“You’ve forgotten far more important ponies than me...”

*** *** ***

“Check the room, Sparks...” Glitter hissed as she nodded toward one of the adjacent doorways.

Something must have been occupying the maintenance crews now, the hallways becoming more and more vacant as we pressed on. Patrols that were once back and forth every five minutes, became one every twenty. Glitter and I both suspected a trap as we got closer and closer to her office. They had to have realized by now that the three ponies sent to kill me were taking much longer than they should have to simply place a pillow over a comatose stallion. Now they’ve got two -what did they call us?- heretics to worry about. But, if Glossy was telling the truth, and these ponies were still here to hunt survivors down... that means there’s still more of us around here somewhere. We began checking every room between us and the security chief’s office for anypony else who might be holding out. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of having to sneak around with a group of ponies who could slow us down, but Glitter was insistent that we’d be safer in numbers.

That being said... splitting up didn’t sound like strategy of the week either, but I wasn’t about to start arguing with the only pony who had a plan here. So, I nodded back to her, and peeked into the room.

Nopony here.

I trotted inside a little further. It took me a few more seconds before I realized that I was standing in security lock-up. The administrator desk, the holding cells... all the memories of where I was came flooding back... and they were not particularly pretty ones. Thinking back, this was where I was right before Aqua, Glitter and Kahn asked me to come with them to arrest Platinum Braid. I was here because...

Right, I remember now. The filly, the little brat who vandalized the hallway. What was her name again? Damnit, she was an idiot, but...

I reluctantly trotted over to the holding cells and looked inside the one I saw her locked in. Well... it’s empty. I didn’t know what I was expecting or even hoping for, but my apprehension suddenly reached a level I wasn’t especially comfortable with. I found my own curiosity getting the better of me, as I moved to the security terminal.

The filly, Daylily, had to have still been here when the apples hit the fan. Call it guilt, but that’s something I’ve learned to lock away and bury a long time ago. Maybe it was just a sliver of concern for somepony who I felt slightly responsible for putting in lock-up... and crushing her dreams all in the same day.

Oh, fine! It was guilt...

I opened the occupants tab and searched for her file.

Daylily
Occupant: Daylily
Offense: Vandalism
Apprehending Officer: Inspector Charger
Cell: 2
Time-in: 3 days
Time-out: In use

I raised my eyebrow at the terminal registering her as still in the cell. I looked up, just in case I missed her carcass rotting on the floor or something, but the cell was still void of anything to do with the filly... I peered through the bared gate again, suddenly noticing a displaced vent near the bottom left corner of the cell, with a few loose screws littering the floor around it. The square hole to the ventilation shaft was just big enough for a small pony or filly to squeeze through.

The little runt actually escaped... I guess security figured she looked too innocent to be hiding anything like a screwdriver in her tail. Maybe she wasn’t as flowery as she led everypony on to believe after all.

I couldn’t tell if that made me feel more relieved or more uneasy. Just because she escaped, doesn’t mean she got away. Maybe if she stayed in her cell, she’d be tagging along with us... Okay, probably best that didn’t happen anyway. I quickly returned to the terminal to read the rest of her file. Maybe security was able to find her parents before--

"They're coming... she is coming... getting closer..."

My ears perked at the return of the ghostly voice. “W-what..?”

"Back off Sparky!"

It sounded as if she was close enough to be brushing against my tail. "Platinum!" I growled as I spun and whipped my pistol around, quickly lining up my sights. And there she was... standing right there in front of me. Her steel coat, her jet-black mane, her caramel eyes, her twisted metal-forge cutiemark. I slid a round into the chamber, aiming right at her head, before I--

"Sparky!"

A blinding flash suddenly struck me, flooding the room and my vision with a bright white light. I winced, quickly covering my eyes with my foreleg and groaned from a headache beginning to surge. Grrr! Is this some kind of sick joke!? Risking the sting in my retinas, I squinted my eyes and aimed down the sights once more, ready to squeeze the trigger before the rival unicorn got the best of me... only to see that I was staring at nothing. There was no Platinum. No voice. Just an empty grey doorframe. There was a subtle pulsing through my head, not the usual one of rage that I was used to, but just a constant cloudy throbbing... I swear, it felt like my mind was going to rip itself apart. I'd hardly realized I was holding my breath the whole time. Lowering my gun, I fell back against the desk, gasping hard to catch my breath. "I'm okay, Glitter!"

Glitter crept into view with that typical concerned look about her. "Okay? Sparks, you are not okay. You can barely stand, for Luna’s sake. It... it looks bad. REALLY bad.”

Oh, so now she cares about me. Now she wants to help me...

Before I could even shrug her off, her hooves invaded my personal space yet again, poking at the stitches above my eye. "Ow! Glitter! Cut it out, damnit!" I hissed as I swatted her hoof away.

She frowned at me before moving to the bandage on my side. "Oh, you are such a foal. Just shut up and let me look at you. I might be able to help."

I shrieked a bit louder than what felt comfortable in this situation, as she poked my side where the serrated steel had stabbed me. "NOPE!" My horn glowed an intense red, my aura wrapping around her entire body and pushing her a good 10 feet away from me, my own body falling back on my haunches with a thud. "Definitely NOT helping!"

She huffed, blowing her bangs out of her eyes again. "Sparky, you could be seriously hurt! The docs thought you were dead for a reason. I don't want to lose you again. I--" She paused, hesitating to finish the thought, but eventually knitting her brow, looking confident and determined. "I love you, you idiot."

She... wait, WHAT!? I quickly caught my breath after feeling the painful surge up my side, so I could finally shoot a doubtful glare at her. Oh, she loves me, is that it? Because nothing spells romance more than leaving me to DIE to a bunch of PINKO MAINTENANCE CANNIBALS IN AN ELEVATOR!

"You... love me?" I made my skepticism clear, raising an eyebrow.

She rolled her eyes, once again closing the gap between us. "Please don’t make this weird... Of course I do! Sure we've been distant, but I still care about you! Why do you think I wanted to become security chief in the first place? I care about all of you guys.”

I sighed as I pulled myself back to my hooves, holstering my gun back in my jacket. “You’ve never cared about me before Glitter, there’s no need to pretend like you do now.”

The gasp that came forth couldn't have sounded more hurt, looking at me, eyes wide and glistening, as if I’d just broken her heart. “That’s... that’s not true, Sparky! I’ve always cared about you!”

"Ha!" I guffawed, shaking my head. “That's funny... I must have missed your concerned cries for me as you bolted out the elevator.” I scoffed. “But really, don’t sweat it. If it makes you feel any better, I probably would have done the same to you.”

Like I said before, I don’t blame her for what she did. But that doesn’t mean I have to forgive her.

"But... but that's not--" She stammered a bit at my words as I trotted passed her. She wasn't able to finish her sentence. She didn’t have to. She just hung her head in shame and drooped her ears. She was a selfish mare. Everypony in this Stable was. Deep down, we were all selfish in some way. That’s just the way it was. My dad was right, if you’re going to survive to your full potential, you have to assume everypony else around you is just as selfish as you are. Maybe this was the first time that she realized how easy it was for that to show, if only for a small moment. If she didn’t understand my answer to her friendship question before, it was crystal clear now. I could have sworn I saw a tear roll down her cheek before I limped into the next room.

As much as I tried to avoid it, another guilty thought flashed through my mind. What if she really did just reveal she cared, and I just crushed her like she was a radroach? Maybe... maybe I should have let her care. Maybe she really felt guilty for leaving me, and she was just that scared. Likely story... But that would blow my entire concept of equinity out of the water. Damnit, Dad...

I looked back at her and sighed, watching her slow gloomy trot behind me, head hung low, probably contemplating where she went wrong with me, aside from the obvious. Sheesh, now she’s the one who’s acting like a foal.

Aw, crap... C’mon, you heartless bastard, you can’t just leave her looking like that!

"...I’m... sorry....”

Her ears suddenly perked up, looking up at me with a sniffle. “H-huh?”

"Look, I know I can act like a real ass sometimes, and..." I sighed, my voice heavy with regret. "Well, you know how I can get... I didn’t mean it.”

My amateur apology got a small smile out of her as she sped up to trot alongside me. "What does Aqua always say to you? 'Shut up, you stupid Stallion.'" With a playful punch of my shoulder, -Ow! Damnit! She hits hard- she trotted ahead and took the lead again. “Now, c’mon! We’ve got a rebellion to crush!”

A friend? Maybe she still was, but... I still don’t know, especially after what she did to me... I swear, if she wasn’t the closest thing that I had to family right now, it would be a lot easier to just... Sigh Oh, who am I kidding? I've missed her... Aqua, Kahn, even Diamond and... Well... Yeah, her too... And... I guess I didn’t want to lose them either. Not anymore than I already had at least.

So... maybe it couldn't hurt to give Glitter another chance.

….

Okay, then again, maybe it could... A lot. In fact, I’m pretty sure that if I give out anymore extra chances, it’s going to kill me.

Celestia, I need a drink...

*** *** ***

“Oh goddesses... I had no idea.” Glitter stopped to catch her breath after making a desperate gallop into her office.

We barely had enough time to evade a maintenance patrol as she fiddled with her Badge ID to open the door. Inside her office, there was a large desk with a terminal buzzing on it at the end of the room, several end-tables, a Stable-Tec banner above the doorway, but what really spelled ‘Glitter Punch’ were the display cases of weapons collected throughout the years as Chief of Security.

“Fuck...” She pointed at a picture she had on her desk, her breath still heavy with exhaustion, as she trotted over and picked it up. I caught her complexed look, unsure of whether she was about to break down and cry or scream at the goddesses in rage as she observed it in her hooves.

"What's that?" I tried to get a better glimpse, peeking over her shoulder, only for her to swiftly turn and shove the frame into my hooves, nickering in anger. It was an old black and white photo that looked like it could have been pre-war. The ponies in the picture told me that definitely was not the case. Though probably decades younger, I still recognized the miserable looking foals in the picture. Two colts and five fillies. It wasn’t until she pointed at the one that resembled a much younger Platinum Braid that I realized what she was seething about.

“That fucking bitch!" She suddenly reared up and bucked the side of her desk in a rage, sending her terminal crashing to the floor. "This is all her fault! We’re going to find her, Sparky. We’re going to find Kahn and Aqua and Diamond. And together, we’re going to kill every last one of these pinko Maintenance assholes if we have to. Fucking lunatics!”

I looked at her as if she had just forgotten the Stable’s walls were grey. “What do you mean, ‘find her’? She’s--”

She was dead... right? No, I remember; She was torn apart by that monster pony. She’s nothing but burning chunks of meat in the debris of an elevator shaft. Of course, I chose not to mention that or what had happened back in lock-up either, or before that in the living quarters. It’s probably best I kept that to myself. I don't need her thinking I’m crazy or something, because... heh... I’m not!

She turned to me with determination. “She’s out there. Outside. We are going out there, and we’re going to drag her by her mane back to a holding cell, and then--! I-I don’t know what, but-- She’s not gonna like it!”

Woah. What did she mean by ‘we’?

I scratched the back of my mane, trying to comprehend what she was saying. “How do you know all this?”

“My security officers scouted them a few days ago. They reported everything to me before they were...” She sighed, trying to catch the emotion from escaping with her breath. “...captured or killed or... worse.”

She... she didn’t see what happened in the elevator, did she...

“Glitter...” I tried to tell her what I saw after the crash. That Platinum is dead... but to be honest, I didn’t even know what I thought I knew anymore. But part of me didn’t want to believe that anyway. Her security officers told her that she was alive. Maybe I did hit my head in the crash, and all of those gory details of Platinum and the creature were just figments of my cruel imagination. And now Glitter wants to leave the stable and go after her. She wants me to leave the stable with her.

“I’m not going to have any of that shit, Sparkhorn!” She glared at me in anger, as if she were reading my hesitant thoughts. “We are going out there, and we are gonna get some revenge! So suck it up!” She held her Pip-Buck up between us, switching to the map function. “I’ve got a map of the outside downloaded onto my Pip-Buck. As far as I know, they’re taking everypony they captured to this... Folly or whatever the fuck she is. I’ve got their tracking beacons. Once we get outside, all we have to do is follow them.” She stomped her hoof as she fumed, only to look me up and down a moment later and sighed. “Okay... maybe we should get you healed before we get some revenge...” She gave a small chuckle, her eyes suddenly fixed onto mine. “We’re gonna get out of this, Sparks.”

Right... Out... When she said we were going to put an end to this rebellion, leaving the stable on some wild goose chase was not what I had in mind. If outside was anything like that damn cavern beyond the entrance... Ick! The smell still hasn’t left me after three goddamn days! Damnit! Why couldn’t we have locked ourselves in the sanitation chamber!? The idea of reestablishing order inside the stable was something I could at least get behind, but after that... Well... goddamnit... we’re actually gonna have to do this, aren't we...

I gave a half hopeful, half doubtful smirk back at Glitter as I watched her trot over to her desk and open a drawer.

“First thing’s first. Here.” She suddenly pulled a bulky looking object out with her hoof before tossing it over to me.

I caught it in my magic, only registering what it was after pivoting it around to see the hopeful part of my expression gain a little ground in my reflection, as I stared at the Pip-Buck’s empty screen. “Nice!” Without a second thought, I strapped the device on above my left forehoof, only to blink my eyes in surprise at the sudden feeling of discomfort, as if it wasn't meant to sit the way I'd positioned it on my leg. "Huh? What the--?" It took a minute or two of head scratching and wondering why all the buttons and dials were upside down, before realizing I had put the device on the wrong hoof out of habit.

A right-hoof Pip-Buck? Great... I don't suppose the maintenance department would be willing to lend me a Pip-Buck technician to help me get used to swapping hooves. Not that I'd want to share a conversation with those ponies anyway. Sitting around in their stalls with nopony to talk to all day can turn a simple casing repair into an hour of wanting to bang your head against the wall while they chat your ear off.

Seriously, I could write a book of their life story with a single visit down there.

Swapping over my brass-hoof and glove, I strapped the Pip-Buck on above my right hoof this time and powered it on. After a moment of booting up, it began to run its diagnostics on me and adjust to my measurements. It was an older model, not as fast and a bit bulkier than my own, but it at least had an EFS and SATS. I sighed with relief as it finished, and the dull green screen lit up Glitter’s office, once again displaying my status HUD in front of me. Of course, it was no surprise to me that the first thing the screen displayed was a warning with an animated image of a stallion wincing in pain.

Crippled limbs

Well, no shi--! Wait... limbs, plural!?

That's when I saw that it wasn't only my foreleg and my body, but the dotted outline around the stallion's head also indicated that it was crippled too.

Crap, no wonder... I really did suffer some head trauma. Which means... All that crazy shit that I saw in the crash... The purple creature thing... Hearing Platinum’s voice... It was all probably just a... hallucination or something. Ha! I knew I wasn’t crazy! It’s only a major concussion! What a relief...

Glitter caught my attention again after hearing her break open one of her display cases and pull out what might resemble a standard 10mm pistol. This was a bit more unique, obviously not Stable-Tec legal. It had a stock, extended magazine, longer barrel, and enhanced sights. She tossed the submachine gun to me before breaking another display case, this time with a full stock and barrel combat shotgun. “We’ve got to arm ourselves.” She blew on the drum magazine to clear the dust, before she stuck it in her newly obtained weapon.

I looked over the gun she had given me; Full auto magazine, 30 rounds, sights lined up, and safety off. The thought of Glitter being the pony to trust me with this type of firepower managed to scrape a laugh from the bottom of whatever deep dark pit I kept my humor in. “Wow... I didn’t think the last op went so well that you’d lift my ban.”

“Smartass...” She mused, rolling her eyes at me. She reached under her security vest and pulled out her Badge ID card, still hanging from a lanyard around her neck. “Alright, here’s what we’re gonna do. The armory is just around the corner. I'll open it up, and we'll grab everything we need to fight our way out of here. I thought about doing this before, but I didn't have the clearance to access the Overmare's office and open her emergency exit." She smirked at me with overwhelming confidence. "I was going to try and collect a third Badge ID to override her terminal.”

I gave her a questioning look. “Third? What was the second?”

Her smirk suddenly retracted into a grimace, her eyes drifting away from mine. Slightly hesitant, her forehoof reached under her barding again, this time pulling out a different ID card, a touch of shame in her expression.

I gave a surprised laugh when I saw the steely eyed gaze of the pony’s profile picture. “Kahn...”

“I snagged it from his office, okay? It’s not like he’ll be missing it...” She sighed, looking as if she was trying to push away the reminder that he was gone. “But... now that you're here with your Badge ID clearance..."

Ah hell! I see where this is going... I winced, hissing through my teeth after realizing. "So, yeah... about that..."

"What is it?"

All I could do was follow instinct, which was apparently to chuckle nervously and shrug. "I... don't have my Badge ID card..."

Her face gave the hardest deadpan I'd ever seen it do. "You've got to be kidding m--"

“HERETIC!!!”

My ears perked at the sound of voices nearing our little break from chaos. I quickly raised my hoof to Glitter's mouth, effectively silencing her before she went off on me. "Shhh! You hear that?"

“AAAaaiiieee..!”

I gulped, the hallway bursting with agonizing screams, followed by gunshots and laughter from the maintenance ponies. It came from a mare by the sound of it. Frenzied cries, calls for help, and excited whinnies mixed together to form an orgy of disgusting howls, savage squawking and demonic chanting. They were tearing her apart...

“Feast! Feast! Feast!”

I saw Glitter tense up, grinding her teeth together. I recognized the killer in her eye as she furrowed her brow. It was a look I understood, I think, more than anything. Damnit, Glitter, don’t do it... I winced, lighting my horn not a second after her first determined step towards the door. This is what I meant by her doing something we'd all regret back up at the entrance. As quick as I could, I wrapped my magic around the shotgun in her mouth and tugged her backwards before she could land another hoof forward.

Her outrage suddenly turned to me. She was so angry, I almost thought she was about to pull the trigger on me out of spite. I was reminded of the maintenance stallion in the medbay, pointing his shotgun at me, my horn becoming extremely itchy and ready to raise my own gun at her. Thankfully, however, Glitter possessed a bit more curtesy than her Dirt Pony kin, finally spitting her gun out into her forehooves to glare at me. “What!?” She snarled.

Now this look... Yeah, I’ve seen it on her before. Her determination. Her anger. All right before we arrested Platinum. “Glitter...” I sighed, looking into her angry bloodshot ruby eyes. “You promised Kahn that you wouldn’t do anything stupid.”

Her eyes went wide as her expression loosened, looking somewhat offended by what I had said. “I--! W-what the hay are you talking about!?”

My magic took advantage of that, levitating the shotgun out of her reach completely and set it on her desk, finally giving her that skeptical look I’ve learned to often give. “You were like this before everything went down. When we arrested Platinum. You want to tell me why you're acting so impulsive?”

“Impulsive!?” She stood back up, looking at me as if I had just accused her of fillyfooling. Her nostrils flared at me, her narrow pupils glaring daggers into mine. Her breathing was deep and heavy, getting faster and faster, until... “She was our friend, Sparky!!!” ...she broke.

My eyes widened as I watched her break down, tears streaming down her cheeks until she finally began to sob. “Platinum... She was like our sister, you know? All my life I trusted her... And--! And she causes this!? She did this to us! How could she!? After everything... it... It doesn’t make sense!”

My eyes drifted away from her to the floor. "I know..." I mumbled, softly.

I had known Platinum Braid almost my entire life, but... I didn’t know how to feel about it. I mean, of course, I’d give anything to get that long maned hippie back, but what exactly are we going to do when we find her? Arrest her? You know, I could only imagine the amount of betrayal that Glitter must have been feeling. She was friends with Platinum longer than any of us... but we practically had to yank her tail back to keep her from charging down that cavern and kicking Platinum’s teeth in. Hell, I wanted to break her legs... And that was just after threatening to leave the stable. Now, after all this... only Celestia knows what we should do with her.

Maybe betrayal was what I was feeling too. Despite her being a recent thorn in my side, Platinum was still a friend. Was... It might have been stupid of me to think so... Some in the maintenance department might even go as far to say that we were the ones who had already betrayed her. I guess the death of Sugar Spade wouldn’t exactly help my argument against that...

Glitter tried to rein in her sob as she stood back up. She looked up at me with those sad bloodshot eyes, before giving an anxious sigh. “We have to stop this! We have to! Or else... or else more of what's out there--” Another desperate scream echoed through the hallway, making Glitter wince in sorrow.

I grimaced at the thought myself. Quickly feeling the need to change the subject, I tried putting a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “Hey... When was the last time you got some sleep?”

She gave another shudder, wiping her nose with her forehoof before shrugging. “I dunno… A day maybe... two... What does it matter? We don’t have time to--”

“Glitter...” I gave her a look.

She crossed her forehooves with a pout. “Well somepony has to keep watch, and you’re in no shape to--”

“Glitter, I’ve been asleep for three days. I'm about as well-rested as I can get.”

She rubbed her forehoof anxiously with the other as she looked me over. “Well... yeah... but, you’re still not as good a shot as me!”

What?! Blasphemy!!!

She groaned to herself, trotting tiredly passed me. “Maybe if I begged a little harder to get you to do the rest of your ‘20’ in Security, I think we’d both be a little more prepared for this...”

I shrugged, my eyes trying to ignore her toned charcoal flanks and brass-hoof cutiemark sway around me. “Well, Glitter... you know, you’re the one who taught me how to fight after all.”

I watched her bite her lip in thought before turning back to me. “Do you, uh..?” She began, clearing her throat as if uncomfortable with what she was about to ask. “You remember how to cast... you know..?”

I furrowed my brow in confusion. “What?”

She sighed. “You’re a unicorn, Spark. Earth Pony style can only take you so far...”

My ears drooped as soon as they heard those words. “Glitter..." I glared at her, my eyes narrow with disbelief. "You’re not asking what I think you’re asking, are you?” I shook my head, lowering my gaze between my hooves. “You know what happens when I--! Do you know how long it’s been since I--? You saw it happen! You were there! I-- I... I took an oath!”

“Yeah, well that ‘oath’ hasn’t stopped you before...”

I shot her a look.

“Just--!” She sighed again, gently putting her forehoof on my shoulder as our red eyes -ruby and bloody- locked. “Promise me... that if we need you to, you do whatever you can, alright?”

My mouth twitched as I hesitated to make that promise. Whatever I can, huh? I can't believe she'd even suggest that after what had happened. We both know from experience that 'whatever I can' will almost always lead to violating a code 2019.

Aggressive use of magic is not only a danger to everypony around me, but also... to me specifically. Don’t get me wrong, I didn't exactly appreciate the rule that prevented me from doing what comes natural to unicorns. But I also did NOT feel like turning myself into an orange by accident or something! I had to learn to both despise and respect my, ‘nervous tic’ for what it was. Of course, that didn’t stop me from being well read, thanks to Kahn’s access to the restricted section from when I was a colt. I know the spells... I know how they work... I know what they do... And now, Glitter wants me to take advantage of that...

I may be a gambling pony, but that’s like going all in before even looking at your cards. Besides, I’ve gotten this far without it anyway. And, as far as Glitter is concerned, I’ll be prepared... You know, promises are like playing poker. You could always fold if you have to. Why be hasty when you could bluff?

After a bit of contemplation, I shrugged before raising my eyebrows. “Whatever it takes for you to let me take the first watch while you catch some Z’s.” I raised my forehoof as if I were retaking my oath to the Overmare, Stable-Tec, and the Executive Council. "I promise... okay?"

She pondered that for a moment. Come on, Glitter... The last thing I need is for you to lose it while we’re sneaking around these bastards. She gave another anxious sigh, before nodding with acceptance. “Alright, you win... You can take the first watch... Just...” She looked between me and the corner of the room, having the vantage of the whole office space which included the entrance. “Can you..?” She blushed, as she hesitated to ask, “Can you just--? I-I... I'd sleep better if I wasn't... alone, Spark.”

My ears perked, lightly blushing right along with her. “Oh...” I trotted over to the corner with her, not able to help but mischievously grin at her the whole way. “You want me to hold your hoof while I'm at it, tough girl?”

She rolled her eyes before giving me a playful punch -Ouch! Still hurts- before sitting back on her haunches against the wall. “I am still the Chief of Security, asshole... So... don’t tell anypony about this, or you're a dead stallion.”

*** *** ***

"They're around here somewhere. Check the Chief's office."

"Ah, c'mon! We've checked it already! No one's got in there without a security badge."

"We'll there's somepony runnin' around here, and we're missin' a bunch of names. Just check it for Folly's sake!"

My ears perked, tiredly creaking an eye open toward the door. The hallway chaos seemed to had dissipated. Now only a few ponies remained... Ponies who were right outside the door, their hooves echoing around the hall. My eyes blinked open as I saw one big blob of EFS dots clot right outside the door.

Aw crap! I guess sleeping for three days isn’t as refreshing as I thought! Maybe if it weren't for Glitter's fear of the dark...

My muscles tensed as I tried to stand, only to feel my friend's forelegs tighten around my barrel, muzzle sinking deeper into the crevice of my neck. I hissed, quickly feeling my body turn to a cold sweat. My heart beat like a drum as I desperately fought against the warm embrace of the mare's pathetic cuddling. “G-Glitter...” I groaned.

I could hear them outside, at least five ponies trotting up to stack behind the door. "Mmmnn..." Glitter tensed up in our embrace, finally stirring with a tired moan.

I growled a little louder as I tried to shake her awake. “Glitter!”

“H-huh? Wha--? What’s going--?” She yawned.

My horn glowed, my aura ripping her away from our embrace, and prematurely standing her on her hooves. She fell back on her haunches with a surprised yelp. “They’re here!” I quickly grabbed my 10mm in a panic.

She rubbed her eyes with her forehooves in confusion. “Sparks... They don’t have the clearance to--”

Access Granted

Argh! She had to say it...

BANG!

"What the--? SHIT! They're in there!" One of them yelled as they all began to fire at us with, somehow with more precision and discipline than a maintenance pony.

Glitter’s eyes widened in disbelief. "W-what--? Wait! They're... they're security! Hold your fire, damnit!"

I couldn't tell if she was talking to them or me. Either way I couldn't help but ignore her. Once again, my magic wrapped around Glitter, this time pushing her behind her desk, diving beside her myself in one swift motion before levitating the shotgun back to her hooves. My EFS showed their bars as red. Well, that's good enough for me. I aimed my gun and fired into the crowd entering the room.

"Wait! Stop! Don't shoot them!" Glitter yelled, trying to push my gun from my magic. But it was too late.

They chanted as they continued to pepper our cover with hot burning lead. "For Folly!"

*** *** ***

"C'mon Glitter, just leave them. We've got to get out of here." I said, counting out the bullets I had left.

Unfortunately, I didn't even have a full magazine left. Only 11 rounds. Glitter, on the other hoof, probably had plenty of slugs left in her shotgun, especially since she left me to defend ourselves in her office. Still, definitely not enough to take on the rest of the maintenance department... and apparently what was left of Stable Security. We better get to the armory and fast before any more show up.

I looked at the ponies that Glitter quietly wept over. The ponies who we just killed... They wore Stable security uniforms and barding. They were able to open the door because they had Security clearance Badge ID cards... they were Security ponies. They were Glitter's ponies. And they were working with maintenance to hunt us down and kill us or... well, it doesn't really matter now, does it. Just another problem to deal with.

Glitter stood back up, wiping the tears from her eyes once again before giving me an angry glare. "I said not to shoot them, you asshole! They were Security! They protect ponies, and you just killed them!"

I rolled my eyes, shrugging defensively. “Well, they weren’t doing a very good job once they started shooting us, now were they?”

Okay, I didn't mean to sound like a wiseass, but..

The words hardly left my mouth before she turned on me and growled, swiftly planting her forehooves on my chest and pushing me backwards with her earth pony strength.

I fell to my haunches with a surprised grunt.

Bitch!

She pointed an accusing hoof at me. “You--! They could have helped us! If we had just talked to them...”

She’s been attacking these guys for the better part of three days, and she picks NOW of all times to get pissy about a few lost lives. You can add two more to that list if somepony hears us arguing.

“Oh, well excuse me all to Tartarus, ‘Mrs. Pacifist’!” My horn glowed, gritting my teeth in frustration, as I caused her to fall back on her own haunches after a vengeful telekinetic push. “Your security ponies were red! I shot at red bars! They were EFS red Glitter! They must have been caught before they could escape. They brainwashed them or... or something. Hell, who knows with these sons of bitches?”

I had the weirdest sense of Déjà vu as I watched her stand back up in determination, huffing and puffing like she was about to charge at me. “You don’t give a shit about them! And you have the audacity to think that I’M selfish!? These were my ponies! My friends! You son of a bitch!” She galloped up to me, pulling out her Badge ID again. “You can forget about helping... You obviously don’t care. I’ll go back to the game room and pick Cider’s lock to get your Badge ID myself! I still can’t believe you never learned how to pick a stupid lock.” She huffed, trying to sound calmer, to no avail. She pointed to a pair of double doors behind me. “That’s the armory there. Once I’m out of there, you can do whatever you want! That’s obviously all you’re good for.”

More tears rolled down her cheeks while my heart sank from her words. Yet still, I recovered quick, replacing whatever emotions I felt with angry disbelief. “I can’t believe you weren’t going to shoot them. I was just--”

“You were just what!?” She asked accusingly. “You were just ‘shooting at red bars’? Well, they were more than red bars to me! Seriously, what the fuck was Diamond having you do for you to be so damn trigger happy!? How about Platinum!? I want her alive because, red bar or not, she’s still our friend! How about me, huh!? Am I just a fucking green bar to you!?”

“No!” I yelled. “They. Were. Shooting. US!” I face-hoofed, feeling our time draining. “Damnit! We need to get out of here. Can we just discuss this later?”

“You still don’t get it, do you!?” She said, barely able to keep her emotions from spilling out onto the floor. “Maybe you were right. Maybe I shouldn’t care about you! Not anymore! Not after you’ve changed into... into this! No wonder Diamond divorced you...”

“I--! I...” I looked at the floor, realizing perhaps a bit too late that this wasn’t just about killing her security ponies. “...I’m sorry I didn’t realize you cared for the ponies that were trying to kill us... and I'm sorry I didn't realize you cared for me after all these years of not a SINGLE sign that you do! Not a, ‘Hey Spark how’ve you been?’ or, ‘Hey Spark, how about a drink?’ or, ‘Hey Spark, don’t worry about that mistake your Loyalty Inspectors made mishandling munitions, of course you can still keep your mom’s gun,’ OR--!” I made one final hiss before forcing a jeering chuckle. “OR, ‘Hey Spark, don’t worry! I’M NOT GONNA LEAVE YOU TO DIE IN A FUCKING ELEVATOR!!!’” I made no effort to hide my outrage. “...but, I am NOT going to APPOLOGIZE for killing ponies who were trying to kill us!” I took one more deep breath as I finished with, “--AND I DIVORCED HER!”

She stayed silent for a minute, stunned by my words as she struggled to say anything in response. But eventually, her emotions bubbled back up -in a different form- with a heartbroken sigh. “Well, I do care, okay? Now, I don’t know if that sweet little colt is still in that icy heart of yours or not, but if he is, I REALLY need him right now. I’m going to load myself up with as much firepower as I can carry, with or without you, and I’m going to avenge these poor bastards! I’m going to find everypony they took! And I am going to find our friends, Sparky!”

“Goddamnit, Glitter!” I growled, poking her chest with my forehoof and a stern look. “Stop. This does NOT have to be our fight.” My brow furrowed as I spoke firmly. “I say we get the power reactor up and running again and hunker down in the armory while we kill off every last one of these traitors. Everypony who went outside, they’re... They’re gone, Glitter! At least for now... Damnit, you know I’d give anything to get Aqua and Diamond and Kahn back... But, right now, we need to start worrying about what we have left! We need to worry about ourselves!”

She fixed me with a look so furious that she could have burned a hole through my forehead. “YOU KNOW I CAN’T DO THAT!”

“WHY NOT!?” I scoffed, seething as I did my best to suppress the flow of energy, desperately wanting to light my horn through my rage. “You did it to ME in the elevator, so why not now!? In fact, why should I even consider following you out there!? WHY SHOULD YOU, OF ALL PONIES, DESERVE MY HELP!?”

She glared at me, her jaw going slack from my response. The sheer surprise and disappointment on her face was unmistakable. Her lip began to quiver as her ears drooped, hanging her head to hide her resentment, her pink bangs helping her by falling over her face. “I... I really thought you’d say you’d help…” Her breath hitched in her chest as she sniffled, wiping her nose with her foreleg. “I guess… I guess a mare can’t have a second chance, huh? After all, I... I tried giving you one after... a-after Misty's funeral. But now, I'm... I really am on my own, then…” She clenched her eyes shut, before stomping her hoof in anger. “…well… F-fine! I-- I don’t nee--”

“Glitter…”

I groaned, feeling her desperation hit me like a kick to the chest. She may not have deserved my forgiveness, but... Damnit! Why's she got to make this difficult?! Okay... Okay, fine! Besides the fact that we’d BOTH be screwed if I walk out on her now... I hate seeing her like this. I can’t just leave her...

“I… I didn’t say I wouldn’t…” I said hesitantly, my gaze drifting to the floor.

“…h-huh?” She whimpered, looking up, her tears splashing against the floor below her.

I gave a defeated sigh, looking back up to meet her wet gaze before placing a gentle hoof on her shoulder. “I am going to regret saying this, but…” I tried to focus on her sorry face, sad gorgeous ruby eyes and all, still the same glistening eyes that I adored from when we were foals, even now through her greasy and disheveled mane.

She flinched, clenching her jaw at my touch, and hesitant to meet my gaze as tears rolled down her cheeks again, her expression somewhere between hopeless and downright terrified.

My mouth twitched as I struggled to show her any kind of comfort, still trying my best to put out whatever resentful coals were still burning around my heart towards her, -she, no doubt, doing the same- until I was able to conjure up a genuine -100% Sparkhorn Approved- reassuring look. “Glitter, you know I can't leave you to do this. No matter how pissed we make each other or how bad I lose my temper, you know I couldn't. Sigh So, I guess I’m with you, Glitter. Just like old times…”

The smallest amount of hope suddenly shined through her as she gasped. She looked up at me, her surprise and optimism mixing together to form that excited giddiness she often held behind those big eyes of hers. I thought that she might just light up at any moment, like a filly on Hearthswarming, or perhaps like on the day she'd been appointed Chief. But she did her best to hold it back, and instead of excitement, she just grimaced and nodded, a wave of relief finally washing over her. She let the remainder of her tears roll off her cheeks before wiping them away with her hoof. A sigh escaped her throat, at last letting a heartening smile spread across her muzzle. “You… you really mean it?” She asked, her eyes turning from desperate to hopeful.

“Hey!” I nickered in amusement. “I’ve never swindled you before, have I?”

Her smile threatened to stretch into a grin, but instead, it flipped into a skeptical frown, shooting me the dirtiest glare I had ever seen her give to a pony. “I’m going to pretend that you didn’t say that… but…” Without warning, her forelegs suddenly made a swift lunge toward me, once again wrapping around my barrel in a quick and gentle hug, catching me a bit by surprise. “Thank you…” She whispered.

I couldn’t help but give a sad smile, returning the hug -as quick as it was- by draping my foreleg around her back and holding her close. Her thankful nature managed to throw in a quick nuzzle, before she hesitantly pulled away from our warmth and trotted over to where she had dropped her shotgun, avoiding the maze of dead security ponies while doing so.

Did she forgive me for what I had done? Probably not. Did I forgive her for what she did? Hell no. But… I think we both decided that, given the circumstances, we at least deserved a chance to make it up to each other.

It’s funny... For a moment there, when she was giving me that thankful nuzzle of hers, I was reminded again of when we were foals. Even after everything she had done to me, I... I couldn’t just leave her there... And now? Sure, I knew I had just as bad a chance of surviving without her as she did without me, but I think, deep down, I was just glad I had my... my friend. I’d hate to admit it, but... Yeah... I guess I’m okay with that.

She picked her gun up in her hooves, examining it one more time before she turned back to me, mirroring the same sad smile I was giving her. It looked like she was calming down again, her face bringing back that strong-willed, determined look of hers. “Now c’mon! It’s time to get some revenge.” She said, her voice filled with confidence, as she trotted ahead towards the armory.

*** *** ***

Power level critical. Door recognition system: Offline

“Oh, fuck me with Celestia’s--!” Glitter growled as she pulled her Badge ID away from the card reader. “Work you son of a bitch!”

I sat back on my haunches and shook my head. “I told you it wouldn’t work.” I sighed, looking over the control panel with a frown. “We’re probably running on auxiliary power right now. I’m surprised any of the doors are working at this point.”

In contrast to our office doors, naturally more important rooms, like the armory, had to be magnetically sealed. This meant extra power to open them... a luxury we currently did not have at the moment.

Glitter let out a frustrated groan. “We’ll have to unlock it manually then.” She promptly pulled a screwdriver from her barding, fitting the bit into each of the screws that held the panel in place and twisting it between her forehooves, eventually unscrewing the entire panel to reveal the buttons, dials, cables, and inputs on its circuit board. She dropped the screwdriver into our saddlebag as the panel’s exterior clattered to the floor. Raising her Pip-buck to the input, she bit down on its plug and connected its hacking tool to the door’s controls.

I raised an eyebrow at her in surprise. “When the hell did you learn to manually hack into our card readers?”

“Err Hrrd ter lrrrn, ccrrs Err drrrdnt hrrrv drr rrrrt crrds!” She mumbled around her Pip-buck extension.

“Glitter…” I warned, rolling my eyes.

She finally released the plug from her mouth once she had connected it to the control panel. “I said, I had to learn. I didn’t have the right cards for the other doors.” She began to watch the progress bar slowly move along the screen of her Pip-buck.

I watched her Pip-buck curiously as my eyes narrowed at the slow molasses speed of her progress bar, inching toward the opposite side like a bright green slug. “So… how long is this going to take?”

She gave an anxious sigh and shrugged. “I don’t know… ten, maybe fifteen minutes?” She looked behind her, cautiously scanning the several corridors connecting to the armory at a ‘T’ joint. “You’re going to have to cover me while I work on this, okay?”

“Yeah.” I huffed, holding my submachinegun in my magic as I pulled back on its bolt, the click-clack echoing around the eeriness of the empty stable halls. “Way ahead of you.” I limped between her and the junction, scanning the three directions.

“Ow! Shit!”

My ears perked at Glitter’s yelp, raising my eyebrow, but keeping my focus on the hallways. “You okay?” I asked through a small chuckle.

She growled to herself as I heard her strike the wall with her hoof. “Goddessdamned thing just shocked me!”

I gave a lighthearted snicker at that. Sure, she might have learned a few things to get all smart on me, but she’s still the same old Glitter Punch. The same since we were--

My ears suddenly perked again, this time at the faintest sound of... giggling? Yeah... I swear it just came from down the hall. At first, I thought it was just Glitter trying to suppress a laugh. I turned to look, but... No, her face was still sour from the circuit’s jolt of energy. I suddenly felt an undeniable chill -from my nerves or the air around me, I couldn’t even tell- as the soft audio of immature laughter reminded me of...

“Aww, has maintenance been giving you security dipsticks a hard time?”

I froze, my ear twitching at the return of the voice. “No…” I swiveled my head around to find the source. “Glitter, did you hear that?”

“Huh?” Her eyes instantly shot up from her Pip-buck, checking her left and right flank. “No… What is it? Another rebel?”

My eyes widened, gawking in disbelief as I beheld a steel-colored hoof and foreleg sticking out around the corner down the hall, like it was waving at me... calling me to come closer. What the--? I clenched my eyes shut, shaking my head aggressively as if it would erase the unnerving image.

“Come on Sparks... It’ll just be a minute. You’ll be right back...”

“G-Glitter, I uh…” I gulped. “I’ll be right back…”

“Hmm? Oh...” Her shoulders rose as if she were about to shrug me off... only to shake her head and double take. “Wait, what!?” She scoffed before turning to glare daggers into me. “What do you mean, ‘you’ll be right back’!? You said, you’d cover me!”

I stayed silent as I opened my eyes, hoping that what I had seen... what I had heard, was just my cruel imagination torturing my beaten mind.

Only one way to know for sure though...

“You--” Glitter gulped after seeing my determined look. “You can’t just leave me here while I’m hooked up to the--”

“I said... I'll be right back!” I growled through my teeth, turning to scowl at her, my horn suddenly sparking into my magic’s red glow.

Her pupils contracted as she winced in horror. “S-Sparky?” She whimpered, panic dropping like a bucket of water over her head.

My eye twitched at the way she looked at me, like a frightened filly. I huffed, quickly shaking the energy out of my head, while I struggled to cut the flow of magic from my horn. “…damnit!” I hissed, giving her a concerned look as my aura dropped back down the base of my horn. “Glitter, I-- sigh I'm sorry... I didn’t mean to--”

“I-it’s okay!” She sighed, relieved as my aura finally dissipated above my head. “Just… Tell me what it is!”

“It’s uh…” I glanced back to the corner at the far end of the hall. Whatever it was, it wasn’t there anymore.

It was all in my damned head! It had to be! My Pip-buck said it was crippled. It’s the only explanation! I hit my head in the crash, and I’m-- Grrr!!! I just… I have to make sure…

”Do you trust me, Sparky?”

I slowly turned back towards her. “Do you trust me, Glitter?” It was the same question I'd asked before. No sarcasm, no greasy smirk, no hesitation, just a genuine look... only this time, it was one of hope as she met my gaze.

“I…” She paused, her gaze falling to the floor as if she needed to think on her answer again.

I guess I couldn’t blame her if she still couldn't...

After a few moments of looking me over, she finally nodded, giving me a heartwarming look as her eyes met my own again. “Yes… Yes, I think I do, Spark.”

Something... twitched inside my chest as I heard that, blocking out the other voice and dousing whatever hot anger I had with cold water.

She... she trusts me?

Celestia, that felt... felt... I don't know. Like those words melted something inside me, like she had when we were foals lost in storage.

I took a step towards her. I didn't want to leave her... hell, her words made me want to be with her more than ever. But now the question lingered; Did I trust her? Could I? Even after what she did? Even after what I've taught myself? Damnit! I could! I know I could! But... But the thought still felt hallow the more I tried to think of a way to say it back.

She hadn't noticed my lips begin to mouth the words as she sighed, glancing back to the door panel before giving me one more hopeful look. “You’ll be right back, right?”

I cocked my head at her question, before shaking myself back to the fact and stepping back... though it felt more as if something had pulled me that way. “Right back!” I reassured her. “I promise.”

The smallest of smiles appeared on her muzzle after giving a hesitant nod. “You’d better…” She demanded, still holding the smile, but with bleakness still entrenched in her voice. She quickly started watching over her own shoulder, her shotgun at her side, as I took off in a trot down the hall.

My hooves echoed off the floor, turning right to follow the direction of the disembodied voice... and her hoof. Damnit… It’s not really you! I thought, It can’t be!

But... She’s... Grrr! She’s screwing with me somehow!

My eyes narrowed as I approached the end of the next hall where I’d seen it last. As if it could sense its own magnetism, the foreleg extended out again, right in front of me, waving for me to come even closer. As soon as I could even acknowledge its intentions, something else echoed through the hallway. This time, I could easily make out the soft giggle coming from around the corner, the way a mare might giggle, sweet and naïve, like a laughing foal.

I got closer and closer to the corner, my limp fading as my trot steadied, almost as if the disembodied hoof was the thing controlling the cadence of my hoof steps, while my mind was just along for the ride. I got so close to it, that I could have reached out and touched the mare’s dark grey limb, before the giggling suddenly stopped, and whatever was behind the next corner, pulled its hoof back behind it in a blink of an eye. I stopped in my tracks, pausing to take a deep breath of preparation while readying my submachine gun floating beside me.

This better not be some kind of sick joke...

I swiftly turned the corner, gun first, aggressively aiming the sights to check every inch of the next hallway. For some reason... I was ready to shoot at whatever was standing in my way. I was like this before, too. All I had to do was pull my aura against the trigger. No... Don’t hesitate now! I have this thing right where I want it! It’s... it’s not really her... It’s not! I can do this! For my own sake, just do it! Just when I was about to fire a magazine of lead into my target... I froze, only able to gasp when I took in the stretch of hallway in front of me.

“What..!?” My eyes shot wide as I stood there in disbelief.

…nothing was there.

It was completely empty. The hallway only stretched so many more paces to a dead end. There weren’t even any doors for the pony to run through or hide in. It was just an empty hallway.

But, that’s impossible! I just saw her! She was--!

I had the sudden impression that there was something still here with me... watching me. Ponies were watching me... studying me like I was some sort of... unwelcomed guest!

But I’m... I’m a Loyalty Inspector! I can go anywhere I want!

I could just feel it! The grey wall behind me was lined with colorful unicorns and earth ponies, both old and young, mares and stallions. The criminal and the competition. All of them clad in tattered and bloody and burned stable jackets, jumpsuits and coveralls. Their dark silhouettes were all too familiar, as they stretched across the floor on either side of me, the light easily shining through their wide-open grins. They just stood there, watching my embarrassing attempt to gun down the mysterious pony, as if I were some bumbling antagonist in a play.

They think they’re better than me, is that it!?

I quickly jerked my head around to glower and perhaps mock them for how they met their own demise... but the hallway behind me was still empty and grey, with only the knowledge that Glitter Punch was still somewhere around the previous corner.

That... No... No no no NO! I’m not falling for it! Just... quit jumping at shadows! Pull yourself together, Sparkhorn!

I took a deep breath as I turned back toward the dead-end hallway in front of me. I still wasn’t convinced... I gave in to the urge to take a step forward, swiveling my ears around to listen for any kind of sound. Any kind of movement. But all I heard was the echo of my hoof-clop, returning to my ears from the opposing wall. I took another step forward with the same effect. Then another, and another. The further I went, the more distant I began to feel from reality, my thoughts growing hazy. Perhaps it was out of pure bewilderment from what I had just witnessed: A pony... vanishing out of thin air! And then the shadows...

My horn began to itch, begging for me to ignite it as harrowing alarms rang in my head. I could begin to feel the skin under my coat crawl with every step, while the short hairs of my mane prickled and stood erect with the fur on my neck. Finally, I heard something that wasn’t my own hooves as I reached the middle of the hallway. With my heart thundering against my chest at an almost paralyzingly slow rate, I stopped... and listened.

It was… music?

At first, I thought I was hearing my own imagination, the sound just barely audible enough to penetrate my thoughts. But, resuming my trot, its volume only grew, growing louder and louder with every step that carried me near the end of the hall. It was as if somepony was playing an old pre-war record on a phonograph. It started with the soft tune of a piano, before the rest of the orchestra joined in, the slow party music echoing off the dull and grey walls of the hallway.

This wasn’t just an empty stretch of stable anymore. Something was wrong. I suddenly fell into a cold sweat, as a chill went up my spine, and my limbs locked for a moment to shiver. You could feel it in the air. My ears began to twitch from a soft ringing -which grew louder with the intensity of the drifting tune- before they anxiously folded back against my skull. You could hear it in the music. A dull stench began to waft up my nostrils too and irritate my sinuses. I sniffled as my muzzle scrunched and my forehoof instantly shot up to rub my nose. Celestia, you could even smell it! I winced, my nose-rubbing hoof shooting up to my horn next, as I felt the intense pressure of my magic build against it. It hurt, but... but, it was for my own good, wasn’t it? Almost on impulse, I clicked out of the corner of my mouth with my tongue. It made me feel... happy.

NO!!! I protested internally, feeling my right eye fall into an uncontrollable fit of twitching. But, I... I could be, though. I really could... What’s wrong with being happy, anyway? After everything I’ve done for this stable, I deserve to be happy, don’t I? The stable... it can make me happy if IT’S happy. This... this was a--

POP!

“Aah! Luna!” I yelped, one of the light panels flickering above me before suddenly popping loudly, showering me in a plume of sparks. I was so startled that my magic imploded, dropping my gun to the floor in an ear gore clatter. I winced, ducking my head as pieces of glass from the bulb bounced off of my body.

The ponies were back again, them and their arrogant shadows, giggling and laughing at me as they tried to hide it behind their hooves. But I could hear them. I could feel them. And... if their blips would have only appeared on my EFS, I would know for a fact that they were NOT part of my goddamn imagination! I plugged my ears with my forehooves, desperately trying to shut them out... but I could still hear it... the laughter...

They’re not really there! They had their chance, and they can’t come back! Ever! They’re just jealous! They’re jealous that I’m here, and they’re not! They’re only trying to--

“Still in control there, Charger?”

My eyes raised in anger as I heard the return of the ghostly figure, standing right behind me. I seethed, grabbing the rapid-fire weapon back in my magic, and spun around, aiming the sights right smack on her smug looking face. “Shut up!” I screamed, “Shut up, Platinum!”

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! *Click* *Click* *Click*

My eye twitched in annoyance as I watched every one of my bullets pass right through her and strike the opposite wall at the end of the hallway. Just as quickly as she appeared, she was gone in another flash of blinding light.

What..? Where did she go!? She was right in front of me!

Before I could pursue that thought any further, a mareish shriek of terror echoed throughout the halls, followed by three blasts from Glitter’s riot shotgun. “Sparkhorn!”

My ears twisted back around at the sound of Glitter crying my name, prompting me to shake my head back to the reality I belonged to, and away from whatever mind torturing chamber that Tartarus apparently has in store for me. “Glitter!” I yelled back, galloping back around the corner to see her sitting against the armory wall, shotgun clutched tightly in her forehooves. She looked completely petrified, staring daggers into… something on the floor in front of her. “Glitter, what happened!? You okay!?” She didn’t even flinch from my call, her eyes still glued to the floor. I grew more and more concerned with every second that passed without her response. She remained silent, aside from her deep and stressful breaths. “GLITTER!”

She finally glanced back down the hall to where I stood. “I-… I-I’m okay!” She gulped, quickly returning her focus to whatever had rattled her.

I gave a relieved sigh after hearing her. “I don’t know what you’re doing up there, but you’ve got to see-…” I turned to point back down the strange hallway, when suddenly something slammed into my muzzle. “Ow! What the f--!?” I fell back on my haunches with a grunt, while my forehooves clutched my nose. I gave a short cry of pain into my hooves, my muzzle still very sore from the last time I had hit it.

Celestia, it better not start bleeding again… I’m sick of losing blood out of this particular spot for the day.

A groan escaped my throat as I gently put pressure on the tip of my muzzle, testing my tolerance for any more pain, before finally snapping out of my daze. I shook myself back into focus and looked around, frantically trying to find what had hit me, only to realize that… there was nothing. The only thing to greet me was a big, dull, grey wall that did nothing but absorb the impact of my face when I slammed straight into it. My eyes widened in disbelief as I stood back up.

No… What!? How could this--? Where the hell did this wall come from!? Where’s the hallway!?

I gently tested reality by placing my hooves over its surface, where the corner had previously turned. Now, I only stood in the stretch of stable that led from the right of the armory. Just a useless part of the stable that nopony ever used. Always has been… never more, never less.

“Sparky!” Now it was Glitter’s turn to sound concerned for me. “Sparky!? Get back here, quick! S-something happened!”

I mentally slapped myself, giving the wall one last skeptical glare, before turning to gallop back towards Glitter.

I am not going crazy, I am not going crazy, I am NOT going crazy!

I skidded to a halt before following her gaze. “What is--?” I cut myself short when I saw what she’d been staring at. “Oh... Damnit! Where did she come from?”

It was a mare. At least, that’s what I could only assume, now that half of her hide was missing and she was drenched in her own blood. She laid, still somehow clinging to life on the floor in front of us, with pony shaped bite marks traveling up and down her body that had violently torn her flesh away, along with three new large holes through her chest and face, courtesy of Glitter’s buckshot. Once again, wrongful colors contrasted with the stable’s dominant grey as a bright red pond of pulp bubbled out from the mare’s final seconds of short choking breaths. She died, thankfully, a moment later. It was apparent she'd been losing a massive amount of blood for at least some time before, a trail of it leading back down the hall from where she came, presumably due to the meal that had been made out of her by the maintenance department.

She must have barley escaped before the bastards could finish her off.

“I-I… I-I-… I’m so, so, sorry…” Glitter mumbled, still rattled by the mare’s appearance. “I-… I didn’t see her until the last second, she… she came up so quiet, and I… Oh Celestia, what have I done!?” Her hooves let go of the smoldering shotgun as it clattered to the floor.

I tore my eyes away from the mare to look at Glitter, noticing that her Pip-buck had been disconnected from the door panel, rather violently. Her device’s cable sparked as it dangled worthlessly from the controls. Oh, brilliant… I groaned internally as my face fell limp. “So… is there any chance you finished overriding the power before you ripped the transfer cable out of your Pip-buck?”

Glitter just continued to stare at the mare, wide-eyed, before silently shaking her head.

I sighed, my magic yanking the broken cable out of the panel before connecting my own -or at least my temporary- Pip-buck transfer cable to the door. “Alright, tell me how to finish this?” I swiveled my ears, waiting for her directions, only for her unnerved blubbering to continue over the mare. “GLITTER!”

“Huh?” She snapped out of her daze for the moment as she looked back at my Pip-buck. “Oh… Um… Yeah, just-… I-I need a minute.”

I shook my head with a growl. “Glitter, we don’t have a minute! If she’s here, then the bastards that did that to her can’t be too far behind.”

“B-but…” She stuttered, her focus drifted back to the mare. “I-I’m the bastard…” She wiped her nose with her hoof, once again trying to hold back her tears. “I’m the one who did that to her…”

“No. You didn’t.” I gave her a stern look. “That was mercy.”

“NO, IT WASN’T!”

I winced, as her scream echoed up and down the three hallways.

“I fucking shot her!” She cried, “She wasn’t a maintenance pony! And I just-…”

“Hey! You hear that!? All of you, go check it out!”

Our ears suddenly perked at more ponies yelling to each other, before the sound of their galloping hooves began to close in on us. Oh, great! Leave it to her big mouth... I turned back to Glitter, panic beginning to wash over us. “Unless you want to join her, I implore that you shut the fuck up, and help me!!!”

She clenched her eyes shut, desperately trying to pull herself back together before trotting over to my Pip-Buck. “O-okay... Uh...”

“NOW!” I screamed.

“I’m thinking, damnit!” Her breathing deepened as she tried to ignore the determined hoof beats getting louder and louder. “To initialize the power sequence, use the terminal interface on your Pip-Buck.”

“Okay...” I squinted, following her direction while my opposing forehoof tapped on my Pip-Buck’s functions. “Same thing we use for hacking terminals, huh?” I tried to sound calm... but truly, my heart was racing against the clock as the same frantic sounds reached my ears.

Glitter anxiously bit her lip, making a tiny string of red drool drip down from her mouth. She maniacally began looking between me and the left hallway, the one we were both sure the maintenance ponies would be charging through any second. “Oh crap... U-uh...” She gulped, “T-tell me when you see the progress bar, it should be up, right now!”

I looked down at the start-up screen to see the empty bar flash in front of me, slowly beginning to fill up again. “Okay...”

Aw crap! We’re going to have to start this over!?

“Tell me when you see it!” She yelled, beginning to pace back and forth in front of the hall. Her eyes kept drifting between the stretch of hallway and her shotgun, still laying next to the bloody corpse of the half eaten mare. “Talk to me, Sparks!”

“I have it!” I furrowed my brow. “But we’re going to have to wait for it to fill up again!”

“It’s coming from the armory! Through here! Don’t let those heretics get inside!”

The group of ponies continued to shout and gallop towards us, their echoes now filling the entire hall around us as we sat there, waiting and waiting. How long before they came racing through the final door at the end of the hall? Two minutes? One? 30 Seconds? It felt like we were just sitting on borrowed time now with our tails in a knot.

I heard Glitter whimper beside me. The anticipation for death was literally beginning to kill her... And I have to admit, I wasn’t far behind her. “Hey!” I shouted, trying to snap her out of it... for both our sakes.

“They’re coming!” She shuddered. “They’re gonna kill us!”

“Shut up and listen to me!” I hissed. “We’re going to need to make this quick. You go first, then I’ll run in and drop the door.”

“They’re coming...” She continued to warn me, grinding her teeth and growling in angst. She winced at the sound of several mechanical doors opening as the maintenance ponies galloped through them. “...we need more time...”

I barely heard her as I kept my eyes glued to my Pip-Buck, waiting for the moment to bolt as fast as we could through the door the second it allowed us. “...then we load up! Just like you said... and we come out guns blazing.”

“We need more time...” She repeated, bleakly.

Suddenly, the sound of a shotgun bolt reached my ears. I quickly twisted in place to see Glitter holding the riot shotgun in her forehooves. “Glitter?” Oh, I did NOT like that look in her eye...

She sighed, turning her desperation into determination. “I’m going to buy you some time...” She nodded.

Wait... WHAT!? I felt my face plummet to levels of stupefaction I wasn’t sure it was capable of reaching until now. “Glitter... What are you-..?” I was interrupted as she suddenly tossed something at me. I looked down to see her Badge ID fall to the floor at my hooves.

“You’ll need that to get the good stuff.” She said, turning towards the hallway. “When the door opens, don’t wait for me. Just drop the door and grab as much as you can. The bigger the better.”

“No, no, no, no! Hey! That’s not the plan!” I hollered, finally realizing what she was about to do. I watched in panic as her jaw latched around the shotgun’s trigger. Before I could protest, her rear legs sprung her down the hall, breaking into a gallop toward the sound of the coming crowd. “Glitter! Stick to the plan!”

Blam! Blam!

She began to fire wildly into the air. I could have sworn I heard a battle cry screech around her mouth grip, before she eventually turned the corner, and the sound of her own hooves and shouting mixed over the others'.

Blam! Blam!

I screamed her name, about to take off in a gallop after the only friend I might have left -the only family!-, only for the tug of my Pip-Buck’s cable to remind me that I’m not going anywhere. “GLITTER PUNCH!”

Blam! Blam! Blam!

Footnote: Level Up!

New Trait Discovered: I See Dead Ponies - Yeesh! You hit your head real good, didn’t you pal. You can already see the worst ways ponies can die. But, perhaps that little laceration above your eye is a little deeper than you originally thought. Looks like you’ve knocked a few more marbles loose... or, maybe into place. Either that or there’s something really strange going on here... Just try to resist the urge to put on one of those stupid tinfoil hats! The higher your perception, the higher chance of unusual visions occurring that normal ponies would otherwise never see. Careful now... while some visions may try to help you, others intend on leading you astray.

Author's Note

Whew! Wow! This... was a lot longer than I originally wanted it, but damnit, it was fun to write! I hope it’s just as fun to read!

Edit: This chapter has since been divided in two for an easier read.

As I said in my last post, I had to reorganize a few scenes in previous chapters, so if there’s anything that you thought was confusing, it might help to re-read the last two chapters.

As always, let me know what you all think with any feedback about anything! I am open minded to any ideas or critiques you might have. Send me a message, and I’ll check it out!

Only one more chapter (after the next) to go before the end of the first Act! Hope you all stay tuned!