First things
Folding the scroll, Twilight looked down. Ominous jagged peaks loomed far below the cable car. There was no other way to the secluded site in the mountains. Not even pegasi could fly this high, air was just too thin to support their wings. She adjusted her breathing mask as Rainbow Dash put a hoof on her shoulder. "Twilight, how many times have you read this letter?" - she asked, concerned - "Well find her, I promise. Well find them all."
Applejack offered from her post in front of cabin - "Were just about there. Ah cant see anythang outta order yet... But wheres everypony?" True, the platform at the end of cable tram line was quite empty. But then again, given the distress signals site was sending out, it wasnt entirely unexpected. Cabin slowed down, as Applejack leaned on the brake lever, halting it in front of platform.
Ponies filed out, taking stock of the situation at hand. Area seemed completely empty, haphazard even. "Anypony sees anythang?" - inquired Applejack, as she stood on her hindlegs, trying to get a better look around, - "No?... well, crud. Aight, check your soundstones, gals." Rainbow tapped the stone earring and chuckled - "Loud and clear, AJ. Loud and clear." Twilight tapped her own earring as well, offering much less exuberant - "I`m ready, too."
Trio descended from the platform, venturing into the waiting hall. Area was just as empty and completely dark. "Twi, can ya do somethang bout light?" - inquired orange mare. Habitually, unicorn reached out with her magic, tapping the gas lanterns. "Here..." - she began, only to notice the darkness still prevailing - "...Buh. Gas lines are shut off, AJ. Were stuck with lanterns until I get down to engineering and figure out what went wrong." Grumbling, blue pegasus whipped out lantern out of her bag - "That bites! And we only have one lantern, too."
Lavender mare tapped it with her magic, letting the burning kerosene cast the dim light around them. "Well, ah guess wed use what we have ." - offered Applejack, - "Twi, why dont ya git down ta machinery and figure out the gas problem? Me and Dash are gonna take a look-see here and find someone who can tell us what the hay goes on." Nodding, Twilight pushed open the door to small elevator, stepping inside and putting her hooves on the crank.
As she rotated the crank, rickety cabin descended down into the cave. She knew a gas storage would be right under the cable platforms, for convenience and ease of refueling the site. It struck her as odd that gas was cut off, and she hoped it was just a local problem. If there was a major rupture of line somewhere, it could be... well, the reason why the site sent distress signals.
With a lurch, cabin stopped. Channeling a bit of magic through her horn for illumination, Twilight peered around. Suddenly, her soundstone almost exploded with noise. "...GRAAH!... Raah... Ah, buckit, buckit, buckit...! DASH! Git tha darn thing offa me!... THUMP... Goshdarnit, what the buck are those things?... Well, dont jus stand there, BUCKEM!" "Im trying, AJ! Shit, what the heck are those things?!" "Break their legs, DASH, don`t try for body, go for legs!"
Pausing, Twilight tapped her soundstone. "Girls? Whats going on up there?" - she ventured, as the noise intensified. "Ahve got no bloody idea, sugarcube! Some kinda monsters! Were fine for the moment, but watch out! Them darn things are hardy as brick crapper! Go for the legs, Twi, remembah! Break their legs off! Crud, more of them darn thangs showing up!... Twi, git the gas on right bucking now! Them darn thangs will cut us down like daisies in the blippin darkness, y`hear!"
That... didn`t sound reassuring. Nor the rumble upstairs in the elevator was. Unicorn jumped out of the elevator, and slammed the door to it shut, barring it with a piece of timber. She was in the workshop of sorts. Gas tanks should be just a bit further. As she rounded the corner, Twilight froze, her insides lurching as she witnessed the leftovers of carnage. Floor and walls were splattered with blood, and she could see a badly mutilated pony corpse in front of the worktable. A message was scrawled on the wall above the table. "Cut off their limbs!" - said the bloody message. Cautiously, she approached.
A bloody pickaxe laid on the table - probably, the same one that was used to chop off the limbs from the corpse under the table. Shivering, Twilight reached out to pick the pickaxe with her magic. As soon as she touched it, rumble from the lift intensified. Slowly, she turned around, pickaxe floating in front of her, just in time to witness the timber she barred the door with falling down. Door slammed open.
She wanted to believe it was somepony... anypony. Unfortunately, it was only a cadaver of one. She could still see the teal color of coat and even the remains of cutie mark, as it lunged at her. Almost without thinking, Twilight lashed out with her pickaxe, catching the creature just below the jaw. Steel beak easily passed through the skin and bone, cleaving the head off. It shouldve been lethal. Yet, the being still advanced. She barely had the chance to dodge as it lunged past her, sharp bones lodging into the table instead. "Cut off their limbs..." Without thinking, she brought the pickaxe down, over the shoulder of the thing, severing its front left appendage. Gutteral howl told her she hit the spot this time. Wasting no time she swung the pickaxe again, this time horizontally, breaking entity`s leg just below the knee. It fell down, twitching, blood spurting all over the floor again as it thrashed there for a few moments more, finally becoming still.
"Applejack." - she rasped out, tapping her soundstone - "Grab the pickaxes, saws, knives, whatever you can get your hooves on. Cut those things apart, dont buck them." "Way ahead of ya, sugarcube." - offered orange mare in return - "Dash here found the bushhook, an ya wouldnt believe the bloody carnage she kin do with the dang thing. Now, hows that gas repair goin? Were movinto admin building heah, but we could really use some bucking light." "Working on that, AJ. Im almost at the tanks now."
True, Twilight had been descending via short stairway as she were talking, looking around furtively, holding pickaxe snug against her side, ready to defend herself. Thankfully, no more assailants arrived, and now, she were at the controls. Row of polished valves lined the wall, some illuminated, some dark. She quickly took stock of situation, and grasped the valve that corresponded to the platform above her, pushing against it until it turned. Hiss of gas told her she achieved her goal. "AJ, try the lanterns now. Should work." - she unicorn offered curtly as she inspected the rest of valves. Most of the shut-off valves were shut off for a good reason, but she could see a few that she probably should have opened. Restoring gas to the mines went off without a hitch, but when she tried to turn on supply for greenhouse, she`s been met with roar of escaping gas and plummeting meters. Quickly, she sealed the line again. Apparently, it was severely ruptured somewhere around the greenhouse. Well, that she could fix. Later.
"I`m coming back, AJ." - she sounded off, just as the satisfied grunt came from the other side - "Good work there, sugarcube. Lights are back on. Much bettah.... Ah... Ew. No, farget the last part. Ah dinnaewanted see all tha blood on the walls. Good golly, gals. Maybeh we should turn back. This here thing is way over our head, doncha think?"
"AJ, we cant. Somepony might still be alive around. We ought to at least make sure theres nopony we can save before turning tail." - interjected Rainbow Dash, - "If we go back now, bloody things will kill everypony for sure." "I concur." - offered Twilight from her side, as she ascended back to the elevator, - "We can`t just abandon everypony."
"Listen ta yerselves... We bloody barely survived that far, yhear? What good it would be if we git killed too?" - retorted Applejack, quite indignant if her voice was of any indication. "Chillout, AJ. We were just caught by surprise. Im too awesome to get killed by those doddering horror show rejects." - offered Dash cockily, - "Besides, do you really want to abandon Fluttershy to those things?" Applejack heaved a sigh - "Ah suppose ah cant. But Twi? Yer the closest to the cable car, so STAY THERE, an prepare the bloody thing to go down as soon as we`re back! Ah donnaewanna git stranded on that bloody mountain."
