Chapter 19

-- A Shocking Turn of Events --

To say I was shocked was an understatement. But there stood a figure out of time, alive after 200 years. Ratchet told me that ghouls can live for a long time, but I didn’t truly believe him until now.

“Doctor Gingko?” I asked.

Her eyes seemed to widen at my question, her posture changing slightly as she had her guard up.

“How do you know my name? Who are you?” She asked me rather sternly.

“My name is Shadow Strike. My friends and I came here for medical equipment. We have an injured pegasus. And now my friend Ratchet seems to have been affected by something a ghoul spat at him.” I said.

Her eyes softened and her posture relaxed, “I see. That is unfortunate. Where are your friends?”

“In a lab near the stairwell to Level 1. My friend Moonlight sent me to find supplies for the surgery.” I said.

“Alright then, come. I shall gather my bag and have a look at your friends.” Doctor Ginkgo said.

She then turned and lifted her leg, speaking into a device attached to it not unlike a pipbuck, “Sweetie, I’m heading back to you. Have my bag ready. The intruders are not a threat.”

A voice rang out from the device, “Roger that mommy.”

“Someone else is here with you?” I asked.

“Yes. My daughter. We’ve been held up in the security office for a long time. She saw you all on the surveillance cameras when you stepped into the facility.” She said.

“I see.” I said.

We started walking down the hallway towards security. I then noticed the cameras near the ceiling. I never gave them much thought before, thinking they were nonfunctional. That was a mistake. Master Zala would have smacked me in the back of the head by now.

“Now tell me, how did you get in here anyway?” Doctor Gingko asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“I found your memory orb at the EREC Center to the east of here.” I answered.

She turned to look at me over her shoulder, “Oh? Which one?”

“The day you met Ministry Mare Fluttershy.” I said.

“Ah yes. I remember that day. That explains everything. Perhaps I recorded too much of that memory.” She said.

“Thank Luna that you did. Our pegasus patient wouldn’t have made it to another settlement.” I said.

She looked at me again, something off in her eye before she turned forward again, “Be that as it may, you still should not have come here.”

“I assume it has something to do with these ghouls? My friends say that they’ve never seen anything like them.” I said.

“Ghouls. So that’s what ponies nowadays are calling them. So it’s not just here.” Doctor Gingko said, her voice wavering a little.

“Yeah. Apparently they are all over the wasteland. We ran into some at the relief center.” I said.

She stopped, “I take it you killed them?”

I froze and gently said, “Yes.”

She took a deep breath, “It is for the best. Luna please heal them of their pain and suffering.”

“May she embrace them in her moonlight and guide them to her side.” I said.

She sharply turned to me, “Where did you learn that prayer?”

I was about to answer when her radio came on, “Mommy! Bugs heading your way!”

She immediately gasped and grabbed me, pulling me into the nearest lab. Closing the door, I could hear the familiar sound of one of those clouds passing by. The door electrified and we sat there in silence. A minute passed and she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Is the coast clear sweetie?” Doctor Gingko asked into her radio.

“Yep. Bugs are gone. No infected either. You got a clear path home.” The voice on the radio said.

“Alright, let’s move.” She said.

“What was that?” I asked.

“I’ll explain later. We must hurry.” She said.

We moved with a faster pace down the hallway, eventually making it to the end, where a door with a sign said “Security”, turrets were mounted on the ceiling and thick glass windows along the sides of the wall. The turrets were not pointing at us, thank Luna.

Doctor Gingko moved to the door, and it opened without her even touching it. She motioned for me to follow her inside, and so I did.

The inside of the security office was well fortified as well, turrets on both sides of the ceiling and large desks that served as barricades. A side panel to our left opened as soon as the door shut behind us, revealing another ghoul. Only this one was much smaller, and had a distinct striped pattern to what little fur was left on it.

“Mommy!” The ghoul filly squealed.

Doctor Gingko hugged the filly as she approached, “Zoey, good work on the cameras sweetie.”

The filly giggled and returned the hug.

Then a memory surfaced in my head, “Wait, Zoey? The little zebra filly from that memory orb?”

Gingko turned to me, “Ah yes, she was in that memory. Yes, this is the same filly.”

“Why is she here?” I asked.

Gingko went still for a moment but never let go of the filly, then she spoke.

“A week or so before the bombs dropped, the relief center was running out of money. Things had taken a turn for the worst with the company. They were going to shut down the center. I heard they planned to take the children away, and I couldn’t let them. I had grown so fond of Zoey, and she had nopony else to turn to. She lost her family to the war.”

Doctor Gingko stroked the filly’s mane as Zoey’s ears flattened against her head.

“So I took her here, to wait out the storm until I could get us into the company stable. But we were never told where it was. They abandoned us here. Then everything was engulfed in balefire. We watched it all from the exterior cameras.”

My heart felt cold as her words came. They had been trapped here for 200 years, abandoned by the EREC. I looked at my stable barding, and brushed the 100 on the collar. My stable, they were supposed to be taken to my stable. All employees were. I don’t understand.

“Uh Mister Zony sir?” Zoey said, snapping me out of my stupor.

“Oh sorry, what was that?” I asked.

“Mommy said we should go and take care of your friends. I’m going too. So hurry up slowpoke.” Zoey giggled and ran past me.

“Now Zoey, that is no way to talk to somepony you just met.” Gingko said.

But her words fell on deaf ears as the filly was already out of ear shot.

“I swear, that filly is impossible.” She said.

“Most children tend to be like that sometimes. Mother used to embarrass me with tales of my youth.” I said.

“I dread to think what stories my mother would tell. Well, come then. Let us be off.” She said.

Walking through the hallways, we didn’t run into any more ghouls, which I was thankful for. I did not want little Zoey to have to be in the middle of a firefight. We walked around corner after corner until the room my friends were in came into view. I moved ahead and knocked on the door.

It opened, revealing Saskia on the other side, looking relieved.

“Shadow, thank goodness. Did you find everything?” She asked.

“Yes, and some help as well.” I said.

I stepped aside, revealing Gingko and Zoey. Saskia did not show caution or fear as I thought she would. Only the same sweet smile she gave to all ponies.

The doctor gave her a nod and moved past towards the table, Moonlight having already set up some equipment. She turned when she heard Gingko approach and gasped a little.

“Are you the medic of this team?” Gingko said.

“Ye… yes. My name is Moonlight. Who are you?” Moonlight asked.

“Doctor Gingko. Shadow said you have a pegasus in bad shape?” Gingko replied.

“Yes. Her wing is broken, and she has a few broken ribs.” Moonlight said.

Doctor Gingko stepped closer, examining the unconscious mare on the table. Running her hoof gently along her barrel and looking at her broken wing.

“What happened?” She asked.

“She fell from the sky. She was fighting something, and she fell along with her attacker. She was in power armor, which is probably the reason she survived the fall at all.” I said.

“Yes, I agree. Power armor would have saved her from most of the damage, but these injuries are serious. Her life isn’t in immediate danger but these ribs will need to be reset and mended.” Doctor Gingko said.

She then started to get her tools out and set up other equipment as well. Moonlight assisted her and as they finished the setup, Gingko moved to where Ratchet was laying.

Ratchet didn’t look any better than when I left. HIs breathing seemed more ragged, and he could barely keep his eyes open. Gingko came and shined a light in his eye, then pulled out his tongue.

“Yep. He’s been infected. I’m sorry dear.” Gingko said.

“Infected? With what?” Saskia said.

“Swamp Fever.” Gingko answered plainly.

“Swamp Fever? I thought that was a myth?” Moonlight asked, confusion in her voice.

“It is very real. And unfortunately, this entire facility has been overrun with it.” Gingko said.

“Overrun? Do you mean the ghouls? Is that why they look different than others we’ve encountered?” I asked.

“Indeed. I should explain.” Ginkgo said, turning to address all of us.

“This facility was originally designed to study medical procedures and develop new types of medicine to aid the wounded during the war. In the final years of the war, Director Zia gave us a new task. Discover the mystery that was Swamp Fever.” Gingko explained.

“The plants that Dr. Celery talked about in his log entry.” I said.

“Ah, you found his office. He kept hitting on me for years until he finally got the hint. Sadly he died shortly after the bombs dropped.” Gingko said, her voice solemn.

She then shook her head for a moment and spoke again, “But yes. Plants were brought in from the Hayseed Swamp to the east. Any reports of Swamp Fever also mentioned these plants in the vicinity.”

“”And what were you able to discover, Doctor?” Moonlight asked.

“We studied the pollen of the plants, and concluded that they release this pollen to spread the allergen that causes the illness. But soon we discovered something else about the plant.” Gingko said.

“And what was that?” Saskia asked.

“They weren’t just plants. They were a form of symbiotic species that came from another, spreading the pollen that contained not just the fever, but the seeds to the mother plant.” Gingko said.

We all were growing anxious. The way she was talking about this made it seem like this was leading to something dark.

“Shortly after we discovered this, there was an accident in the lab. One of our doctors was exposed to the pollen, and came down with Swamp Fever. We panicked and tried to come up with a solution. But when Director Zia got word of the accident, she ordered us to focus on studying the effects on her, rather than try to save her.” Gingko said, sadness growing in her voice now.

Moonlight bolted in front of her, “You let a fellow doctor suffer from a disease just for study!?”

Gingko was shocked, and flinched back from the sudden outburst. Zoey “eeped” and hid behind her mother. Seeing the filly, Moonlight calmed down a little, but still gave the doctor a stern look.

Gingko looked away, “We weren’t given a choice. If we hadn’t, Zia would have brought in new doctors. Better to have those you know in your last few days, rather than strangers.”

Moonlight huffed, but relented. She moved back towards the table and looked at the equipment.

“So what happened to this doctor?” I asked.

“She grew worse as the days went on. Twigs started growing out of her. She hiccupped those bubbles that you’ve seen coming from the ghouls as well. Though when she did it, it didn’t release pollen like the ghouls.” Gingko said.

That was interesting. Something must have changed with the ghouls for it to change like that.

“After five days, she seemed to pass in her sleep. We couldn’t bear the thought of cremating her, nor could we send her remains back to her family, so we took her to the lower level and gave her a proper burial. And that is when we learned the truth.” Gingko said.

“The truth?” I asked.

“The truth of where the plants came from. A day after we buried her, a tree started to grow out of her grave. And it quickly grew in the span of just a few days. And when the tree reached the ceiling, it began to produce the very plants that we had been studying.” Gingko said.

“That’s insane. A tree growing out of the flesh of a pony? And in such a short amount of time?” Moonlight said, finally looking away from the machinery in the room.

Saskia hummed for a moment, making all of us look her way. She met our gaze with a puzzled look, “If what you say is true Doctor, then why haven’t these ghouls become trees if they’ve been here for so long?”

“That’s a good question. For what you said, the fever takes less than two weeks to run its course from infection to the tree growing out of the host. But these ghouls have clearly been here for centuries from what you’ve told me.” I said.

“I have no idea. I’ve been more concerned about keeping Zoey and myself safe and making sure these infected do not escape the facility.” Gingko said.

“I have a theory.” Moonlight said, making all of us look her way.

She blushed from the sudden attention, but cleared her throat, “The disease clearly uses nutrients from the host body to nurture the tree inside. But from what Ratchet has told me about ghouls, their bodies are in a state borderlining death and life. They don’t require food, water, or sleep. So perhaps the plant can’t obtain the nutrients it needs from these hosts because they don’t have the nutrients it needs anymore.”

Ginkgo put a hoof on her chin, “Yes, that does make some sense of this. Zoey and I have gone for months without food or water, and never truly felt any repercussions from it.”

“But then why are the ghouls spreading the pollen instead of the plants from the tree?” I asked.

“I believe I may have something about that.” Saskia said.

“The wasteland has several creatures and species of plant that have evolved and adapted to the radiation from the war that covers most of the environment. Perhaps the radiation that leaked into this facility altered the original tree and plant, making it adapt to try and survive. Using the ghouls that cannot properly nurture the plant to full maturity to instead spread the pollen.”

Gingko’s eyes widened, “Yes of course! That’s brilliant!”

“It certainly makes some sense in this bloody mess. But it doesn’t help us come any closer to a cure for Ratchet.” Moonlight said.

We all looked over to Ratchet, whose breathing was ragged as ever. He seemed to be sleeping, but pain was clear in his expression.

This facility was a death trap, and I led us here. I led my friends into this Tartarus pit, trying to be a hero. And look where it got us. Surrounded by deadly disease spreading ghouls and some kind of electric cloud.

Wait! The cloud!

“Dr. Gingko, what is that electric cloud that roams this facility?” I asked.

She looked at me funny for a moment before realization hit her face, “Oh right. I never explained them to you.”

She cleared her throat, “That cloud you’ve been seeing is not actually a cloud. They’re flash bees.”

I raised an eyebrow, “Bees?”

“Yes, Flash Bees. They are native to the swamp where we harvested the plants. So we also took them for study, as they seemed to usually nest close to the plants.” She said.

“How can bees generate electricity?” I asked.

“It’s a defense mechanism. Some animals have organs that generate electricity for small bursts to use against predators, or to stun prey.” Moonlight explained.

“Very good Moonlight. You have quite the education.” Gingko said, smiling at the mare.

Moonlight blushed, “I just spent a lot of time in my family library.”

“Such books are a rarity in the wasteland. Most doctors you will find are self taught, unless they hail from one of the major cities down south.” Saskia said.

Moonlight looked away, not meeting any of our gazes.

I quickly changed the subject, “Back on the matter at hand. These flash bees, they nest around the plant?”

“Yes, they have a rather large nest in the lower level of the facility. I’ve seen it.” Gingko said.

“Bees tend to gather pollen from plants and flowers to make honey from what I’ve read back home. So these bees use the pollen from the Swamp Fever plants?” I asked,

“It’s certainly possible. I’ve never witnessed myself but they must have honey in their nest.” Gingko said.

“Then how are they unaffected by the disease?” I asked.

Suddenly, both Gingko and Moonlight gasped.

“That’s it!” Both of them exclaimed.

“The honey!” Moonlight yelled.

“If they use pollen from the plants, they must have natural ways to neutralize the disease!” Gingko shouted.

It started to click for the rest of us as well.

“So if we can get some of that honey.” I said.

“Then we can save Ratchet!” Saskia finished for me.

It was all coming together now. We could save him!

But as we all were lost in our excitement, suddenly Gingko’s smile faded. I noticed this and turned to her with concern.

“Doctor, what’s wrong?” I asked.

She looked at all of us with a look of deep concern, “While we may have a good theory on the properties of the honey. I’m afraid getting to it will be extremely dangerous.”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take.” I said.

Saskia and Moonlight both looked at me with worry. I looked back at them, my expression unyielding.

“I brought you all here. And I need to take responsibility for that.” I said.

“Shadow, you mustn’t blame yourself. You did not force us to follow you.” Saskia said.

“Saskia is right. You can’t shoulder all the blame for this.” Moonlight said, her eyes filled with sadness.

I sighed, “I know how you both feel. But Ratchet needs that honey, and this mare needs your help Moonlight.” I said, pointing to the mare on the table.

Moonlight looked to her, and then back to me. She bit her bottom lip, but nodded.

Doctor Gingko walked up to her, giving her a book from her saddlebags.

“This is a detailed guide on this type of surgery as well as pegasi anatomy. Study it and wait for me to get back. We will perform the surgery together.”

“Get back? From where Doctor?” I asked.

She turned to me, “You didn’t think I’d send you alone down there did you?”

“There is no need for you to risk your life as well. Just draw me a map, I’ll find the nest.” I said.

“You will need more than a map. This is my responsibility as well. I was a part of this project and I refuse to sit by and let another pony die from this disease. Not again.” Doctor Gingko rounded on me, grief in her eyes.

At first I wanted to object, but the look in her eye told me that it was futile. I understand her pain, and I wasn’t going to stand in her way.

“What else do we need?” I asked.

She went to the terminal inside the room and unlocked it, “Zoey, I opened a channel to security, you should be able to monitor us until we get to the stairwell to Level 3.”

“On it momma.” Zoey said, walking over to the terminal.

“Now, we need to head to the armory on the other side of the facility. It has another environment suit, like the one I’m wearing. You’ll need it for protection against the pollen in Level 3.” Gingko said.

“Understood. Saskia, I leave Moonlight and Ratchet with you. Keep everypony safe.” I said.

“Don’t worry about us. You just come back in one piece.” Saskia said, reloading Bane and Blight.

Moonlight suddenly hugged me from the side, “Please be careful Shadow.”

I was shocked by the sudden contact, but returned the hug, “I will. It’s not the first time I’ve gone into a monster den, remember?” I said, trying to get a smile out of her.

She didn’t smile, only laid her head on my chest for a few more seconds before letting go and sitting in a corner with her book. I reached out to her, but she didn’t turn her head. She didn’t seem to trust me fully yet, not that I blame her after Sandpit.

“Let’s get going Doctor Gingko.” I said, walking to the door.

She led me out of the door and out into the hall again. As we walked on, I said nothing, my head low. She occasionally looked back at me, whether to make sure I was following, or in concern for my well being, I couldn’t tell. The halls were clear of flashbees and ghouls, giving us no obstacles to the armory.

As the armory came into view though, three ghouls moved down the hallway, blocking us from our goal. Gingko warmed up her flamethrower and looked at me. I nodded, pulling out Desert Rose and Venta.

I activated SATS, aiming two shots at the first ghoul, one to the head, one to the chest. Both shots hit, making the first ghoul fall in a slump. The other two ghouls growled and charged at us. They marched straight into a stream of fire, curiosity of Doctor Gingko. The ghouls screamed and flailed backwards as they burned before falling to the floor as charred husks.

“That weapon is terrifying. Why is that in a medical facility?” I asked.

“It was used to keep the plants from spreading past it’s designated area. Too dangerous to use cutting tools or your standard gardening.” Gingko said.

“A tad overkill isn’t it?” I said.

“I may have made some adjustments to the original design.” Gingko said, looking away slightly.

I chuckled, and moved past the burnt corpses and into the armory. Gingko moved past me towards the lockers. She tapped in a code to one of the panels, the locker opening shortly after. She reached in and took out a suit similar to hers but seeming to be fitted more to a stallion’s frame.

“Try it on.” She said,

I took it in my magic, getting a better look at it. It was thick, but not as heavy as it looked. It seemed to cover most of the body, except the head of course, as that was what the helmet was for. I started to put it over my stable barding, but a hoof stopped me, making me look to the source.

Doctor Gingko looked at the collar of my barding, seeming to focus on the number specifically. Her expression was a mix of shock and confusion.

“Where did you get this?” She asked me.

I hesitated, not sure what to say. But I couldn’t lie to her, not after she agreed to help us.

“I got it in Stable 100, my home.” I answered.

She took a step back, her expression now one of anger.

“I knew something was different about you when I heard you say that prayer. I didn’t think it was possible. So the stable was completed.” Gingko said.

“Yes it was. I don’t understand. Our history says that all employees of EREC were brought into the stable when it was sealed.” I said.

She scuffed at that, “They would spread lies like that.”

“Are you telling me that our founders left you all here to die in balefire?” I asked, my eyes horrified.

“That is exactly what I am telling you. My colleagues and I, Zoey, and those at the very facility you visited. They left us all.” Gingko said, still not turning to face me.

“But why!? Why would they do that? And why lie to all of us?” I asked, screaming at this point.

She finally turned to me, “Because you cannot save everyone. It is not kind, and may not be right, but sacrifices were made.”

I looked away, shame washing over me. All these ghouls, the doctor, Zoey, and those who I killed at the relief center. All of them were members of the very company that my tribe created. And they were left to die. Guardians save people, so why didn’t the directors save them?

“That’s enough about the past for now. Your friend’s condition will only get worse if we keep wasting time like this. Put on the suit and meet me outside.” Gingko said, moving past me to the door.

She stopped before exiting, “But this conversation is not over. You will tell me all about the stable, after we help your friends.”

And then she left.

I quietly put on the suit, it was a little tight but I didn’t care. My mind was still spinning from the conversation I just had. She knew about my origins now, and I could tell her trust in me had taken a hit because of it. I was from the stable that left her behind.

Putting on the helmet, the air filtering talisman activated. It would clean the air and provide me oxygen even in the most hostile environments. I had heard about them from the medical team in the stable but never imagined I would ever use one.

I walked out into the hallway, Gingko sitting on her haunches waiting for me.

She lifted her radio, “We have the suit. Heading for Level 3 now. Any bad guys between us and the stairs sweetie?”

“Two infected are walking by the stairs. Just the two.” Zoey said over the radio.

“Thank you dear.” Gingko said, putting her hoof down and giving me a motion to follow her.

“Doctor.” I called after her.

She ignored me, walking forward.

“Doctor Gingko please!” I called again.

She stopped in her tracks, turning to me.

“I know the directors left you. But there must be a reason. I won’t ask you to forgive anyone, but we can’t continue into a dangerous area like this with us not even willing to talk to each other.” I said.

She sighed and looked away again, but after a few seconds turned back, “I will admit. I overreacted a little. You are not to blame for my misfortunes. It was long before you were born. So make me a promise. Tell me all I want to know when this is done. Swear to Luna that you will keep your word, and I will put it behind me.”

I placed my hoof over my heart, “I swear to the Goddess Luna that I shall answer your every question when we have secured my friend’s safety.”

She smiled, “Very well. Come Shadow, let us find this honey.”

We walked together now, our spirits higher now that we had come to an understanding. Since she had connections to the EREC, I would not technically be going against my oath of silence. She was technically part of the tribe, according to our scriptures. Though how much of those scriptures I could trust now was in question.

We arrived at the staircase to Level 3, guarded by two wandering ghouls as Zoey had told us. No more had appeared and I was thankful for that. Gingko readied her flamer, but I held up a hoof.

“Save your fuel. I’ll handle this.” I whispered to her, as quietly as I could through my mask.

I took out Desert Rose, and lined up two shots, one to each of their heads. As I released the spell, my shots rang out. One hit home, dropping the ghoul before it had time to turn.

My other shot unfortunately was off and hit the wall to the side of the ghoul. It hissed as it turned to see me. It charged and came at me down the hallway. I took out Umbra, and with practiced precision, I threw it at the ghoul. My dagger hit home, lodging into the ghoul’s eye socket. It screamed and fell dead.

As I walked over to retrieve Umbra, Doctor Ginkgo came up behind me, “Tell me how one is such a horrible shot with a gun, yet quite accurate with a dagger?”

I blushed in embarrassment as I turned to look at her over my shoulder, “Master Gutshot used to tell me that. Said I didn’t make a lick of sense to him.”

She laughed, which sounded like a wet choking noise as she was a ghoul.

“I share this Gutshot’s evaluation, it doesn’t make sense to me.” She said.

I groaned and moved toward the stairs, “So, anything I should know before we descend?”

“Don’t breathe the air, watch for flash bees, and be ready for a lot more ghouls. It will be a difficult task.” Gingko explained.

“Any idea where the nest is?” I asked.

“It is on the other side of the level from the stairwell. We will have to fight our way through most of the floor to get to it.” Gingko said.

“It is never easy. Best we get a move on.” I said.

She nodded and we began the descent into the lowest level of the research facility. Even in the stairwell, I could see the dust in the air, which I now knew to be pollen from the plants. The further we went down, the thicker the pollen got. It blurred my field of vision slightly, but the mask would protect my eyes.

As we reached the bottom, Gingko told me to hold at the door. I did as she asked, watching her pull out an ID card and held it up to a scanner. A green light appeared and the door unlocked. She pushed it open slowly, kicking up more pollen. Poking her head out, she looked around and signaled for me to follow her.

We exited the stairwell, and immediately the facility looked a lot different than what I saw on the other levels. Vines and plants covered the walls, some spewing out the very pollen in the air. The vines grew along the ground as well, some large enough to trip a pony if they were not careful. Doors had long lost their doors to the vines, the large slabs of metal laying across the floor, also covered in vines.

“This is incredible. The plants have completely taken over this floor. How have they not spread to the other floors?” I asked.

“My theory is that each plant can only extend its roots on the surface to a certain extent. They cannot dig through the metal floor to get nutrients from the ground, so they all must connect to the mother plant, being the tree at the center of this floor.” Gingko explained.

“That makes sense. That’s why they send ghouls upstairs. Instinct tells them to try and expand with their hosts, but the plants can’t take root from the ghoul’s flesh.” I said.

“Correct. Which is why I have worked to keep them from escaping the facility. It would be a disaster if these plants got outside.” She said.

“Agreed. Let’s find the hive and get out of here as fast as we can.” I said.

And as luck would have it, the moment I said that, five ghouls came out of the nearby room, growling in our direction and charged.

Doctor Gingko let loose a stream of flames as the group got close, burning three of them to cinder. But one had worked towards her side and tackled her. She stood her ground as the creature tried to bite through her suit, to no avail. I quickly came to Gingko’s aid and cut off the ghouls head with Venta.

Another ghoul came up behind me, trying to jump on my back. I quickly gave it a swift buck before it could reach me, knocking it away. By the time it got itself back up, it could only stare down the barrel of my shotgun, receiving a blast of buckshot for its efforts.

I helped Gingko up, “You ok?”

“Yes thank you. That was close.” Gingko said, getting back to her hooves.

“You weren’t kidding about there being more of them down here. Five at once is a bit much.” I said.
“And this is only the beginning. Come, we should keep moving.” Gingko said, pointing forward into the hallway.

I nodded and followed her.

The labs were all but taken over by the plants, more pods releasing the pollen the further we went. Knowing that without my mask, I would be in the same condition as Ratchet in seconds made me nervous, but I steeled myself. I had to stay focused.

I was thankful for Gingko’s knowledge of the facility. Without her guidance, I would have gotten seriously lost down here. So many doors, twists and turns. It was like a maze of death.

Another noise came to my ears this time, not growls, not buzzing.

“Shadow, flashbees! Get behind me!” Gingko shouted.

Just as she shouted that, a familiar electric blue cloud came barreling toward us. Sparks of electricity flew around the cloud of bees as it raced toward us. I jumped behind the doctor, moments before she let loose another burst of flames.

When the heat of the flames died down, I dared to poke my head around her body.

On the ground in front of us was a pile of burnt insects, larger than any bee I had ever seen. Of course I’d never actually seen a bee, but you get the idea. I’d say about the size of a bumblebee from the pictures I had seen in the library. One was still buzzing, but wasn’t moving all that much. I took Venta, crushing the bee with the hilt of my sword. Electric sparks danced across my blade, making me thankful I didn’t have to use my mouth.

“Are flash bees usually this big?” I asked.

“No. They must have mutated, like the plants. Possibly as a side effect of the plants adaptation to this environment.” Gingko answered.

“How much fuel do you have left?” I asked.

“Half a tank, enough to last us a while, but not if we keep getting swarmed by ghouls. They take a lot more fuel than the bees.” She said.

“Then reserve as much as you can for the bees. I can handle the ghouls, but your flamer is more effective on the bees.” I said.

“Very well then. Onward.” Gingko agreed.

Further we ventured, running into the occasional ghoul, nothing I couldn’t handle. But something was eating at the back of my mind. Gingko said there were more ghouls down here, and other than the big group at the stairwell, we hadn’t encountered more than one or two at a time.

As we moved down the next hallway, several side rooms were missing their doors. All except one, the third one to the right. As we reached the door, I moved towards it. The door was locked, and I turned to Gingko.

“Doctor, any idea what this lab was for?” I asked.

She looked at the door panel, looking at it for a moment before answering me.

“It’s not a lab. It’s a storage unit.” Gingko said.

“Storing what?” I asked.

“Equipment, chemicals, gas canisters. Just a secure area to keep things safe.” She said.

“Hmm. So nothing that will be of any help to us.” I said.

As I stepped back away from the door, a flash of moment caught my attention. But by the time I turned my head, it was too late.

A ghoul appeared from another lab, jumping on my back and trying to bite through the shoulder of my suit. I quickly moved to try and buck it off, but it was determined. Thankfully it couldn’t get through the leather, but I could feel the pressure.

As I struggled with the ghoul on my back, I looked to see that Dr. Gingko was dealing with four others coming from the labs that we had passed. They had been waiting for us. I walked us right into an ambush.

In my frustration, I bashed the ghoul on my back into the wall, causing it to let go finally. Not even bothering to get my weapons out, I stomped on the creature's head, crushing its skull with ease. Not wasting any time, I rushed to help Doctor Gingko, who had taken out three ghouls already. I took out my revolver and went into SATS, lining up three shots, each to the head of a ghoul. Releasing the spell, two shots hit, dropping the ghouls instantly. The third rushed in, right into Gingko’s stream of fire.

As the charred ghoul fell to the ground, four more came from another room, growling as they rushed us. I fired three more shots from my revolver, hitting one in the shoulder and missing my other shots.

“Dammit, I knew I should have taken those extra lessons with Master Gutshot.”

I jumped back to reload my gun, barely in time for the next ghoul to make it to me. I took Umbra and stabbed it in the eye, making it scream and thrash around before going limp.

“Fuck!” Gingko yelled out.

I looked to see that Gingko was on her side. Two ghouls had tackled her and were pinning her, trying to bite through her suit. The last ghoul putting itself between them and me. Venta and Umbra floating at my sides, I lunged forward.

As I swung my sword horizontally at its face, it bit down my blade. I looked like it was trying to break my sword, but it had no idea how reliable Venta was. I put more force on my sword, making it slice through, cutting its jaw clean in half. The top part of the head gushing blood as it fell.

I jumped over it and quickly took out my shotgun, making it to GIngko and kicking one of the ghouls off her. It tumbled and I pressed the barrel of the gun to the side of its face. Pulling the trigger, its head exploded in a spray of gore.

Hearing a grunt, I turned to see GIngko had pushed the other ghoul off of herself and held it down with her hoof. I walked up to her and stabbed Umbra through its neck, silencing the beast.

Panting heavily, Gingko turned to me, “Thank you Shadow. These things are getting more bold. We must be getting close.”

“These creatures are more intelligent than I gave them credit for. They waited to ambush us, like predators.” I said.

“I do find that strange. I would say it's a natural hunting instinct, but these used to be ponies.” Gingko pondered.

“Perhaps they adapted after living down here for so long. Hard to tell. Either way, we should continue.” I said.

“I know. The center of the level is just up ahead, we should hurry.” She said.

As we walked onwards, I noticed that Gingko was moving slower than before, and that she was favoring a leg.

“Gingko, are you hurt?” I asked.

She sighed, “I figured you would notice. Yes, one of the ghouls was standing on my leg while they had me pinned. It’s not too bad.”

“Are you sure?” I pressed.

“Shadow, we don’t have time to sit and nurse a sore leg. The more time we waste down here, the worse your friend will get.” She said.

As much as I hated seeing her in pain, she was right. If she could walk, she could continue. Time was not on our side. The quicker we find the honey, the better.

And soon, we came to our final destination. A set of huge metal doors stood in front of us. Roots and vines had opened the doors just enough for them to spread to the outside hallway. But not enough to allow us entrance without opening the door completely. The label on the door read “Specimen Room”. This is where all of this was going to get much more difficult.

“Ready?” Ginkgo asked me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I jumped and looked at her, “Yeah. Any advice?”

“Yes. Don’t touch any of the pods. And we need to get this done as soon as possible. The pollen is most likely thicker in here. Our air filters might not last long in a highly concentrated environment.” She said.

“Good point. Well, let’s see what we’re dealing with. Open her up.” I said.

She took her hoof and started to type in a code into the panel next to the door. It was truly a good thing she came along. I never could have hacked into that thing. The door started to open as the screen of the panel went green. The roots shifted for a moment but were clung to the wall above the door enough to avoid collapse. And as the dust cleared, I saw just how bad things had gotten down here.

The specimen room was completely taken over by the plants. I couldn’t see any metal in the room, not even on the ceiling. Vines, leaves, pods, even some trees had grown everywhere. And Gingko was right, the pollen was so thick it made it hard to see inside. How could they maintain themselves? They couldn’t get through the metal floor.

Then something else caught my eye, several things actually.

Flashbees. The ceiling and most of the upper part of the room was covered in them, like a blanket of electricity bouncing all over the place. I watched them fly around the ceiling for several minutes, hoping that they hadn’t noticed us in the doorway.

“Look there, the large tree in the center of the room.” Gingko whispered to me.

Looking in the direction she was, I found what we were looking for. A large beehive, bigger than any I had seen in pictures, hung from a large branch on the center tree. This tree was a great deal larger than the rest in the room. It went all the way to the ceiling and stretched out across. Vines and roots reaching out across the floor, connecting to all the other trees and plants in the room. Near the roots were more pods spewing out more pollen.

“I take it that tree is the source of all of this?” I asked.

“Yes, that is where we buried her. Felina was her name. She was such a kind soul.” Gingko said, her voice growing sad and remorseful.

“I wish there was something I could do to make up for all this…” She said, her voice distant.

And as she said that, a lightbulb lit up in my head.

“Maybe there is.” I said, getting her attention.

She looked at me, confusion showing through her eyes visible from the holes in her mask.

“Remember that storage unit we found on the way here?” I asked.

“Yes, but I fail to see what that has to do with our current situation.” Gingko said.

“You said gas canisters were stored there. Perhaps highly flammable gas?” I said, grinning though she couldn’t see it.

Then it clicked for her, “Do you mean to flood this level with gas and ignite it?”

I nodded, “If we can fill the level with enough gas, we can ignite it on our way out and burn all these plants to Tartarus. Stopping the spread of this disease and putting all the ghouls here to rest, as well as your friend Felina.”

She was taken aback by my plan, resting against the wall for a moment as she pondered my plan. After a minute or so, she turned back to me.

“How do you plan to release enough gas?” She asked.

“You know this layout better than me. Where would someone go if they wanted to release something into the ventilation system on this floor only?” I asked.

“You would need to go back the way we came and take another hallway. It leads to the main ventilation shaft that lets out into all the vents on this floor.” Gingko said, pointing back the way we came.

“Good. You grab a few canisters of something flammable and release it into the vents. Our masks should protect us long enough for us to escape. I’ll get the honey.” I said.

“By yourself?” She asked, clearly worried.

“I can move a lot faster than you can with that flamer, and we will need your fuel to ignite the gas. I’m pretty good at stealth, don’t worry. Not my first time in a monster den.” I said smugly.

She didn’t seem convinced but relented, “I don’t like leaving you here alone, but I think this plan might work. I’ll need some time to get the gas to the main vent. Give me a 10 minute head start before you go in for the honey.”

I nodded.

Doctor Gingko then took off back down the hallway, leaving me here alone. I kept an eye on the clock my pipbuck came with. 5 minutes had already passed. The tension was thick in the air. Several times ghouls came to the door and looked out in the hallway. I kept to one of the side rooms, out of sight and downwind, just in case these things still had their sense of smell.

This was not going to be easy. Not only were the ghouls a problem, but the bees were a much bigger threat. I didn’t fancy getting electrocuted again. And without Gingko’s flamer, fighting them will be all but impossible.

My best chance to get to the nest and try to create some kind of distraction. And it was then that I remembered a trick Master Gutshot taught me. I took out a revolver cartridge and nodded to myself.

Looking at my clock again, it had been twelve minutes. Time to begin.

I made my way silently towards the door, no ghouls or bees in sight. Looking into the room, I saw the ghouls had accumulated on one side of the room, near one of the pollen pods. The bees were still mostly on the ceiling, with some buzzing around the nest.

Moving to the opposite side of the room to the ghouls, I began my little trick. Taking Umbra, I cut the cartridge open and began to pour the gunpowder in a straight line along one the roots. After I was satisfied with the length of powder, I stepped back, hiding behind one of the trees. Giving one last look to all the creatures in the room, and taking a deep breath, I set it off.

My horn sparked with one of the few spells I knew, a tiny flicker of flame appearing near the gunpowder. Not enough to set the root on fire itself, but just enough to ignite the gunpowder. A small explosive wave of flame danced across the root, making just enough noise to catch the attention of the ghouls. They began to run over to my side of the room to investigate, along with some of the bees above.

Sticking to the shadows, I moved with haste towards the hive. That stunt wouldn’t fool them for long, I had to act quickly. Luckily for me, the bees near the hive had joined in on the search and left the hive vulnerable.
I reached the hive and took out two jars that I used for my alchemy, as well as Umbra. I took my dagger and cut enough of the hive to give me room to work. But as I reached in with my magic to fill the jars, something caught my eye. And I captured its attention as well.

A bee slightly larger than my hoof sat inside the nest. A crown like object on her head, signifying to me who I was looking at. The Queen.

She glared at me and let out a loud buzzing noise, and it made my heart go cold as I figured out what she was doing. She was calling the others.

Wasting no more time, I quickly scooped up the honey into the jars, the queen sounding even more irritated with me. She let out a flash of electricity, but thankfully it couldn’t reach my body. Thank you telekinesis.

As I put the jars away, I turned to see the ghouls and the bees all coming towards me. But what terrified me even more was when the bees started to electrocute the ghouls that got in their way. Soon it was more bees than ghouls coming towards me.

I panicked and started running, jumping over vines and roots to get to the door. I made it there, jumping over a ghoul that tried to jump at me. I paid the ghoul no mind as I ran with all my enhanced speed out the door and down into the hallway.

I dared to look back as I ran, and the largest cloud of bees I had seen yet was coming right towards me. The few ghouls that came out before them were electrocuted and fell limp. These things were pissed, and coming right for me. And with the risk of igniting the gas too early, I couldn’t take the chance of firing any of my guns. Not that they would be of much help with this swarm.

I rounded the corner and saw Gingko at the far end of the hallway.

“Run! Head for the stairwell!” I yelled as loud as I could through my mask, trying to motion with my hoof as well while still running.

She didn’t seem to hear me, but must have seen the horde of bees chasing me, because she immediately turned towards the stairwell. With my speed, I caught up to her while getting some distance from the bees.

“Did you get the honey!?” She yelled as she ran.

“Yes! Did you release the gas?” I asked.

“I did. I set the gas into the vents, two canisters full. Then I turned up the ventilation to max. It should have spread it all across the level by now.” Gingko explained.

“Good work. We need something to ignite the gas. Got any fuel left?” I asked.

“Yes, but I’m not going to shoot out flames only for it to blow up in my face.” She said.

“We don’t need to use the flamer itself.” I said.

My horn glowed and I removed the fuel tank from her flamer, some of the fuel spilling onto the floor. Gingko was about to ask what I was planning to do, but I just pressed her on. The swarm was gaining on us.

Finally, the stairwell came into view.

“Gingko, when I give the word, close the door to the stairwell!” I said.

She nodded and ran inside the door. I turned the last second before the door and threw the fuel tank towards the swarm. It landed on the floor of the hallway, spilling its contents a little.

As I turned to move into the doorway, a shock hit me, making me stumble forward and into the doorway. I barely made it past the door as I laid there, my body not responding after the electric shock.

“NOW!” I screamed through the pain.

She pressed the button, and the door began to close.

With the last of my strength, I brought out my revolver and went into SATS, lining up a shot to the flamer fuel canister.

Goddess Luna, please guide my shot

I fired right as the door was almost closed, and the goddess answered my prayer, as flames danced across the bottom of the door before it was sealed shut. The heat from the door was so intense I could feel it from where I was sitting.

My body felt so heavy, and my legs were still numb from the shock.

“Shadow, you alright?” Gingko asked me, looking over me.

I looked up at her, and only had the strength for three words before I passed out from the pain.

“I hate bees.”

Footnote: Level Up

New Trait Added: Apiphobia
Your recent encounter with Flashbees has left an impression on you. And not a good one.

You gain +1 Agility when you encounter any species reassembling bees. But suffer a -2 to Perception.

Author's Note

And another chapter done. One of my best I think, but I'll let you all decide that.

Until next time,
Hades