In the derelict halls of the Bon Voyage, Fluttershy's steps barely make a sound. The hallway is dim, with only red emergency lights here or there, as well as bloody streaks or messages painted on the wall. One of the messages in front of the camera reads:

Star Tracker

GO TO HELL!

Fluttershy keeps walking, though. So far nothing has come out to try to kill them, but that doesn't make her feel any better. Another thing that isn't helping her situation is Zephyr Breeze and his inability to shut up.

“But her mane was just awful!” claims Zephyr dramatically. “No care, whatsoever. I knew she was using the cheap store brand stuff to wash her mane, and I was like: Look, girl, take it from a professional, use the all-natural stuff. And she said, sure, but never did it. Typical customer.”

“Uh huh,” mutters Fluttershy as she looks at a vent they are passing.

“And then there was this guy. Now I'm not gay, but if I was a mare, I would be drooling over him.”

Fluttershy scrunches her muzzle.

“But he was also using the name brand which are just loaded with chemical junk that wrecks the mane and scalp and was wondering why he was getting dandruff,” says Zephyr. “I told him that the chemicals in these fancy brands are messing up his scalp. I told him to bite the bullet and get the good all-natural stuff and you won't have dandruff.”

“Zephyr, I need you to stay quiet for maybe... a few hours,” instructs Fluttershy.

“Why?”

Fluttershy looks at him, frowning, and Zephyr stares back with a blank look.

“Why?” asks Zephyr.

Fluttershy waves her hoof around the forsaken ship, her stare hardening.

“Why?” asks Zephyr again.

“Really!?” snaps Fluttershy.

Zephyr snickers and rubs her mane, not noticing her wince when his hoof scrapes against her burnt scalp.

“I'm just messing you, sis. I have my obligations, after all,” says Zephyr.

“I'm glad to see that you haven't changed,” says Fluttershy dryly. “But please stay quiet. I don't want to attract the Necromorphs.”

“Oh, the space zombies? Yeah, they're mean. They killed my marefriend.”

“Wait, you had a marefriend and you didn't tell me!? And you're acting like this!? You should be moping!”

Zephyr puts his hoof to Fluttershy's lips. “Shush, sis. And this is me moping. Better to flutter on and forget the dead than to dwell on them.” Then his expression falls, and he looks at the floor, slowly rubbing his hoof against the metal walkway. “Not like I could help her, anyway. Or anypony else for that matter. It's like we're all destined to die here.”

Fluttershy puts her hoof under Zephyr's chin and lifts his head so they are looking at each other. “We're not going to die here. I promise I'll get us home.”

“And we'll be whole again?”

Fluttershy smiles and nods, and then she hugs Zephyr. He returns the hug a moment later, and after a few seconds of being still, Fluttershy pulls away.

“What was her name?”

“Daisy.”

“We'll make a memorial for Daisy when we got off the ship and you can mourn properly. Just stay close to me and I won't let anything happen to you.”

Zephyr nods and follows close behind Fluttershy when she continues forward. They walk in silence for a few minutes (much to Fluttershy's relief), and as they walk, Fluttershy kills a few Slashers that have wandered their path, but other than that, the walk has not been too bad. But after a few more minutes of traveling through the death trap of a ship, a familiar voice catches her attention.

“-Very good, Officer Slingshot,” says Dr. Rock.

Fluttershy stops.

“Now that you have that battery why don't you come to me and we can get out of here?” says the Doctor.

“No, you aren't real,” says Slingshot.

Fluttershy's eye twitches and her steps become heavy as she marches towards the corner, teeth clenched and nostrils flaring with her cutter ready.

“I'm as real as you are,” says Dr. Rock.

Fluttershy rounds the corner and when she sees Slingshot looking at a red-light camera, she stomps her hoof, bringing Slingshot to jump and aim his shotgun at her while she has her cutter aimed at him.
“What. Is. Going on?” says Fluttershy. Her eyes narrow on Slingshot. “You left me so you could escape by yourself, didn't you?”

Slingshot's colors drain and he shakes his head while Dr. Rock makes a low, long whistle.

“Oh, boy. You really did it now,” says Dr. Rock.

“Stop talking to me!” snaps Slingshot. He jabs his shotgun towards Fluttershy. “And you, get out of my head!”

“I'm not in your head, I'm in front of you,” says Fluttershy.

She takes a step forward and Slingshot steps back.

“No! You are not real!” says Slingshot.

“We are real,” says Fluttershy, motioning to herself and Zephyr, “and you left me behind to get mauled!”

“You died! I saw you get torn to pieces by the Necromorphs!”

“I am real.” Fluttershy steps closer and holds out her hoof. “Do you want to feel me for proof?”

Slingshot stares at Fluttershy, and she wags her hoof at him, but he doesn't move.

“Maybe offer him a kiss?” asks Zephyr.

Fluttershy mule kicks him.

“Awww~ Sheesh. I'll be quiet,” says Zephyr.

“Thank you,” says Fluttershy. She steps forward and keeps her hoof extended to Slingshot. “Well?”

“I saw you die,” says Slingshot.

“I lived. Barely.”

Slingshot remains frozen in place, his shotgun aimed at her while her suit has her cutter aimed at him with her hoof still raised.

“I see her, too. She's real, just like me, just like you,” says Dr. Rock. “And from the looks of it, she has a miniature warp battery, as well. Put down the guns, you two, and work together so all of us can get off this tub.”

Slingshot swallows and inches forward, and when he is close enough to Fluttershy he extends his talons to her and grips her hoof. It is a firm grip, and the two lock eyes with Fluttershy offering a smile.

“See? I'm real,” says Fluttershy.

“I... I guess you are,” says Slingshot.

Then Fluttershy slaps him on the cheek.

“Ow! What was that for?” says Slingshot, rubbing his cheek.

“Don't leave me again!” scolds Fluttershy.

Slingshot glares at her and she returns the look before focusing on the camera.

“You,” says Fluttershy.

“Me?” says Dr. Rock.

“Where is Section 0?”

“You mean you intend to keep your promise?”

Fluttershy nods.

“How noble. And smart. But to answer your question, Section 0 is above the bridge. When you reach the bridge, I'll make sure that Captain Star Tracker opens the door for you, and then we'll be on our way home!”

Fluttershy smiles. “Good. I'll see you in a few minutes.”

“Great rewards are coming your way, Fluttershy. Not so great for you, Slingshot, since you're a pill, but they'll be good, nonetheless.”

Slingshot grunts, the intercom clicks off, and Fluttershy walks ahead with Zephyr and Slingshot trailing her, still holding her smile. Eager to finally get a chance to kill Star Tracker and if Arcos Hieroglyph is who she thinks it is, kill him, too.

After a few paces away from the camera, Fluttershy activates her radio, bringing Rainbow Dash's hoof to appear on a crooked footage with her grunting and banging something on the door. The feed is bathed in green from its night vision mode, and the thick door now has scratches on it, and on the floor are spent bullet shells. Behind her, Thunderlane is slumped against the wall, eyes closed and wings limp and a pool of blood around him.

“Rainbow Dash, I found the security officer, Zephyr and a couple of miniature warp batteries. I can fix Thunderlane and we can get out of here,” says Fluttershy.

“Rarity Belle, Roid Rage Snowflake, Moonlight Aura, Comet Tail, Hothoof Trotter, Red Joystick, Gage Meter,” mutters Rainbow Dash. “Rarity Belle, Roid Rage Snowflake, Moonlight Aura, Comet Tail, Hothoof Trotter, Red Joystick, Gage Meter.”

“Rainbow Dash?” calls Fluttershy.

“Rarity Belle, Roid Rage Snowflake, Moonlight Aura, Comet Tail, Hothoof Trotter, Red Joystick, Gage Meter,” continues Rainbow Dash. She bangs harder, grunting louder. “I know their names. I didn't forget. How could I forget? I didn't forget.”

“Rainbow Dash, can you hear me?”

Rainbow Dash throws something and its clatter is distant. She then goes to Thunderlane and sits in front of him, blocking him from Fluttershy's sight.

“It's okay, Thunderlane. We'll get out of here. We'll make it... Yeah, that's the spirit. You got this.” Rainbow Dash stands up and begins pacing in circles. “Rarity Belle, Roid Rage Snowflake, Moonlight Aura, Comet Tail, Hothoof Trotter, Red Joystick, Gage Meter.”

Rainbow Dash chuckles and sniffles, and then stops and stares ahead, her wet eyes wide and bright and her wings stiff. Then her eyes narrow and she snarls, taking a heavy step forward.

“You want to be whole? I'll make you whole!” Rainbow Dash pulls out her pistol shoots sporadically down the hallway, her voice distorted by the pistol in her mouth. “C'mere! Let me make you whole!”

Her hoof crushes the camera and video feed fuzzes out with an error message appearing soon after. A few seconds later the error message flickers away, and Fluttershy pales and looks at Slingshot.

“We need to get to the bridge, right now!” she says.

Slingshot nods and hurries ahead. “Follow me.”

Fluttershy follows his lead with Zephyr trailing her, and the halls are quiet once again, save for the occasional rattling in the vents. This brings Fluttershy to wondering if the Necromorphs are trailing them, or if she killed so many that their numbers have thinned. It is a colony ship, after all. The Necromorphs have a finite supply. Thought of numbers aside, Fluttershy looks over her shoulder and sees Zephyr is still there. That's a good sight.

Fluttershy looks back and spots Slingshot rounding a corner, so she follows him without missing a beat. They continue running, legs, lungs and wounds burning, going through the maze of destroyed halls and doors. Some doors open, some need some persuading, but they go through them all the same. Fluttershy has not even tried to keep track of where she traveled since she is too focused on getting to the bridge, but one thing stands out after their unknown amount of time running, and that is a large door with green trim, a large window with blood splattered on it, and fake trees flanking it. Above the door is a dim, flickering sign reading: TERRARIUM.

“Just past the Terrarium there is a set of stairs that will take us to the bridge,” says Slingshot. He peeks through the window, but due to the large amount of blood covering it he can't see anything. With that, he checks his shotgun and then looks at Fluttershy. “We'll have to be careful. There was a lot of traffic in this area during the final days of this ship.”

Fluttershy nods and activates her cutter, and Slingshot takes a deep breath and opens the door. The group cringes as the metal squeaks and groans, and when the doors pull apart, they slam inside their slots, creating an echo in the chamber that sounds like a gunshot. Slingshot is the first to go forward, followed by Fluttershy, and she looks over her shoulder again to see Zephyr following close behind.

“Stay close,” whispers Fluttershy.

Zephyr nods, and Fluttershy looks around the Terrarium. Its air is stale, trees, wilted flowers and dead grass cover the area, and in front of the Terrarium is a large observation window that gives an excellent view of Onyx and its red dwarf star.

“EVACUATE” flickers on the observation window, and Fluttershy notices that the trees are roughly cut or damaged with shrapnel and bullet holes, and many flowers have been trampled, too. Off to the side are a couple of damaged carts and a gift shop with its window shattered, its window chains destroyed, and displays knocked over. There is also a pool of blood in what is left of the doorway, and near the gift shop is another entrance to the Terrarium that has been forced open. However, despite the Terrarium being a corpse, nothing seems to be trying to kill them. In fact, the whole area is quiet.

Fluttershy doesn't like that.

Then some slobber drips in front of the group, sizzling when it hits the floor, and the group stops and slowly look up. When they see what is hanging from the Terrarium ceiling Slingshot's beak hangs open and Fluttershy activates her helmet.

It is time for round two.

And this time she will kill that thing.

Author's Note

Been busy. Rushed this. But be honest, you love a mare in uniform.