The mare’s speeder zipped through the air as it flew past several snow-covered mountains.

Soon, the speeder rounded a mountain and the mare smirked as she spotted her home; seeing her home which was comprised of several – big and small – domes, that sat atop a cliffside, but hidden inside the entrance of a cave. This made it difficult to spot.

The speeder flew into the maw of the caw, blowing up snow in the process. The garage door opened, allowing her to fly inside. Once the speeder touched down, the garage doors closed shut behind it. The cold in the room was shortly replaced by warmth.

Twilight, the mare and the Doctor got up off the speeder, planting their hooves down the metal floor. It was floor, but nothing compared to what they had been through in getting here.

While Twilight and the Doctor looked around the garage at the various bits and parts of technology, the mare trotted up towards a door, but not before stepping up a small flight of steps – that consisted of approximately of five steps. On the third step, she turned and looked back over her shoulder at her guests.

“Come on,” the mare instructed, nudging her head towards the door. She then turned back and ascended the remaining steps. The door automatically opened for her, moving into the wall to let her enter.

Twilight and the Doctor hesitated, silently staring at the open door as the mare stepped through it.

“I don’t know, Doctor. I don’t trust her,” Twilight said.

“I trust her,” said the Doctor.

Twilight turned her head and shot him a confused look.

“What makes you so sure of that?”

Turning his head, the Doctor shot Twilight a serious glance.

“She saved us from the Flood,” he said.

The Doctor then turned away from Twilight and trotted across the garage until he reached the steps. He then climbed the steps and entered the doorway, leaving Twilight behind until she finally ran up after him.

After trotting down a corridor, the Doctor turned left and entered a large, dome-shaped room that looked like living quarters. There was a mechanical table with seats around it, and a bookcase.

However, these books were simple pads with touch-screens that contained a trove of knowledge from history, combat techniques, skills on engineering, etc.

“Make yourself at home,” the mare said as she trotted out of a room, the door closing behind her. She didn’t have her staff with her.

The Doctor looked towards her and nodded in response.

“Its not much, but it’s the best I can do right now. I wasn’t exactly expecting company,” the mare said, gesturing out towards her living quarters with her hoof.

“No, don’t worry about,” the Doctor said, remaining focused on the living room-like area, “Merely saving us from the Flood makes us indebted to you, miss…?”

The mare shot him a confused look, furrowing her brows until they widened as it dawned on her…

“Oh, excuse me. We haven’t been introduced,” she said.

“I am Rey.” She extended her hoof, which the Doctor took and shook.

“I am the Doctor,” he said with a friendly smile. Behind him, Twilight up from the corridor, stopping beside him, “And this is Twilight Sparkle.” The Doctor gestured towards Twilight.

“Nice to make your acquaintance. I am Rey,” Rey said. She nodded her head at Twilight and extended her hoof. Like the Doctor, Twilight took and shook it.

“Twilight Sparkle,” said Twilight, smiling at Rey.

Once they stopped shaking their hooves and lowered them to the floor, Rey turned towards the Doctor. She extended her hoof and gently tapped his chest.

“Doc, you called those creatures “the Flood”, did you not?” Rey said.

“Yes,” said the Doctor, nodding his head back.

“Then, you know them?” she asked.

Hanging his head, the Doctor closed his eyes and nodded back.

“Not only do I know about them, but I also fought them in the greatest war the galaxy had ever known,” he said.

Rey’s mouth opened slightly as she sensed a hint of sadness in his voice. She too closed her eyes and hung her head, sighing heavily.

“I…am sorry for your loss,” she said.

“The Flood took everything from me too…long ago,” Opening her eyes, she looked down at the floor as she blinked her eyes.

The Doctor furrowed his brows as he and Twilight looked up at Twilight. Craning her head up, Rey stared back at Twilight and the Doctor.

Rey shook her head and turned away from the duo, trotting across the living area towards a hollow doorway, which was presumably the kitchen.

“Anyway, do you two want anything to eat?” Rey called back to Twilight and the Doctor. In response to this question, Twilight furrowed her brows confusedly.

“What do you mean if we want anything to eat?” Twilight asked. “Are you not going out to find the others?!” Her voice grew more serious.

Rey abruptly stopped in her tracks and slowly looked back over her shoulder at Twilight.

“Even if I were to go out in search of your friends, odds are that the Flood have already gotten to them and killed them…or worse,” Rey replied sternly.

Twilight furrowed her brows and shot Rey a look of disbelief. Anger formed on her face as it welled up within her.

“But we cannot just leave them out there all alone!” Twilight shouted angrily.

Rey quickly turned around, trotted – across the room – up towards her, and stared into Twilight’s face. Some of the lavender mare’s courage waned as she looked into Rey’s face.

“Listen here, missy. I have survived in this cold wasteland because I know when to help…and when to stay my hoof,” Rey said in a sterner tone than Twilight.

The serious look on Twilight’s face melted away into a nervously blank stare.

“You can go out there and try to navigate the mountains. You might get down on your own, but not before the Flood have devoured your friends,” she spat back at Twilight, anger prominent in her voice.

“If you want me to risk my life to go and find your friends, then I’ll do it once things have calmed down and they have gone,” Rey finished.

She shot Twilight a serious look, then turned away and was about to trot away, only for her attention to shift towards the Doctor as he asked, “Do you mean the Flood?”

Rey shook her head at him.

“I mean the ones who come to fight the Flood, once they emerge from their caves,” Rey said before she turned away from the Doctor and returned to the Kitchen.

“Now come, we shouldn’t wait on an empty stomach,” she called back to Twilight and the Doctor.

The Doctor and Twilight, however, shot each other confused looks.

“There…is something else here? Something other than the Flood?!” Twilight asked, stunned to learn that there was something else here beside the Flood. He furrowed his brows intrigued, but also a little afraid. Frightened at the prospect that whatever this other force is, it might be responsible for the Flood outbreak. Maybe even planned for it.

“We’ll discuss this later, but for right now we should get a bite to eat. We are no good to anyone if we are starving,” replied the Doctor.

“Agreed.” Twilight nodded. They turned and followed Rey into the kitchen to see what she had to eat.

Meanwhile outside Rey’s home, a swarm of Aggressor Sentinels flew through the air past the mountains as they headed towards the recent site of reported Flood activity.

Passing over the mountains, the Sentinels descended and converged on the crashed Ninka. They flew around and patrolled the starship’s interior and exterior for any sight of the Flood. However, there was no sign of the parasite anywhere…aside from tracks – in the snow – that led towards a cave. One Enforcer hovered above the Ninka’s wreak, but it only served as a pre-caution.

With recent reports of humanoid Combat Forms sighted amidst the ever-emerging Flood forces, the Monitor wasn’t taking any chances.

Back inside Rey’s home, after getting the Doctor and Twilight something to eat, she trotted off to her room.

However, before she arrived at the door, she froze in her tracks as she heard a voice…

“Rey… Rey… Rey…”

She slowly turned her head, looking corridor towards a corridor.

Her eyes widened as she spotted an older stallion make his way down the corridor towards a door.

Behind him, an Infection Form quietly followed behind him. It crawled along the wall until it got into an optimal position to pounce on him. However, the stallion stopped in his tracks – as he heard the fresh liquid dripping off the Infection Form – and turned around, just before the Infection Form leapt from the wall onto him. It latched onto his chest and knocked him backwards, causing him to stumble back into his room. A loud scream permeated from his room as the door closed behind him…!

The sounds of a struggle and screaming eventually stopped, just before the door opened and a long whip-like claw reached out and grabbed onto the edge. Followed thereafter by a grotesque Combat Form, that growled ferally as it hobbled out of the room. It turned its head and stared directly at Rey…

However, just as the Combat Form looked towards her, it suddenly vanished, and the door to the stallion’s room was now shut. It had even been locked.

Rey hung her head, frowning sadly down at the floor. She turned her head and looked back at Twilight and the Doctor, staring at them before she turned back towards her room and trotted up towards it.

***

Meanwhile at a facility far away, Poe, Holdo and the two remaining soldiers looked around at the large hallways as the Monitor, 2401 Penitent Tangent floated in front of them.

“This way, Equestrians. We must not delay,” Tangent called back to them as he led the group down a hallway. However, Poe, Holdo and the two soldiers were just too taken aback by the incredible technology and lay-out of the architecture on display to pay attention to what Tangent said.

They watched as waves of energy travelled up along enigmatic symbols along the walls and even the floor.

The subtle ambience of energy pulses, artificial roars and other machines emanated throughout the many hallways and corridors.

Everything contributed to making it feel like the facility was alive in a subtle but certainly noticeable manner.

Holdo had the soldiers helping her, move her closer to Poe. She leaned over to him and said, “Whatever race lives here are far more technologically advanced than us or even the Pentastar Alignment” to him.

“If we can get them to help us, we might be able to reclaim the galaxy from the Alignment!” The excitement grew more prevalent in her voice.

Poe nodded in agreement as he looked out at the large, geometric and angular structures, which towered over the four equines and Monitor.

The group followed the Monitor through the facility until they arrived at a large hallway. The other end of which revealed large – 12 feet tall – double-door that towered over the four equines and Monitor. The top-center of the doors was an enigmatic symbol of a circle with four lines that connected to the top and sides of the circle. The symbol’s outlines glowed gold and saw blue energy pulsing throughout the symbol.

The doors automatically opened for them, and they entered the chamber. Inside, they were greeted to a large chamber with a large, round table in the center of the room. The table was electronic (of course) and displayed a variety of holograms. At the other end of the room, a throne sat atop a small – five steps – flight of steps.

However, it was the figure sitting in this throne that made Poe, Holdo, and the remaining soldiers gasp in shock.

It was a tall – 11ft. 40 inch – humanoid wearing some sort of full-body armor, including a titular helmet. Two geometric and angular shapes hovered above both of the humanoid’s shoulders – and beside its head.

The humanoid slouched forward over the throne, supporting its arms on the armrests.

“Master Builder, I bring guests,” Tangent said to the humanoid.

“Mrrgm,” the humanoid grumbled, “What guests?” the Master Builder asked in a slow and groggy voice.

“Equestrians, whom I suspect came on the fleet that arrived hours ago,” replied Tangent.

The Master Builder furrowed its brows before quickly standing up from its throne…

“What the hell?!” Poe asked.

He and the other soldiers immediately raised their pistol and blaster rifles at the humanoid. In response, the humanoid thrust his hand out towards the equines and seized them with some unknown force; causing Poe, Holdo and the soldiers to freeze in their tracks, unable to move a muscle.

Behind the helmet, the Master Builder smirked and slowly stepped towards them. He walked around the table towards the equines…

“Master Builder!” Tangent called out in alarm, drawing the humanoid’s attention, “These Equestrians bear you ill intentions,” he said, to which the Master Builder merely scoffed back.

“There are no Equestrians with ill intentions,” the Master Builder replied, speaking in a darkly monotone voice, “There is only the suffering and hardship they bring wherever they tread!” he snarled.

The Master Builder walked up towards and stopped in front of the doorway. He slowly raised his arm, which lifted Poe, Holdo and the soldiers into the air above him.

They hovered in front of the humanoid, who silently turned his head and looked at each of them. His mask then pulled back away, revealing his face, which the Equestrians gasped at seeing. The Master Builder smirked at their horrified reactions.

“Monitor detain these four. Then provide me with the location of what remains of their fleet,” he instructed, “I am in need of more test subjects…and I have just been provided a new livestock,” he said.

Tangent looked back towards Poe, Holdo and the soldiers before he looked back towards the Master Builder.

“Yes, Master Builder,” replied Tangent before he and Poe, Holdo and the soldiers vanished – as several rings of golden light moved up along their bodies – leaving the Master Builder alone in the chamber.

Lowering its hand, the Master Builder chuckled to itself at the thought of having new specimens to toy with…

***

A while later in space, the remaining Venators – which had survived the attack when they arrived at the planet – had retreated to the other side of the planet in the hopes of evading their captors.

For now, everything was calm and quiet. The survivors of the attack had managed to escape and are now recovering.

On the Pillar of Autumn’s bridge, Captain Sarkli looked out the viewport towards the mystery planet, deep in thought about what had become of Poe, Holdo, and the rest of the ponies onboard the Ninka when it had been shot down by their unseen attackers.

“Captain, we have managed to locate the Ninka on the surface-” an officer said from down in the crew pit. Sarkli turned his head and looked at the officer, about to speak until the officer abruptly interrupted him…

“Wait, I am receiving a transmission from the Ninka,” said the officer, looking back towards the monitor as several other crewmen turned their attention towards him. All of them waited patiently for him to tell them what the transmission said. The officer’s brows then jumped, and he turned back towards Sarkli.

“They have survived the crash-” Sarkli’ brows jumped, and several crewmembers sharply exhaled in relief, “…and they have provided co-ordinates for us to pick them and the rest of the survivors up,” the officer said.

Without hesitation, Sarkli swiftly turned around and looked down into the left crew pit. He extended and pointed his hoof at another officer.

“Order the rest of the fleet to hold their position…but that should they not hear back from us, they are permitted to leave the system,” he instructed, to which several crewmen shot him odd looks, “We are going down to the surface to get Holdo and the other survivors,” he said.

“Yes, Captain,” replied the officer.

Turning back towards the viewport, Sarkli watched as the Pillar of Autumn slowly turned away from the rest of the fleet towards the planet.

Author's Note

Feedback and comments are appreciated