Transistor - Act I: Escape

The sounds of gore and death rapidly faded away as Cyril and his younger siblings ran as fast as they could away from the battleground. After just barely managing to avoid re-capture, the three young ponies had steered straight toward the most opportune exit of the large compound and ran, taking the commotion as a distraction and a means to escape.

The three of them pushed themselves to the very limits of physical exertion; their legs ached and their lungs burned something fierce, while the temptation of dropping right there and then was almost overwhelming. Freedom was presented very plainly, however, and they wouldn't waste a second taking the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Especially after the horrors they were exposed to in the complex.

Hours of running (or what felt like it) eventually took a toll on their stamina, and before long they had to rest.

THUMP.

The impact with the cold, hard metal floor was taken as an unexpected shock to the stallion. Dazed, he lifted his head ever-so-slightly and gazed forward from his slumped position. Where there was usually a thick, reinforced metal wall, was instead a large, gaping hole which flooded the cramped and cold cell with warm and bright sunlight, illuminating the tiled and dirty space around him.

The stallion's limbs felt as light as air; weightless, as he slowly lifted a leg and tenderly waved his hoof back and forth in front of his eyes. It was only at this moment that he realized his legs weren't firmly fastened to the metal frame in the center of the room by unbreakable, specially-enchanted shackles, as they normally were. The freedom felt unusual, but pleasant nonetheless. With weak and wobbly legs that threatened to drag him back down to the floor, the stallion unsteadily pulled himself up onto his hooves.

His vision was a hazy blur, in which he could see indistinguishable shapes darting back and forth through the jagged hole in the wall along with multiple flashes of light. The faded shouts of seemingly-distant voices was barely discernible through the stallion's daze.

Cautiously, he took a quivering step forward into the bright sunlight. Instantly, a powerful electrifying sensation began in his body. It started from his bottom of his hooves, slowly ascending up his legs, leaving them feeling strong and stable. Another step forward into the light, and this feeling only intensified, spreading up his shoulders and back, strengthening them instantaneously. At this point, he felt almost completely rejuvenated. With a bold grin, the stallion took another step forward, shining the sunlight directly on his face. It was at this exact moment that his vision returned to normal, and he was able to see and hear exactly what had been the cause of this sudden and unexpected freedom.

From what he could see through the jagged hole in the wall, the usual back-area of the complex and the distant backwoods were littered with bodies; a variety of different wounds on their beings ranging from gruesome, jagged slashes, that looked as though someone ran a blade across them repeatedly, horrific burn that covered a large area of their bodies with blackened, cracked skin and angry red welts, and a variety of other cringe-worthy injuries. Mystified, the stallion moved forward and stepped out from the broken wall, and finally witnessed a full view of the carnage.

All around him, officials dressed in full uniform; a black kevlar suit with thick boots and kneepads, along with a grey vest and helmet; were being mercilessly slaughtered by swarms of the stallion's fellow prisoners who had obviously gotten loose.

But how?

Before he had been put under sedation in the morning like always, the stallion recalled that each prisoner had been thoroughly constrained in their respective cells, and everything seemed normal. Now, however, they were running rampant, violently savaging the officials of the complex, who either accepted their fate or desolately attempted to defend themselves and their comrades. They had obviously been taken by surprise, the stallion thought to himself, a satisfied grin appearing on his features as he watched the carnage unfolding in front of him. The kind of gore and terror he had been wishing on this infernal place for far too long.

The Vinculum Prison had been compromised at long last. He was finally free.

"He's out! He's out! Protocol 12, now! GO!" a panicked voice cried out, in close proximity to the stallion.

The stallion turned his head to see one of the Vinculum officials