Through the Undergroundby One Very Bad WriterChaptersPrologueChapter One: Happy BirthdayChapter Two: Rides & NightmaresPrologueDarkness licked at her heels, her hooves wanted to give in, to accept fate, as terrible as it was. The desperate wailing of the foal strapped to her back gave her the energy to move forward. She could not fly, because they rested overhead, she could only gallop and hope that she would make it in time. Her hooves tensed as she saw it, her opening. The metallic wall that lead downwards was still open, she could see ponies. Ponies who were hopefully that she would make it. A tendril wrapped around her hindleg. A jolt of pain wracked it, the sensations was that of a million little thorns digging through her hide and actively tearing away at flesh and fur, she wasn't going to make it... Another wail came from the foal on her back, her resolve deepened and she yanked as hard as she could. Her body became numb to the pain, her mind focused on one goal. She did not hear the tearing of wet meaty flesh nor the crackling of brittle bones as her hindleg was detatched with such ease. She still wouldn't make it, she knew she wouldn't... Magic enveloped her beloved foal, quickly. She knew the dangers, but it was better then death. "CLOSE IT!" she screamed just as she threw her only child through the open maw of metal. Moments later the gears whirred and the doorway to safety closed with a stressed groan. She had done it, she had saved all that mattered to her anymore... It was all a mother could do to save her only filly. Magic took the place of her missing hoof and she stood firm. With her foal safe she could find an ease within her mind. Her thoughts pointed out how she could have avoided this situation, the 'what ifs' digging into her thoughts like a talon through flesh. It was much to late to regret over things, if only she had planned for this. The darkness crept forward, enclosing itself around her. Her wings flared up defensively, her eyes ablaze with a brilliant white light that cut through the essence that surrounded her. "Back off." she found it odd how much she sounded like her deceased mentor, the way such a mare could be so full of mercy yet so intimidating at the same time was lost on her, but the tone.. "You have waited patiently, for this time. No more Queens or Kings, no more Princesses or Goddesses to account for." A thousand eyes stared at her from the darkness, hues of crimson which mocked her continued survival and regarded her with the lust of a starving pony. Her magic lashed out, whipping away the tendrils that wished to feast upon her flesh. She could see the tin mouths, constantly biting at the air, as if her presence was good enough. But, you did not think that ponies themselves could ascend. You are young, younger then Celestia, younger then Luna." The eyes narrowed into a glower, but the tiny mouths began to giggle with untamed excitement. "Tasted! We tasted! The sun, the moon, so sweet and succulent. Ah! But there was no comparison to the fat roasted hen that was Love! Ohoho, we did not forget the elements, apples, rainbows, cupcakes, gems, ahh kindness.. With her will strive. Feed us, we command! Do not fight it, little pony.." the amount of screams and laughs would have driven a mortal pony to the brink of insanity. She let out a breath she had been holding in. Celestia, Luna, Cadence, her best friends... For a moment her magic dimmed, her hope dying away. But a soft smile crept upon her lips. "But chaos continues to allude you." The darkness did not take kindly to her words. "Hush you fool! Once we have magic, Chaos will fall soon after. All shall be ours." Another burst of chortles escaped from the tendrils, until it was cut off by a single answer. "No." "What? Magic thinks she can stop us?" The tendrils flickered back into the darkness, the small mouths reshaping into a diabolical grin. "Magic.. Flows through everyone, and everything. Not just ponies, and not just unicorns." From above, from below, to her left and right, behind her and in front of her.. Eyes appeared, staring from the darkness. But she paid no heed. The world was composed of magic, its essence was the life of all, including the planet itself. She dug through it, the dead she could feel. Her mentor, her family, her friends. She siphoned from the nation and beyond it. To the lands of the Griffins and the Zebras, to the low, corrupted oceans of the Seaponies. She stole from everything and everyone that had been consumed by this beast of shadows and soon she swelled with magic.She would transcend Alicorn hood and reach for the heavens above, to become a true Goddess for her land, for her people. She was to become all, her great destiny, her final great invention. "I am Twilight Sparkle, last remaining Princess of Equestria, Goddess of Magic, and thus, Goddess of Life. You are nothing more then a shadow beneath my hoof, a necessary evil in this worlds survival. Justice will be swift, and your imprisonment shall last FOREVER!." The darkness lunged forward and entrapped Twilight within its dark confines. Moments seemed like hours to her, but Twilights magic dived inwards, finally taking from the last remaining pony upon the surface. Herself. The explosion rocked the foundation of the world. Mountains were toppled, cities were obliterated, fields and valleys incinerated. Until all that remained was a barren wasteland that screamed for fertility, but only a fragment of Twilight Sparkles essence touched the barren land... ---- Forty Years Later Sparkle's magical essence took to the world like a mother embracing her child. Thus life on the surface began anew after twenty years progress was made. The ruins of large cities became forests or swamps, oceans took the place of deserts.. But the world was hardly finished, and the magical presence was lethal to ponies, the air in the upper world was thin and made breathing for those brave enough to explore it a rather tedious task. Thus, ponies remained in the Underground. In the olden days the Underground was a set of tunnels and stations that connected to one another. It was used to traverse easily among railways to collect precious minerals. Now it was home to Ponykind and any other race that had made its home in Equestria. Ponykind was anything but safe within the confines of the Underground, cave ins were natural and magical radiation leaks from above were all to common. The recent resurgence of dark monsters only added to the troubles of the Underground. But Ponies were known to survive... Author's Note I expect many thumbs down and a lot of grammatical errors. Some feedback would be nice. Chapter One: Happy BirthdayBlank Flank. Why would any parent name their filly that? It was something that was always on Blank's mind. The worst part was how fitting the name was. She had just turned twenty years of age yet no cutie mark adorned her deep purple flank. Slowly she began to brush her tangled mess of a mane, she really loved her mane. It was five varying shades of purple, someponies said orchid, indigo, violet, amethyst and well.. Purple. Others used different colors. It was noticeable though, the lighter shades made the darker ones much more prominent. In fact, if she had to compare it to anything it was like a.. Rainbow of purple. Then again, she had never seen a rainbow before. Once she was finished maintaining her mane, Blank Flank did the same to her tail before starting to pack. Necessities only. It was her twentieth birthday and she had gotten permission to finally leave Station Twenty-Seven, also known as Maresville on account of its large population of female ponies. "Blankie, are you ready?" Blank Flank winced at her mothers nickname. Her mother, Glitter Dawn, poked her head through the doorway and grinned. Only one of her lopsided eyes focusing on Blank. "Just lemme get my RIG*, okay mom? I promise I'll be down in.. Five minutes, alright?" "Okie Dokie Lokie!" and with that her mother was gone, leaving Blank with her own thoughts. Once again they drifted to her blank flank. It wasn't unusual in the Underground, it was just hard to find that one special talent.. Her mother remained a blank flank to this day and she was forty! Still, it didn't ease the pain when she was named Blank Flank. She took her sweet time, her new RIG from Grandpappy Smiles was the second best gift she had gotten, the first being her mothers old amulet which had her family crest on it. A giant purple sparkle which was surrounded by five small white ones, nopony knew what it meant but she loved it, the heirloom always called out to her.. Her magic wrapped around the amulet and she slipped it over her head with ease, a smile crossing her lips when she felt the familiar cold metal, it was rather comforting. After that she levitated the round metal band that was her RIG and clicked it into place. Her eyes shut as she felt the familiar sensations of the RIG activating. It wasn't unwanted. The few ponies that were lucky enough to have a RIG had told Blank that it felt so wrong. To Blankie, it felt so wrong that it was right. Metal plates slid from the metal band around her throat, slowly shifting and sliding to cover her from head to hoof with its protective shielding. Her heat beat heavily within her chest as she saw nothing but darkness and then.. Light. It always felt exhilarating, she couldn't say why, but putting a RIG on left her feeling so.. So.. "Pumped? Oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLANKIE! Ohmygosh are you having a party!? And you're taking me with you!? I LOVE PARTIES!" The voice pricked at her mind, its pure bubbly joy was infectious. A mare rolled across her view and sprawled lazily on her mattress, her coat a vibrant pink and her mane a darker shade of the same color. Two large blue eyes stared at her that glowed with the purest of joy. "Yep! Why wouldn't I take my -best- friend to my birthday party?" The pink mare's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Wait! There's more Pinkie, we're leaving Maresville today, I got hired to guard a Caravan to Coltler Station." Once the words sunk in, Pinkie started making a mixture of a squeal and a gasp. her hooves wiggling about happily. "This is soooo exciting I mean we'regonnagoonanadventure and and and...!" Blank knew what was happening before it occurred. The buzzing hum of her RIG fizzled before a zap richotected through her body and her vision went black. After a few seconds of waiting she could see again, pink letters formed "Standby, Rebooting." which flashed over and over again. Soon Pinkie was back in her vision, a sheepish smile across her face. "Sorry! I uh, I got overexcited.." Blank giggled and wrapped her hooves around Pinkie, giving her a great big hug. Pinkie always felt so.. Real. Even though Blank knew that the mare truly didn't exist. "That's alright, Pinkie. C'mon lets go, everypony is waiting for us!" Blank smiled and let the plates around her head ease down her face and rest upon her neck before she trotted down the stairs, Pinkie Pie trotting besides her with a wide grin and constantly babbling on about parties, sweets, and something called a cherrychanga. ---- The party was in full swing, or as good as a party could get. It was slow for Pinkie's tastes, Blank could tell. The pink AI system was running a simulation where she was stuffing her face with any and all sweets that were on the table. "Taste good?" "You beatch! Mmmm yummy! I bet it'd go great with some cider!" Suddenly the doors to the kitchen burst open and an old looking keg was rolled into the room. "Ask and you shall receive.." She mumbled under her breath, Pinkie just clapped her hooves together with a little squee. "Yer old 'nough to guard a caravan, so ah thought ya'd be old 'nough for your first taste of Apple Cider, this stuff has been kept clean an' good by yer grandmas magic. Nothin' more sexy then a unicorn an' their magic tricks.." Grandpappy Smiles grinned from ear to ear, his brows waggling playfully in Grandma Apple's direction. "Oh Smiles, darling. Stop it, you're making me blush!" Blankie could only smile, she loved seeing her family happy. Even her mother was beaming at her. "I used to make ponies smile all the time... It's nice to know that this place isn't all frownies and downies." Blank Flank silently regarded her family. The cider flowed freely and mugs were passed around. Talks were shared, laughs and smiles. It was still strange for Blank. Her grandparents looked so.. Different. While she and her mother were both shades of purple, her grandpappy and grandmammy were completely different colors. Her grandmother, Tricky Seed was a deep shade of orange with a gray mane and tail, her cutie mark was a wand tapping a seed. While her grandfather was a bright yellow with a matching gray mane but those colors were from age. "Here ya go, kiddo." A mug was shoved into her face. Her magical aura gripped the mug and a smile crept across her face. "Thanks Grandpappy! Save some for Pinkie!" she said before taking a swig from the mug. It was.. There were no words to describe it, the slight burn down her throat and the warm feeling in her gut. A hint of apples stayed on her tongue. It tasted fresh, compared to the apples that were grown in Maresville with magic. "Yer still usin' that model? Thought ya traded in for the Celestial system!" Blankie stared at her Grandpappy and quickly shook her head. "No way! I've had Pinkie since mom gave me her Filly RIG back when I was a foal. She's like.. My best friend!" Smiles shook his head and rolled his eyes. "She's ain't nothin' more then a AI, someponies personality molded into somethin' useful. The Celestial system has more options an' a bigger holdin' portal. Yer gonna need that when ya get out there in the real world.. It ain't like Maresville.. Rest of the Underground ain't nice." Blankie watched Pinkie out of the corner of her eye. She saw her closest friend hopping around watching ponies enjoy their party. After a few seconds she turned to stare at her grandfather fully. "She's more then that." was all she said, her hard, almost cold tone rung in her grandfathers ears. "And I'm not going to betray her by getting some other pony in my RIG and my head. She's perfect how she is." The short debate ended there with Smiles sighing and wishing Blankie a happy birthday. One goodbye later and Blankie was on her own. Maresville was silent during this time of hour, most ponies having gone home. Only a few were sleeping on the street. She was deep in thought, wondering how different the world outside of Maresville was and how dangerous it could be. But it didn't matter, she would NEVER give up Pinkie Pie for any silly system. No matter what the cost.. "You.. You know he's right.." Pinkie's sad voice hit Blank like a brick to the face. The pink mare's hair was down and straightened and tears threatened to flow from her eyes. "You were listening?" "I am.. Sorta apart of your RIG, I can't just not hear it. Sorry.." Blank shook her head vigorously from side to side. "Nope! Nah uh, not having any of it. I don't care what my grandpa said. No silly system can give me hugs and make me smile. I wouldn't trade you in for the best RIG system in all of the underground. Not for some stupid nostalgic purpose either, nah. It's because you're my best friend, and a real pony, Pinkie Pie. Not some robotic voice in my head. Nothing ponymade can do what you do." The familiar sensations of her friends embrace made Blankie smile, her eyes shut as she took it all in. She couldn't believe Pinkie Pie was an AI, she'd denied it for so long. Letting her mind think of it as fantastic programming. But something that didn't exist couldn't give a hug like that, the warmth, protective, nurturing, friendly.. Eventually she felt the pressure leave and a smile was on her jubilant friends face, her mane and tail back to its all natural poof. "Now lets go. We don't want to be late." "Okie dokie lokie! We are gonna have SO much fun! And I'll write letters to Glitter for you and we'll have cupcakes and and.." Pinkie Pies words became nothing more then excitable gibber. To most ponies it would come off as annoying, but to Blank Flank.. Well, she couldn't be happier. Author's Note *RIG: Resource Integration Gear, or RIG for short, is an integrated health management and strength augmentation system that assist users in previously impossible and dangerous environments. Before Equestria's downfall, RIGs were usually integrated with some form of AI system based off of the Princesses or the Elements of Harmony. Though RIGs are designed to only sustain one AI per RIG, it is possible to have multiple ones. Though they can conflict with one another and the results could be disastrous. This has a lot of Metro & Dead Space aspects to it. As well as a few others from different video games. Chapter Two: Rides & Nightmares"You have a military RIG!? Daaammn! Don't see those ones often unless you're in one of those big fancy clubs... You're not in one of those are you kid?" It wasn't the best greeting but Blank Flank felt her pride swell a little, the pony asking the question was in a mining RIG, his entire face and boy cloaked by the thin metal armor. "Does it have one of them systems on it too?" As if to answer the pony's inquiry a short notice appeared before his vision. Link synchronized. "Huh, whattare you do-" Hi there! I'm Pinkie Pie! A NEW PONY! Will you be my friend!? Oh oh you've gotta meet Blankie she's my bestest friend e- "Ahem.." Blank Flank cleared her throat and grinned at the shocked stallion. "Uhhhh.. Nice to meetcha Pinkie Pie.. Guess you are her System..?" "Nah uh! I'm a real pony, just like Blankie said!" "Uh huh..." the Colt shifted awkwardly before making a gesture with his hoof towards Blank. "Blankie, was it? Welcome aboard the Runnin' Railway. She ain't much but she's good enough." The train cart, or more precisely what was left of the train car, was rusted and dented. The top half had been completely torn off leaving the two ponies and two diamond dogs within visible to the natural elements of the tunnel. "I'm Duty, and that is my crew." Duty trotted towards the train car and nodded, the two ponies and two diamond dogs shifting uncomfortably as Blankie stepped aboard. "Sorry, they ain't used to military RIGS. 'cept when we did that job for those Solar Empire pricks. Makes us all a bit edgy to be honest. Anywho.. New Mare on deck! introduce yourself crew!" "Oohh he's like some kinda pirate pony! Except on rail thingy instead of the sea! Duty gave Pinkie Pie a look, now that his systems was linked to Blank's he could see and hear her as well. The first of the Diamond Dogs approached and for some deranged reason Blankie wanted to call her a puppy. She was tall and a bit on the slender side, thick tufts of auburn fur and a rather puppy-like muzzle that showed youth over ferocity. A slight gleam was in her brown eyes. "I'm Collar! And that there is my old man, Pit." Pit was needless to say the complete opposite of his daughter. He was large and thick, his right eye was a glazed white and a scar zig zagged along his snout. "I'm the driver and he's the engineer! Don't be fooled now, my ol' man is just one big cuddly puppy on the inside." a throaty growl left Pit's muzzle when his daughter called him that, the rest of the group chuckling. Both wore a simple engineering RIG, unlike the Military or Mining RIG, the Engineering one lacked the natural protection and instead had a large variety of engineering tools, including a few modules that allowed non-unicorns to use mundane forms of magic. "I am Freelancer. And this is Dedication." She could tell by the voice emitting from the Mining RIG that Freelancer was in fact a mare. Dedication remained quiet and nodded. "Dedication doesn't talk much. Actually.. I don't think Ded has ever talked." Even with their facial expressions hidden by their visors the three ponies stared at Dedication, the enigma of a pony gave a shrug at their stares before turning back to its post. "Never really put much thought into that.." Duty mutter to himself before turning towards Blank Flank. "Right, lets get this show on the road then. The path to Coltler is pretty easy. We shouldn't run into any trouble. With luck we'll have these supplies there in an hour or less!" Pit took a spot besides the engine, his wrench resting besides him. Collar moved to the front of the train cart and grabbed the wheel. The four seats for the guards of the cart were positioned in such a way that the front seats were facing towards the back to watch the rear while the back seats faced the front to watch the front. Dedication and Duty took the front seats while Blank Flank and Freelancer took the back. A soft hum emitted from the engine before it sputtered to life, the grinding screech of a rail was thankfully muffled by Blankie's RIG and soon enough it was gone, replaced with the soft and occassional thump of the modified train cart moving along the railway. "First time riding one of these, huh?" Blankie managed a slight nod, the silence had gone on for ten minutes. She found the dark tunnels and the thrum of the engine to be rather peaceful through it all. "Thought so.. Nopony has ever relaxed in the Tunnels, especially with the bug ponies, the Shadows, bandits, and those vying for power that are hiding anywhere.. But first timers always look like they're gonna take a nap." Now that Freelancer mentioned it, Blank Flank did feel rather tired... And.. And the Train Cart was slowing down. "Hey! Keep up the pace, we ain't got all.. Day.." Duty's shout sounded a distance away, the cart was now inching forward slowly, it was nearly at a full stop. Blank turned her head to glance at the driver only to find Collar slumped on the floor, her leg twitching and soft little snores emitting from her maw. She would have taken the time to find it adorable, besides her she could hear soft snorts and grunts, apparrently Freelancer had joined Collar in the dreamworld. Something nagged at Blankie's mind, she could hear somepony mumbling and shouting desperately. "Stay awake! You have to stay awake! Don't sleep, BUCK DON'T SLEEP!" but a nap couldn't hurt, just for a little bit.. Her eyes shut and another yawn wracked her body before the inviting darkness took over. "Please... Don't go.." A little whisper jolted Blankie from her slumber. She was enshrouded by darkness. Whispers, she heard many, mutters and murmers. Some sounded threatening while others were friendly. Had she fallen off when she had fallen asleep? What if she was lost in the tunnels forever? How would she survive! "Follow..." A sensation tugged at her insides. Her emotions twisting to obey as she trotted onward into the never-ending darkness. It felt like hours. Hours of trotting, hours of soft unintelligible whispers, until a single voice that sounded higher and just as pleading as the last spoke up. "Stop.. Please.." Blankie obeyed, after a few seconds of nothing a pair of iridescent blue eyes stared at her, tears flowed from them only to be lost within the sea of darkness. Blankie took a few steps back from the eyes but they moved closer, a chitain covered hoof filled with holes reached out for her and of course the mare wanted to scream. "Save.. Me.. The hive.. Tainted.. Dying.. Please.. I'm.. Afraid.. So alone.." A need grew in her chest, a strong desire to hold what could only be described as a bug pony, and she did just that. Her emotions twisted in her gut, she couldn't describe the sensation. It was not entirely draining but it felt as if something was tugging at her emotions, as if they were tied to a string and slowly but surely being pulled away. For a few seconds the creature felt content. Her waning power was feeding its growing strength. Blankie somehow knew it, but.. She didn't mind. The strange bug pony needed it more then she did, and she had her RIGs strength to get her through anything. Suddenly a screech from the bug pony ripped her from her thoughts. The words a garbled mess of pain and agony. More eyes appeared, but they looked like some twisted version of her new bug friend. "WAKE UP! RUN!" Click click, clack, click. Blankie's head hurt, it reminded her of that one time a bully threw a rock at her head. Click click, hiss, clack, clack. The racket that was approaching wasn't helping either. She wanted a good five more minutes of sleep. "Oh nononono wake up, please please please.." She desperately wanted to tell Pinkie Pie to come back later. She was just exhausted, but something told her not to. Instead she opened her eyes and was greeted to the familiar darkness and metalwork of the train car. Click, screech, clack clack. And then, a sudden scream. The scream was what got her up, in fact it got the entire crew up from their snooze. Duty was struggling against a strange creature. His RIG let out a few quickened beeps as it tried to block away the beasts strikes. It was like a spider and a pony had a foal. Its head was that of a ponys, and its body was covered in thick chitin. It had eight eyes in total, all glowing a familiar iridescent blue and its legs were elongated and formed in the way of a spiders, each tip formed into sharpened chitin rather then hooves. A jagged horn jutted from its head and a small pair of wings fluttered about wildly. It let out a hiss of anger, its strikes becoming less precise but more brutal with each passing second. One of its pointed hooves broke through the dented plating of Duty's RIG. What sounded like a squee of joy left the creatures muzzle when a spray of crimson splattered against its chitin. "Flashlights! Now!" the built in lights within each of their RIGs flickered to life, focusing upon the bug like mutant. It wheezed and struggled, boils began to puncture its chitin, one of them popping and a green ooze seeping from it. The mutant screeched in agony and rolled off of Duty and onto the tracks. Their lights remained shining upon the withering beast as it rolled onto its back and started flailing about madly. A single shot rang out and the underside of the twisted chitin pony exploded, thick green sludge oozed from its now wide open stomach. It let out a final hiss of defiance before going still. Freelancer winced and grumbled. "Changlings.. They are sensitive to the light. Once they get onto their back its an easy kill." "What the BUCK happened.." Duty growled. He stood awkwardly, the Changling had struck his shoulder and now the pony was having a tough time standing. His RIGs health monitor was in the yellow and it looked like the recent puncture was already sealed. "I.. I donno boss.. One moment everything was fine then.. I woke up and here we are!" Collar tugged at the collar of her RIG while everyone went silent. Blank almost expected Duty to chew them all out, even though he had fallen asleep as well. ".... I think it was an anomaly, boss." Pitt grunted which earned himself a nod from Duty. "Right, right.. Thing must have been pretty damn quiet to get the drop on us.. Collar, where are we?" Collar was already checking the train carts systems when Duty asked. "Uh.. I don't know." Duty sucked in a breath of air. With the calm of somepony who was barely restraining themselves he spoke. "What do you mean by I don't know." Collar winced and shook her head. "I think the mapping device is a bit out of whack, I mean. It DOES say where we are. But we can't be there, it isn't possible." Duty grunted and his voice was nearly a growl. "You best tell me where the buck it says we are." "Station Seven." From the way everyone had their head turned to stare at a baffled Collar, they were confused. Even Pitt was showing some form of emotion on his face, the old Diamond Dog looked a mixture of tense, confused, and afraid. "What is Station Seven?" Blank hated being out of the loop. Much to her surprise it was Pitt that came to the rescue. "When the top world came to an end, enemies became allies in the Underground. Changlings were one such enemy. Ten years later they betrayed everyone. They were.. Mutated, but disorganized. Us Diamond Dogs found as many entrances to their hives and caved them in. We aren't perfect, but we got all the railway entrances and the main entrances..." the old Dog was staring off into the darkness, in another place, and another time. Duty took it upon himself to continue. "Station Seven is where the Changling Hive is located. It's also three stations ahead of our objective. To put it fucking bluntly.. We're not only trapped in a hive of hostiles but we are not going to make our delivery." The group was busy discussing what they would do next. Blank on the other hoof was sitting down and watching the thick darkness of the tunnel. So far nothing else had attacked them, no changlings, no other monsters. Nothing. It was a bit unnerving and she didn't like it one bit. This way... Her ears twitched and she stood. Pinkie Pie was besides her and even she looked a bit somber. "Soo.. We're going?" Blank nodded her head. "Okie Dokie Lokie.". Not a single soul noticed Blank as she hopped off of the train cart and continued her way on hoof. It felt like hours, walking in dead silence with only the bare warmth that Pinkie Pie emitted to comfort her. The darkness had enveloped her like a chilling blanket of snow, a breeze lashed against her RIG and she could swear that she felt it bite down against her very bones. The feeling of being watched didn't help either and she kept turning her head back to watch for anypony. Or anything. But there was nothing. Only the darkness greeted her and the fading distant light of her group and the train cart she had arrived in. A part of her wondered if this was a dream, or if it was reality. Perhaps she had fallen asleep and was suffering from another nightmare. But if she wasn't.. Then this was a bad idea, who knows what could be out there, or what was calling for her. Waiting for her. Pinkie Pies unusual silence wasn't helping either. 'Perhaps I should turn back..' she thought. Her hooves froze in place as she inwardly debated. Please... Help.. The strange sensation of a tug against her emotions reemerged. It was much like her dream but now it had a sense of comfort to it. Somepony or something needed her help, and she had to help it. Right? Her life was at risk though. Maybe she could convince the others to come with her. I'm so.. Lonely.. The tug grew stronger and so did her resolve. She faced the darkness and continued her trek.
PrologueDarkness licked at her heels, her hooves wanted to give in, to accept fate, as terrible as it was. The desperate wailing of the foal strapped to her back gave her the energy to move forward. She could not fly, because they rested overhead, she could only gallop and hope that she would make it in time. Her hooves tensed as she saw it, her opening. The metallic wall that lead downwards was still open, she could see ponies. Ponies who were hopefully that she would make it. A tendril wrapped around her hindleg. A jolt of pain wracked it, the sensations was that of a million little thorns digging through her hide and actively tearing away at flesh and fur, she wasn't going to make it... Another wail came from the foal on her back, her resolve deepened and she yanked as hard as she could. Her body became numb to the pain, her mind focused on one goal. She did not hear the tearing of wet meaty flesh nor the crackling of brittle bones as her hindleg was detatched with such ease. She still wouldn't make it, she knew she wouldn't... Magic enveloped her beloved foal, quickly. She knew the dangers, but it was better then death. "CLOSE IT!" she screamed just as she threw her only child through the open maw of metal. Moments later the gears whirred and the doorway to safety closed with a stressed groan. She had done it, she had saved all that mattered to her anymore... It was all a mother could do to save her only filly. Magic took the place of her missing hoof and she stood firm. With her foal safe she could find an ease within her mind. Her thoughts pointed out how she could have avoided this situation, the 'what ifs' digging into her thoughts like a talon through flesh. It was much to late to regret over things, if only she had planned for this. The darkness crept forward, enclosing itself around her. Her wings flared up defensively, her eyes ablaze with a brilliant white light that cut through the essence that surrounded her. "Back off." she found it odd how much she sounded like her deceased mentor, the way such a mare could be so full of mercy yet so intimidating at the same time was lost on her, but the tone.. "You have waited patiently, for this time. No more Queens or Kings, no more Princesses or Goddesses to account for." A thousand eyes stared at her from the darkness, hues of crimson which mocked her continued survival and regarded her with the lust of a starving pony. Her magic lashed out, whipping away the tendrils that wished to feast upon her flesh. She could see the tin mouths, constantly biting at the air, as if her presence was good enough. But, you did not think that ponies themselves could ascend. You are young, younger then Celestia, younger then Luna." The eyes narrowed into a glower, but the tiny mouths began to giggle with untamed excitement. "Tasted! We tasted! The sun, the moon, so sweet and succulent. Ah! But there was no comparison to the fat roasted hen that was Love! Ohoho, we did not forget the elements, apples, rainbows, cupcakes, gems, ahh kindness.. With her will strive. Feed us, we command! Do not fight it, little pony.." the amount of screams and laughs would have driven a mortal pony to the brink of insanity. She let out a breath she had been holding in. Celestia, Luna, Cadence, her best friends... For a moment her magic dimmed, her hope dying away. But a soft smile crept upon her lips. "But chaos continues to allude you." The darkness did not take kindly to her words. "Hush you fool! Once we have magic, Chaos will fall soon after. All shall be ours." Another burst of chortles escaped from the tendrils, until it was cut off by a single answer. "No." "What? Magic thinks she can stop us?" The tendrils flickered back into the darkness, the small mouths reshaping into a diabolical grin. "Magic.. Flows through everyone, and everything. Not just ponies, and not just unicorns." From above, from below, to her left and right, behind her and in front of her.. Eyes appeared, staring from the darkness. But she paid no heed. The world was composed of magic, its essence was the life of all, including the planet itself. She dug through it, the dead she could feel. Her mentor, her family, her friends. She siphoned from the nation and beyond it. To the lands of the Griffins and the Zebras, to the low, corrupted oceans of the Seaponies. She stole from everything and everyone that had been consumed by this beast of shadows and soon she swelled with magic.She would transcend Alicorn hood and reach for the heavens above, to become a true Goddess for her land, for her people. She was to become all, her great destiny, her final great invention. "I am Twilight Sparkle, last remaining Princess of Equestria, Goddess of Magic, and thus, Goddess of Life. You are nothing more then a shadow beneath my hoof, a necessary evil in this worlds survival. Justice will be swift, and your imprisonment shall last FOREVER!." The darkness lunged forward and entrapped Twilight within its dark confines. Moments seemed like hours to her, but Twilights magic dived inwards, finally taking from the last remaining pony upon the surface. Herself. The explosion rocked the foundation of the world. Mountains were toppled, cities were obliterated, fields and valleys incinerated. Until all that remained was a barren wasteland that screamed for fertility, but only a fragment of Twilight Sparkles essence touched the barren land... ---- Forty Years Later Sparkle's magical essence took to the world like a mother embracing her child. Thus life on the surface began anew after twenty years progress was made. The ruins of large cities became forests or swamps, oceans took the place of deserts.. But the world was hardly finished, and the magical presence was lethal to ponies, the air in the upper world was thin and made breathing for those brave enough to explore it a rather tedious task. Thus, ponies remained in the Underground. In the olden days the Underground was a set of tunnels and stations that connected to one another. It was used to traverse easily among railways to collect precious minerals. Now it was home to Ponykind and any other race that had made its home in Equestria. Ponykind was anything but safe within the confines of the Underground, cave ins were natural and magical radiation leaks from above were all to common. The recent resurgence of dark monsters only added to the troubles of the Underground. But Ponies were known to survive... Author's Note I expect many thumbs down and a lot of grammatical errors. Some feedback would be nice.
Chapter One: Happy BirthdayBlank Flank. Why would any parent name their filly that? It was something that was always on Blank's mind. The worst part was how fitting the name was. She had just turned twenty years of age yet no cutie mark adorned her deep purple flank. Slowly she began to brush her tangled mess of a mane, she really loved her mane. It was five varying shades of purple, someponies said orchid, indigo, violet, amethyst and well.. Purple. Others used different colors. It was noticeable though, the lighter shades made the darker ones much more prominent. In fact, if she had to compare it to anything it was like a.. Rainbow of purple. Then again, she had never seen a rainbow before. Once she was finished maintaining her mane, Blank Flank did the same to her tail before starting to pack. Necessities only. It was her twentieth birthday and she had gotten permission to finally leave Station Twenty-Seven, also known as Maresville on account of its large population of female ponies. "Blankie, are you ready?" Blank Flank winced at her mothers nickname. Her mother, Glitter Dawn, poked her head through the doorway and grinned. Only one of her lopsided eyes focusing on Blank. "Just lemme get my RIG*, okay mom? I promise I'll be down in.. Five minutes, alright?" "Okie Dokie Lokie!" and with that her mother was gone, leaving Blank with her own thoughts. Once again they drifted to her blank flank. It wasn't unusual in the Underground, it was just hard to find that one special talent.. Her mother remained a blank flank to this day and she was forty! Still, it didn't ease the pain when she was named Blank Flank. She took her sweet time, her new RIG from Grandpappy Smiles was the second best gift she had gotten, the first being her mothers old amulet which had her family crest on it. A giant purple sparkle which was surrounded by five small white ones, nopony knew what it meant but she loved it, the heirloom always called out to her.. Her magic wrapped around the amulet and she slipped it over her head with ease, a smile crossing her lips when she felt the familiar cold metal, it was rather comforting. After that she levitated the round metal band that was her RIG and clicked it into place. Her eyes shut as she felt the familiar sensations of the RIG activating. It wasn't unwanted. The few ponies that were lucky enough to have a RIG had told Blank that it felt so wrong. To Blankie, it felt so wrong that it was right. Metal plates slid from the metal band around her throat, slowly shifting and sliding to cover her from head to hoof with its protective shielding. Her heat beat heavily within her chest as she saw nothing but darkness and then.. Light. It always felt exhilarating, she couldn't say why, but putting a RIG on left her feeling so.. So.. "Pumped? Oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLANKIE! Ohmygosh are you having a party!? And you're taking me with you!? I LOVE PARTIES!" The voice pricked at her mind, its pure bubbly joy was infectious. A mare rolled across her view and sprawled lazily on her mattress, her coat a vibrant pink and her mane a darker shade of the same color. Two large blue eyes stared at her that glowed with the purest of joy. "Yep! Why wouldn't I take my -best- friend to my birthday party?" The pink mare's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Wait! There's more Pinkie, we're leaving Maresville today, I got hired to guard a Caravan to Coltler Station." Once the words sunk in, Pinkie started making a mixture of a squeal and a gasp. her hooves wiggling about happily. "This is soooo exciting I mean we'regonnagoonanadventure and and and...!" Blank knew what was happening before it occurred. The buzzing hum of her RIG fizzled before a zap richotected through her body and her vision went black. After a few seconds of waiting she could see again, pink letters formed "Standby, Rebooting." which flashed over and over again. Soon Pinkie was back in her vision, a sheepish smile across her face. "Sorry! I uh, I got overexcited.." Blank giggled and wrapped her hooves around Pinkie, giving her a great big hug. Pinkie always felt so.. Real. Even though Blank knew that the mare truly didn't exist. "That's alright, Pinkie. C'mon lets go, everypony is waiting for us!" Blank smiled and let the plates around her head ease down her face and rest upon her neck before she trotted down the stairs, Pinkie Pie trotting besides her with a wide grin and constantly babbling on about parties, sweets, and something called a cherrychanga. ---- The party was in full swing, or as good as a party could get. It was slow for Pinkie's tastes, Blank could tell. The pink AI system was running a simulation where she was stuffing her face with any and all sweets that were on the table. "Taste good?" "You beatch! Mmmm yummy! I bet it'd go great with some cider!" Suddenly the doors to the kitchen burst open and an old looking keg was rolled into the room. "Ask and you shall receive.." She mumbled under her breath, Pinkie just clapped her hooves together with a little squee. "Yer old 'nough to guard a caravan, so ah thought ya'd be old 'nough for your first taste of Apple Cider, this stuff has been kept clean an' good by yer grandmas magic. Nothin' more sexy then a unicorn an' their magic tricks.." Grandpappy Smiles grinned from ear to ear, his brows waggling playfully in Grandma Apple's direction. "Oh Smiles, darling. Stop it, you're making me blush!" Blankie could only smile, she loved seeing her family happy. Even her mother was beaming at her. "I used to make ponies smile all the time... It's nice to know that this place isn't all frownies and downies." Blank Flank silently regarded her family. The cider flowed freely and mugs were passed around. Talks were shared, laughs and smiles. It was still strange for Blank. Her grandparents looked so.. Different. While she and her mother were both shades of purple, her grandpappy and grandmammy were completely different colors. Her grandmother, Tricky Seed was a deep shade of orange with a gray mane and tail, her cutie mark was a wand tapping a seed. While her grandfather was a bright yellow with a matching gray mane but those colors were from age. "Here ya go, kiddo." A mug was shoved into her face. Her magical aura gripped the mug and a smile crept across her face. "Thanks Grandpappy! Save some for Pinkie!" she said before taking a swig from the mug. It was.. There were no words to describe it, the slight burn down her throat and the warm feeling in her gut. A hint of apples stayed on her tongue. It tasted fresh, compared to the apples that were grown in Maresville with magic. "Yer still usin' that model? Thought ya traded in for the Celestial system!" Blankie stared at her Grandpappy and quickly shook her head. "No way! I've had Pinkie since mom gave me her Filly RIG back when I was a foal. She's like.. My best friend!" Smiles shook his head and rolled his eyes. "She's ain't nothin' more then a AI, someponies personality molded into somethin' useful. The Celestial system has more options an' a bigger holdin' portal. Yer gonna need that when ya get out there in the real world.. It ain't like Maresville.. Rest of the Underground ain't nice." Blankie watched Pinkie out of the corner of her eye. She saw her closest friend hopping around watching ponies enjoy their party. After a few seconds she turned to stare at her grandfather fully. "She's more then that." was all she said, her hard, almost cold tone rung in her grandfathers ears. "And I'm not going to betray her by getting some other pony in my RIG and my head. She's perfect how she is." The short debate ended there with Smiles sighing and wishing Blankie a happy birthday. One goodbye later and Blankie was on her own. Maresville was silent during this time of hour, most ponies having gone home. Only a few were sleeping on the street. She was deep in thought, wondering how different the world outside of Maresville was and how dangerous it could be. But it didn't matter, she would NEVER give up Pinkie Pie for any silly system. No matter what the cost.. "You.. You know he's right.." Pinkie's sad voice hit Blank like a brick to the face. The pink mare's hair was down and straightened and tears threatened to flow from her eyes. "You were listening?" "I am.. Sorta apart of your RIG, I can't just not hear it. Sorry.." Blank shook her head vigorously from side to side. "Nope! Nah uh, not having any of it. I don't care what my grandpa said. No silly system can give me hugs and make me smile. I wouldn't trade you in for the best RIG system in all of the underground. Not for some stupid nostalgic purpose either, nah. It's because you're my best friend, and a real pony, Pinkie Pie. Not some robotic voice in my head. Nothing ponymade can do what you do." The familiar sensations of her friends embrace made Blankie smile, her eyes shut as she took it all in. She couldn't believe Pinkie Pie was an AI, she'd denied it for so long. Letting her mind think of it as fantastic programming. But something that didn't exist couldn't give a hug like that, the warmth, protective, nurturing, friendly.. Eventually she felt the pressure leave and a smile was on her jubilant friends face, her mane and tail back to its all natural poof. "Now lets go. We don't want to be late." "Okie dokie lokie! We are gonna have SO much fun! And I'll write letters to Glitter for you and we'll have cupcakes and and.." Pinkie Pies words became nothing more then excitable gibber. To most ponies it would come off as annoying, but to Blank Flank.. Well, she couldn't be happier. Author's Note *RIG: Resource Integration Gear, or RIG for short, is an integrated health management and strength augmentation system that assist users in previously impossible and dangerous environments. Before Equestria's downfall, RIGs were usually integrated with some form of AI system based off of the Princesses or the Elements of Harmony. Though RIGs are designed to only sustain one AI per RIG, it is possible to have multiple ones. Though they can conflict with one another and the results could be disastrous. This has a lot of Metro & Dead Space aspects to it. As well as a few others from different video games.
Chapter Two: Rides & Nightmares"You have a military RIG!? Daaammn! Don't see those ones often unless you're in one of those big fancy clubs... You're not in one of those are you kid?" It wasn't the best greeting but Blank Flank felt her pride swell a little, the pony asking the question was in a mining RIG, his entire face and boy cloaked by the thin metal armor. "Does it have one of them systems on it too?" As if to answer the pony's inquiry a short notice appeared before his vision. Link synchronized. "Huh, whattare you do-" Hi there! I'm Pinkie Pie! A NEW PONY! Will you be my friend!? Oh oh you've gotta meet Blankie she's my bestest friend e- "Ahem.." Blank Flank cleared her throat and grinned at the shocked stallion. "Uhhhh.. Nice to meetcha Pinkie Pie.. Guess you are her System..?" "Nah uh! I'm a real pony, just like Blankie said!" "Uh huh..." the Colt shifted awkwardly before making a gesture with his hoof towards Blank. "Blankie, was it? Welcome aboard the Runnin' Railway. She ain't much but she's good enough." The train cart, or more precisely what was left of the train car, was rusted and dented. The top half had been completely torn off leaving the two ponies and two diamond dogs within visible to the natural elements of the tunnel. "I'm Duty, and that is my crew." Duty trotted towards the train car and nodded, the two ponies and two diamond dogs shifting uncomfortably as Blankie stepped aboard. "Sorry, they ain't used to military RIGS. 'cept when we did that job for those Solar Empire pricks. Makes us all a bit edgy to be honest. Anywho.. New Mare on deck! introduce yourself crew!" "Oohh he's like some kinda pirate pony! Except on rail thingy instead of the sea! Duty gave Pinkie Pie a look, now that his systems was linked to Blank's he could see and hear her as well. The first of the Diamond Dogs approached and for some deranged reason Blankie wanted to call her a puppy. She was tall and a bit on the slender side, thick tufts of auburn fur and a rather puppy-like muzzle that showed youth over ferocity. A slight gleam was in her brown eyes. "I'm Collar! And that there is my old man, Pit." Pit was needless to say the complete opposite of his daughter. He was large and thick, his right eye was a glazed white and a scar zig zagged along his snout. "I'm the driver and he's the engineer! Don't be fooled now, my ol' man is just one big cuddly puppy on the inside." a throaty growl left Pit's muzzle when his daughter called him that, the rest of the group chuckling. Both wore a simple engineering RIG, unlike the Military or Mining RIG, the Engineering one lacked the natural protection and instead had a large variety of engineering tools, including a few modules that allowed non-unicorns to use mundane forms of magic. "I am Freelancer. And this is Dedication." She could tell by the voice emitting from the Mining RIG that Freelancer was in fact a mare. Dedication remained quiet and nodded. "Dedication doesn't talk much. Actually.. I don't think Ded has ever talked." Even with their facial expressions hidden by their visors the three ponies stared at Dedication, the enigma of a pony gave a shrug at their stares before turning back to its post. "Never really put much thought into that.." Duty mutter to himself before turning towards Blank Flank. "Right, lets get this show on the road then. The path to Coltler is pretty easy. We shouldn't run into any trouble. With luck we'll have these supplies there in an hour or less!" Pit took a spot besides the engine, his wrench resting besides him. Collar moved to the front of the train cart and grabbed the wheel. The four seats for the guards of the cart were positioned in such a way that the front seats were facing towards the back to watch the rear while the back seats faced the front to watch the front. Dedication and Duty took the front seats while Blank Flank and Freelancer took the back. A soft hum emitted from the engine before it sputtered to life, the grinding screech of a rail was thankfully muffled by Blankie's RIG and soon enough it was gone, replaced with the soft and occassional thump of the modified train cart moving along the railway. "First time riding one of these, huh?" Blankie managed a slight nod, the silence had gone on for ten minutes. She found the dark tunnels and the thrum of the engine to be rather peaceful through it all. "Thought so.. Nopony has ever relaxed in the Tunnels, especially with the bug ponies, the Shadows, bandits, and those vying for power that are hiding anywhere.. But first timers always look like they're gonna take a nap." Now that Freelancer mentioned it, Blank Flank did feel rather tired... And.. And the Train Cart was slowing down. "Hey! Keep up the pace, we ain't got all.. Day.." Duty's shout sounded a distance away, the cart was now inching forward slowly, it was nearly at a full stop. Blank turned her head to glance at the driver only to find Collar slumped on the floor, her leg twitching and soft little snores emitting from her maw. She would have taken the time to find it adorable, besides her she could hear soft snorts and grunts, apparrently Freelancer had joined Collar in the dreamworld. Something nagged at Blankie's mind, she could hear somepony mumbling and shouting desperately. "Stay awake! You have to stay awake! Don't sleep, BUCK DON'T SLEEP!" but a nap couldn't hurt, just for a little bit.. Her eyes shut and another yawn wracked her body before the inviting darkness took over. "Please... Don't go.." A little whisper jolted Blankie from her slumber. She was enshrouded by darkness. Whispers, she heard many, mutters and murmers. Some sounded threatening while others were friendly. Had she fallen off when she had fallen asleep? What if she was lost in the tunnels forever? How would she survive! "Follow..." A sensation tugged at her insides. Her emotions twisting to obey as she trotted onward into the never-ending darkness. It felt like hours. Hours of trotting, hours of soft unintelligible whispers, until a single voice that sounded higher and just as pleading as the last spoke up. "Stop.. Please.." Blankie obeyed, after a few seconds of nothing a pair of iridescent blue eyes stared at her, tears flowed from them only to be lost within the sea of darkness. Blankie took a few steps back from the eyes but they moved closer, a chitain covered hoof filled with holes reached out for her and of course the mare wanted to scream. "Save.. Me.. The hive.. Tainted.. Dying.. Please.. I'm.. Afraid.. So alone.." A need grew in her chest, a strong desire to hold what could only be described as a bug pony, and she did just that. Her emotions twisted in her gut, she couldn't describe the sensation. It was not entirely draining but it felt as if something was tugging at her emotions, as if they were tied to a string and slowly but surely being pulled away. For a few seconds the creature felt content. Her waning power was feeding its growing strength. Blankie somehow knew it, but.. She didn't mind. The strange bug pony needed it more then she did, and she had her RIGs strength to get her through anything. Suddenly a screech from the bug pony ripped her from her thoughts. The words a garbled mess of pain and agony. More eyes appeared, but they looked like some twisted version of her new bug friend. "WAKE UP! RUN!" Click click, clack, click. Blankie's head hurt, it reminded her of that one time a bully threw a rock at her head. Click click, hiss, clack, clack. The racket that was approaching wasn't helping either. She wanted a good five more minutes of sleep. "Oh nononono wake up, please please please.." She desperately wanted to tell Pinkie Pie to come back later. She was just exhausted, but something told her not to. Instead she opened her eyes and was greeted to the familiar darkness and metalwork of the train car. Click, screech, clack clack. And then, a sudden scream. The scream was what got her up, in fact it got the entire crew up from their snooze. Duty was struggling against a strange creature. His RIG let out a few quickened beeps as it tried to block away the beasts strikes. It was like a spider and a pony had a foal. Its head was that of a ponys, and its body was covered in thick chitin. It had eight eyes in total, all glowing a familiar iridescent blue and its legs were elongated and formed in the way of a spiders, each tip formed into sharpened chitin rather then hooves. A jagged horn jutted from its head and a small pair of wings fluttered about wildly. It let out a hiss of anger, its strikes becoming less precise but more brutal with each passing second. One of its pointed hooves broke through the dented plating of Duty's RIG. What sounded like a squee of joy left the creatures muzzle when a spray of crimson splattered against its chitin. "Flashlights! Now!" the built in lights within each of their RIGs flickered to life, focusing upon the bug like mutant. It wheezed and struggled, boils began to puncture its chitin, one of them popping and a green ooze seeping from it. The mutant screeched in agony and rolled off of Duty and onto the tracks. Their lights remained shining upon the withering beast as it rolled onto its back and started flailing about madly. A single shot rang out and the underside of the twisted chitin pony exploded, thick green sludge oozed from its now wide open stomach. It let out a final hiss of defiance before going still. Freelancer winced and grumbled. "Changlings.. They are sensitive to the light. Once they get onto their back its an easy kill." "What the BUCK happened.." Duty growled. He stood awkwardly, the Changling had struck his shoulder and now the pony was having a tough time standing. His RIGs health monitor was in the yellow and it looked like the recent puncture was already sealed. "I.. I donno boss.. One moment everything was fine then.. I woke up and here we are!" Collar tugged at the collar of her RIG while everyone went silent. Blank almost expected Duty to chew them all out, even though he had fallen asleep as well. ".... I think it was an anomaly, boss." Pitt grunted which earned himself a nod from Duty. "Right, right.. Thing must have been pretty damn quiet to get the drop on us.. Collar, where are we?" Collar was already checking the train carts systems when Duty asked. "Uh.. I don't know." Duty sucked in a breath of air. With the calm of somepony who was barely restraining themselves he spoke. "What do you mean by I don't know." Collar winced and shook her head. "I think the mapping device is a bit out of whack, I mean. It DOES say where we are. But we can't be there, it isn't possible." Duty grunted and his voice was nearly a growl. "You best tell me where the buck it says we are." "Station Seven." From the way everyone had their head turned to stare at a baffled Collar, they were confused. Even Pitt was showing some form of emotion on his face, the old Diamond Dog looked a mixture of tense, confused, and afraid. "What is Station Seven?" Blank hated being out of the loop. Much to her surprise it was Pitt that came to the rescue. "When the top world came to an end, enemies became allies in the Underground. Changlings were one such enemy. Ten years later they betrayed everyone. They were.. Mutated, but disorganized. Us Diamond Dogs found as many entrances to their hives and caved them in. We aren't perfect, but we got all the railway entrances and the main entrances..." the old Dog was staring off into the darkness, in another place, and another time. Duty took it upon himself to continue. "Station Seven is where the Changling Hive is located. It's also three stations ahead of our objective. To put it fucking bluntly.. We're not only trapped in a hive of hostiles but we are not going to make our delivery." The group was busy discussing what they would do next. Blank on the other hoof was sitting down and watching the thick darkness of the tunnel. So far nothing else had attacked them, no changlings, no other monsters. Nothing. It was a bit unnerving and she didn't like it one bit. This way... Her ears twitched and she stood. Pinkie Pie was besides her and even she looked a bit somber. "Soo.. We're going?" Blank nodded her head. "Okie Dokie Lokie.". Not a single soul noticed Blank as she hopped off of the train cart and continued her way on hoof. It felt like hours, walking in dead silence with only the bare warmth that Pinkie Pie emitted to comfort her. The darkness had enveloped her like a chilling blanket of snow, a breeze lashed against her RIG and she could swear that she felt it bite down against her very bones. The feeling of being watched didn't help either and she kept turning her head back to watch for anypony. Or anything. But there was nothing. Only the darkness greeted her and the fading distant light of her group and the train cart she had arrived in. A part of her wondered if this was a dream, or if it was reality. Perhaps she had fallen asleep and was suffering from another nightmare. But if she wasn't.. Then this was a bad idea, who knows what could be out there, or what was calling for her. Waiting for her. Pinkie Pies unusual silence wasn't helping either. 'Perhaps I should turn back..' she thought. Her hooves froze in place as she inwardly debated. Please... Help.. The strange sensation of a tug against her emotions reemerged. It was much like her dream but now it had a sense of comfort to it. Somepony or something needed her help, and she had to help it. Right? Her life was at risk though. Maybe she could convince the others to come with her. I'm so.. Lonely.. The tug grew stronger and so did her resolve. She faced the darkness and continued her trek.
