Fluttershy is petrified by the sudden return of the lights in the hallway. She knows they exploded. She saw the sparks and the glass break and heard the pops. There should be no lights. There should only be darkness. And yet here she is, huddled in a lit hallway.

There is only buzzing and humming to fill her ears, and all she sees is the empty hallway, still damaged with battle and blood, but the Frail Stallion is nowhere to be seen. But even with the lack of the stalker she keeps her energy cutter aimed at the stairs.

…
…
…

Nothing.

Fluttershy sighs, holsters her energy cutter, and walks forward while activating her radio.

“Zephyr, can you hear me?” asks Fluttershy, her voice shaky like her steps.

“I can hear you,” says Rainbow Dash. “Where are you?”

It is not who she wanted to hear, but Fluttershy is still happy to hear a friendly voice, and she quickens her steps. “Rainbow Dash? I'm coming, I promise!”

Fluttershy steps on the vent grate in the middle of the floor, and immediately a large tentacle with mandibles slams her down with an echoing thud. Her ears ring, her body becomes stiff from shock, and before she can twitch, she is yanked into the dark vent. Her shriek is left behind as the hole rapidly shrinks and tiny lights fly past her.

What ever has her is holding her tight with little teeth and hot goo, and Fluttershy grits her teeth and presses her hoofs against the vent walls. Sparks fly and the scraping of metal and popping of lights ring in her ears, but it does nothing to stop the pull.

The tentacle takes a sudden turn, slamming Fluttershy into the shaft ceiling, and she releases another scream as it continues its pull, making sure she bounces off the vent's surface. Next thing she knows she is pulled into a large chamber and finds herself dangling upside down. What's left of her blood rushes to her head and her eye tries to focus on the beast in front of her as she sways, and when she sees what is holding her, her thrashing becomes more desperate.

In front of Fluttershy is a massive blob of a creature with a red hide that has pockets of the pulsing puke yellow bags pocketing it, and black veins snaking around it. The veins throb and drool flows from its circular mouth, which is filled with sharp teeth, and around the mouth is a ring of eyes. The eyes are all looking in different directions, vibrating and shining in the large lights hanging overhead.

The tentacle takes Fluttershy closer to the ring of teeth, and she shoots her Statis blob at the tentacle. The blue aura forces it to crawl and an annoyed growl shakes the room as all the eyes focus on Fluttershy.

As this happens, she draws her energy cutter and shoots at the frozen part of the tentacle. A few shots pass before the appendage is sliced off in a spray of rust colored blood, and the beast shrieks in pain as Fluttershy falls with the mass of flesh. The impact of the floor plus the weight of the tentacle leaves her wheezing for air, but she still finds the strength to pull herself out of the mandibles, leaving herself covered in goo, and scrapes and rips in her armor and suit. Once free, she flops on her back and aims her energy cutter at the puss-bag of a tentacle that is snaking its way towards her.

The weapon's beam easily pops the bag, showering the area with the stink gunk, and the creature's cries of pain shakes Fluttershy down to the bone. A large portion of the tentacle falls off, and the wounded tendril writhes and snaps around, and Fluttershy shoots another tentacle until its bag pops.

The massive beast roars and slams another tentacle down towards Fluttershy. She leaps out of the way, stumbling and tripping over herself while doing so, and the room shakes from its thud. As Fluttershy gets up, she notices an open door not too far from her, so she holsters her energy cutter and gallops towards it, grinding her teeth and her eye filling with tears as her battered muscles burn. The tentacle scrapes across the ground and swings at her, and she takes a flying leap towards the doorway, but the Necromorph's tentacle clips her hind leg and sends her spinning.

Fluttershy hits the door frame, bounces into the hallway and skids on the floor, and when she stops, she wheezes and pants and turns to her side, drawing her cutter as the tentacle slithers towards her. Its mandibles open, thick drool drip from its tiny teeth, and right as it is about to grab Fluttershy she shoots it as well as somebody else who reduces the tendril to a bloody ribbon from a stream of bullets. The Necromorph howls and retracts its mangled limb, splashing Fluttershy and the surrounding area in its blood, and before Fluttershy can look over her shoulder she is wrapped in a light blue aura and yanked across the floor. She stops with her back firmly on the floor and her eye looking at a failing light, and next to her a figure closes and locks the door. Once the circular hologram flashes red, the figure helps Fluttershy up.

“There you go, darling. You're alright now,” says the pony.

Fluttershy blinks and looks over the pony. The mare's light blue eye shadow has faded and leaked down her face like tears, her purple mane and tail is now frazzled with blood staining her mane-line, and her tail is limp. Her light weight white and gray jumpsuit has also been restitched and is covered in blood and burn marks, especially in the hind quarters, and the small computer attached to her hoof is also scarred, and levitating next to her is a bulky rifle with three barrels and a cylindrical body.

“Rarity?” says Fluttershy.

“Why yes, that is me! How did you know?” says Rarity with a smile.

Fluttershy retracts her helmet. “Um... Hi...”

“Oh, my goodness! You are a mess. We will definitely have to get you cleaned up.”

Fluttershy inspects herself, and Rarity sharply turns and trots down the hallway with a slight limp and her tail dragging after her.

“Thunderlane and I have found a good spot to hold up in,” says Rarity. “Or, at least as good as we can get on this forsaken ship.”

Fluttershy stops inspecting herself and trots after Rarity, wincing and twitching from just about every step, and when she is close enough, she activates her MAD. At first the device flickers and crackles, but soon the thin green lines move up and down and side to side on Rarity.

SUBJECT: RARITY BELLE
VITALS: UNHEALTHY
>>>Heart Rate: 110 b/m
>>>Bruised Bones: Scapula, L. Humerus, L. Radius, L. Femur, L. Tibia
>>>Damaged Bone: Caudal Vertebrae, Sacral Vertebrae
>>>Damaged Muscles: L. Coccygeus Muscle, Tail Depressor, L. Superficial Gluteal Muscle, L. Semitendinosous Muscle, L. Bicepts Femoris Muscle, L. Deltoideus Muscle, L. Triceps Muscle
MEDICAL FOAM APPLIED
FURTHER MEDICAL CARE NEEDED

Fluttershy shuts off her MAD and continues following Rarity in silence. The whole time Rarity has been talking, but Fluttershy has not heard a word, from the medical scan to watching the vents and the locked doors as well as the shot up and bloodied walls, she didn't even think of listening.

“This actually reminds me I should really pick up something for Sweetie Belle,” says Rarity. “And my parents, too.”

Fluttershy raises a brow.

“Surely there is a gift shop around here somewhere,” says Rarity. “It is the Bon Voyage, after all. The largest of colony ships!”

“I... I don't think now is the time for gifts,” says Fluttershy.

“Nonsense! I always get them something!” Rarity turns to Fluttershy, putting a stop to their walk in front of a poster of a group of ponies, griffins, goats and a changeling, all wearing medical uniforms and all have their faces scratched off. “You always got something for your brother and parents whenever you went out, right?”

“I... No.” Fluttershy looks down shamefully. “We drifted apart. I haven't even seen my parents or Zephyr ever since I joined the Medical Corpse.”

“I see... Well, don't fret. Coming all the way over here without hesitation to help your brother is a fantastic gift.” Rarity puts her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder, smiling. “That also means you're a good sister and a good pony.”

Fluttershy scrunches her brow, and Rarity's ears suddenly perk and with a happy gasp she pulls away from Fluttershy.

“Idea! Gift shops have got to be near the terrarium!” says Rarity. “That will be an excellent spot to look once I get the time!”

Rarity resumes walking, and Fluttershy watches her go before looking over her shoulder. She sees nothing down the hall, and when she looks at the poster again, she shudders at the sight of a double helix painted in the corner.

“Hurry up, Fluttershy! Thunderlane is waiting!” says Rarity.

Fluttershy gallops after Rarity and slows to match her speed when she is next to her.

“Quick question. Have you seen anypony... or anything strange?” asks Fluttershy.

“No,” says Rarity.

“So, no strange voices?... No talks with cameras?... No freaky frail stallion with a broken neck walking around?”

“You aren't going mad, are you?”

“I hope not.”

“Good. I can't have you going mad. We have to keep our heads on our shoulders if we want to find the others and make it off this ship alive!”

“I've talked to Rainbow Dash a few times. She is trapped in the Section E medical center.”

“So that's where she ran off to,” grumbles Rarity.

“What?”

“Rainbow Dash, our dear fearless leader, bolted when that...that thing broke through the door back there shortly after you escaped! Honestly, it looked as if Applejack put up more of a fight.”

Fluttershy's ears perk up. “What happened to Applejack?”

“I have no idea.”

“How...?”

“Because that thing swiped me right off the ledge! If Thunderlane hadn't rescued me I would have died. But after Thunderlane saved me, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were gone. And while I am truly worried about their wellbeing, I am confident that they will turn up soon enough. Both of them are tough ladies.”

Rarity stops in front of a locked door labeled “BREAK ROOM”, and after plugging in her computer she types in a command and the door opens, despite it still being red. Rarity motions Fluttershy in, and once she enters Rarity follows suit and the door closes behind them.

Fluttershy stands in the middle of the room, dumbstruck at what she is seeing. Aside from the vent being welded shut, the room is the best room she has seen. The furniture is surprisingly intact, there's no damage anywhere, not even a speck of blood. There is even a pair of vending machines in the back near the bathroom that have been pried open, revealing snacks and drinks.

Off to the side with a makeshift workstation is Thunderlane, hunched over with a fan plugged into the wall blowing the sweat off his face. He is carefully working on a bundle of red cylinders and batteries held together by cord and wires, and three more are in the corner next to a roller cart. Nearby are crates of more red cylinders, batteries, and ammo, which Fluttershy approaches and inspects.

“Thunderlane, I found Fluttershy,” says Rarity.

“I saw that,” says Thunderlane without looking up from his work.

“I also did some scouting and unfortunately the only way to the communications rig is through whatever that thing is out there, as suspected,” says Rarity.

“At least I'm not making these for nothing.”

Rarity looks at Fluttershy, and Fluttershy stares back at her, confused at what she is hearing.

“The communications rig is past whatever that monster is out there, and Thunderlane had the idea to feed it a giant bomb. Once the monster is dead, we go to the rig, and I send out an emergency signal for immediate extraction. Then reinforcements will come, and we will be free from this nightmare and I will spend my entire paycheck on a platinum pampering at the Aloe Lotus Spa!”

Rarity grins and nudges Fluttershy’s side.

“You look like you could use a spa trip, yourself,” says Rarity. “Imagine, just you and me together in a steaming hot tub, then a sauna, then deep tissue massages, then hoof-rubs and deep cleaning grooming! Perfect girl bonding with the perfect platinum pampering!”

“I, um, I’d rather go to a doctor,” says Fluttershy with a slight blush, even though a spa trip sounds like heaven. Especially since Rarity is offering to share a tub with her. ‘Banish the weird thought, perv!’

“I’ll pay for it.”

“That would be expensive, though.”

“I have a credit card. Platinum plan.”

“But-”

Rarity grabs Fluttershy’s cheeks and presses their muzzles together.

“You’re getting pampered, damn it!” says Rarity.

Fluttershy’s eyes are wide, and her hoof is pressed against Rarity’s chest while the other is reaching for her cutter. But Rarity is quick to release Fluttershy, takes a deep breath and apologizes as she uses a comb made of aura to work on her mane, which leads to Fluttershy pulling her hoof away from her weapon and relaxing a little bit. However, she does notice Thunderlane looking at her with his hoof on his rifle. But even after she relaxes, he still watches her while talking to Rarity.

“Rariity, have you considered that the relay might be damaged?” says Thunderlane.

“I have some repair knowledge, you know?” says Rarity.

“But what about the bridge? Or Section 0? Or Applejack? Or Zephyr? Or Rainbow Dash being trapped in the Section E medical center?” asks Fluttershy.

“We can get to the bridge after we get the signal out and find the others that way, and I didn't see any Section 0 on the map,” says Rarity.

Fluttershy shakes her head and paces in a circle. “That can't be right. Dr. Rock said that he was in Section 0! And I know he can help me find Zephyr!”

“There is no Section 0 on the map, though,” says Rarity.

“That's because Section 0 doesn't allow their locations on official maps,” says Thunderlane.

The two look at him, and he sighs heavily.

“Do you seriously think they would give away their location on a ship blueprint? That would make it too easy for people to interfere with their projects,” says Thunderlane.

Rarity rolls her eyes. “There you go again with your Section 0 conspiracy theories.”

Thunderlane scowls and waves his hoof around the room. “Well, gee, we're already in Hell, so what's the harm in talking about Section 0?”

“The harm is that it is inaccurate and counterproductive! There is obviously a disease going around and blaming this all on the government is not helping.”

Fluttershy holds up her hoof and opens her mouth, but clamps it shut when Thunderlane speaks with a heavy voice.

“Right. Okay. The colonists and crew of the Bon Voyage just got a skin condition that led to them ripping ourteam apart!” says Thunderlane. “And Section 0 being here is only a coincidence, right?”

“Um-” begins Fluttershy.

“Don't be ridiculous. Of course it was a coincidence!” snaps Rarity. “Section 0 is intelligence, spy stuff, not biological. This is obviously an unknown space virus that we were not prepared to handle. And besides, why would the government purposefully infect their own colony ship with a disease like this? That would tear apart the empire!”

“You're thinking in terms of your morality,” says Thunderlane. “Government has no morality, so they have no problem killing us if it means furthering their goals.”

“And yet you work for them.”

“If I knew how evil the government was before I signed the contract then I wouldn’t be here.”

“Those internet conspiracy boards are messing with your head, Thunderlane.”

“It’s called thinking. You should try it some time.”

Rarity gasps, and Fluttershy steps between the two.

“Can we please calm down? We can’t be arguing like this,” says Fluttershy.

The two stare at Fluttershy for a moment, then nod and look away.

“But, um, I-I think Thunderlane might be on to something,” says Fluttershy.

Thunderlane claps and points at Fluttershy. “Thank you!”

“Traitor,” grumbles Rarity.

“It’s not like that!” says Fluttershy quickly. “I don’t want to take sides, but somepony brought something on the Bon Voyage from Onyx when they couldn't get in contact with Onyx City. Maybe there was a virus on the planet and they accidentally brought it back on the ship.”

Rarity sighs and turns fully to Fluttershy, while Thunderlane perks up and gives her his undivided attention.

“And what exactly did they bring?” asks Rarity critically.

“I... I don't know,” admits Fluttershy as she paws the floor shamefully. “But somepony recorded the Bon Voyage sending a cargo ship to the planet, and after the ship came back all of this happened.”

“Section 0 is always doing weird crap,” says Thunderlane.

“And where did you see the video?” asks Rarity.

“In Supervisor Honey Creme's office... She left the computer running.”

Rarity rubs her brow, sighing heavily. “Fluttershy, darling, no Supervisor will leave their computer running for any pony to just waltz in and peek through. It was obviously a prank in poor taste.”

Fluttershy's eye twitches. “A... Prank...? A... PRANK!?” Fluttershy jabs her hoof at Rarity. “If you saw that video you would know it was not a prank! It was real! Honey Creme is real! Her child, her husband, they were real and they died here just like everypony else, and Zephyr is still alive on this ship and I will be damned if he dies here!”

By the time she is done she is heaving, teeth barred, and her vision is blood red. Only one of her wings is up, and Rarity has backed into Thunderlane, who has pushed himself into the table. The room has also become quiet, and after a long moment of silence Fluttershy's heavy panting dies down and she looks away from the two, blinking tears out of her eye.

“I'm sorry, but Zephyr is all I have left,” says Fluttershy quietly. “I need him to be alive...”

The others remain quiet, and Fluttershy sniffles and goes to a crate of gem batteries. She ejects the spent battery from her energy cutter, slips in a new one, and stuffs as many batteries as she can she into her saddle.

“I'm going to find Rainbow Dash, too. I already let innocent ponies die... I’m not going to let that continue.”

She then walks towards the door and Rarity takes a step forward.

“Fluttershy,” begins Rarity.

Fluttershy exits the room without a second's thought, and when it seals shut behind her she takes a deep breath, activates her helmet, and goes down the hallway.

Author's Note

Originally this chapter was supposed to be a lot longer, but I thought it ended at a better spot that I posted than the original ending. So I just cut the original off and started it as a new chapter. Also, getting this chapter brings a little bit of peace of mind since I gave y'all something rather quickly while I work on other things that make time fly fast. The next chapter might be up in a couple of few weeks, though. There will be more Necromorph slaying in the next chapter, too. But until then... Picture!

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