"Somepony is really gonna have to catch us up on what we missed." - Rainbow Dash

“So, remind me where we’re going again?” asked Dash. After they had left the movie theater, Dusk was determined to get them moving as quickly as possible. Dash’s wing was in no condition to fly after all the strain she had put on it before, that much was certain.

“It’s a little suicidal,” replied Dusk Feather. “I need to meet up with someone in Tenpony Tower. The only problem is that there’s Enclave stationed there.”

“Then why go there?” berated Dash. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Dusk shot Rainbow an annoyed look and said, “There’s a rebel sympathizer in the tower named Study Guide, and from what I remember, she was pretty generous when we first met. She may have insulted me once or twice, but at least she didn’t have her ponies kill me.”

“And this Study Guide can help me find my friends?” asked Dash.

As they walked, Rainbow Dash’s ears flicked, hearing groaning and rasping from afar, followed by “I took a risk! Life is risk!”

“Do you hear that?” asked Dash.

“Ignore it,” replied Dusk. “We need to keep moving.”

They came across a convenience store with shattered windows. Inside, Rainbow Dash could see posters of ponies enjoying various products, products such as “Sparkle Cola”, which made Rainbow Dash wonder if there was any relation to Twilight.

While Dusk seemed to be continuing past it, Rainbow Dash felt a pull towards it, her mind telling her there was something important inside, something she needed, but she couldn’t remember what it was. “Hey, uh, I’m gonna go in here for a minute. I’ll be right out.”

Dusk looked at her with a confused expression. “Why? We need to go right now. I don’t want it to get dark before we reach the tower.”

“Just feels weird here,” muttered Dash, heading through the doorway, the metal frame of the shattered glass door having fallen off its hinges years ago. “It’s like… I’ve been here.”

Dusk sighed and walked up to the entrance of the store. “You’re gonna get us killed. This is probably some raider’s place.”

Dash stared at the corner, seeing something gleaming from under a piece of rotting paper. She walked over and moved it out of the way, revealing a strange, pink-glowing marble-like object underneath. Picking it up, she felt some kind of familiarity with it. It looked just like one of the spheres from the warehouse Dash was in earlier. “Dusk, what is this?” she asked.

Dusk took one look at it and said, “It’s a memory orb. Not much to look at if you’re a pegasus. Only unicorns can use them, so it’s best to leave it behind.”

“I think I’m gonna keep it for now,” said Dash, holding it in her wing. “Maybe Twilight will be able to see what’s in it. I’m guessing these hold memories, right? It’s called a memory orb, so…”

“If you really wanna keep it, put it in my bag,” said Dusk. “We need to move.”

Dash nodded, then placed the orb in the saddlebag on Dusk’s back. Seatrow, not wanting them to leave empty-hoofed, had given Dusk a saddlebag to carry around anything they might need to keep on their person.

Upon leaving the convenience store, Dash followed Dusk closely. She wasn’t too familiar with this version of Manehattan. Some buildings here were different, and didn’t exist in her world. How she wished she were back home.

She wasn’t quite certain, but from what Dusk had said back at the theatre, Dash was somewhat able to figure out that this world was probably an alternate universe. At least, that’s what Dash was hoping, as she desperately didn’t want this to be the actual future of Equestria.

“I don’t get it,” said Dash. “How could everything here have gone so wrong?”

“Well, when you get two incompetent leaders going against each other, this is what you get,” said Dusk. “Ponies were stupid, and the zebras were stupid, but you know who was even dumber?”

“Who?” asked Dash.

“Their leaders,” answered Dusk. “Luna definitely wasn’t going to back down, and neither would the opponent.”

“Luna was in charge?” asked Dash. “And wait a minute… How do you know Luna was being stupid? You weren’t there, right?”

“Loyal to the sisters, I see,” remarked Dusk. “That’s even dumber. Always question authority. Don’t need to speak up about it, but you should always have your own priorities, too. We don’t need to blindly follow someone to our deaths.”

“Yeah, well, maybe you need to learn a thing or two about loyalty,” Dash spouted back. “I may not know them as much as Twilight does, but Celestia and Luna are still our friends, and I’d never leave a friend fighting on their own.”

“And boom goes the megaspell,” Dusk barked back, a serious expression on her face. “Look, there’s no offense, Dash. I know you care for your friends, but maybe you try to look out for yourself a bit more. Who knows? Maybe in trying to help someone, you end up getting them killed.”

Dash thought back to Dusk’s story from earlier. “Is that how you think about yourself?”

Dusk scoffed. “What?”

“You think your loyalty to your friend got him killed?” asked Dash. “That didn’t get him killed. Ponies got him killed, bad ponies.”

“The bad pony was me,” replied Dusk. “I shouldn’t have been down there. They were looking for me, and they found me, and he…”

Dash had never wanted to headbutt a pony so badly. “You’ve got the wrong idea, Dusk!” she retorted. “You’re blaming yourself when it’s the Enclave’s fault! You didn’t mean to get him killed, but the Enclave certainly had no issue with it! You might not have been able to do anything about it before, but you can do something about it now, and my friends will help!”

Dusk reared her head back, having second thoughts about Dash’s words. “What are your friends going to do about it?”

Dash grinned and said, “We’ll take the fight to the Enclave! We’ll make sure they’ll learn their lesson!”

“That’s the craziest bullshit I’ve ever heard,” stated Dusk. “I doubt you could kill enough of them to get them to listen.”

“Kill?” asked Dash. “Why kill? They won’t learn that way.”

Dusk suddenly had a disgusted expression on her face. “What the fuck…?! They killed a colt! If you can’t be mare enough to kill, how are you gonna change anything?! Where’s the justice in letting them live?!”

Dash stopped talking, her ears flattening as Dusk yelled. She had always been the fighter of the group, but she’d never killed anypony before. She didn’t even know if her own mind could handle it.

Dusk then said, “Don’t know what fucked-up universe you’re from, but here, killing is second nature. Coast is gone because of it, and you have the nerve to insult him by saying you wouldn’t kill to avenge him? Fuck you!”

Dash was conflicted, really conflicted. Dusk was right in a way, but from what Rainbow Dash had learned over the years, it was never really necessary to kill. The only exception to it was Sombra, but wasn’t he pure evil? Then again, was it necessary?

Dusk continued walking without a word, with Rainbow Dash following closely behind.

. . . M e a n w h i l e . . .

With a can of heated two-hundred-year-old soup, Wreckage took small sips, shivering next to the still-burning building. Although it was impossible to cut her skin, break her bones, or even outright kill her, she could still feel the heat from behind her and the cold from the cement.

Temperature was one of the few things she could feel. Pain was nonexistent to her most of the time. Sometimes, there’d be rare moments, such as an aching back from sitting still for a long time, but that was pretty much it. It wasn’t real pain. It was mere inconvenience.

“We should do that again sometime,~” whispered Burnout.

“Remember when he tried to crawl away? I love those moments,” replied Tracks.

Wreckage ignored the voices as best she could. If she saw another pony, the killing would start all over again. This was something she could never avoid. There were even long moments where she wouldn’t be in control for months. One time, it was a whole year.

Burnout and Tracks were recently able to start up a gang, just to surround themselves with ponies. This was a loophole they could use to keep in control, running entire slaver and trading operations, ensuring they were never alone so that they could kill whoever they wanted in the name of business.

But that pink pony had freed her from their control. By simply firing her out from a cannon into the middle of nowhere, she had finally been able to take full reign of her own body. Something about the pink pony was very familiar, but right now, Wreckage wasn’t focused on that. She simply wanted to eat for now.

As she sipped her soup, the voices stirred. They weren’t the usual anymore. There were more of the voices now. Something was wrong, and she didn’t know what. Who were they…? These weren’t anyone she knew. They began to grow louder and louder until--

A large force slammed into the upper part of the building, sending rubble raining down upon her, chunks of brick hitting her, with one chunk even landing in her can. She shakily stood up and ran away from the building before looking back at it. What she saw didn’t make sense at all.

It was a mangled corpse, twitching and sparking pink static, its muscles visibly moving and trying to pull together, skin attempting to grow back. Wreckage had never seen anything like it before, and she was getting a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach that this wasn’t going to end well.

“More of us, more of us, more of us,” whispered Burnout.

“Oh, wowee,~” said Tracks. “What a rare treat!”

“What is that…?” Wreckage whispered to herself.

The mangled body jerked, forcing itself from out of the brick and falling onto the ground with a PLAP, blood splattering on the ground, bits of meat scattering. The body’s legs forced themselves back into place, sickening noises of bones trying to piece themselves together underneath the mass of wet, bloody muscle.

Skin grew over the bloodied being, a cream coat with red stripes now discernable. The body, now recognizable as a zebra mare of sorts, stood up, skin and fur growing back all over completely to eventually finish its long regeneration.

Wreckage stared with wide eyes, fearful. This wasn’t a normal pony. This was some grotesque monster. Her vision grew blurry, her stomach feeling queasy. “N-No, not again,” she begged.

The mare looked at her with an expression of indifference. “...What’s up with you?”

Wreckage was no longer herself. Standing up on her hind legs, she was now controlled by Burnout, who exclaimed, “I honestly can’t believe it! You’re like us!”

The mare’s lips grimaced a little. “Go somewhere else. I need to think for a minute.”

Burnout grabbed the guitar from behind her back, the strings plucking themselves in a loud power chord. She jumped forward, then landed, swinging down and smashing the mare’s head in with the body of the guitar. Energy crackled, the head slowly growing back as soon as Burnout had removed her weapon.

As soon as the mare’s head finished reforming, her face turned into one of anger. She lunged, wrapping her hooves around Burnout’s neck and slamming her into the ground. “Fuck off!” she shouted.

The mare then noticed that Burnout’s head was completely unharmed. That was odd… it should’ve been crushed. Burnout looked up at her, the eternal smile on her face as she shouted, “OH, YOU’RE GONNA BE FUN!”

The mare quickly jumped back as soon as Burnout swung her guitar, dodging it and asking, “What the hell? You’re immortal, too?”

Burnout replied, “And then some.”

The mare got into a fighting stance, looking intrigued. “That’s pretty rare,” the mare replied. “Hm… I could use a fight...”

“Wow, really?!” Burnout asked with a smirk, running forward on her hind legs, her guitar ready to strike. “Alright then! Come at me! What’s your name?! I wanna put it on your gravestone!”

The mare lunged forward, delivering several blows to very specific points in Burnout’s chest, knocking the wind out of her, tears running down her cheeks as the mare replied, “Name’s Rampage!” she shouted, smirking

Rampage then grabbed Burnout by the waist and pulled her back, slamming her head into the concrete and shattering part of the sidewalk. Burnout quickly recovered, pulling free and punching Rampage in the face with a front hoof, dislocating her jaw.

It didn’t even phase her, energy already sparking to put it back in place while she delivered more hits to Burnout’s stomach and chest, seeming to knock her insides around with precise blows. There was pain, and Burnout loved it.

Burnout suddenly thrust her head forward, knocking her forehead against Rampage’s and creating a crack, sending the striped mare stumbled back. Burnout rushed, pummeling Rampage with heavy hits from the screeching guitar. These blows were sloppy, unrefined, but with raw force. There was a supernatural strength to them. Rampage could sorta understand. Why use fancy techniques when you could take down a pony in two hits?

There was something off, though… This pony was a little too wild. There was an insane look in her eye that told Rampage that this mare might be a bit more murderous than previously thought. As Rampage took the hits, she asked, “Uhh, you okay in the head there?”

“I’m better than okay! Now I’ve got someone I can kill over and over again!” replied Burnout, her grin still present, which quite frankly made Rampage a little more concerned. This mare just didn’t stop smiling. That wasn’t normal, especially in the wasteland, not unless she was some kind of raider.

Rampage quickly recovered, ducking under a swinging hoof. “Stop! Right! Now!” she exclaimed, sending three punches from her front hooves to Burnout’s stomach, chest, and neck.

Burnout felt the pain yet again, making her fall flat on her back. She twitched, her body unable to even figure out how to respond to this. It was completely new to her, and it was exciting to her. To find someone who could fight like this was like finding a needle in a haystack. How was this mare able to hurt her?

“Do you kill others?” asked Rampage. “At least answer tha--”

She didn’t get to finish, but she did get to dodge as Burnout suddenly jumped up, trying to land a hit and missing. Rampage knew now that this wasn’t someone who listened to reason. She knew they were probably going to hurt someone else, as it seemed like they were pretty murder-happy.

Alright, this wasn’t fun anymore. Now it was serious.

Rampage thought as she ducked and weaved, avoiding the swings She couldn’t penetrate Burnout’s skin. She could hurt them, but that wouldn’t do anything significant. “Alright, Rampage, think for a second,” she voiced in her head. “How would Blackjack beat ME?”

Rampage looked around, seeing the four-story wood-and-brick building behind her, her blood still spattered onto the front from where she’d ‘landed’. The faded wooden sign on it read, Power Drill’s Tool Shop.

Perfect.

She ran inside and, oddly enough, the building was already burning. A little strange, but Rampage didn’t really care right now. She looked behind her, seeing the psycho already running in, her guitar pulling its own strings and sounding out a loud rock tune.

“One last chance,” Rampage warned. “Doesn’t gotta be like this. I used to be like you, but… I met someone who told me to do better. No one needs to be hurt.”

“You think I would care about other ponies?” Burnout laughed out. “That’s so fucking dumb!” she said, walking closer on her hind legs. “The way my brother and I see it, ponies are just something to crush! They don’t deserve to live after what they did!”

Rampage thought back to what she had learned during her adventures, then looked into the forever-grinning pony’s eyes. “I can’t help you,” said Rampage, slowly shaking her head. She looked in the corner of the room, spying the shopkeeper's counter, and behind it hung chains on a hook.

The building groaned, threatening to collapse, so Rampage wasted no time running to grab the chains. Turning around, she already saw Burnout getting way too close, swinging her guitar and slamming into Rampage’s side.

Rampage’s body sent out pink sparks of static as it healed the internal damage. Burnout simply swung again, but Rampage grabbed the instrument, clinging tightly pulling Burnout close. Rampage threw the chains over Burnout, the two struggling for control over the violent situation.

“Let go!” shouted Burnout. “I’ll kill you!”

Rampage tightened the chains around Burnout’s legs, binding them as tightly as she could. “You’re not killing anyone,” Rampage muttered. She threw Burnout to the ground, watching her struggle. Rampage then warned, “I’d better not see you again.”

Burnout stared with her grin, exclaiming, “O-Oh, c’mon! You wouldn’t just leave me here, right? We’re like siblings! Immortal buddies! We could rule the wasteland!”

Rampage stepped back, making Burnout’s eyes widen.

“You can’t do this! We’ll find you! We’ll kill you!” she screamed.

“Thanks for the offer,” Rampage replied. “But... this time, I think I’ll pass for now. You probably couldn’t do it anyway...”

As the building already started to crumble, Rampage ran outside, looking back in time to see the structure caving in, Burnout’s enraged screams becoming more muffled until they slowly went silent.

Rampage watched for a while, the flames still barely eating away at what little wood there was left. This was an extremely bizarre set of circumstances, and it seemed very convenient that the building had already been burning, but what was more important to Rampage was that she pulled herself together.

She didn’t know how she ended up back down here, but to her, it almost felt like it was a chance that was given to her. There was someone in her life a long time ago who wanted her to be a happy life. Rampage, deep down, wanted to at least see if she could live up to that.

Looking up and recognizing the nearby tower as Tenpony, she now knew she was in Manehattan. Not the best place to be, but also not the worst. She’d been elsewhere much worse before. Looking at the silent pile of rubble, she sighed, then walked in the direction of Tenpony Tower.

. . . M e a n w h i l e . . .

Rainbow Dash and Dusk had been walking for about an hour before Dash eventually spoke up. While she had been contemplative throughout that hour, she still couldn’t find a reason to kill, as it didn’t seem right.

“Look, Dusk… I’m sorry I came across like that,” apologized Dash. “This isn’t my world, and I can definitely tell that from hearing how you explain it.”

Dusk stayed quiet, walking. Dash wasn’t even completely sure whether Dusk heard her or not, or if Dusk was even ignoring her. Dash felt like she was getting the silent treatment, and it didn’t look like it was going to end any time soon.

“I didn’t mean to disrespect his memory by not wanting to… you know,” said Dash. “I was trying to go by my own reasoning, but I guess that’s not good enough here.”

“I know you didn’t,” Dusk said quietly, still walking, not even looking back at Dash.

Dash felt some sort of sting from that, but she didn’t exactly know why. “I have someone close who’s kinda like how Coast was close to you. I know that if I lost her, I’d probably be very upset, so I guess I could understand how you’d feel the way you feel…”

Dusk stopped, finally looking back, a neutral expression on her face. There didn’t seem to be any emotion at all. It was like she was drained of it all. “I know you’re trying to sympathize, but I don’t think it’s going to work right now,” she said. “I know you’re trying to mean well, too, but I’m not in the mood. Sorry.”

Dusk then turned to face the road, continuing her walking with Dash following behind. Dash couldn’t understand it at all. This pony was a secret wrapped in a mystery wrapped in an igneous. At first, she was sad, then she was angry, and now she looked like she just wanted to avoid it.

Rainbow Dash was at a loss for words here. She didn’t know what to say to a mare who had lost what was Dash’s equivalent to Scootaloo. It was something she never wanted to experience herself, so she really wanted to understand Dusk’s feelings on it.

She walked up beside her, keeping a steady pace with her. “U-Um… I’m here for you,” said Dash. “I know I can’t say much, but… I’m really trying to help you, and I hope you know that. We might not have known each other for very long, but nopony should have to go through what you’re going through alone.”

Dusk looked over to Dash, then asked, “You’re not gonna stop, are you?”

“I guess that’s kinda what loyalty is,” replied Dash. “Loyal to my friends and loyal to other ponies. I won’t leave you in this emotional pit alone.”

Dusk raised a brow, and Dash could understand her confusion. Dash was, after all, some stranger who had just arrived in this world, with her own different set of morals and her own concept of loyalty, a concept that was probably still leaving Dusk befuddled.

Dusk finally gave a small hint of a smile, or rather, more of a smirk. “You act like a stable-pony,” she said.

“Is that an insult or a compliment?” asked Dash.

“I guess you could say it’s a little of both,” answered Dusk. “I do appreciate the effort, Dash. I really do. Just need some time to myself.”

“I getcha,” replied Dash. “Just talk to me when you feel up to it, okay?”

Dusk nodded, looking ahead. “That’s odd,” she said.

“What’s odd?” asked Dash, looking at where Dusk’s gaze laid.

In front of them were two creatures standing on two legs, staying still, looking shriveled and weak. The more Dash looked, the more details she caught. Both of them didn’t have a lower jaw, tongue wriggling around out of their mouths.

“Stalkers,” whispered Dusk. “We need to go around.”

“Why?” asked Dash. “They look… um…”

“Doesn’t matter,” said Dusk. “I’m not in the mood to fight death itself today.”

Dash followed her down another road to their right, keeping quiet, watching the stalkers carefully and making sure they didn’t move. Once the stalkers were out of sight, Dash looked on ahead, seeing Dusk make quick glances to the side buildings every now and then.

“It’s very hard to tell whether a stalker has seen you or not,” said Dusk. “They don’t move to indicate that you have seen them, but when they feel you’ve gotten too close, they’ll definitely either attack you immediately or follow you when you’re not looking.”

“What are stalkers, anyway?” asked Dash. “Are they more dangerous than the Enclave?”

“Stalkers are a mystery, really,” answered Dusk. “They were never a serious threat until the Goddess, which was a paranormal force, was gone. Some ponies say she was an actual goddess, keeping these evil creatures at bay.”

“What do you think?” asked Dash.

“I think it’s horseshit,” replied Dusk. “It’s a coincidence in my book.”

Dash heard a whisper, turning back to see nopony behind her. She walked faster until she was side-by-side with Dusk. “I think they’re following us,” Dash whispered.

“We’ve just gotta move out of this area,” Dusk whispered back. “Pretend you don’t see or hear them. They won’t keep following us if we stray too far from their grounds.”

Dash wasn’t too sure about that, seeing glimpses of stalkers every now and then as she looked around. They would be there one second, then be gone the next, making her fur stand on end. “Not liking this,” she whispered.

“Just need to get past this intersection,” said Dusk, pointing to one that was just up ahead. “They should leave after. I’ve never seen a stalker follow someone too far from their original standing spot.”

As they reached the intersection, Dash felt uneasiness in her gut. There were still stalkers, and she could hear their whispering. They whispered awful things, things of torturing, killing, devouring. These whispers seemed to be in Dash’s head, but she knew they weren’t her thoughts. She’d never think of such things.

Suddenly, a shrill cry pierced the silent streets. Dusk’s eyes widened as she spread her wings out, getting ready to take off, but then realized that Dash was unable to fly due to her injured wing. “Shit,” Dusk muttered.

Two stalkers, the ones from earlier, walked out slowly from nearby buildings, their tongues flailing about as they approached. Dusk pulled a weapon of sorts from her bag, the same kind that the Enclave had used on Dash’s wing.

There was no time to simply grab Dash and fly off, the stalkers rushing at insane speeds. Dash could barely register how close they had gotten until Dusk fired her weapon, the laserbeam hitting it directly, turning it to dust.

Dash stepped back, looking down. These things were as fast as her on a good flying day, the creature having traveled across the street near-instantly. How Dusk was able to catch this thing with her weapon in time astounded Dash.

The second stalker stayed still, screeching a high-pitched noise, and before Dash knew it, there were more of them, some climbing out from the windows of the buildings in front of her while others simply walked out from the alleyways. There were at least six more of them now.

They were all waiting for another stalker to call for backup. Dash flapped her wings once, intense pain surging through them. If she had to fly, she would. She didn’t want to end up as some freak’s lunch.

Dusk looked over and said, “You’re crazy. You’re gonna break it if you keep putting strain. That’s energy damage.”

“Did it before,” said Dash. “I can do it again.”

Though, Dash wasn’t so sure of her own statement.

Dusk sighed, then said, “Alright, fine. If you wanna be stubborn, we can play that game.”

Dash wouldn’t be able to fly very high. She was sure her own weight would be too much for herself. She’d need to do what she did best, and dash at fast as she could, low on the ground, probably needing to run every once in a while.

As soon as the first stalker ran forth, Dash kicked off the ground with her legs flying overhead as she flapped twice, landing on the ground in front of another stalker.

Shoot!

She forced another flap, dashing to the side as the stalker in front of her lunged its head at her, tongue ready to pierce her skull. She swiftly dodged him successfully before running on all fours again and flapping her wings again, heading down the street, with Dusk flying high overhead.

Dash wasn’t exactly sure what her own plan was. She just needed to get away from the--

A stalker suddenly scratched at her flanks, red oozing blood dripping out. Dash, looking back, felt the sting of the wind on her rear half, her blood clinging to her coat and getting it messy. Dash took another three flaps, soaring up high, but she couldn’t stay up there for long.

Plummeting back down, she saw yet another stalker, ready to cut off her path, screeching in its own assumed victory, but Dash wasn’t going to give it the satisfaction. As soon as her hooves touched the ground, she kicked off again and landed her hind hooves on the stalker’s face before jumping off into the air.

“I’d love to stay and chat, but I gotta dash!” she shouted, leaving the stalker behind to recover from the pain of having been kicked square in the face.

Dash flapped again, increasing her speed a little right before she landed, resuming her run and hoping these things didn’t catch up. Looking behind her, her own hopes quickly sunk. There were three more of them, running after her, quickly catching up. Her wings were already burning with pain, and she didn’t think she could flap them again.

She was almost caught when two hooves reached under her forelegs and lifted her high up into the air, with the stalkers slashing at the space where she had been. Looking up, she saw that it was Dusk who had rescued her.

“What took you so long?!” asked Dash.

“Hey, shut up!” Dusk shouted back. “You try catching a mare who won’t hold still! I had to wait until you were running in a single direction!”

Dash exhaled, blowing a bit of her rainbow mane from her face as they quickly approached Tenpony tower, the mare glad to have gotten away with her life.

. . . M e a n w h i l e . . .

Hindsight sat in a metal chair, staring at a hooded figure from across the table, only their large gray eyes visible. This creature had been recently brought over from another universe through the usage of two tags. Bringing over a pure tag and a corrupted tag, they simply put the pure creature back in its original universe. This put a heavy load on the machine, but the technique still worked.

They were extremely lucky that the creature was capable of surviving high-impact slingshotting against the wall.

“Dr. Scalpel, is it?” asked Hindsight. “You’ve come quite a long way just to get here.”

“You brought me here,” replied the hooded creature. “Don’t act as if I just came here of my own volition. I’m insulted.”

“Forgive me,” said Hindsight. “It’s just that we’ve been looking for creatures like you, creatures with intelligent minds.”

“I outdo most of my colleagues, yes,” replied Dr. Scalpel. “What is your intent?”

“I’ve been looking at Steel Ranger technology, and I am hoping that if I can bring over someone smart enough, I can make something better,” answered Hindsight. “Lord Bale is very specific with his instructions. He tells me when to bring someone over, and even how to find them in the first place.”

Scalpel stared at Hindsight, making the white pegasus smile. Hindsight could see the sins of creatures from other universes as well… It was intriguing to him. This being had stolen technology from an enemy force, and could reverse-engineer it with ease. He was guilty of sacrificing the lives of his own workers to get what he wanted as well.”

“I do dabble in suit technology,” said Scalpel. Special gear is what I primarily work on, but I’m not sure your universe is like ours. Seeing as how this is a bunker, I’m assuming you’ve done something wrong… A nuke, perhaps? Something went kaboom?”

“Wow… You can tell?” asked Hindsight, smirking. “You are indeed correct. We are in what you would probably recognize as a post-apocalypse.”

“Why would I help a species that has so carelessly nearly destroyed themselves?” asked Scalpel. “Why in the world would I waste my time to help you further your destruction?”

“Because I can supply you with a technology powered by magic, something your world doesn’t have,” replied Hindsight with a smug smile. “We both have enemies. You scratch my back, I scratch yours.”

“Magic being brought over into another world such as mine is impossible,” replied Scalpel.

This sudden statement surprised Hindsight. “Excuse me?”

Scalpel sighed, then said, “Dimensional anomalies. Physics varies from universe to universe. You’re not the only one who can create an interdimensional machine.”

“You’re telling me there are laws that some universes must follow?” guessed Hindsight.

“Correct,” replied Scalpel. “I could bring over some artifact of yours that supplies magic here, but once it crosses over into my world, it would simply become a useless trinket. Magic is different, not known to my universe, and most certainly not known to our own laws of physics.”

Hindsight didn’t like how this sounded. “Perhaps… another offer?”

Scalpel’s large eyes stared, looking annoyed. “Perhaps,” he repeated. “There is another way you could pay me, but I doubt you could do so with post-apocalyptic technology. Your resources must be dwindling by now, correct?”

“It hasn’t been long enough,” Hindsight lied. “We can certainly help you with your own problems.”

Scalpel’s hooded form leaned back in his seat. To Hindsight, Scalpel was almost like an abyssinian, being able to stand on two legs. Whatever universe Scalpel was from, the creatures there were also able to survive being thrown against the walls at high speeds.

“Alright then,” said Scalpel, sighing. “I will help with your suit technology. I will not tolerate any lack of resources. If you want me at my best, I demand you to be at yours.”

“That is acceptable,” replied Hindsight. “I’ll supply you with both Enclave and Steel Ranger suits so that you may study them. I’ll even give you the weapons that you’ll be testing on them. These aren’t the weapons you’re used to. They’re much more powerful, capable of turning you to ashes.”

“I’ve seen worse,” replied Scalpel. “Much worse.”

Hindsight was a little confused at this statement. According to Scalpel, his species utilized horrendous high-pressure pneumatic and hydraulic weapons capable of cutting through the toughest of stone and metal with ease, but they were nothing like magical beam technology.

“Just begin your work tonight,” said Hindsight. “Afterwards, I’ll return you home… if the suits are satisfactory enough.”

“That’s fine,” said Scalpel. “Just keep the materials coming when I ask. I’ll give you a product that’s better than both suits put together.”

. . . M e a n w h i l e . . .

Landing by the tower, Dusk gently settled Rainbow Dash onto the ground. “Alright… I’m gonna have to go first,” said Dusk, beginning her approach to the tower. As they did, Dash could see the two armored ponies by the entrance bring out their weapons.

“ID, now,” said one of the guards, her tail lifted, guns at the ready on her sides.

Dusk Feather stood her ground, asking, “Who put a lobster in your panties this morning?”

Oh, no.

The mare charged up her weapon, and before she could fire, she heard, “Stand by.”

A white-coated mare with a messy blonde mane walked out the door, looking tired. “Who are you? A citizen?”

“It’s me,” said Dusk. “The pony who… took your whisky stash and gave it to my teammates…?”

“Kill her,” said the white mare.

“Wait!” shouted Dusk. “I brought a gift!”

The white mare sighed, then tapped her front hoof, waiting. “It’d better be good.”

Dusk pulled what appeared to be… a wine bottle from her bag. “It’s aged quite a bit, as you can guess,” she said after setting it down.

The mare walked over, picking it up. Pulling out the cork, she took a quick whiff of it. “Hm… You’re a lucky bitch today, aren’t ya?” she asked. “Managed to dance with the devils twice so far.”

“So, can I come in?” asked Dusk.

“Maybe,” replied the mare. “Not so sure about her.”

Dusk looked over to Dash, who was very confused. “What? What’s wrong with me?” asked Dash. “You got something against me?”

“Don’t forget,” said Dusk. “I’ve told you how they feel about you.”

“Just wash the dye from your mane when you get inside,” said the mare. “I don’t want any complaints from my crew.”

“Uh, this is my natural mane,” replied Dash.

“Then I’ll make arrangements for your funeral,” stated the white mare. “Come on in. Just don’t expect me to protect you every step of the way, so you’d better stay away from the workers.”

As Dusk and Dash walked inside, following the white mare, Dash asked Dusk, “Is this Study Guide?”

“A real bitch, huh?” Dusk answered.

“A bitch who’s still smarter than you,” replied Study Guide. “How’s your rebel life?”

“Wow, touchy,” said Dusk.

“Not my fault I graduated college early,” said Study. “I’m not a fan of the Enclave, but I’m not sympathetic towards rebels, either. Both sides seem to fuck up the battlefield.”

“”At least the rebels are trying to help,” replied Dusk.

“No, they’re not,” Study Guide snapped back as she continued walking. “I’m gonna lay it out for you. Enclave are the parents and the rebels are the offspring. Sure, the parents are bad in the child’s eyes, but so far, it’s been the Enclave that’s been protecting all their little ducklings in Fog City.

“Rebels are basically the kids who’ve grown into snarky teenagers, doing whatever they want and wreaking chaos without any rhyme or reason, just to spite mommy and daddy because the teenagers couldn’t get what they want through the legal process.”

Dusk Feather looked like she was trying to stare holes into the back of Study’s head, and Dash could kinda sympathize. This Study Guide wasn’t doing herself any favors by being so rude. “Why didn’t the legal system work?” asked Dash.

“Because Enclave like to cheat,” answered Dusk.

“They do,” agreed Study Guide. “But, if you’re like me, you can fight back with legality, too.”

“Not everyone can,” argued Dusk. “We’re not all educated enough. Most lawyers are on the Enclave’s side.”

“That’s also true,” said Study. “This is why I like blackmailing. It’s a good hobby of mine.”

This mare blackmails ponies? Dash thought. She didn’t like the sound of that. It sounded dirty and it was against her morals. “Isn’t that like cheating?” asked Dash.

Study Guide turned her head to look at Rainbow Dash, saying, “Cheating is a virtue if it’s in the wasteland. Gotta do what you can to stay above the rest or else you’ll die.”

“I can understand trying to survive the wasteland,” said Dash. “It’s another thing to lie to whatever civilization is left.”

“Someone really believes they’re Rainbow Dash, I see,” commented Study Guide. “Those old morals will get you killed.”

“Yeah? Well, maybe I’d rather do that than cheat,” retorted Dash. “I don’t like how you’re treating ponies.”

“And I don’t like how I still gotta pay taxes in a post-apocalypse, but life is life,” Study Guide quickly responded.

As they walked past soldiers, Dash could see the looks they were giving her. Some looked confused, others looked angry. She didn’t like her current predicament, feeling like she was being judged. Who were they to judge her?

They stepped into an elevator, where Study Guide quickly slammed her hoof against the fifth button. “We’re heading to the research lab,” she said. “Just keep on your hooves and you’ll be fine… maybe.”

Dash and Dusk exchange confused glances at each other, with Dusk asking, “Why do we need to--”

The elevator suddenly rocked back and forth, making Dash and Dusk topple over. Study Guide blinked slowly, looking bored as she pressed the fifth button again. “I don’t think I need to tell you anymore.”

Pulling what appeared to be a small communication device from her coat pocket, she calmly asked, “Can you get that thing off the fourth floor? It’s not supposed to be down there.”

“We’re, uh, having trouble at the moment,” replied a voice from the device. “Pettywing just lost a wing… and a leg… and most of her mane.”

“She can get over it. We have Hydra Plus,” replied Study. “Get it under control now or I’m coming out there myself.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the voice replied. Study put the device back into her pocket, waiting for the elevator to stop.

When the doors opened, Dash and Dusk were met with a bloodied tile floor. Study Guide casually walked out of the elevator and looked back at them, asking, “Well?”

Dash, upon stepping out slowly, saw that most of the room had been repurposed recently, with current construction still going on. There were many cloud bricks in piles, with some of the worker pegasi standing by them and sorting them.

Other pegasi were placing the cloud bricks in place, covering over the older walls of the building. This made it seem to her like Study Guide and her Enclave friends had just recently set up shop here, probably kicking somepony else out in the process.

“Any reason why you’re using cloud bricks?” asked Dusk as she followed Dash.

“Extra layers are nice,” said Study Guide. “It’s useful if we want to keep subjects from escaping by smashing into the walls. This building is old, so we need to improve the rooms we need. Can’t have a stalker busting out. Then again, it already has, but we’ll get it back. We always do.”

“You have a stalker in here?!” shouted Dash. “Are you crazy?! I just went up against several of those things!”

Study Guide slowly rolled her eyes and sarcastically replied, “Bravo. You want a medal?”

Dusk held Rainbow back a bit, saying, “I think what she’s saying is that it’s probably not the best idea to keep something so dangerous in a place where there’s so many innocent ponies.”

“What we do is Enclave business,” said Study Guide. “It’s not something I’d expect a couple of dashites to understand.”

“This is literally ponies’ lives we’re talking about,” Dash objected. “You can’t just keep something like that in here!”

“I can, and I have been for several days,” said Study. “I’ve done this countless times, with the utmost caution. If you have questions on how I run things, then maybe you should report to the authorities. Then again, I don’t think that’s in your best interest, considering your current rogue status.”

Dusk nodded, saying, “We’ll just keep quiet for now.”

Dash didn’t like Study Guide one bit. This pony was endangering the lives of others and treated it like it was nothing. But Dash also knew that they couldn’t really do anything about it at the moment, as they were surrounded by Enclave forces. This professor was the only pony keeping them all from firing off their guns.

As Study Guide led them down the hallway, she looked back, saying, “I hope you don’t mind. I’ll be performing some tests before I can find you a room to stay in.”

“What kind of tests?” asked Dusk.

Opening the door at the end of the hallway, they entered a large room with a single glass wall in the middle, splitting the room into two halves. On the other side of the glass wall were several stalkers, roaming around, their tongue flailing as they tried to find prey to hunt down.

Dash tensed up, realizing that this professor was quite possibly insane. “Why are there so many?!” she asked.

“It’s helpful,” replied Study Guide, walking up to the wall. She knocked on the glass, startling the stalkiers. “Hey, idiots. Over here.”

The stalkers immediately all pounced at the glass, with Study Guide remaining still and calm. Dash noticed a small smirk on her face. Was this pony actually enjoying this?

Study Guide went over to a small table in the corner of the room, picking up a clipboard and pen. “Stalkers are unaware of ponies on the other side, as expected. They certainly reacted to the noise.”

Dash could see the stalkers scrambling over each other, trying to get back up. When they were able to get themselves upright, they merely started roaming as they were doing earlier. “These things aren’t natural,” muttered Dash.

“Of course not,” said Study. “This is what you get when you play with too much magic.”

“How did one of them escape?” asked Dusk.

“Don’t know. There are no holes in here that we know of,” replied Study. “My guess is that a pony decided to play stupid and raised the glass. That would explain why one of our own is missing.”

Study Guide took out her device, asking, “Can we bring the alicorn in?”

“Alicorn?” asked Dash. “Twilight and the princesses are here?!”

“Don’t tell me you’re one of ‘em,” said Study. “Yes, there’s some lookalikes here, but none of them are who I’m asking for.”

A door on the other side of the room opened up, a tall, green alicorn stepping through. She walked by the stalkers cautiously, and, one by one, the stalkers scrambled, two of them getting onto their knees, hand clasped together, while the other three ran into whatever corner they could.

Study Guide wrote down the results in her clipboard. “Just one alicorn is enough to scare five stalkers. You’d think they’d be brave enough to gang up on it.”

Dash had never seen an alicorn other than the ones she normally knew. Then again, this was another universe. At least, she hoped it was just another universe. “Can we go yet?” she asked.

“Mhm,” replied Study, tossing the clipboard back onto the table. “Weird… They can detect alicorns through glass walls, but not ponies. In a previous test, we did something similar, and the stalker reacted in the same way.”

Dusk raised a brow and said, “We’re not your scientists.”

Dash nodded, adding, “Yeah, can we hurry?”

Study Guide sighed, then motioned with her wing for them to follow. “You’re lucky I even let you in the building.”

As they went back up the hall and into the elevator, Study Guide pressed the third button. Her coat suddenly beeped, a voice from her communication device stating, “We’ve recaptured the stalker.”

Study Guide replied, “Kill it.”

“Yes, ma’am,” replied the voice, followed by the sound of an energy rifle going off.

Rainbow Dash was very unsettled. These weren’t her morals and this wasn’t her world. This was straight out of a horror novel. She steeled her nerves as best she could, trying to keep her cool.

As the elevator opened up, Study Guide led them into a large room with plush carpet. “Your room will be this way,” said Study Guide. “You’ll need to share it, because we don’t have enough. This will be considered a temporary stay. If you wish to apply for a permanent residence, then you will have to speak with Miss Pettyfeather Pettywing. She’s in charge of the rent services. However, you’ll have to wait, as she’s currently missing a limb… and her wing… and most of her mane. We’ll fix her later.”

As they walked to the other side of the room, Study Guide opened a door that led into yet another hallway, one with doors on either side, and another door on the opposite end. As they walked down that hallway, Rainbow Dash could hear a familiar voice.

“Spike, where did you get that?” the voice asked.

Spike replied, “Found it on that mare’s desk.”

Study Guide walked into the room, calming saying, “Put down the snack cake or I’ll have you arrested.”

There was Twilight and Spike, standing with the two princesses and an abyssinian. Rainbow Dash wasted no time in running up to Twilight.

“Where were you?!” asked Dash.

“Trying to find you guys,” replied Twilight. “Look, this may sound weird, but I think we’re in another--”

“Universe?!” Dash finished.

“Yeah!” confirmed Twilight. “How’d you…?”

“Took me a while, but I figured it out on my own,” Dash replied. “Also, this is kinda like one of Daring Do’s books, the one where she entered the darker version of our world.”

“Wasn’t that a fanfiction?” asked Twilight.

“Oh, yeah,” confirmed Dash. “It was.”

“I’m gonna take a guess here,” said the abyssinian. “This is… Rainbow Dash?”

“Yeah,” answered Dash. “What’s up?”

“Hey there,” he replied. “I’m Tricks! I helped Twilight get here!”

“Well, anyone who’s a friend of Twilight’s is a friend of mine,” stated Dash, holding out her hoof, shaking Tricks’ hand.

“And this is Dusk, she--” Rainbow Dash was about to introduce Dusk, but looking at her, she saw her mouth agape, her rebel friend in shock.

“Uh, Dusk? Are you okay?” asked Dash, waving a hoof in Dusk’s face.

Dusk shook her head, eyeing Tricks with what looked to be suspicion. “Uh, y-yeah… Just… had a thought was all. It was nothing.”

“What’s wrong?” Tricks asked, with Dusk flinching at his question.

“You just… sound like someone I knew,” replied Dusk. “I-It’s dumb, let’s ignore it.”

“You sure?” asked Dash. “You seem out of it.”

“Yeah,” replied Dusk. “I’ll be fine.”

. . . M e a n w h i l e . . .

Scalpel was no stranger to science, that much was certain. As Hindsight watched the two-legged robed creature work, he began to wonder if this was even a good idea in the first place. He had brought over someone with an intellect possibly greater than his. Although he wasn’t sure if that was the case, he was still fearful of the possibility.

Then again, who was he to question Lord Bale’s commands? He had to keep faith, that’s all. Surely, this “Doctor Scalpel” would help to improve the armor and create something for Hindsight’s own usage.

“I know you’re watching,” said Scalpel.

“I am aware,” replied Hindsight.

“You know, it’s interesting,” said Scalpel. “When I first came through, I couldn’t understand your language at all, but when that unicorn used his magic, it was like a sudden clarity. Is all magic like this here, being a tool of enlightenment? Or do you use it for your own gain?”

“I don’t think that’s for you or I to decide,” replied Hindsight.

“I think,” replied Scalpel, “that it should be put to greater use. It’s a waste, being used for weaponry. Imagine all the things your society could have done had they focused on things other than war.”

“You don’t know the circumstances that led up to it all,” debated Hindsight, walking up to Scalpel from behind. “You’re asking too many questions. Do I need to remind you that we hold your only way home?”

“You’re not my only way home, however,” replied Scalpel.

Hindsight was surprised. Scalpel was able to get back home? “How?” asked Hindsight.

“It’s not much, but I’m tied to a device already,” stated Scalpel. “Whenever I want, I can go back home, whether I’m in my own universe or another. I do this work right now because I find it fascinating. You do indeed hold technology I could use.”

Hindsight raised a brow, then asked, “What is your world like?”

Scalpel chuckled. “Do you really wish to know?”

Hindsight nodded. “I do.”

“Very well,” said Scalpel. “My species is highly advanced. Although most of us are still very much primitives, there are those of us who decided to take on scientific research. We have a very aggressive hierarchy.”

“What kind of hierarchy?” asked Hindsight.

“It’s simple, really,” said Scalpel. “The more skilled you are, the better you are. The more tenacity you have, the more likely you are to achieve your goals. No mercy for the weak. Kill them before they kill you. We still practice that mindset, but in a much more complex and somewhat ethical way.”

“And yet you’re not at war?” assumed Hindsight.

“We were at some point,” replied Scalpel. “It’s complicated now. Always has been, always will be.”

“It’s odd,” said Hindsight. “No matter what universe we pull from, there’s always struggle.”

“Did you really just assume there’d be one peaceful universe?” asked Scalpel.

“Is that not a possibility, among the infinite number of them out there?” queried Hindsight. “Surely, there must be at least one if not a few.”

Scalpel shuffled a bit under his robes and said, “Hand me that screwdriver, if you would.”

Hindsight nudged the tool over with a wing, still waiting for his answer.

As Scalpel took the screwdriver into his bandage-covered hands, he replied, “There’s no such thing as peace, even in a supposed perfect universe.”

“Why?” asked Hindsight.

“There’s an odd force out there,” answered Scalpel. “It’s there, and it is aware of us. It does everything it can to create a conflict. I assume it’s what caused your war, and what also caused ours.”

“Is this force malevolent?” asked Hindsight. “Can we stop it?”

“If there was a way to stop it, then I would have done so long ago,” whispered Scalpel, sounding a bit disappointed. “Bear in mind, I will leave this universe and never come back. You’d best make good use of my tech.”

Hindsight was very worried now. If there was really something out there that lived to cause pain to others through devastating conflicts such as war, did that mean that Hindsight’s goals were meaningless? Regardless...

“We just need you to do one more thing,” said Hindsight.

“And that would be?” asked Scalpel.

Hindsight then answered, “We want you to help with fixing up a factory for us. It’s old, it’s abandoned. We can power it, but we need the expertise in putting it back in working order. Are you able to do such a thing?”

Scalpel twirled the screwdriver in between his fingers. “Perhaps… Just provide me the tools and the metals I ask for.”

“By Lord Bale’s will, it will be done,” replied Hindsight.

Author's Note

This chapter was quick work, and with Somber's approval, too. Be aware that this chapter may be subject to change due to any author's request. We wish to respect their characters and we only wish to entertain the fandom with quality pieces of literature and other media.