Sempiternal

I woke up late way past the crack of dawn. I just wanted to just lay there in a hot sweat that had soaked the back of my head onto the pillow. I could hear the faint noises coming from downstairs so I motivated myself off the bed to get dressed. I slip my pants and shirt on and sat with hands on my forehead on the bed as my thoughts ran wild with what had taken place within my own mind.

"What is wrong with me?" I ask myself. I never had such awful dreams like that before ever. I step off the bedside and onto the floor before I walked out of the room downstairs. The hustle and bustle of the six mares stomping loudly through the house stopped suddenly when I got to the living area.

I must have looked an absolute mess with my long scruffy Black hair that was stuck in a cowlicked pattern and my five 'o' clock shadow making my face appear wild and crazy again. Twilight and Fluttershy both approach me at the staircase before Fluttershy asks. "You don't look so good Koba. We can do this another time when your feeling better."

I slump my head towards the wood floor and hold up my palm at them. "I'm fine lets just do this." I said with an irritated and blunt tone. They both nod and Twilight then says to me. "We are ready when you are." I nod and walk over to pick up my rifle and armor and refitted myself in record time.

I stand by the door and wait for Fluttershy to push it open for me and was the first to walk outside before I do followed by the rest of the entourage. The White snow and the clear sky with the sun fully uncovered put major strain on my eyes as I squint to adjust to its sheer brilliance. I figured it was now or never and led the way to the forest that they had so many myths and stories about.

Twilight walked by my side as I navigated through the forest. There is no way I could miss the mountain I had looked upon for many month's before I found Fluttershy. We walked for hours as I guided them through the bleak and lifeless forest. They only exchanged small talk with each other as our journey stretched on into the early afternoon.

Twilight was the first to try to converse with me as we walked and asked. "What does that staff you carry do? Is it some form of strange magic?" I look down at the freezing cold hardened black steel and polymer that made up the assault rifle I was carrying and answered back "Yes it is something like magic." She paused for a moment then asks. " What does it do exactly?"

I look back at her and said with sheer coldness in my eyes. "It keeps me alive and makes everyone else dead." That explanation didn't shut her up as I had hoped instead she kept prying deeper. " Do you ever worry about dying?" She asked.

I give her a cold glare but answered back. "No not at all." She wasn't at all satisfied yet and asked me something completely out of line. "Do you enjoy killing?" I wanted so bad to show that little bitch first hand and choke the life out of her and curbstomp until her brains came out of the ears and nose. But my judgement was better than that and just shouted back at her. "Do you ever shut up?!!"

She turns her head back towards the trail and didn't even say a word until we reached the foot of the mountain. I tell them to pair up and search the trees for an X mark carved into it. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie stayed with me as the other four went their opposite ways around the steep mountain.

We stay in close proximity as Fluttershy hovered about checking tree to tree while Pinkie did some weird hopping about the other way I walk over to Fluttershy and ask. "Did you find anything?" She shakes her head no when we both hear a high pitched shout a short distance away. We get over to Pinkie who was standing and staring at a locust tree with the sure sign of an X carved into it. I can't believe Applejack and Rainbow Dash just passed it up.

"Good work Pinkie." I said in a calm pleased manner. "I'll wait here and you two go get the others. They both immediately comply and darted off. I turn and look at the entrance of the cavern. The opening was barely visible it still had the vines on it covered in snow and ice making it look like just another part of the landscape.

I could see Pinkie with Twilight and Rarity. I sit down in a rock and wait for the other three to converge on us. I sit and twiddled a stick with my knife when Rarity walks up next to me and asks. "Sweetie Belle just got released from the hospital this morning. And I was wondering if you would join us both for dinner at my house?" You can bring Fluttershy too if you like."

I shifted my eyes back and forth awkwardly but politely answered back. "I would like that very much." She squeals out loudly and said back. "My sister will be so happy she hasn't stopped talking about you since yesterday."

I smile and turn my head to the side where I saw Fluttershy and the other two walking back. We were all gathered up and they looked around trying to find out where this "Lab" I was talking about yesterday. Twilight was the first to ask. "So Koba? It this were you came from? It don't seem so special to me."

I get my butt off the cold rock and up to the vines and pushed them to the side like opening a curtain revealing a dark and dreadful looking cave. I walk in first with them following behind close. I could feel the fear and nervousness of them and could almost hear their hearts beat like a metronome.

It was extremely dark inside and silent besides a drip of water into a puddle every now and then. If I didn't have my hands out feeling a round in front of me I would have ran right into the huge metal door. I ask if them if they had a light source with them. In an instant the entire tunnel was flooded by piercing White light that Rarity was emitting from her horn.

I look back at her with my arm over my eyes and smiled "Thanks" I said before turning back to the door. I find the metal latch and slam it down. The door pops and shoots air out of the crevices kicking up dust. After the dramatic effect I pull the door open halfway and hold my hand up at the pitch black hallway and said with cockiness "ladies first" Twilight smirks at me and demanded. "No way!!! you go first."

I roll my eyes at her but walk in and waited at the doorway for them to follow. Rarity walks in first with her light shining brightly illuminating the painted hallway revealing more of the complex than a tiny flashlight ever could. The rest of the of the entourage followed in and we stood at the doorway for a minute before I shut the heavy metal door and latched it. Twilight walks up to me asks. "Wow you weren't kidding. Where do we start?" I tell her there must be a way to get the lights back on so we can explore the entirety of this compound unhindered by darkness. She looks up at me and says. "Let's get to it you lead the way. I nod and begin walking down the hallway stomping loudly on the Gray concrete floor. When we made it into the inner sanctum they all gasped at the size of it. Not even the radiating light from Rarity could reach the ceiling as it only would reach the first couple of stories.

They all stood dumbstruck and in awe to the fact that a world did exist at one time and it was right under their feet all this time. I snap my fingers loudly echoing throughout the complex at them to break the trance they was under. They snap to attention at me and looked around at each other. Fluttershy gasps and exclaimed. "We lost Pinkie Pie!!!"

They all scramble in all different directions calling her name when we hear her over in the far off corner standing in front of a door. She looks back at me and asks. "Koba is this what you were looking for?" The Yellow and Black sign that read "Engineering" was plainly written and left me in astonishment at the Pink pony that found it. I ask her how she knew that was the door and she cryptically explained. "I don't know it just felt right." I couldn't help but give her credit for being so intuitive and aware.

I pop the rigid steel vaulted door open first and walk inside the room. The walls were coated in a Lead casing riveted firmly. There was a sign sternly printed with the symbol that Radiation and Nuclear danger was ahead.

I ask only Rarity to follow me just in case in with the light so I could find the power source. I tell the others to stay put before we both delve deeper into the room until I find a Black control box with a faint red light shining on top of it. The smaller switches were aligned with a large lever at the top that was labeled main power. Rarity nudges my side and asks. "Is that what your looking for deary?" I look down and nod back at her.

I really wasn't sure about doing this it but it never stopped me before in the past as I reached up and pulled the handle down. Almost instantly after I pulled it a giant flat screen monitor came to life on the wall. It lit up the whole room in White light and initiated the startup sequence of the main reactor. I stand in front of it nonchalantly as it loaded without a hitch and watched it run the diagnostics. The core, water supply and cooling system along with the turbines were all still in stable condition.

I slide my fingers across the screen and finalize the process of restarting the core. Nothing happens at first so we walk back out were we left the others. Dash was the first to ask what was going on. "Well that was a waste of effort what were you two doing in there the whole time?"

I didn't say anything back I only pointed up at the roof where the floodlights started to flicker with an Orange glow. Within a few minutes the lights had fully illuminated the area and we had a full view of all of the surroundings. They all had their heads on a swivel scanning every foot of the cavern before Twilight asked. "They built all of this just for you?"

I look around the dusty and decrepit facility and answered back. "I have no idea why I was brought here. I was hoping that you would know."

She continues to look around and said "I have no idea either what this is and thats a first for me." I nodded and started to lead them through the first floor going door to door checking for anything of use or value to me while giving them the grand tour. We check every shipping container and crate but the only thing I found of any use was more clothes and a couple pairs of sunglasses that would cut out the snows blinding White glare. It would take days maybe weeks to search through everything in the cavern and decided call it a day. It was starting to get late already and Twilight had suggested to me that she write to a friend that worked in archaeology to check out the site for research.

I just wanted to leave and told them we would come back with Twilight's friend to search the rest of this place. I lead the way out checking the hallway for anything useful before we left the now brightly lit corridor. I unlatched the door and let them out first before I stepped outside and locked the massive steel door.

I turn to the entourage and ask Twilight. "Who is your friend? This archaeologist you spoke of earlier?" She answered in a sheepish tone. "Digger McClean" I laughed a little bit at that and said. "Of course it is"