My Life on a Cassette Tape

Double winced as the small pegasus hit him. Of all his attackers, the yellow and the pink clone were the weakest hitters, not so much because they weren't putting their hearts into it, but simply because it seemed they were the least built for it. The rainbow maned pegasus and the orange earth pony were another matter entirely. Doing his best to avoid getting hit, there was only so much he could do, as the multiple ponies rushed him, despite their missing limbs.

Scrambling backwards, he hissed against the pain as his leg's numbness began to subside. Strengthening his grip on the artifact, he activated it, just as the orange mare landed a hay maker, sending him falling to the floor. Struggling up as the numbness began to rise once more, he looked at the mares in front of him. They were the ones that he needed to save, but they were also now attacking him. Thinking on it while he caught his breath in the frozen time, the thought came to him that this was likely what Cress had been talking about.

These ponies weren't acting like they should and were spouting nonsense off about the Empire - if this wasn't them under some other artifact's control then it meant something far worse. Looking back to the only member of the Empire that was nearby, he saw him still tied up on the floor. The numbness had reached up his legs once more, and so, Double began to walk slowly across the hall. Kneeling down beside the massive form, he began to try and pat him down, but the numbness in his limbs prevented much of a search.

Hissing at his luck, Double settled for the next best he could hope for, even as the numbness crept up his pelvis. He began to slam his fist into the back of the hulking mass' head, hoping he'd knock him out. Wailing on him for a few more seconds, he backed off huffing, deactivating the artifact as the numbness reached up past his midriff. Turning back towards the mares, they each stumbled slightly. Looking down at the large thing, he let out a huffing breath before moving back to the mares.

"Are we... good to go?" He said, thoroughly fatigued. The mares looked up at him, confusion evident on their faces.

"What happened?" one of them asked, looking around as if there would be some clue in their surroundings. Double shook his head.

"We need to go, you all were captured and we're busting you out!" Double ordered, motioning them around the great mass of his fallen opponent. "We can get your limbs back once we go down stairs and handle the doctor." 'Hopefully Cress is alright...' Double added to himself as he guided the mares down the hall. Suddenly the door was flung open, revealing Berry and Thyme.

"Are we clear?" Berry asked, moving up beside Double as he limped his way down the hall.

"Not for long, we need to move!" Double replied, ushering her forward. Thyme moved up and wrapped his arm over her shoulders, helping him along while Berry moved to help some of the other ponies. They made good time down the hall when the door was thrown open once more. From the doorway emerged the impossible shape of the doctor. Double's heart skipped a beat as he stared down the monster down.

"Path's clear, let's go!" The doctor said in Raven's voice. Green energy crackled across the disgusting form, revealing a haggard looking Raven, taking heavy breaths as she leaned against the wall. "Come on, we don't have much time." Double nodded, still not completely used to the changeling being able to do such... disturbing things.

"Could use some help with the evac." Double grunted, trying to adjust his position. It was troublesome being a burden as he was but he wasn't about to be prideful and drag everypony down while insisting he was fine.

"Right." Raven moved up and helped the other ponies, doing her best to increase their progress. Pushing through the door, they looked down the short hall, their eyes growing wide as they watched a very worse for wear looking Cress limping alongside a brown stallion... or colt - he looked decently young to Double.

"Button? What are you doing here?" Berry called over, catching the colt's attention. Suddenly, Cress went limp in the colt's - Button's - arms. Double pushed off Thyme, scrambling forward towards his cousin. Pressing his fingers against Cress' neck, he found the pulse, thanking his lucky stars.

"We need to get him out of here." Double said, looking up at Button, noticing a rather large mare behind him. Button glanced over his shoulder and gave a short nod.

"Don't worry, she's with me. Brass, help Cress out of here." The mare nodded in response to the young stallion's command, stooped down, and picked up Cress with ease. "Do we just go out the way we came or do we take an alternate route?"

"Is the doctor taken care of?" Double asked, struggling to his feet before Thyme caught up to him and helped him the rest of the way, silently checking him over.

"Yeah... he's... well he's dead." Double stared with an impressed expression towards Cress. He had done it, beyond all odds - though it seemed it had taken a good deal out of him in the process.

"If you could go down ahead of us and stow away the Dark Stone it would be a great help. I don't think any of us really need to have it leach any more out of us than the day already has."

"Right." Button nodded before charging on ahead. They had made it. They had actually made it! Victory was bitter in this instance, but even through that bitterness, there was a hint of sweetness. A victory against the Empire! It was the first on a long road ahead, but it would not be the last. That would be something Double would make sure of.