fall away. "You've got to be kidding me..."

He was pushed forward as Sweetiebelle exploded from the rock, landing under a small pile of rubble he looked ahead and saw the harpoons fix on her. Before he could give a warning, they fired and sunk into her eyes, popping them both like grapes. He muted his helmet when the roaring started.

Sweetiebelle thrashed and clawed at what she thought were Necromorphs, but instead she was only tearing the harpoons to shreds as she continued to charge ahead. The Snow beast, giving a mock charge, stepped away as the larger opponent went over the cliff, taking what was left of the harpoons. With a fading series of roars, Sweetiebelle disappeared until eventually a loud thud could be heard.

As it turned back to the downed engineer, Isaac tried to push the rock off but it only slid slightly. Trying to shoot it, he found his gun lodged beneath another rock a foot away. Looking around, he grabbed a small chunk of rock and raised it as best as he could.

As it slowly moved towards him, it was thrown to the side when Scootaloo reappeared next to it, delivering a hit with all four tentacles. It shook off the hit and looked at the small alicorn as Scootaloo raised them in front of her. It gave a screech before charging, Scootaloo charged too, but jumped using her tentacles, she delivered another hit across its face. Landing on the four muscles, she scuttled away herself as it got up.

It gave another shriek and charged, she charged too and jumped again, but this time, it stopped and swung. She was knocked to the side, falling next to Isaac as she smashed into the rock, splintering it more. Looking behind him, Isaac saw her shakily rubbing her head, but she wasn't getting up.

"Babs! Applebloom!" Isaac yelled as the Snow Beast turned towards him again. "Help us the fuck out!"

As if coming to the call, Applebloom sped out from one side while her cousin attacked from the other side. It turned towards Applebloom, bulbs coming out from its mouth, she fired quickly and accurately popping each of them within seconds. It screeched and was about to charge when a grenade went off from underneath it. Babs reloaded her assault rifle, letting the smoking cartridge fall to the ground.

The Snow Beast turned and charged her through the smoke, Babs dropped the new cartridge and jumped out of the way. It ran past her but turned and swung, hitting not her, but her cousin as she dived in the way. Babs, watching her cousin bend around the edge of the leg, felt all the feeling drain from her mind, leaving it a blank. Time slowed down to her as she saw her cousin skid across the snowy ground and come to a halt near Isaac. Slowly, one emotion came back and burned through her mind until it was numb. Grabbing the cartridge she dropped with kinesis, she put it into her gun, cocked it, and then jumped towards the Snow Beast's mouth, getting swallowed but not without part of her helmet getting torn away.

The others could only stare in shock, horror, and guilt as they saw the Necromorph shake its head briefly before turning towards them, Babs Seed's helmet hanging in its jaws. As it approached, Applebloom raised her gun up as best as she could but dropped it when an acute pain tore through her fore-leg.

As they all glared at the Necromorph as it lifted a leg to stab them, it suddenly stopped before backing up, squealing like a pig before its midsection exploded. Scootaloo, lifting the stone up from Isaac, got up along with him and helped Applebloom, who was already, painfully limping towards the carcass as fast as she could go.

"No! No! No!" Applebloom kept repeating as she made her way around the front piece of the Necromorph. "Scootaloo, Isaac, helm me get her out! Ah can see her!" She said grabbing onto a fore-leg.

Isaac, with Applebloom, pulled Babs Seed out from the Snow Beast's guts, letting an excess of blood come pouring out as Babs was pulled free. She wasn't moving, and when Isaac took her, her chest wasn't moving. When he turned her around to look at her RIG, the light was gone, not even a red bar flashing, just a black, dead bar. As he shakily held her, Applebloom sat there, shivering not from the cold, but from the emotions running through her.

"Applebloom... I..." Isaac said, but one look at the small yellow filly shut him up. "Dammit." He sighed setting her down. "Dammit!"

"Ah promised ah'd protect her..." Applebloom cried shallowly. "Ah promised we'd all get back home... That she'd see her parents again... Ah failed her.... Ah failed her and now she's-"

"Would you quit with the waterworks? We're apples, we don't do cryin' and especially not over something like this."

They all looked down at Babs as she got up, a fresh trickle of blood running down the left side of her face from a nasty cut going across her left eye and down to her muzzle.

"Your RIG," Isaac said looking own at her. "There's no color, you were dead. You're still dead!" He said pointing at her bar.

"Maybe... Maybe it just broke?" Scootaloo suggested. "Don't the helmets control all holographic projections in the suit, including the physical health bar on the back?"

"Ah don't care." Applebloom said giving her cousin a hug, not caring about the bruised ribs, dislocated shoulder, or twisted ankle. "Ah'm just glad you're alive!"

"Yeah, about that," Babs said looking at the Snow Beast. "How did it die? That thing." She said pointing towards the Necromorph.

"You jumped into its mouth and set off a grenade inside it." Isaac said. "It was pretty bad-ass."

"Ya don't remember?" Applebloom asked letting go of her cousin. "Ya don't remember jumpin' into its pie hole and gettin' eaten?"

"No... I remember you taking a hit for me, and then waking up." She said. "Did I get this cut from it?" She asked lightly poking the cut.

"You know," Isaac said. "Applebloom has a murderous alter-ego and a scar on her right eye, and that cut is definitely going to turn into a scar. Plus, I'd say you're starting to get your own alter-ego, one that's just as viscous as your cousin's."

The two ponies looked at each other, smiled and let their pupils dilate and cocked both of their weapons, laughing between the two of each other, Isaac shared an uneasy look with Scootaloo.

"This is fucked up." Isaac whispered. "Did you know she could just turn into a psychopath when she wanted too? Because that would have been nice to know quite a few times!"

"Shes done it a few times," Scootaloo whispered. "But she has to concentrate first. And you're right, this is freaky."

"Appleblood and Babs Lead. Lead as in bullets." Isaac said. "This is really fucked up. Applebloom, Babs," he said drawing their attention. "Could you two go back to normal? You're really creeping us the fuck out with the laughing and smiles."

They both shook their heads momentarily before looking around and hoof bumping. Isaac and Scootaloo moved out of the way as the two made their way towards the climbing gear.

At the base of the mountain

A large, red, gooey, layer was spread out around the walls and ground of the ground and mountain. Bones and other bone-like objects were littered around or broken beyond recognition, a few organs hung off from them or were melting in pools of acid that had drained from a larger organ that had been punctured.

'This. Is the. Worst. Possible. Thing!' Sweetiebelle thought as her head regenerated from collecting chunks of the soupy mess that was her. 'It's going to take forever to put myself back together! Why couldn't I just land in a crater and end up like soup in a bowl? At least it would have been easier to re-absorb myself.'

Author's Notes:

Sorry about the late chapter, I've been busy with school work and I was re-watching Arby 'n' The Chief. Sad ending too, but I'll probably be able to do something about that if I decide to do a fanfiction with them. I might also do a short Sherlock Holmes story or two. Maybe three.